Healthy Looks Great on You

Is Your Health Keeping You Awake? 4 medical conditions that can ruin your sleep

 Are you laying in bed exhausted but wide awake? Maybe it's pain racing thoughts or waking up gasping for air. Your insomnia may be due to an underlying medical condition more than stress  or bad sleep habits. Today we will look at four medical conditions that can disrupt your sleep.   I'm Dr.Vickie Petz Kasper.
If you're ready to take control of your health, you're in the right  place. Whether you're focused on prevention or you're trying to manage a condition. I'll give you practical steps to start your own journey toward better health because healthy looks great on you.
 This is episode 1 62. Is your health keeping you awake? Four medical conditions that cause insomnia.  Not sleeping is frustrating not only during the long nights, but also dragging through the day without the mental clarity you need. And maybe you know why you can't sleep, or maybe you're trying to treat the symptoms without addressing the root cause.
Today we're going to look at four medical conditions that keep you from getting the rest you need. Because if you can identify the cause, you can get started on a path to better sleep. So let's pull back the covers and see what wakes you up. Number one is ouch. Chronic pain can keep you tossing and turning low back pain, shoulder pain, arthritis, fibromyalgia.
All of these things can cause discomfort, which makes it hard to fall asleep and stay asleep. Pain and sleep have what we call a bidirectional relationship. Think of it like a two-way street. Pain makes it harder to sleep and poor sleep makes pain worse. Climbing under the covers can be uncomfortable and that can aggravate pain.
Plus, even if you can get to sleep, pain can tap you on the shoulder or anywhere else for that matter and wake you up. This leads to fragmented sleep when what you need is deep restorative sleep, which is crucial for healing and less deep sleep. Makes your pain threshold go way down. So that you're more sensitive to pain.
On top of that, pain is frustrating and insomnia is maddening, and when they get in bed together, it can heighten anxiety, which triggers alertness and all of that makes it harder to drift off to dreamland.  Arthritis is not a good bed partner. Inflammation and stiffness tend to get worse when you're inactive.
That's why you feel like the tin man who needs a shot of oil to get moving in the morning. Non-restorative sleep latches onto fibromyalgia too, and it doesn't let go. Sleeping position can worsen back pain, shoulder pain, and carpal tunnel syndrome. So optimize your sleep position for better sleep. If you have arthritis, use supportive pillows to reduce any pressure on joints. If you have nerve pain like carpal tunnel syndrome, try sleeping in a brace to immobilize your wrist. And if you have back pain, put a pillow under your knees or sleep on your side with a pillow between your legs and before you go to bed, try taking a warm bath or using a heating pad because that can relax your muscles and help with stiffness. Cold packs can be even better at reducing inflammation and also try gentle stretching exercises or massage before bed to relieve the tension in those muscles. But don't do a strenuous workout that will just increase your cortisol levels and keep you from sleeping. 
The most important thing is to always address the root cause. If you are having unexplained pain, you need to work with your doctor to manage your condition.  
Number two is gastroesophageal reflux disease. Do you wake up with heartburn or maybe even a sore throat? It might be your stomach acid, keeping you awake.
Acid reflux symptoms can worsen during the night disrupting sleep.  Here's what happens. Many people experience heartburn, regurgitation, and just discomfort when laying down, and that makes it difficult to fall asleep or stay asleep. The reason is that gravity keeps stomach acid down during the day, but then when you lay down flat, that acid easily flows back up into the esophagus. This can lead to a burning sensation or an irritation in the throat, or even coughing and choking. Many people with gastroesophageal reflux experience brief wakenings throughout the night, even though they may not realize it, it often occurs during REM sleep, which is that mind restoring deep sleep. 
And acid irritation can stimulate the throat and the lungs, which can cause coughing, wheezing, or a sensation of mucus buildup that makes it harder to breathe comfortably and stay asleep. Years ago, I was misdiagnosed with asthma when what I really had was severe reflux because I was on prednisone, all that acid would go down into my lungs and I would wake up sputtering and coughing.
But it wasn't asthma. It was a spasm of my larynx, which is where your airway closes off for a brief period of time, and that's not pleasant. 
It can also irritate the vocal cords causing hoarseness or even a sour taste in the mouth.
Some people just have chronic GERD. Some people have a hiatal hernia. Pregnancy certainly makes it worse and so does obesity,  so here are some suggestions. First of all, sleep on your left side. This keeps the stomach in a position that's lower than the esophagus, and so that kind of helps manage the reflux just by using gravity. 
More effective than that is to elevate your head. You can either use a wedge pillow or just put some bricks under the headboard of your bed to raise it by a few inches,   and especially avoid late night eating. Don't eat within two to three hours before your bedtime and avoid large meals, spicy foods, citrus, alcohol, caffeine, and fatty foods before bed.
And if this is something that only bothers you occasionally, it's certainly fine to take an over the counter antacid, but this is also a condition that needs to be evaluated by a healthcare provider to make sure nothing else is going on.  
 Reflux disease can be confused with sleep apnea as well. Sleep apnea is a serious medical condition. It's usually characterized by loud snoring or waking up choking. As you can see, that could be confused with gastroesophageal reflux disease, but  it can also be periods of time where you don't breathe at all, and what happens is your oxygen levels go down and that affects all of your organs, especially your brain and your heart. It can put you at risk for heart disease, high blood pressure, stroke, and dementia. 
It's more common in men than women, but women certainly can get it and they especially get it after menopause . The soft palate gets a little more lax. It's more common in people who are overweight, but that does not always hold true. If you are having any symptoms of obstructive sleep apnea, it's important to see your healthcare provider and have a sleep study if you are in fact doing what we call desaturating, meaning that those oxygen levels are going down. You need an official sleep study to see if you would benefit from an implantable device or a CPAP machine. And if you are diagnosed with sleep apnea and you're overweight, losing weight can certainly help, as well as avoiding anything sedating like alcohol, sleeping pills, or antihistamines. 
There are lots of medical conditions that can cause you to not sleep.  Things like thyroid disease, diabetes, heart failure, COPD. But today I want to talk a little bit about mental health conditions like anxiety and depression, because your mind isn't the only thing affected. Your sleep is too. 
You see, mental health and sleep are deeply connected. Poor sleep can worsen mental health. While mental health disorders make it harder to sleep, it's a vicious cycle, and understanding the connection is the first step toward breaking it.
So let's go to mini medical school for just a moment and see how mental disorders can affect sleep. You see, chronic stress increases the levels of cortisol and what we call adrenaline, and that makes it harder for your body to wind down  and cortisol levels that are high in the evening can actually interfere with melatonin production, which is the sleep hormone, so that can delay sleep onset. On top of that, mental health conditions can reduce deep sleep, which is that slow wave sleep, and it also can reduce REM sleep, which is when you're dreaming, that can lead to fragmented and non-restorative sleep.  The problem with depression is a lot of times people go into REM sleep too quickly and they have vivid dreams or nightmares. 
One of the characteristic findings of depression is people who wake up super early in the morning and can't go back to sleep. Then you can start associating the bed with stress, and that just makes insomnia worse over time. The same with anxiety.  Worrying and overthinking at night can lead to difficulty falling asleep.  It can also make your muscles tense, make your heart race, and make you feel like you're having a panic attack. 
People with a DHD often struggle with delayed sleep on set too. They just stay up half the night even though they're exhausted, because a lot of times their brains can't make that transition from awake to asleep, and they're more prone to restless sleep, frequent waking, and grogginess in the morning.
So what do you do about it? 
While overall lifestyle is super important for treating ADHD, depression and anxiety, it's also very important to be under the care of a healthcare provider and a mental health care provider. Counseling can be very effective for dealing with anxiety and depression. 
But if your symptoms are less serious and you just have spinning thoughts that won't stop, the main thing I suggest is learn to relax your body and your mind. We have to put our minds in neutral. And I think a lot of us go through the whole day, just go, go, go, go, go, and then we lay down at night, and our brains won't turn off because they don't ever turn off. I'm going to give you my very best tip on how to shut down your mind - journaling. I always say it's a cheap psychiatrist.  And that's just one simple step you can take to try to shut off your mind. But I heard a sleep specialist say one time that relying on sleep tips is kind of like asking a nutritionist, "How can I eat heart healthy?" And they say, "Eat more broccoli." It's a lot more complicated than that, and that's why I created a comprehensive online digital course called Unlock the Secret to Sleep Your Personalized Sleep Solution.
I hope you won't miss the opportunity to enroll in this course. It's only available until March 12th, 2025.
The course will be released on March 17th. And I also have a FREE LIVE SLEEP MASTERCLASS happening tomorrow morning at eight o'clock. It's free, but registration is required. There's a link in the show notes or you can just go to healthy looks great on you.com and look for "Six Surprising Reasons You're Tossing and Turning." We'll talk about those six reasons and what you can do about it.
A lot of people have had insomnia for such a long period of time that they've lost hope that anything can help them sleep better, and it's just not true. You can sleep better. Are there magic wands? No. It takes some work, but I can help you every step of the way. 
I want to leave you with one tip. Don't watch the clock. If you wake up during the night, resist the urge to pick up your phone and see what time it is. If you have an alarm set, you can rest easy. You're not going to oversleep, and you don't need to know what time it is. All that does is expose your brain to blue light, which suppresses melatonin and creates anxiety about what time it is and about not sleeping and that only leads to further insomnia. So don't watch the clock. That's my number one piece of advice today. I have lots more I can tell you in UNLOCK THE SECRET TO SLEEP - Your Personal Sleep Solution. I sure hope you'll enroll today before this opportunity is gone  because when you sleep better, your health is better and healthy, looks great on you.
 The information contained in this podcast is for educational purposes only and is not considered to be a substitute for medical advice. You should continue to follow up with your physician or health care provider and take medication as prescribed. Though the information in this podcast is evidence based, new research may develop and recommendations may change.
UNLOCK THE SECRET TO SLEEPFREE LIVE SLEEP MASTERCLASS
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Importance of Sleep and Weight

 You've restricted your calories to the point of hunger, and you're a familiar face at the gym. But you're still struggling with unwanted weight. Could sleep be the answer? Stay tuned to learn more about maintaining a healthy weight by improving your sleep.   
 I'm Dr.Vickie Petz Kasper. I practiced obstetrics and gynecology for 20 years until I landed on the other side of the sheets as a very sick patient. My health was out of control. My doctor challenged me to make radical changes through lifestyle medicine. Now I feel great and I want to help you make changes that make a difference. Healthy Looks Great On You podcast takes you to mini medical school so you can learn the power of lifestyle medicine.
If you're ready to take control of your health, you're in the right  place. Whether you're focused on prevention or you're trying to manage a condition. I'll give you practical steps to start your own journey toward better health because healthy looks great on you.
  This is Episode 161
Importance of Sleep and Weight.  
It doesn't seem fair. You eat less than others and exercise more, but you've still got an unwanted spare tire around your belly. If you've checked all the boxes and can't figure out what's wrong, maybe it's time to go to bed and get some good quality sleep. 
Did you know that there are studies that indicate as much as a 40 to 55 percent increased risk of obesity associated with short duration of sleep and this is true for night shift workers as well. Of course, there are other factors that contribute to excess weight gain, but poor sleep is an often overlooked contributor that keeps you from reaching your healthy weight goals.
Despite your best efforts, the risk of metabolic syndrome is increased by three fold by poor sleep. In today's episode, you'll understand the sleep weight connection, assess your current sleep quality, and implement science backed strategies to improve sleep and start making habit changes to your sleep that affect your diet and activity level.
Wow! It looks like sleep may be the secret ingredient that ties it all together. Now, am I saying you'll lose weight if you have good quality sleep?  Sorry, but no. But what I am saying is that if you don't sleep well, your chances of struggling with obesity are increased. 
And that goes for children as well as adults.  If you missed the previous episodes on sleep in this series, I'll put links in the show notes. And if you want practical steps to help improve your sleep, register for my free live Sleep Masterclass. I'll put a link in the show notes. Because if you improve your sleep, you'll have more energy, improved mood, and maybe an easier time controlling your weight. 
If you're worried about the health consequences of belly fat such as type 2 diabetes, cognitive decline, heart disease and depression, then don't get stuck in this cycle of frustration. Struggling, without seeing any progress, takes a toll on your mental health and emotions.
 Let's start by going to mini medical school to meet the hormones that control appetite.
Gherlin is the hunger hormone. Think of it like a lead foot on the gas pedal going full speed ahead. Leptin is the counter hormone that controls satiety, which is a signal to your brain that you've had enough and you're satisfied. So this one pumps the brakes. Gherlin's job is to tell you, I'm hungry so that you eat.
Most of it's produced in cells that line the stomach, which makes perfect sense, that the sensor would be in the gut. It then travels through the bloodstream to the brain, where it turns on receptors in the hypothalamus. Now this is the central control center for hunger.
And that stimulates the release of neuropeptide Y which increases appetite and also decreases energy expenditure to conserve calories. Now, levels of ghrelin should rise before a meal and drop off after you fill your belly.  Makes sense, right? But get this, when you don't get enough sleep, even for one night, ghrelin levels increase by around 20%.
So, sleepyheads  have a foot on the eating accelerator and experience increased appetite. And here's the deal. It's not an appetite for broccoli. It actually makes you crave calorie dense foods, like cookies.  And when the rhythm of ghrelin levels gets out of whack, you experience hunger at inappropriate times.
Kinda like running a red light, except instead of getting a ticket, the needle on the scale is your fine. Not only does this create a situation like so many functions in the body, it creates a cycle. You don't sleep, so your body makes more ghrelin. More ghrelin means more hunger and more cravings. More calories means more weight gain, and guess what that can lead to?
Poor sleep quality. Boom. The cycle feeds itself. Pardon the pun.  If I could give you one piece of advice to help arrest this cycle, I'd say you need a regular sleep schedule. And yes, I know it's not easy. 
That's why I'm offering a free live sleep masterclass to help you get adequate sleep and maintain normal ghrelin levels to stabilize your hunger. 
Just go to my website, www. healthylooksgreatonyou.com and in the search bar, type in free live.  If you're trying to achieve a healthy weight, you absolutely need to eat whole food that's nutrient dense and you need to increase your physical activity.
But don't neglect a good night's sleep to balance hunger.  Now, let's pump those brakes and talk about leptin. You probably aren't going to like this, but the word leptin comes from the Greek word leptos meaning thin. And here's the deal, you can be thin and be very unhealthy. So anytime I talk about weight and health, the focus is on health.
But the reality is that leptin is secreted by adipose tissue. So the more fat cells you have, the more leptin your body produces. To try and control food intake and like gherlin, it travels through the bloodstream, crosses the blood brain barrier and binds to receptors in the Hunger Center, the hypothalamus, it depresses appetite and increases energy expenditure, which has a big impact on metabolism. 
Great. So what I'm saying is that if you have more fat cells, your body will produce more leptin and tell your brain, "Enough is enough." Yeah, but that's only if things are working as designed.  Lack of sleep can reduce leptin levels by 20%. So now you've got a compound effect of 20 percent more hunger hormone and 20 percent less fullness hormone, and you know what's bound to happen.
Also, chronic sleep deprivation can contribute to leptin resistance. So that even when levels are normal or even high, the brain's sensitivity is decreased. So now the brain thinks you need more calories. And the drive to eat more calories usually sends you to the pantry for snack foods rather than a craving for fruits and vegetables.
This hormone imbalance is a perfect storm for weight gain. All of this is an intricate part of the circadian rhythm. A system in equilibrium relies on consistent, good quality sleep and not getting the Z's you need. may sabotage your weight loss plan.  One tip is to be sure and get morning light exposure.
This helps make sure that your internal clock starts working properly. Producing and secreting melatonin at the appropriate times 
You see, the whole sleep cycle is regulated by melatonin, and melatonin secretion is controlled by light. So, exposure to light at night suppresses melatonin, and the normal rhythm is thrown out of balance by an irregular sleep schedule. But here's the deal. Melatonin also has an effect on metabolism.
Melatonin is released from the pineal gland and it sends signals to the adrenal glands to regulate cortisol. The levels of cortisol are supposed to be highest first thing in the morning when you wake up, and that's why you're hungry. And you should eat a healthy, carbohydrate breakfast like oatmeal. 
Levels are supposed to be lowest at night, but a poor sleep pattern can result in elevated cortisol levels in the evening, and that can cause an increased appetite, especially for foods high in fat and sugar. You know, the ones that taste yummy but aren't good for you. And of course, this is associated with increased belly fat, which is terrible for your health.
It also interferes with glucose metabolism. And what can happen is a stress eat sleep cycle that is broken is really hard to fix.  But wait, there are even more issues linked to weight and sleep. Sleep deprivation causes your body to be significantly less sensitive to insulin. If you want more information on type 2 diabetes and how insulin works to move sugar out of the bloodstream and into cells where it can be used, I'll put a link in the show notes to that episode.
But when the body doesn't respond to insulin, the pancreas responds by cranking out more. This promotes weight gain in general, but belly fat in particular. And it increases the risk of type 2 diabetes.  Another hormone affected by sleep, and important in healthy weight, is growth hormone.
Most of it's released during deep sleep, so if your sleep quality is not good, Then you never get to that deep sleep cycle, and therefore your body makes less growth hormone, which promotes fat burning, maintenance of lean muscle mass, and raises metabolism. So, without enough growth hormone, you can maintain the same weight, but your body composition may shift towards a higher percentage of fat and less muscle.
 You might want to keep track of your sleep to evaluate how well you're sleeping. And quantity and quality are important. For example, you may sleep 8 hours a night, but if you never get to that deep sleep, then you're not making the growth hormone you need. What can make you do that is alcohol. Alcohol may help you fall asleep, but it prevents you from getting into that deep sleep.
And many sleeping medications do the same thing. So, it's important to focus on not only the quantity, but the quality. But here's the deal, without the quantity, you never get to those five to six cycles of sleep that you need to go through before your body gets into the deep sleep. So, it's all very important.
And it may help you to track your sleep to see how you're doing. If you'd like a free sleep tracker blueprint. Then just show up  to my free live sleep masterclass. You can sign up the link in the show notes.  
 Thyroid hormone levels can be affected by sleep too because of the reduction in Thyroid Stimulating Hormone, or TSH, which is released from the brain to tell the thyroid gland how much T3 and T4 to make. When thyroid function is low, the metabolic rate slows, fatigue increases, and weight gain can occur. 
In one episode, I referred to sleep as the mood mechanic. I'll put a link to that in the show notes as well, but that's because sleep deprivation affects the reward centers in the brain where dopamine lives. And look, we gotta have dopamine in our brains. We'll do anything to increase the levels, and that can result in using food as a way to satisfy the need. In addition, serotonin levels are lowered with poor sleep and that can cause unhealthy carbohydrate cravings. And what about sex hormones? Well, testosterone can decrease by 10 to 15 percent in men due to poor sleep for a week. And this can reduce muscle mass and increase fat storage.
And in women, estrogen and progesterone imbalances can occur and that also affects fat storage, especially after menopause. And it also lowers metabolism. If you've tried really hard to lose weight, remember, diet is far more important than anything, including exercise. Of course you need a healthy diet and activity for optimum health, but healthy sleep should also be considered part of a healthy lifestyle.
 Good sleep habits means keeping a regular schedule, timing light exposure because that's what controls melatonin secretion and that gets the whole ball of wax rolling, but also having a good environment to sleep. You need a comfortable, uncluttered place to sleep, and think cave, cool, dark, and quiet.
And, of course, those screens emit blue light, and that suppresses melatonin secretion and can interfere with your sleep.   Also be mindful of the things that you eat and drink, like caffeine and sugar and salt.
All of these things can affect your sleep. But, new habits aren't always easy to form, and old habits aren't always easy to break.
If you'd like to learn more, join me for my free sleep masterclass. It'll be live on March 3rd, 5th, and 8th. We'll look at six surprising reasons you're tossing and turning and what to do about them. I'll help you make small, sustainable changes to improve sleep and maintain a healthy weight.
Because healthy looks great on you.   
RESOURCES:
Free Live Masterclass - 6 Surprising Reasons You're Tossing and Turning
The Risky Business of Poor Sleep
Sleeping Pills and Potions
The Mood Mechanic - sleep
Sobriety and Sleep with Casey Davidson
Type 2 Diabetes
Why is Sleeping So Hard
The information contained in this podcast is for educational purposes only and is not considered to be a substitute for medical advice. You should continue to follow up with your physician or health care provider and take medication as prescribed. Though the information in this podcast is evidence based, new research may develop and recommendations may change

Sobriety and Sleep with Casey Davidson

Have you ever thought having a drink helps you relax and sleep better? Stay tuned to learn more about how alcohol affects your sleep, other aspects of your life, and what you can do about it. My guest today has been featured on NBC News, Good Morning America, The New York Times, NPR, CNN, and Huffington Post.
Stay tuned. You're in for a treat. 
  I'm Dr.Vickie Petz Kasper. If you're ready to take control of your health, you're in the right  place. Whether you're focused on prevention or you're trying to manage a condition. I'll give you practical steps to start your own journey toward better health because healthy looks great on you.
 Today I have a special guest on the Healthy Looks Great On You podcast. I have Casey Davidson from Hello Someday Coaching, and she is a sobriety coach for women. And on her website, she particularly says That she can help you sleep through the night and wake up rested. So welcome Casey. 
 Casey: Oh, thank you. I'm so excited to be here. 
Dr. Vickie: Well, you know I'm doing a series right now on sleep and I definitely talk about how alcohol affects sleep and I know a lot of people think taking a drink helps them relax and go to sleep, but I'd love to hear your insight on that.  
Casey: Absolutely. Well, alcohol is really terrible for your sleep. It's, it's this weird combination of both a depressant and a stimulant. So once you drink even as little as one drink for women, it really impacts your sleep quality, there have been studies done that even a small amount of alcohol impacts your sleep. So for women, which is one drink, it decreases your sleep quality by 24 percent and anything more than one drink for women decreases your sleep quality by 40%. So  it's really incredible.  
Dr. Vickie: And do you think women notice that or they're just feeling the effects of poor mood and maybe fatigue and they don't even realize that's what's contributing?
Casey: I think it depends. I used to drink quite a bit. I was kind of the woman who was working in corporate and had two little kids and came home and opened up a bottle of wine when I got home to cook dinner. And I actually was drinking about a bottle of wine a night most nights of the week. So anyone who drinks like I did typically wakes up at three in the morning, feeling just crushing anxiety, your heart racing, and have trouble going back to sleep. I think anyone who doesn't drink the way that I drank will notice when they stop drinking how good they feel and how good they sleep without alcohol, even if it's just one or two glasses at a time.
Dr. Vickie: And since the pandemic particularly, we've really seen an increase in the amount of alcohol  with men and women and so you have particularly targeted the mommy wine culture. So, can you tell us a little bit about that? 
Casey: Absolutely. I mean what's interesting is the biggest increase in binge drinkers right now are midlife women with the highest  socioeconomic status. So we have been sold throughout our lives the idea that wine is sophisticated and it helps us relax and it helps us connect. And there have been some really interesting articles in the Atlantic, for example, they wrote about how stress drinking has a divide. And so women drink to relieve stress significantly more than men. A lot of the marketing that has gone in the alcohol industry is targeted to women because they need to increase their market share and their bottom line. And starting 20 years ago, mothers in in particular were targeted. So you will even see, bottles of wine with the names, "Mommy Time Out." And, you know, there's, "Skinny Girl Vodka," and "Mommy's Little Helper." Wine is is really the modern woman's steroid. And so we get used to drinking on a regular basis. more and more and more.
And when I was a new mom, I felt like drinking was a way that I could reclaim some portion of of my pre kid personality.  I was no longer having a lot of time to see my friends or go to the gym or go kayaking or hiking. So I could drink and I could multitask, right? So I could drink and play Legos. I could drink and play Candy Land.
And a lot of motherhood is pretty monotonous and difficult, and it sort of becomes your main reward.  
Dr. Vickie: That's so interesting and marketing really works. I am excited that recently the Surgeon General has come out with potentially putting a cancer warning on alcohol because there are a lot of new studies showing that even a small amount can increase the risk of cancer. There was a season where we thought drinking a glass of red wine every day was actually good for your heart. And that has been really questioned.
Casey: It's been completely disproven. And a lot of those studies were actually sponsored by the alcohol industry.  I remember the French paradox, out on 60 minutes and this is decades ago, but the idea that people who drank alcohol in moderation were actually healthier than those who didn't drink at all. Turns out the study was completely flawed. The people in the control group, meaning didn't drink at all, didn't drink largely because either they used to drink a lot or they had medical issues to start with.  But that idea was promoted and took hold. The American Cancer Society finally came out a few years ago saying no amount of alcohol is healthy, that alcohol is linked to seven different kinds of cancer. Drinking. three glasses of wine or three drinks a week for women increases your risk of breast cancer by 15 percent and anything over that increases another 10%, every additional glass of of wine, which completely counteracts the idea that one drink a day for women is perfectly healthy. The truth is it's not. but I don't know if when I was drinking that would have convinced me to stop.  
Dr. Vickie: Well, that's interesting because we have seen a cultural shift. There used to be  events where there wasn't alcohol served and that's becoming less common. I think that the drinking culture has really exponentially increased. So if it wasn't the health risk that would have made you stop, what was your motivation?  
Casey: Well, I have to say that I was always a drinker, ever since I got to college. I joined the women's rugby team where binge drinking was celebrated. And then I used alcohol to shut off my brain. I was very much a gold star straight A girl who had a lot of fear of not doing well. When I drank, I could let all of that go. So  drinking for me was fun. It was actually part of my personality. I felt like it was sort of integral to  the type of person I was and stopping drinking completely was my worst nightmare, literally my worst case scenario in life. So  I thought for a very long time that I needed to get ahold of my drinking, that I needed to be able to moderate more successfully so that I would never have to stop completely.  And,  the more I tried to moderate, meaning I made all the rules, like I'll only have two drinks tonight. I will only drink beer because I like red wine better. I will only drink when I'm home. So I won't be out of the bar. I'll only drink when I'm out. Cause I go out less often. The more I tried to do that, the more I realized that it was not working at all. All of my rules, I could not successfully drink less on a consistent basis. Or if I did, I was super irritated and white knuckling it. And at the same time,  my anxiety was off the chart. I would wake up with this sort of low grade hangover every day. I would have to overcompensate to fit in everything I needed to do to still get, you know, the straight A version of an adult in a lot fewer hours.
I started listening to podcasts and started reading books and joining groups. And then finally decided to take a longer break from alcohol.I got to 100 days and I felt so much better. I decided to extend it to six months and then a year. And once it got to a year, I was like, you know what? I think I'm done drinking, because  I realized that I didn't need it and that I felt so much better and happier without it.
Dr. Vickie: That is so interesting. And I think that's true of so many substances, even something like sugar. You don't realize how bad it's making you feel until you can get through that period where you get over your cravings and realize how much better you feel without it. But it sounds like to me that you had a real identity shift. With drinking, denial is a huge part of the process. And so it's interesting that you just were listening to podcasts and now you are a coach for other women. 
Casey: I think the shift is really changing throughout society. It's, it's starting with the younger generation. So Gen Z is the leading factor in the sober curious movement. They drink 30 percent less than their parents or grandparents did at the same age. Millennials are also on board with being sober curious, which means  considering what your life would be like without drinking, taking periods of time, alcohol free, trying non alcoholic beer and wine, or just trying to drink more mindfully.
The older generations, I'm Gen X, who sort of came into adulthood with the idea that red wine was good for your heart. And Baby Boomers are the absolute biggest drinkers. So now it's more normalized to do dry January, to do dry July, to stop drinking for a period of time. And people don't question it as much as they used to. Whereas for a long time, I would say 10 years ago, if you took a break from drinking  and you were a drinker, people would pretty much be like, what's going on?  Do you have a problem? Are you pregnant? Just have one. You need to relax. We'll have more fun. Like  there there was a lot of pressure to keep drinking. 
Dr. Vickie: I agree with that. So, what would you say to a young woman, a young mom, or even anyone else in another range of age to get started if they are sober curious?   
Casey: I always encourage anyone who's thinking about this to try to take a longer break from drinking. When you are drinking, it becomes a habit and it becomes an emotional practice in terms of how you connect with your friends or your spouse or how you hang out with your colleagues or bond with other mothers. And you don't realize how much it impacts every aspect of your life. Whenever you drink alcohol, it spikes your dopamine really high. And so your body actually regulates your normal level of dopamine, your happy hormone lower. So even if you just drink twice a week, you are less happy than you would be if you were not drinking at all.
It messes with your mood regulation. So you are less emotionally stable than you would be, if you weren't drinking at all. It impacts your energy and your ability to work out. It messes with your sleep. So taking 30 days off drinking  is a really great way to evaluate how alcohol is impacting all the the aspects of your life,
You will notice just in one month that you have less brain fog, that you have more energy, your skin will be brighter, your eyes will be brighter. You will sleep better. So there are all these benefits to it, but you will also realize that you can go through a Friday night without drinking and that you can hang out with your partner and have a date without drinking and that it's still good. So that's a practice to bring awareness to all these beliefs we have about alcohol.
And in my coaching practice, a lot of the approach is to look at it like habit formation and break that. So the idea of keep the ritual, change the ingredients. There are fantastic non alcoholic beverages out there. there's non alcoholic beer that is, you know, taking the world by storm. There is is non alcoholic Prosecco. There's all these non alcoholic drinks, mocktails that you  will see all around you. And then you can institute new habits. How do you want to wind down at the end of the night? , If you're stressed, if you're lonely, what are other ways to meet those needs?
And you will learn something about yourself if you do that.  
Dr. Vickie: That's so powerful. And I think self discovery is a huge part of it, but I have to say, I'm glad you brought up dopamine because I always take my listeners to mini medical school. So what I want you to know about dopamine is that it affects the pleasure center of the brain, and it is in the exact same location as the pain center of the brain. When you're using any substance, and that dopamine level starts to drop, you experience extreme discomfort without the substance. And so, it's a weird upside down balance of, you're drinking to increase your dopamine levels, but then you have to drink because your dopamine levels go down so low and dopamine is a huge part of addiction. And I just want to ask you that, are we talking about addiction? Because you talk a lot about a dry period, an alcohol free period. What if someone can't stop?
Casey: There are are different levels. of using and withdrawing from a substance. In medical terms, it's called substance use disorder and there are variations of mild, moderate or severe.
What I love about the sober curious movement is anyone can decide to take a break or drink less or evaluate the way that alcohol is impacting their life and their social life. And  it is good  and you will learn something and there's was no judgment around it. Now, if you are drinking more often or more heavily, it is hard to take a break without some sort of support. So I actually stopped using sober coach. I worked with her, emailing her every day.  A lot of it was the block and tackling of, I'm having an awful day at work. I really want a drink. And her kind of being like, all right, you don't have to drink though. You can go home and you can cuddle up with your kid or watch a show or go for a run or whatever it is. Just that encouragement to to get through those cravings and the ideas of of like what do I say to people? What will they think if I don't drink? How will I have a night out with my husband?
A lot of this is sort of just day by day getting through those, those moments when you would drink.  Withdrawal, if you are physically addicted to alcohol, is incredibly dangerous. So, if you're at the point where you are physically addicted or you are worried about it beyond, I had a lot of hangovers, you really should work with a medical professional for a detox because it can be fatal.
Dr. Vickie: I'm glad you brought that up. But I do think dealing with those triggers and cravings is so important and I love that you mentioned using alternative ways to deal with the things that are going to set that trigger off. Do you have any top five suggestions on winding down or mitigating that?
Casey: What's interesting is in the beginning, the biggest trigger is hunger, which is kind of of funny and counterintuitive. So when I'm working with women and they are taking a a break from drinking, they're going from day one to day five to day seven to two weeks, I really encourage them to set an alarm for 3:30 or four, to, eat something with protein. So you are not going into the witching hour or getting dinner or driving home from the office when you are you are hungry. Cause that is a huge trigger to drink.
The other thing I really encourage women to do is to get all the alcohol out of the house. So you can talk to your partner about this. I mean, our partners support us in many things. When I stopped drinking, red wine was my sort  of kryptonite. So I told him I needed no wine at the house because I really love drinking.
And I knew it would be hard for me, like the elephant in the room, just constantly wearing me down. So he drank beer. We just just got all the wine out of the house. So that is sort of a visual cue seeing alcohol around you that triggers a craving to drink. So if you get rid of the visual cue and and you get rid of the ability to have that quick reward, meaning grab a  bottle, grab a drink, open it and have it hit your bloodstream. That gives you the chance to move through it. I mean, most cravings really only last 20 minutes. You can time them. Like I really want to drink, you eat something, you distract yourself. You can time when that craving goes away. So I would say hunger, getting the the visual cues and the easy access to alcohol out of your house, your; your visual field. And then  also identifying why you want to drink. So  if you  are just taking a break and you're not used to it, I always tell women, if they tell me they don't have a craving to drink in the first two weeks, like I won't believe them. It just doesn't happen.
So in the beginning, you really need that physical break from being able to hit that reward.  But after that, it's emotional most of the time. So it's  really important to lower the bar and to stay away from stress and overwhelm and drama.
But when you  want to drink first thing, eat something. But the second question is why? Why do you want to drink? Are you bored? Are you resentful? Are you irritated? Are you lonely?  All of those things you can solve for in different ways. And once you identify the emotion of why you want to drink, maybe you want to celebrate and want to take it even higher, then you you can problem solve for other ways to meet that need.  
D.r Vickie: I love that. That's really impactful. Those are some very practical steps that people can take. And I will just tell you the same could be said about chocolate chips. If I've got chocolate chips in the pantry, they're calling my name and I'll go in there and have a little handful. But if I don't have any chocolate chips, the pantry, I'm not going to eat chocolate. Availability is huge, whether it's snack food or alcohol or anything else.
We call those self binding techniques. And they work. They really do work, but they don't work in isolation. You have to implement these other things. And so tell me about the benefit of having a coach. Is this a one on one coaching that you do? Do you do group coaching? 
Casey: Yeah, I actually I did one on one for many years. I worked with over 150 women one on one. And then I have an online program. It's called the Sobriety Starter Kit that basically takes my one on one format and and practices and puts it in an online program that you can access and have in your back pocket at any time. It's designed to take women from day one to 106 months, a year and beyond, and give them the tools to do that. As part of that, I have an online community where I'm in there every single day and I  do group coaching as part of that as well. So, it's really important to realize that you are not alone in this and have really practical and positive and  empowering ways to reframe your habits and your thinking about alcohol to make those changes. 
Dr. Vickie: The power of community cannot be overstated. No matter what you're dealing with, the power of community is so important.  Well, I am so excited to know about your business and your coaching. And I'll put the links to all of that in the show notes so that any of our listeners can check that out.
And I appreciate you sharing all your words of wisdom with us. 
Casey: Thank you so much, Vickie,  I'm happy to be here.
  Dr. Vickie: Wow. Wasn't that fantastic? If you are sober curious and you are interested in checking out Casey Davidson's website, you can find her at Hello Someday Coaching. She offers her sobriety starter kit. She has a podcast and lots of resources on her blog. So if you're interested in cutting back on your drinking, then this is a fantastic resource for you.
Check out the link in the show notes.  If insomnia is more your problem, then you're going to want to check out six surprising reasons you're tossing and turning. That's my upcoming free live sleep masterclass on March 3rd, 5th and 8th. Registration is required and there's a link in the show notes or you can go to my website. 
   RESOURCES:
Hello Someday Coaching with Casey Davidson
Hello Someday Podcast
Six Surprising Reasons You're Tossing and Turning
The information contained in this podcast is for educational purposes only and is not considered to be a substitute for medical advice. You should continue to follow up with your physician or health care provider and take medication as prescribed. Though the information in this podcast is evidence based, new research may develop and recommendations may change
 

Sleeping Pills and Potions - What works and what doesn't

 You're at the end of your rope, so you head to the pharmacy for the help you so desperately need to sleep. But wait, you aren't sure if it's safe, if it works, and if there's a better way.  Stay tuned to learn about the benefits, side effects, and risk of sleep aids. 
 I'm Dr.Vickie Petz Kasper. If you're ready to take control of your health, you're in the right  place. I'll give you practical steps to start your own journey toward better health because healthy looks great on you.
 This is episode 159, Sleeping Pills and Potions. What works and what doesn't. You know that poor sleep is associated with heart disease, cancer, diabetes, obesity, immune dysfunction, high blood pressure, anxiety, depression, fatigue, irritability, and good grief, I could go on and on. So, taking something to help you sleep sounds like a good idea, right?  Today, we'll discuss what you need to know before you go and get a prescription, supplement, or over the counter sleeping aid.
Look, we have to sleep. Our very lives and health depend on it. But the struggle is real. Insomnia is one of the most common symptoms people go to the doctor or health care provider for treatment.  
And what if I told you that good sleep is possible without medications? Well, it is. In fact, the first line treatment recommended to treat insomnia is not medication. The standard recommendation for managing insomnia is to eliminate things that go bump in the night and keep you awake.  Or, to treat underlying diseases that disrupt sleep. It's not recommended to start with behavioral therapy or medications until these other things are maximized.
Ha! But good luck with that. If you go to your primary care provider and you don't get a prescription, I'll buy you a cup of coffee and we can both stay awake.  And, if you think you need to see a specialist, then you'll probably get to spend the night in a sleep lab hotel hooked up to a bunch of wires and you may get answers, like, a CPAP, and that's important if you have sleep apnea, but if not, you might not even hear from them. No wonder you're looking for a good solution to sleep.  And though medications are not the first line recommendation, that is the topic of today's episode. So let's get to it. We're going to start with prescription medications, then we'll talk about over the counter medications and wrap up with supplements. 
There are three classes of drugs approved to treat insomnia. Benzodiazepine receptor agonist, histamine receptor antagonist, and melatonin receptor agonist. Listening to all that medical jargon may be sufficient to put you to sleep. But wait, let me explain. You'll understand more after we go to mini medical school today and learn about receptors. 
These are made up of proteins and they receive chemical signals that produce a response.  Let me give you this analogy. You've got a lamp sitting on an end table, but it's not plugged in, so there's no light. And when you stick those two prongs into the socket, behold, now you can sit and read. And that's kind of how a receptor works.
The plug fits into the plug in. So an agonist is like the plug. It fits. It turns it on. It lets the electricity flow.  But, if you had a toddler in the house, you might want to plug in one of those little plastic things so he doesn't stick a butter knife in there and get shocked. So that would be an antagonist. 
Okay, now wake up and pay attention. We've got three classes of drugs to look at. Benzo receptor agonist and melatonin agonist. That plug in and histamine receptor antagonist that block the plugin. And then there's another category called other. We'll just call that the clapper, you know, clap, clap. And the light comes on, clap, clap, and the light goes off. 
There are eight drugs in the benzodiazepine receptor agonist family. And the first five are about my age, you know, born in the 60s. They are Estazolam, which is Prosom, Florazepam, which is Dalmane, Quamazepam, which is Doral, Temazepam, which is Restoril and Triazolam, which is Halcion. Now the millennials aren't benzos, but they're still benzo receptor agonist.
And you know, this generation got way more complicated spelling their kids' names, so I'm probably gonna have to sound them out like a first grade teacher on the first day of school. 
Eszopiclone is Lunesta, Zaleplon is Sonata. Zolpidem is Ambien.  Those older drugs are crankier and cause more dependence although Restoril is the nicest in the category. There are other benzos which are technically prescribed for anxiety and  some people do use them to help them sleep. Do they work?
Here's what the data says for the old guys. They help you fall asleep faster. A whole whopping 10 minutes faster. And they increase total sleep time by half an hour to an hour. That's it.  What about risk? Well, they make you sleepy, which is kind of the point, but also they can make you dizzy, which can make you fall if you get up and go to the bathroom during the night. And if you mix them with opioids, the reaction can be fatal.  
Now, the younger guys function about as well as the older ones, but they have shorter half lives, so their effects don't wear out their welcome so much with daytime grogginess. And they aren't so deadly when socializing with opioids. But rarely, they do some bizarre things like compel you to shop or gamble in the middle of the night. All for 10 minutes faster to go to sleep and half hour to an hour longer sleeping. 
Okay, clap on, clap off, let's talk about the other drugs.  These are dual orexin receptor antagonists.  Affectionately known as D O R A or Dora. 
The first one is Suvarexant, which is called Belsomra. The next one is Derodorexant, which sounds a lot like deodorant to me, and that's exactly what I'm gonna call it because the brand name is Quviviq. And finally, there is Limboxerant, which has a really cool brand name, Dayvigo.  What? You've never heard of any of these? Well, that's probably because they're slightly less effective than the other drugs. They help you go to sleep seven minutes faster. But the main side effect is sleepiness, and people generally say they slept better.
The next topic in pharmacology class in mini medical school is the histamine antagonist. You know, the little plastic thing that goes in the wall socket so your toddler doesn't.  Doxepin is a tricyclic antidepressant that functions this way, and even in low doses it causes the desirable effect of drowsiness. So, it's approved for the treatment of drowsiness deficit. 
Unfortunately, there are some drugs it doesn't play nice with. But, it does increase sleep time by Drum roll please! 25 to 30 minutes. Womp, womp, womp. And, it helps people stay asleep toward the end of the sleep cycle.
   And I think this underscores why one size does not fit all and prescriptions should be customized for individual needs.  The last class of drugs approved for the treatment of insomnia makes a lot of sense.  Ramelteon is a melatonin receptor agonist and the brand name Rosarem, get it? REM, R E M, as in rapid eye movement sleep.
It's got a good mechanism of action, a good name. Problem is, it doesn't work any better than placebo. So, you can skip the potential for fatigue, nausea, and worsening of liver disease and just take a sugar pill.  So, am I saying it doesn't work at all? Of course not. Why would it be approved if it didn't work?
Well, it's not in Europe, but it does work to lengthen sleep time by a grand total of seven minutes. And I don't know about you, but it's going to take more than seven minutes to get rid of the bags under these eyes.  So that's the gamut of drugs approved for the treatment of insomnia in the United States.
But wait, there's more. Just because the FDA doesn't approve something for a particular indication, that doesn't mean that doctors can't prescribe it. And sometimes, off label prescribing is a really good thing, though it's a set up for a knock down, drag out fight with your insurance company for coverage.
In addition to using the antidepressant Doxepin, many doctors prescribe other antidepressants for sleep. Things like Amitriptyline and Trazodone, even though the American Academy of Sleep Medicine advises against it because of side effects and no data showing that it works.
Now, I always recommend that you consult with your health care provider regarding your medications. Always, always, always.  But, I also recommend that they consult with up to date society recommendations and guidelines. That's just fair. And while they're at it, they should look at the potential adverse reactions.
So, now maybe you've decided to skip the copay and just help yourself to the sleep aid aisle of the pharmacy. You could even ask the pharmacist to guide you, and I recommend that. There are two over the counter medications approved to treat insomnia. They are diphenhydramine, commonly known as Benadryl, and doxalamine, commonly known as Unisom.
Side note, over the counter medications are regulated  FDA, And both of these drugs are histamine blockers. Therefore, all of the fun side effects that come with that, like dry mouth, GI distress, dizziness, trouble emptying your bladder, and of course, sedation, which is the desired side effect.
These medications are often combined with things like Advil or Tylenol with an added P. M. at the end, so you know what's in store for you. And here's what's in store for diphenhydramine. 8 less minutes to fall asleep and 12 more minutes of sleep. And for doxylamine, there's no data available.
That's it. That's what we've got. So, maybe now you've decided just to take matters into your own hands and look for a supplement. And because you've listened to my previous podcast episode about dementia, you're gonna skip right over the Prevagen, right? Promise me. Now, in the supplement section, you're going to walk in understanding that claims, concentrations, and ingredients are not guaranteed.
They're not regulated. They are, generally speaking, considered safe and ineffective. You heard that right. Safe. And ineffective. But what about melatonin? You swear it works, but does it?  Maybe. It is sedating in about 10 percent of people and in everyone else, it shifts the sleep phase.
So, there is a place for that such as jet lag, and I have an episode on jet lag in the show notes.  But even though it may help you drift off to sleep, it probably isn't going to help you stay asleep. The half life is less than an hour, and in some people it causes stomach cramps, irritability, and even depression.
It's best used in combination with other things that regulate your circadian rhythm. More to come on that. But a big one is light. And so this probably would be a great time to tell you about some exciting news I have for you.
I have an upcoming series of live webinars to talk about six hidden things that keep you tossing and turning at night.   And soon you'll have access to an online course called Unlock the Secret to Sleep, your personal sleep solution. I have been working so hard on this for so long that I cannot wait to share it with you. 
I want to help you reset your sleep and get your Z's. Now there are other supplements labeled as sleep aids and most of them again are safe and probably not effective. The exceptions on safety are kava and valerian root. Both of those have been associated with liver damage. Now it's rare, but it's very serious.
Other things you might find on this aisle are chamomile, Glycine, Gryphonia, Hops,  , Kava, L theanine, Lavender, , Passionflower, Nightshade, Skullcap, Strymonium, Tryptophan, , and Wild Jujube Seeds.  They're all equally effective and work every bit as well as a sugar pill, but hey, sugar pills can have powerful placebo effects.
And one last thing I want to mention, and that is cannabis. Bottom line is there's not enough research to say one way or another, whether it works. It does have the potential for addiction and it's not legal everywhere. So there's that.  But also it's a problem that if you quit, you'll likely experience sleep disturbances that can last for several months.   
 The bottom line is, I want you to know that you shouldn't have to choose between serious health consequences of poor sleep and the side effects and risk of sleeping pills and potions.  If you suffer from insomnia, I do encourage you not to stop any medications without medical supervision and to have an honest conversation with your doctor. And if they want access to my resources, just give them my email address. I'm happy to share and they're 100 percent legit, but if good sleep eludes you, I want you to know while there's no magic pill for perfect sleep, there is a proven path to natural, restorative rest that can transform your life. Imagine waking up energized, focused, and ready to tackle your day without relying on sleeping pills or potions.
 Are you tired of tossing and turning at night? Desperately wishing for deep, restful sleep? 
I'm hosting two exclusive live webinars where I'll share my evidence based approach to achieving consistent quality sleep. Join me on March 3rd or March 5th to discover how to fall asleep naturally. and wake up refreshed, practical strategies to boost your energy and mental clarity, and solutions to common sleep challenges that keep you awake at night.
 Plus you'll get a chance to ask your most pressing sleep questions during a live Q& A session. So don't miss this opportunity. To revolutionize your sleep.
Click the link in the show notes to save your spot now. Registration is required. And make sure you're on my email list to receive exclusive pre webinar insights and special bonuses. Your journey to better sleep starts here. Sign up right now and let's transform your nights and supercharge your days.  Because good sleep is crucial for good health and healthy looks great on you.  
RESOURCES:FREE, live sleep masterclass registration
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The Risky Business of Poor Sleep

  You know that poor sleep leaves you dragging through the day, feeling drained and foggy brained, and more than a little bit grouchy. But did you know that poor sleep can be deadly? Stay tuned to learn about seven serious diseases linked to poor sleep  I'm Dr.Vickie Petz Kasper. Healthy Looks Great On You podcast takes you to mini medical school so you can learn the power of lifestyle medicine.
If you're ready to take control of your health, you're in the right  place.
This is episode 158, The Risky Business of Poor Sleep, Seven Serious Diseases.  You know you need to get a good night's sleep.  You want to rest and wake up feeling refreshed and restored, but it's not that simple for everyone. Even though sleep is essential for life, chronic insomnia affects 30 percent of adults, and half of all people experience some degree of insomnia during their lives. So if you struggle to sleep, you certainly aren't alone. But, before you start planning a zombie party for all of your friends who are raring to go long after bedtime, let's take a look at the impact on your health. And, spoiler alert, it ain't good for ya.  Not only does poor sleep affect the quality of life and emotional well being, it's associated with an increased risk of seven serious diseases.
I mean, it's bad enough to slog through the day sleepy, irritable, and feeling blah, but people with significant insomnia tend to have a shorter lifespan.  I mean, if they know Jesus, they can sleep in heavenly peace, but in the meantime, it's best to maximize restorative sleep because of the impact on health. 
And before you reach for the medicine bottle or go shopping down the supplement and sleep aid aisle, you're going to want to stay tuned to this podcast because next week we're going to break down all the pills and potions. But this week we're going to talk about what the following conditions all have in common: heart disease, , type 2 diabetes, depression, obesity, Alzheimer's dementia, immune dysfunction, and certain cancers. And you don't even need to go to mini medical school to guess that poor sleep increases the risk of developing all seven of these serious diseases. Good sleep is crucial for good health.  
I know, I know, you get it. You know sleep is super important. You want to sleep. You've tried to sleep, but you can't. I hope you know, I feel your pain. I've been there and I understand the frustration of going to bed and knowing you're not going to sleep. That's why I've created some resources for you. Head on over to my website, www.healthylooksgreatonyou. com and grab "Turn Off Your Mind and Sleep."  It's a free downloadable tip sheet. It's not a cure, but it's a start. And then in March of 2025, I'll be doing a series of live webinars called " Six Hidden Reasons You're Tossing and Turning." Then in the middle of the month, I'll release my online course: "Unlock the Secret to Sleep" to help you get the Z's you need.
And if you take advantage of any of the free resources on my website, you'll automatically be subscribed to get every episode of this podcast, plus all those bonuses right in your inbox. And you'll be the first to know about additional opportunities to improve your sleep and health.  Now last month, I did a series of podcast episodes on dementia and now I'm transitioning to sleep.
But before we exit this road Let's take a look at the intersection between brain health and sleep. I've already given you the list of seven diseases associated with poor sleep, and so this is not in order, but logically I thought we would discuss Alzheimer's dementia first. And if you missed the series, there are links in the show notes to each episode, but if you just want the bottom line.
Lifestyle modifications are your best weapon to prevent this disease which is exploding in our aging population.  Now, today in mini medical school, we're going to learn about beta amyloid, which is sometimes referred to as amyloid beta.  That's kind of weird. I guess this peptide is a little confused about which name comes first.
You can call me beta amyloid or you can call me amyloid beta, but you don't have to call me Ray.  Okay, that was a poor attempt at humor,  but I stand by the fact that laughter is still the best medicine.  What's in a name? Well, Dr. Alzheimer himself identified senile plaques, which are those buildups of beta amyloid in the brain, as well as neurofibrillary tangles which come from Tau proteins. And he discovered all of this in the early 1900s.  In people with Alzheimer's, amyloid proteins stick together and get folded over and they form plaques and that is toxic to brain cells. In fact, beta amyloid plaques are the hallmark finding in the brains of people with Alzheimer's. But here's the deal.  I've got amyloids and you've got amyloids in your brain, too.  But if you're normal, then your glymphatic system washes it away and breaks it down.  Want to guess when this happens?  Yep, while you were sleeping. 
Or in the case of insomnia, not. And clearly, there's an increased risk of Alzheimer's dementia in people with mid life insomnia.
 As it turns out, a lot of things in midlife have long term effects on our health. So maybe if you think you got away with not paying attention to your health when you were young, now is the time to reset and change directions.  Need a little more motivation?
Well, let's move on to the increased risk of cardiovascular disease. And that's a catch all term that refers to heart disease, heart attack, and high blood pressure. Cardio means heart, and vascular refers to blood vessels. And guess what? You've got blood vessels in your heart and throughout your body. So what's sleep got to do with it?
Well, I'm glad you asked. Insomnia is considered an independent risk factor for cardiovascular disease and is associated with a higher chance of dying from heart disease or anything else for that matter. We call that mortality. And listen, I know we are all going to die of something, but the goal of this podcast is to give you information, motivation, and inspiration to take care of this one body God gave us to last a lifetime on this earth.
So yeah, I'm going to die of something and so are you. But I'd really like to stick around for a while with the people I love, wouldn't you? And I want to be healthy enough to play and enjoy life. And cardiovascular disease can rob you of the ability to do anything that requires stamina.
So don't give me that, we're all gonna die of something line. Eventually your car is going to have enough miles that the engine fails. But that doesn't mean you shouldn't get your oil changed on a regular basis.
Maintenance for your health is so much more important than maintenance for your vehicle. I mean, you can't replace your body. So pay attention to your heart health and sleep. They're all related. Now let's explore why poor sleep  affects heart health. You know, when you sleep, not only is your glymphatic system clearing out toxins from your brain, but your sympathetic nervous system is just kind of chill, and your blood pressure drops.
But when instead your blood vessels don't relax, that causes an elevation in blood pressure. And not only does that increase the risk of hypertension and heart disease, But also stroke.  Now, this is interesting. If you can't sleep because you wake up during the night, or you wake up super early in the morning, then your blood pressure probably doesn't do the normal dip. 
But, if you have trouble falling asleep at the beginning of the night, it doesn't seem to have as much effect on your blood pressure. You see, sleep is very specific and complex, and the type of sleep trouble you have affects your risk. If you're interested in learning more about blood pressure, then when you go to my website, healthylooksgreatonyou.com, and search for four reasons to control your blood pressure, There'll be an episode that pops up and of course I'll put a link in the show notes.  Okay, we've covered the brain and the heart and blood vessels. Now sweetie, it's time to talk about those sugar plums dancing in your head because insomnia is associated with an increased risk of type 2 diabetes as well as progression from pre diabetes to type 2 diabetes. 
Want some good news? Improving your sleep can improve your glycemic control. That means it's easier to normalize your blood sugars with a good full eight hours of shut eye. And specifically, short sleep duration is associated with an increased risk of diabetes.  Both inflammation and insulin resistance are increased with poor sleep. 
And if you're interested in more of the science made simple, listen to the episode, "Why is sleeping so hard?" But here's the deal, sugar causes inflammation. And insulin is the key that opens the door to move the sugar out of the blood vessels and into your cells. So, it can be used as fuel. But with type 2 diabetes, this mechanism is impaired.
 This all goes back to a coordinated effort by the body to balance various hormones like growth hormone, insulin, and cortisol. And yes, it's all affected by sleep..  Next in the list of seven deadly diseases associated with poor sleep is cancer.
In fact, researchers have proposed a 24 percent increased risk of cancer in people with insomnia. And it's certain cancers in particular, like lung cancer, colorectal cancer, breast cancer, and ovarian cancer. Turns out that disrupting your internal clock does more than keep you wide eyed and bushy tailed.
It's theorized that cancer cells may take advantage of lower levels of the sleep hormone, melatonin. You see, melatonin is released in the brain and  sends out signals to synchronize many organs and bodily functions. And it plays a huge role in hormone balance. Things like estrogen, but also cortisol.
And this affects cellular growth and repair at the DNA level. That's where genes are switched on and off by the immune system.  At the most basic level, cancer is an abnormal growth of cells. So, it's plausible that skimping on the cleanup and reboot system for your body's defenses gives the enemy an advantage.
Both inflammation and insulin resistance contribute to DNA damage and that can increase the risk for cancer. I feel like I could just repeat the word inflammation with each of these seven diseases. Inflammation in the blood vessels affects every organ supplied by.. blood.
 And well, that pretty much covers it all,  but also inflammation's life partner is the immune system.  You know, they're still married, but they fight a lot trying to find the perfect balance between keeping out foreign invaders that have come to kill and destroy like infection and cancer and not going nuclear and exploding your body's own cells.
 So that leads to number five on the list of deadly diseases associated with poor sleep, and that is immune dysfunction,  and if you think you have a dysfunctional family Let me tell you about the immune system Try putting the bone marrow, the thymus gland, the spleen, mucous membrane, skin, tonsils, and lymph nodes in a room together and watch them go into attack mode.
They'll crank out some white blood cells, antibodies, cytokine, and compliment to mount a defense against infection. And that's a good thing. When bacteria, viruses, parasites, and fungus breaches our first line of protection, We need a strong immune system to fight them off. Turns out that fighting off infection is a process that's also related to tumor suppression like we discussed with cancer.
But here's the deal. The immune family is a rowdy bunch and sometimes they miss the target and attack their own. I mean, you've seen a room full of toddlers, right? They want everything. That's mine. It's mine. That's their favorite phrase. So when they get overzealous, it causes autoimmune disease. Okay, now this is getting personal.
I have an autoimmune disease called myasthenia gravis. In this condition, the body makes antibodies against itself. And we all know that a house divided against itself cannot stand. And that's what happened to me. Literally, my muscles were so weak, I couldn't stand for very long, walk very far, or use my arms for any length of time.
Because every time my nerves tried to send a signal to my muscles, my misguided immune system interrupted the neurotransmitter as if it were there to hurt me. Now, what causes myasthenia gravis? Well, it's not really known, but guess what? Poor sleep is associated with immune dysfunction. Now, I was a self described health nut for many years.
I ate a lot of whole, unprocessed foods, exercised regularly, managed my stress pretty well, and had a healthy group of connections.  Oh, and my mama always said, don't drink, don't smoke, don't chew, and don't go with those who do.
So I've never been one to be exposed to unhealthy levels of harmful substances. Now, I just listed five of the six pillars of lifestyle medicine. Hmm, let me see, what did I leave out? Oh, yeah, sleep. Until MG knocked me flat on my back, I ignored the importance of rest and sleep on my health  and it caught up with me.
And that's one of the reasons I'm so passionate about restorative sleep.  Let those who've lived like the walking dead serve as a warning.  And if dementia, heart disease, cancer, diabetes, and immune health aren't enough to convince you that you need to prioritize sleep. Then how about obesity? 
And listen, do you see a theme developing? Aberrations in the circadian rhythm disrupt normal melatonin production, which in turn has a powerful influence in hormone regulation and balance. And all of that affects your levels of hunger and satisfaction, and ultimately, the number on the scales.  If you've ever wanted to reset your metabolism, then focus on resetting your sleep because they are closely related.
And obesity increases the risk of heart disease, cancer, high blood pressure, and of course, type 2 diabetes. This is starting to feel like a snowball, gaining more and more waist circumference as it rolls down the hill. Not only does lack of sleep slow down your metabolism, it increases the level of the hunger hormone, ghrelin, and it decreases the satiety hormone, leptin, that tells your brain you're full. 
 I've already mentioned the connection between insulin and sleep. And insulin resistance is also a factor in excess weight gain. Both insomnia and obesity are epidemic. And look, you're not going to lose weight by sleeping better at night.
But you might gain weight by not sleeping at night. And it might be easier for you to stay active and eat healthy if you get a good night's rest.  Gosh, this whole thing is kind of depressing.  You knew I was going there, didn't you? The seventh serious disease associated with poor sleep is depression.
And get this, people with insomnia have a tenfold increased risk of depression. In one of my previous episodes, I called sleep the mood mechanic. There's a link in the show notes. But on the other side of the pillow. If you have depression, you have 75 percent more trouble falling asleep.
Now, how do they measure that? Well, in the past, they relied on surveys where research subjects just recalled their sleep. But now, we're getting more and more data from wearables, like watches and rings and smart beds, like the sleep number bed. But the fact remains that sometimes it's hard to tell. If depression causes sleep disruption, Or the other way around.
Listen, don't stay awake at night worrying about it. If you have depression, talk to your doctor or healthcare provider about the right treatment for you and your insomnia. Because I'm guessing, if you have one, you have both.  However, that leads me to reason number two that I'm passionate about sleep.  The average doctor only gets two and a half hours of training on sleep in medical school.
So there's that. And the number one recommendation to treat insomnia is not medication. So, you're going to want to stay tuned and learn more so you can lower your risk of dementia, cardiovascular disease, type 2 diabetes, obesity, cancer, immune dysfunction, and depression.  Sleeping may not come easy for you, but it's worth the effort to give your body a chance to do the work on the night shift and restore your mind and your health. Because healthy looks great on you. 
  
   the information contained in this podcast is for educational purposes only and is not considered to be a substitute for medical advice. You should continue to follow up with your physician or health care provider and take medication as prescribed. Though the information in this podcast is evidence based, new research may develop and recommendations may change.
 
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Effective Strategies to Connect with Others

 You are really going to enjoy my guest today.
Today I have Amberly Neese on the podcast. She is a featured speaker, emcee, and comedian. She lives in Prescott, Arizona. And she is the author of several books, Untangling Faith, Friendship Initiative, Common Ground, and Belonging Project. 
And I can tell you from personal experience that she doesn't just talk about connection, she lives it.
 I'm Dr.Vickie Petz Kasper. If you're ready to take control of your health, you're in the right  place. Whether you're focused on prevention or you're trying to manage a condition. I'll give you practical steps to start your own journey toward better health because healthy looks great on you.
This is episode 157. Effective strategies to connect with others.  
Dr. Vickie: Welcome, Amberly. I am so happy to have you on the show today. Now, I always like to start by talking about how we met. And I met you back in the fall in a very remote spot in the woods in California. We spent a week together and you made me laugh and you inspired me and you gave me hope that there are very practical ways that people can learn to connect with each other. So tell us a little bit about your ministry and what you're doing.
 Amberly: Yeah. So I am an author and speaker and comedian and actually speaker coach as well. , but my, , my heart's passion is connecting people to God, connecting people to others and connecting people to who God has created them to be.
And so connection is my jam. So I'm very excited about that.  I am connected to a really cute guy of 32 years, my husband, Scott, and we have two adult children who one lives across the country, which is not working for me and a son, an adult son who is going to school and living with us. But, I am so thankful to say that I have done pretty extensive research  on not only the benefits of community, but actually how to get into community.
And so. If in any way I could be an encouragement to somebody listening about how to how to find their tribe and learn to thrive I would love it. I have bible studies on it. I have , all sorts of resources on it because for me, this is really a pivotal part of a thriving christian life for sure.
 Dr. Vickie: You know, I talk a lot about the impact of loneliness on your health, and adults experience loneliness in increasing numbers since the pandemic. Anywhere from one in three to one in two. And so, if you're speaking to that person who's having trouble connecting, where do you even start?  
Amberly: That's such a good question. And I think, in full disclosure,  That you would like connection is the first thing loneliness to say. I need a friend. I want connection is so vulnerable. And I, so I think it's so courageous for somebody to get to a place where they say,  I can't do this on my own. It is not good for me to be alone.
It's not good for people to live in isolation. And so I think the first step is just admitting. I mean, it sounds like I'm leading an AA meeting and I'm okay with that. But the first thing is to admit you have a problem to admit that loneliness is a factor. The second thing is to kind of, it's almost like a dating profile. Now, I have, I've never, praise the lord, I've never had to do the swiping left swiping right. I don't even know what those things mean. But if I had to re enter that world, I would be very clear about what I was looking for, what I offer  and what I'm looking for. And, I think that the same thing happens in friendship.
You have to figure out, what is it that you're looking for? Do you want somebody to sit with you while you knit every day? Okay, I mean, good luck with that, but it's possible that that's what you want. Do you want somebody to take walks with you? Do you want somebody to be able to share your secrets with?
Do you want somebody who you can go country line dancing on Tuesday nights? I mean, you have to figure out what it is that you want, but also you have to figure out what it is, what is it that you have to offer.  And for me, and I know Vickie for you as well, this is very possible. I had to be honest with the fact that I don't have a plethora of extra time.
I just can't lunch all the time. Like so many of the people in my life where they have this incredible margin of time. I don't. So I have a limited amount of time. So I had to be honest that in a friendship, that's part of what I bring to the table, but I also bring encouragement because that's something I'd love to do.
I'd love to encourage people. I. I bring honesty.  Some people can't handle the truth, so I'm looking for friends who can handle the truth. And not only that, I'm looking for friends who are what I call love and shove friends, which are people who love me where I'm at, but shove me to greater things and want the best for me.
And when I'm not doing what's best for me, that they love me enough to say, girl,  cut it out.  I love you. And I would love to help you be part of getting better at this. So you have to figure out what do you bring to the table. So admit you need a tribe, figure out what it is that you bring and what it is that you need.
And then this sounds like such an old school kind of sage thing, but go to the need, which means figure out something you're passionate about, something that makes your teeth itch when you think about it. It's something that , makes you passionate, good or bad, and then be part of the solution. And in doing so, you will find people with equal,  passion for the things you're passionate about.
If it's hiking, if it's women's rights, if it's whatever it happens to be, if it's feeding the homeless, find the need and go there.  And, I promise you, you will find people who are like minded, maybe not perfect runoff into the sunset best friends, but you'll find people who are like minded and you'll be reminded of the power of community.
Dr. Vickie: You are spot on with vulnerability because like you, I'm an extrovert. I think we've established that. But during the years of the pandemic, I experienced the most loneliness that I have ever felt in my entire life. And it was extremely painful. And it was good to admit it. And I remember I wrote in a blog post one time and I said, I'm lonely. And it felt shameful almost.  
Amberly: 100%. I mean, the word lonely has one in it. To say  I'm by myself feels so difficult. However, I love that in many translations of the Bible, it said that Jesus went to lonely places, meaning he felt like, man, he had perfect connection with the Father and yet he felt like, man, nobody kind of understands my plight right now. 
And , I think we all have those, we all have those seasons where you're like, wow, I am knee high and whatever it is I'm going through and I don't feel like anybody understands this, but, you're not alone. That's the first thing I'm going to say. , you're not alone. But the other thing is, I truly believe, the brilliant doctor in you, I'm sure is going to talk about this later on.
Your intro is going to talk about this particular thing, but I truly believe all the brain research, all of the physiological research says we are wired to connect with others. We are, we are literally fashioned to be stronger in number. And, no matter what your ideology is, as far as where we came from and how we got here, community was a vital part of all of that.
And so I think,  to recognize that you need other people, it means you, you get to a place of humility that you're probably better to be with anyway, if you didn't feel like you needed people, it's probably why you don't have people because nobody wants to be with you.  But if you get to a place where you say, I could use some help in this area.  What a beautiful invitation for others to get there. And as you said, the statistics are staggering. Before COVID January of 2020, more than half of Americans admitted to being lonely and 61 percent or something like that said they don't have anybody to tell a secret to. So sister sledge, you and I were not the only ones that were feeling lonely. During COVID, and I think it's gotten worse. Honestly, I think COVID actually exacerbated an already difficult situation.
Dr. Vickie: I do too, but I think it, it did shine a spotlight on it. And I also wanted to tell you that I've never felt my teeth itch before, so I don't really know exactly what that means, but I do think that making connections takes time. And that's one of the frustrations.
Amberly: oh, Absolutely. It does take time, but  at the risk of sounding like I'm giving like too broad a statement - anything worth having is worth investing the time in. And so if you say, I don't have time to exercise, but I do have time to die early, right? That's essentially what I say when I don't exercise.  If I want to have all the benefits and you're going to give us all  the medical ramifications of loneliness and they're crazy. You have to recognize, do I want to do any of those things? It's like the commercials on television when they say you're going to have clear skin, but side effects may include proclivity to gamble, , you want suicidal thoughts. And I think, you know what, I think I'm going to stick with my itchy skin. Thank you so much. Right, you have to weigh the consequences. And, in this case, the benefits to your health are so  profound.
It seems almost ridiculous that we would say, I don't have time for friends. You may look at your calendar and think that, but I would like to say, I think that you need to make the time you need to prioritize it because you need to prioritize you and your health.
So I don't have the medical degree. I just have a lot of mileage on my friendship vehicle and have made tons of mistakes and would like to say my life is richer because of the people that I've opened my heart to. and open my calendar to as well. 
Dr. Vickie: That is so true. And it's not just your physical health. It's also your mental health and your spiritual health.  And I love that you talk about what we have to give to a friendship because let's be honest, some people can be a drain.  
Amberly: True, true, true, true. And You know, my mom used to say to me, baby girl, there are two people, the two types of people, givers and takers, which is a kind of jaded.
So can I tell you this sweet, the sweetest story? I love this so much. So for my last birthday,  I think it's the best birthday I've ever had. Okay. So I, I'm 55. I just turned 55. So I'm finally the speed limit. Excited about that. And I have a group of girlfriends that we've worked hard to invest in one another and it's not all rainbows and happy faces. It doesn't look like Gilmore girls all the time. We do life together and sometimes it's happy and sometimes it's hard and there's lots in between. We support each other. Months before my birthday, one of the ladies said, save this weekend, don't make any plans. And I said, okay, what are we doing? She said, you're letting me take care of this. I said, okay, again, for me, Vickie, you know,  I do like to know the plans, right? I I love scripture that says, I know the plans I have for you, says the Lord. But I am always like, could you let me in on the plans? And that's not what he promises. So she says, let me take care of the plans. So  when all was said and done,  A group of ladies picked me up and we drove two hours to Phoenix and we went thrift shopping. Why? Because that's my favorite thing to do.
Most of these ladies had never been thrift shopping. They're in a financial echelon, they don't have to worry about thrift shopping, but they did it because I love it. And then we had dinner and we had my favorite food and then they said, Oh, we better hurry up. We've got a show. I said a show and I'm thinking my husband teaches theater.
I know all the shows that are happening in Phoenix and I'm thinking I wonder what show we're going to. Are we going to this one? Are we going to this one?  And one of them had asked me almost over a year ago, Hey, you inspire us when you speak, who inspires you? And I gave her a list of five people. She knew four of the five, but she didn't know the fifth one.
So she looked it up and that person actually happened to be speaking in Phoenix the weekend of my birthday. And so they surprised me with one of my favorite speakers and Vickie I think it was my favorite birthday, not because I got the most amazing gifts, although I'm thankful for the gifts I got, it's because for the first time in my life, I felt like a group of ladies  saw me and celebrated me. 
And that's a sweet story, but I can tell you that's 54 years of not necessarily doing community right. But they, however that happened, they felt like I see them and I celebrate them. And so that's what they wanted to do for me  and seriously, sweetest birthday ever. And, again, long time coming.
I made a lot of friendship mistakes. I, I've dropped the friendship ball a lot and I've hurt people and I've had to make amends for that. So I'm thankful that there is hope. There is hope for all of us, even those. Weirdos who like thrift shopping and I'm so thankful for that. 
Dr. Vickie: That is so beautiful. And I think it demonstrates what we talked about earlier, and that is vulnerability. You have to have vulnerability to have a true relationship.
Amberly: Totally. As you know, I think you and I spend enough time, , you're the master at this, but I'm a Padawan learner on this, the gift of questions. I can't encourage you enough to, if you're looking for a community to get yourself a couple of great questions  that help you get to know people better. And what's so funny is that people are like, Amberly, you're such a great conversationalist. And I'm like, no,  I just ask good questions. And you brought the conversation.
But at the end of the conversation, again, I had a group of ladies who wanted to  celebrate me and to help me know that I was seen. Why? Because I've asked questions and I've gotten in their world and I've done my best to try to remember stuff. If you tell me something, Vickie, like, this is my favorite Starbucks drink, it goes in my phone under your contact. And if I ever want to meet you, I look up your, your Starbucks order and I bring it to you on the way. And people are like, how do you do this? And I'm like, because of Jesus and Google. I just, I keep all this stuff together so that you feel like I see you. 
Dr. Vickie: That's so intentional and I think that that's really important in relationships to be intentional.  
Totally. Win-tentional is what I call it. You know,  it sounds like, , you know, strategy, strategery, , as they say in the office, but. The truth is it is intentional. It does take effort. There's no doubt about there is no easy button on community. There's no easy button on friendship.  Heck, we're two or more gathered, there's also conflict, right? So you have to work those things out. And last time I checked, it takes time and energy and investment and vulnerability, all those things, but worth it.  So worth it. 
Dr. Vickie:  I think that is so good and it encourages people who maybe feel like they're on the outside looking in because I think a lot of times people think, Oh, they're in a friend group and I just wish I could be like that. And so what advice do you have for people to just start being intentional and to start connecting?  
Amberly: So, first of all, I've  opened my Facebook feed and gotten my feelings hurt so many times I can't even tell you. So I've been on the outside looking in. So there's a couple of things. The first one is, I've also called people and said, Hey, the next time you go to that thing, let me know.
I would love to be a part of that. That looked like so much fun. So again, you're admitting to yourself and another,  I could use this. But the second thing is start your own party.  Invite.  This sounds like such a third grade thing, but invite people that you see that were also not at said get together and think, you know what? Vickie's not in any of those pictures. I bet Vickie would be, would be up for that. If that was your thing.
We have a new game that we love in our house called the Bible is Funny, hilarious. I get no kickbacks for saying this one of the greatest games. And guess what? It costs 0 to open up and play it in my house. 
It might cost me some chips and salsa to invite people over for a game night, but if I'm the instigator and again, sometimes you ask and people say no, and that's hard, but what if it works out?  Well, then you've gotten to have chips and salsa with somebody who's choosing to spend time with you. You get to have a great time of games and then you find out more about them. They find out more about you and you can figure it out. Again, it's not formulaic because it's people.  But, that would be what I would say is, again, go to the need, be part of that. Speaking of Facebook, and again, social media is such a  hotbed, but one thing about Facebook that's fabulous, there is a group for everything.
Blonde people who love Pomeranians. There's probably a Facebook group, hikers in the county, you know, big eyebrows who love, I don't even know, chess. I promise you for every walk of life, there is a Facebook group. And so start maybe, on a very, easy level, which is connecting with people online with similar things.
And then once you practice that a little bit, then move on to the next thing and maybe again connect with somebody. Hey, can I meet you for coffee?  One of the best is 'Wow, I really admire the things that you're doing right now.'  At work or whatever it happens to be. 'Can we meet for coffee? Can I talk to you about some of that stuff?' News flash people love to talk about themselves and they love to talk about the stuff they're passionate about. So why not make it about them?  And in doing so you may make a connection that you are forever thankful for.
Dr. Vickie: That is such good advice, and you know, I moved to a new town about a year ago, and so it was a big change for me. I didn't have the group of friends around me that I had always had, and it's not easy to make new friends. It's not easy to connect in a new place, and I'm thankful to say that I'm kind of part of multiple groups now, and I'm very appreciative for, uh, the people that reached out to me, and it has made such a difference. But it's hard.  
 Amberly: Absolutely it is. And, we had the same thing. That's why I wrote my Bible study about finding your tribe, is that both my husband and I struggled terribly moving to a community we couldn't wait to live in. I love this place, but it felt so cliquey. It really feels cliquey when you're on the outside. But then the other thing is once you are in a group, remember that, remember the sting of feeling like an outsider and make sure there is always a chair available at the table, always.  
Because there are people that do that, where they're like, well now that I'm in, let's close the gates. And it's like, wait, wait, wait, there are other people who could benefit from this.  And I'm going to say especially to older ladies, and I consider myself one of those older ladies. Please be on the lookout for those young moms who are on the struggle bus. Those young women who look like they have all the things because they're because their Instagram page is on point.  But the truth is they are as lonely or more lonely than my generation than yours, I mean, you and I are in the same generation, but, just think that through. Don't just look for people who look like you and who vote like you and who think like you do. Stretch out and make a difference. The Great Commission says go to Samaria, go to Judea, right? I think  the Great Commission applies to those of us in friendship and connection as well is get out of your comfort zone. It's not just about you, right? 'Can I bring you a meal? Can I help you baby hang out with your kids one night so that you're not alone? Can I make killer microwave popcorn would love to bring that to you.' Whatever the thing is, make it simple. It does not have to be difficult, but make it about connection and pour into others. And, I keep going back to the Bible because it's such a beautiful love note of connection, but the Proverbs tells us that those who refresh others will themselves be refreshed. And I don't know about you, but I could always use refreshment. And so, I think that that's, that's such an important thing when we make it about other people. I don't know how the, how the heavenly math works, but it works out when we make it about other people that somehow we  reap the best blessings for sure. 
Dr. Vickie: Well that is so incredibly rich and I have not yet got to experience sitting in the audience with you on the stage but I hope that that is something that happens in the future.  I would love to get you booked to speak in my town and at my church and for anyone that's interested in having you as a speaker they can visit your website and there's a link in the show notes.  
Amberly: Absolutely. I would super love that. And if you end up booking me, those of you who are listening, if you book me, just say that Dr. Vickie sent you and I will give you the friends and family discount.   I love it.
Dr. Vickie: Do you have any last words of wisdom for our listeners?  
Amberly: My family was watching the chosen this week, and I know that there's some people that they're not chosen fans, and that's okay. But, they took some creative license that I thought was so brilliant, which is when Jesus was preaching in order for all the crowds to be able to hear. He would say something and his disciples would just repeat the truth to so that everybody could hear. For those who are struggling with loneliness, I just want to encourage them. Just continue to speak truth to repeat the truth. You know, right? You don't have to create your own truth, repeat the truth, to not only those in your that come into your sphere of influence, but also to the person in the mirror and remind yourself  you are loved. You are chosen. You are  beloved. You are fearfully and wonderfully made. And when you begin to do that, I can tell you people love to be encouraged. And when you repeat the truth that you know to those around you, I promise it will have an effect and you will make a difference. And that dissipates a lot of loneliness. So please continue to spread the truth and love people well.
Dr. Vickie:  I think my oxytocin levels just went up so high. Thank you for that. And yes, we are very much chosen fans in this family, and they do take some creative license, but they also just make it real.
Amberly: Agreed. We watched the episode with Peter walking on water and him holding onto Jesus. And I know that those are actors. I know they were reading a script, but I just found myself wrapping my arms around Jesus thinking, don't let go, you know, so great. So I'm with you. I'm a huge fan, but, thankful for that. Again, they're just repeating the truth that they know. And, I think it makes a difference.
So thank you so much for this. Thank you for your podcast. I'm just going to say, I know it takes time. I know it takes effort, and I know this is a passion area of yours, but you have spoken truth and echoed that. And I just want to say thank you so much from a listener who's crazy about you.
Dr. Vickie: Well, thank you so much for sharing your expertise on connection with us. This has been just great. Love you..
Amerly: My pleasure. I love you right back. Have a great day. 
 
Dr. Vickie: Wow, this was such a great episode. It's just gold, and I know that Amberly said I was going to share some medical information with you. But, you know what? I just want to let this sit right where it is, because I think this is an episode you're going to want to listen to over and over again. Maybe you want to go and read the transcript, and I think you'll want to share it with a friend.
And if you don't have a friend, maybe this is a good way to  start a conversation. I love it when you share the podcast episodes and I know that this one in particular will give you some practical information on sharing connections with others. And I will put an episode to my previous podcast on loneliness in the show notes so that you can get that medical information.
But I think this is just powerful all by itself.
   
   The information contained in this podcast is for educational purposes only and is not considered to be a substitute for medical advice. You should continue to follow up with your physician or health care provider and take medication as prescribed. Though the information in this podcast is evidence based, new research may develop and recommendations may change.
 
RESOURCES :
AMBERLY NEESE
The Deadly Epidemic of Loneliness
From Loneliness to Belonging
The Bible is Funny card game

Supplements, aluminum and other dementia myths

  If I see that Prevagen commercial one more time, I just might scream. But instead, let's talk about supplements, aluminum, and other dementia myths. We're going to separate fact from fiction and debunk those myths.   I'm Dr.Vickie Petz Kasper and I want to help you make changes that make a difference. Healthy Looks Great On You podcast takes you to many medical school so you can learn the power of lifestyle medicine.
If you're ready to take control of your health, you're in the right  place. Whether you're focused on prevention or you're trying to manage a condition. I'll give you practical steps to start your own journey toward better health because healthy looks great on you.
This is episode 156, Supplements, Aluminum, and Other Dementia Myths. 
If you're a regular listener of this podcast and you listened closely last week, you know that I planned to talk about genetics today, but Sally, Steve and Lea, Greg, John and Sherry, and Barbara really got to me.  You don't know them? You must not watch TV at all. Those stupid commercials air every few minutes.  In this episode, we're going to bust some myths, but also amp up our game in the discernment category. We're gonna discuss Prevagen, aluminum, and their relationship to dementia, as well  as some other misunderstandings. But wait, Sally is a nurse, isn't she? Says so right on the commercial, a flight nurse.
Yeah, so she should know better. You see, she said she had a fear that she wouldn't be able to keep up and she wanted all the boost that she could get. Okay, let's stop right here because fear is a fantastic motivator when it comes to sales pitches.  People make purchases based on emotion. So this flight nurse who has all these medical resources available to her, heard from a friend.  Listen, friends don't let friends take scammy supplements.  I will give her some credit because she said she read the clinical study on it and it had good reviews.  I'm not sure which study she's referring to, but I did find a graph that has one bar going way up and the label says, In clinical trials, Prevagen has been shown to improve short term memory in people who were, and get this, normal or mildly cognitively impaired. Well, which is it? Because those two things are pretty different, aren't they? But here's an even better question. Compared to what? You see, the company's own study showed that a placebo, which in this case was a flour pill instead of a sugar pill, was equally effective at improving the nine cognitive skills that they looked at, including memory.
So you can either pay 40 to 90 a month on Prevagen. Or you could just do something like, eat a peanut, and voila! Your memory will improve.
Just like Steve and Leah. They live in the North Pole, and they're retired educators, but probably not science educators. And here's how they got started taking Prevagen. Steve said he saw one of those incredibly annoying commercials and thought, That makes sense.  Does it though?  You tell me. The active ingredient is  aquaporin. It's a calcium binding protein, and calcium is definitely linked to brain health and memory. Calcium is super important in communication between nerve cells in the brain. So it's gotta work, right? Well, here's what the announcer says. Can a protein originally found in jellyfish improve your memory? Our scientists say yes. Researchers have discovered a protein that actually supports healthier brain function. It's the breakthrough in a supplement called Prevagen.  Their scientists say yes, but sounds fishy to me.
Specifically it's made from jelly fish that luminesce. Now, these are some fascinating creatures, and honestly, I did not even know they existed until this summer. I went to the west coast to help my son move into a new apartment and we traveled down to Monterey Bay. There's an aquarium there that has all these luminescent jellyfish and one of them was neon red. It was one of the most fascinating things that I've ever seen.
But what does that have to do with memory?  Well, you might have a bright future if you're a Caribbean box jellyfish. Turns out they're capable of learning even though they don't have a brain. And what exactly can a jellyfish learn you ask? Well, they can learn to dodge obstacles, which can come in handy if you're running an obstacle course, I guess. 
Nah.  Now, Barbara is a retired librarian from Michigan. Five years ago, she says she had a lot going on. And she saw the Prevagen commercial. And she started taking it. And she noticed that her memory was better, and people tell her that she doesn't miss a beat.  I mean, she's dodging obstacles like a professional jellyfish.
I guess the bottom line is, those commercials work. But look, we don't have a lot in common with these jellyfish. They don't even have a brain . But they do have 24 eyes and that's pretty weird. 
But isn't it the number one supplement for memory recommended by pharmacists?  Maybe, but I couldn't verify that. But John is a pharmacist and he does a paid testimonial for Prevagen on the commercials. And he says he went ahead and gave it a try. And he feels like it's really helping, so he recommends it to his customers, family, and friends as a safe product to try. 
That's not how this works. In medicine, we don't recommend things because we want to give it a try or because we feel like it helps. But I imagine a lot of people are listening to John because consumers have spent more than a hundred and sixty five million dollars on this product in the last ten years.
And it's a hoax.
Maybe you noticed that their commercials changed recently. Well, that's because a complaint was filed back in 2017 with the Federal Trade Commission. Because studies showed that this protein doesn't even cross the blood brain barrier and it's probably digested in your stomach and never goes anywhere else.  This was the beginning of a  seven year legal battle that ended last month. And there are two claims that got them in hot water.
One of them was that Prevagen reduces memory problems associated with aging. Because it  doesn't.  The other one they said is that it was clinically shown to reduce memory problems associated with aging.  Now their website looks a little different since this case was settled last month, and it doesn't even make a claim that it helps anything.
They can't because it doesn't work. Now, you may hate big pharma, but I can promise you that if you could milk some protein out of a jellyfish and make a medicine out of it, they'd have done it. It's not like there's a shortage of jellyfish.  
But on the Prevagen website, they list three studies showing that it's safe. Not effective, safe. They're labeled Safety Study 1, Safety Study 2, and Safety Study 3. But nothing to indicate that it does anything.  They don't even pretend that it treats or cures anything. But, they do continue to aggressively market to an aging population who is concerned about memory loss. 
If you're going to forget anything, forget Prevagen.  Here's what they say now, I really feel like my memory has improved since I started taking Prevagen, or my wife thinks my memory is getting better.  
Greg is my favorite. He's got a lot of gigs and is the most accomplished and likable paid testimonial in the game. He's a motivational speaker so he has that edge. He noticed in his mid fifties that he was losing a bit, like walking into a room and forgetting why he came. Which, by the way, can be normal. And if you missed my episode on the difference between normal aging and early signs of dementia, I'll put a link in the show notes.  But he's been taking Prevagen for three years, and it's helped him tremendously.
Now, I'm not sure what it helps him with because he admits he has a very healthy lifestyle. And people tell him that he has a memory like an elephant. Guess they didn't know that aquaporin comes from jellyfish.  Now, maybe you've taken it and now you're just feeling a little silly. I get it. People put soap under their covers to try to help with restless legs. At least that's cheap. And desperate people do desperate things. Once I had tennis elbow really bad. I never played tennis, but I was desperate for relief. I ended up getting one of those copper bracelets and wearing it. Well, it's kind of cute, but it didn't work either. So I think we could all use some information.
So let's go to mini medical school. 
Today we're going to talk about medical research. Here's the deal. Our bodies are incredibly complex.   So there are some experiments in nature that you could design to measure things or to prove this or that. But when it comes to the human body, we are quite varied in our responses to different things. So, a lot of times there's not clear evidence to prove things. But you can't just make stuff up. Well, I mean, you can, but the pharmaceutical industry is required to prove that their products are safe and effective.  It's not a perfect system, but have you ever tried to actually read a package insert?
A lot of times it will say that a certain percentage of people had nausea or headache or even something more serious like a seizure.  But then the question becomes, would they have had the same thing even if they hadn't taken whatever drug you're reading about?  But they're required to report anything that comes up during the trial. 
And if you look at the absolute numbers, it might say something like 9 percent of people had nausea, and if you look at the placebo group, well, 9 percent of them had nausea, too.  But here's the deal, with the supplement industry, they don't have to do all of this. The Dietary Supplement Health and Education Act was passed in 1994. And they are exempt from having to prove claims that vitamins and supplements even work.  So the best advice I can give you is listen closely to what they're saying.  Just because somebody saw an ad and feels like something is helping, doesn't mean it works. 
And in general, be careful when looking at medical research. It's complicated. Traditionally, we consider the double blinded placebo controlled randomized trial to be the gold standard. It gives us the most reliable data, and That means that the person taking the medication or placebo nor the researcher who's evaluating the data about the medication or placebo knows which one they're taking. And that allegedly prevents what we call bias and helps us sort out the placebo effect. But even that's not perfect.
We also have to look at the power of the study. Typically, a well designed study has lots and lots of people in it. It's more meaningful if you look at that versus a handful of people. It's reported as the N, which logically stands for number. So if you see a study of about 400 people in the grand scheme of things, that's not really very big.  Often what researchers do is take a bunch of smaller studies and clump them together and try to increase the validity. We call that process a meta analysis. And it's not perfect science either.
Listen, science is hard. Research is complicated and math is a challenge for a lot of us, even researchers. Apparently, some really smart people are not exempt from this. Recently, there was a paper published that showed toxic levels of microplastics associated with those black cooking utensils you use to protect the Teflon on your pots and pans. It set off a firestorm of TikTok videos to help people get rid of those things.  But guess what?  They made a mathematical error and missed a decimal point. So what was actually being released was nowhere near the toxic level. But it was too late for a lot of poor soup spoons.  
Another problem we encounter in studies is extrapolating data from animal studies to humans. And I see a lot of reference articles to some reputable sources, but they're looking at things like the effect of some chemical in gigantic doses on some little animal, and that can cause misleading information. 
In the 1960s, rabbits were injected with high levels of aluminum, and they got lesions in their brain that look very similar to the lesions that people with Alzheimer's get in their brains. So they started looking at aluminum as a cause for dementia. And I'm old enough to remember feeling a little bit of caution drinking out of an aluminum can. 
Turns out, they did find aluminum in those plaques in the Alzheimer's brains of people. And that's scary. But hold on. Healthy brains also contain aluminum.  And despite looking for a link, there's no evidence that aluminum from cans or pots and pans or deodorant or antacids causes Alzheimer's.  So now that we've busted the myth that a jellyfish protein doesn't do anything besides waste your money, and that your pots and pans aren't out to get you, Let's talk about some more somber misinformation that people believe about dementia.
There are three falsehoods I want to address. Number one is that only older people get dementia. Number two is there's nothing that can be done about dementia. And unfortunately, number three is that dementia is always preventable, because it's not.  If you've been following this series on dementia, you know that the number one risk factor for developing dementia is age.
But that doesn't mean it only affects people over the age of 65. Early onset Alzheimer's can affect people in their 50s, 40s, and rarely even in their 30s. The symptoms are the same, but are often misdiagnosed. You can imagine partly that's because it's very rare and unexpected. It's also even more tragic because it's now affecting someone who may be still parenting children at home or maybe providing the family's income.  And it can feel very isolating for the person affected and their family. And let me just pause right here and say that if you or your loved one has dementia, regardless of their age, there is so much value in support groups.  I think this is so important that if you cannot find a support group in your area, I would challenge you to start your own. I'm sure you could get some help from the Alzheimer's Foundation or the Alzheimer's Association. But if your life is affected by someone with dementia, I urge you right now to Google Alzheimer's support groups in your area. 
If you're worried about yourself or someone you love, it's important to see a doctor. Because if anyone tells you that nothing can be done, they are falling for a myth.  The truth is that there are treatments available and lots of research is being done with new treatments in the pipeline. The earlier you get a diagnosis, the more opportunity you have to slow progression.
Not only that, there are some business aspects that you need to tend to to protect your family.  Lastly, I need to tell you that dementia is not always preventable.  I'm going to put some links in the show notes to all the episodes I've been doing on this series, and I stand by the fact that lifestyle matters. A lot. But even the most promising studies claim that 40 percent of dementia is preventable with lifestyle. And that means 60 percent isn't. 
Remember, I told you you needed to listen closely when paying attention to medical research. Nevertheless, don't you want to do all you can to protect your brain health? Lifestyle matters. The first recommendation is a healthy diet, physical fitness, social connectedness, stress management, avoiding tobacco and alcohol, and routinely getting a good night's sleep. 
And I have some exciting news for you about sleep. I'm going to do an entire series in the month of February about restorative sleep. I have a couple of resources on my website that you're gonna want to snag. Just go to www healthy looks great on you.com and you can find those. I've got an upcoming series of live webinars to help you with this as well.
Now that you know how to critically evaluate scientific medical studies, let's take a moment to focus on a study that was released in June of 2024 by Dr. Dean Ornish, and it looked at the effects of intensive lifestyle changes on the progression of mild cognitive impairment or early dementia due to Alzheimer's.
Now, this study was randomized and it was a clinical trial and that gives it some validity. And here's what they did. They took people with early Alzheimer's and randomly assigned them into two groups. One group implemented intense lifestyle changes, like the stuff I promote on this podcast. And they did it for almost six months. And the two groups were similar in their performance on standardized cognitive tests at the beginning of the study.  They also had blood work done to measure biomarkers of Alzheimer's. Specifically, these are things in your plasma. And after 20 weeks, they compared the intervention group with the no intervention group, and they found improvement in their performance on cognitive tests, as well as these biomarkers in their bloodstream. In addition, their gut microbiome improved, and that's super exciting.
Now, let's think critically. There were 51 people in this study, and that's not really very many. But still, the results showed that eating minimally processed, plant based, whole food, doing moderate aerobic exercise and resistance training, managing stress through meditation, breathing, and stretching, and attending support groups made a difference and the difference was statistically significant. 
71 percent of patients in the intervention group either improved or at least they didn't decline and all of the patients in the control group either stayed the same or got worse. Now I don't know about you but even though this is a small study that's pretty encouraging. I'll put a link to the study as well as an article about it from the American College of Lifestyle Medicine in the show notes. And I'll send it out to my email list.
So, even though all dementia isn't considered preventable,  let's do what we can to be healthy. Because healthy looks great on you.    
   The information contained in this podcast is for educational purposes only and is not considered to be a substitute for medical advice. You should continue to follow up with your physician or health care provider and take medication as prescribed. Though the information in this podcast is evidence based, new research may develop and recommendations may change.
RESOURCES:
Dr. Ornish's study on dementia
American College of Lifestyle Medicine Article on Dr. Ornish's Study
Preventing Cognitive Decline 
Practical Tips for Caregivers of People with Dementia
Is Dementia Really Preventable?
10 Must Know Risk Factors for Dementia
Is it Normal Aging or Dementia?
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10 Must Know Risk Factors for Dementia

 Do you want to be proactive about your health, or do you just shrug your shoulders and figure you play the cards you're dealt? And the big question is, what difference does it make? Today we're going to look at 10 things that contribute to the development of dementia and what, if anything, you can do about it.
 I'm Dr.Vickie Petz Kasper. I practiced obstetrics and gynecology for 20 years until I landed on the other side of the sheets   as a very sick patient. When my own body betrayed me, I took a handful of pills to manage my disease and another handful to counteract the side effects. My health was out of control.
Through surgery, medications, and lots of prayers, I  regained my strength only to face another  diagnosis.  My doctor challenged me to make radical changes through lifestyle medicine. Now I feel great and I want to help you make changes that make a difference. Healthy Looks Great On You podcast takes you to mini medical school so you can learn the power of lifestyle medicine.
If you're ready to take control of your health, you're in the right  place. Whether you're focused on prevention or you're trying to manage a condition. I'll give you practical steps to start your own journey toward better health because healthy looks great on you.
 
This is episode 155, Ten Must Know Risk Factors for Dementia.  Which ones can you alter, and which ones you just gotta accept. Here's the deal, dementia isn't just one condition with one cause, it's more like a puzzle with pieces that fit together differently for each person. And some of these pieces are fixed, but others, well, they're more like clay that you can reshape.
And that's exactly what we're going to dive into today.  
What if I told you that some of the choices you're making right now, today, could be tilting the scales either for or against your brain health. It's never too early or too late to make changes that affect your overall health, and that includes your brain health. So, whether you're in your 30s or in your 60s, stick around. 
We're about to break down these 10 risk factors for dementia and what you can do about it. Number one on the list is age. Yeah, I know, there's not a thing in the world you can do about it. This is one you have to accept. And if you're a woman, aged 45, your chances of developing dementia during your lifetime are 1 in 5. If you're a man, it's one in 10. And even though I didn't include biologic sex in this list, clearly women are at increased risk, but there may be reasons for that that you can alter.
Bottom line is age is the biggest risk factor for dementia and the older you get, the greater the risk. In fact, the chances double every five years after age 65.  To quote Andy Rooney, it's paradoxical that the idea of living a long life appeals to everyone. But the idea of getting old doesn't appeal to anyone.
And that's generally true and with good reason. I mean, it's not called over the hill for nothing.  They say you should grow old gracefully. Ha! There's nothing graceful about some of the tolls the years take. And according to George Burns, you know you're getting old when you stoop over to tie your shoelaces and wonder what else could you do while you're down there. 
George Burns, remember him? He lived to be 100 years old and was pretty healthy. We're gonna come back to that, so be sure you listen until the end. But age is just one risk factor you have to accept.  But while you're practicing acceptance, here's another one you can't control. Family history. 
 If someone in your family had dementia, then you are at increased risk. And if more than one somebody in your family had dementia, you're at even more risk. And you know what they say, you can't change the past, but you can change the future. You can start where you are and change the ending.
And I want you to remember that quote as we talk through this, because even if you have a strong family history of dementia, your fate is not sealed, but it is at risk. So, think about your family history. You tend to inherit your lifestyle from your family. Okay, not always, but a lot of our habits are ingrained at an early age.
We sort of eat the same things and live in similar environments.  Education levels and socioeconomic advantages or disadvantages are often generational, and those things are passed down, but they're not inherited like our genetic code. So I want to challenge you to start where you are and see if there's anything you can do to change the ending.  
 
Number three is similar to family, but not exactly the same. Genetics. Pop quiz, true or false, you can alter your genes.  I want you to stay tuned next week because we are going to talk more about the genetics of Alzheimer's.  The best way to not miss an episode is to subscribe to my newsletter. You can visit my website,  www.
healthylooksgreatonyou. com or I put a link in the show notes. I share tips, recipes, and lots of other resources. So why don't you just push pause right now on the podcast and do it before you get busy or forget. Each week on the podcast, I take you to mini medical school And this week, we're going to take a closer look at our  DNA.
Don't worry. It's a short course and it's never boring. Do not argue with me. Science is fun if you do it right.  DNA stands for deoxyribonucleic acid. See if you can say that three times really fast. Deoxyribonucleic acid, deoxyribonucleic acid, deoxyribonucleic acid. Now you'll remember it, even if I did annoy you a little bit.
I won't say it again. I'll just use the nickname, DNA. So what is it? It's like a double stranded helix, and I'm sure you've seen pictures before. Looks like a twisted ladder. It's a molecule made up of four nucleotides,
C G A T. That's cytosine, guanine, adenosine, and thymine, and these little dudes are held together by hydrogen bonds in different combinations. And here's the exciting part. Every cell in your body follows the code that is written into your DNA. It's like an instruction manual. And each person's DNA is unique.
That is why human life is so sacred. Because this coding determines your eye color. your hair color, facial features, and ultimate height, as well as whether or not you're born a boy or a girl.  And here's the deal, it's all determined at the moment of conception. When the egg is fertilized, wow, we are indeed fearfully and wonderfully made.
Now, inside of each cell, there's this little part called the nucleus, and that's where most of the chromosome forming DNA lives.  And all of this is foundational to understand genetics but not only does your genetic code determine aspects of your health. But your environment, behavior, and lifestyle can impact genetic expression.
Meaning genes can be turned off, turned on, regulated up, regulated down, and we call that epigenetics. It can even happen in the womb before you're born. So you really are what you eat, how you act, and what you do. DNA can also be damaged, so gene expression is affected by age, exposures, environment, and other factors that we're going to look at.
 But since I mentioned environmental and exposure, let's move on to number four on the list of risk factors for dementia, and that is air pollution. I bet that surprised you. Turns out that pollution causes damage to the nervous system.
Things like exhaust from cars in the city or wood burning in the country.
And you want to know what else pollutes the air? cigarette smoke. Smoking is a risk factor for dementia as well as a host of other conditions. Your mind may go straight to cancer, but it also increases the risk of heart disease, stroke, diabetes, and even macular degeneration, which can lead to blindness. 
And it turns out that number five on the list is uncorrected hearing loss.  and uncorrected vision loss. Remember when I snorted about growing old gracefully? Well, yeah, I'm over here putting in my hearing aids and groping around for my glasses and I don't think any of that is graceful,  but I do it anyway. Now I can't see without my glasses, so they're not optional,
But,  uncorrected vision loss does increase the risk of dementia, and the worse the uncorrected vision loss, the worse the risk. 
 But again, this only applies to people with uncorrected vision loss, and I think most of us wouldn't skip wearing our glasses or contacts, But, I do see a lot of people skip on wearing hearing aids. Now, my husband would argue with this, but I can hear pretty well. 
He just talks really soft.  And isn't that what everyone with hearing loss says?  Quit mumbling! 
The deal is most people can get by with some hearing impairment. But it does increase the risk of dementia.  Why is that? Well, maybe because you're not processing spoken words and that part of your brain isn't getting used and it shrinks along with everything around it. Or maybe your brain is actually devoting all of its energy to try and understand those mumblers.
And it neglects keeping the rest of the brain humming along at full speed.  Experts don't really know exactly why hearing loss is associated with dementia, but it's felt to be responsible for 8 percent of cases. So get over it. Go to the audiologist fork over the cash and get your hearing aids.
Your brain's worth it.  Another theory about the impact of hearing loss is interference with social activity. I mean, if you can't hear, you can't participate in conversations or play games or just connect as well. And that leads us to number six, social isolation.
We're created to be connected. Isolation is associated with an increased risk of dementia as well as a whole lot of other health conditions. When I say we need each other, I mean we need each other, but I want to make a point. I've talked about the impact of loneliness on this podcast before, and I'll link those episodes in the show notes.
It contributes to high blood pressure, heart disease, obesity, anxiety, depression, increased inflammation in the body, and alterations in the immune system. But listen, loneliness and social isolation are not the same.  You can live alone. and not be lonely. And you can be surrounded by people and feel loneliness.
It is connection that matters. So phone a friend, text a friend, or even send an email. Even simple things like that matter and they'll appreciate it.
According to the National Institute on Aging, one in four people over 65 experience social isolation. Now, I picture someone sitting home alone watching TV. Social isolation decreases the opportunity for engaging activities like playing cards. And it decreases the likelihood of staying fit.
Think about how many pieces of home exercise equipment serve as just a place to hang your clothes. Going to the gym is a way to get the body fit and connect socially. People who are socially connected typically smoke and drink less. And of course, that depends on who you hang out with, but clearly, people who are trying to quit benefit from community.
We all do. And speaking of quitting, many people observe dry January, and it's a great idea because number seven is alcohol. Drinking alcohol does not increase your risk of Alzheimer's,  but it may worsen it.  But hold your beer.
You might remember that Alzheimer's is a type of dementia, but not all dementia is Alzheimer's.  There are several other types of dementia and one uniquely occurs in people who consume heavier amounts of alcohol. It's even called alcohol related brain damage. 
Here's what happens. Alcohol causes a loss of white matter.
This is where the action happens. Neurons send signals to different parts of the brain and with heavy alcohol use
the brain actually shrinks, and with less volume, there's less function.  Alcohol can cause atrophy of the cells, and inhibit the growth of new neurons via a process that we call neurogenesis. Alcohol ages the brain faster and contributes to other diseases that are associated with Alzheimer's dementia and other forms of dementia as well.
These conditions are things like high blood pressure and heart disease.   But wait! I thought drinking red wine prevents dementia. And this is a hot topic of research and debate.
I mean, when you look at the Mediterranean diet and all those blue zones,
most of them are in areas where grapes are grown. And when the fruit of the vine is ripe, well, you know. So the debate continues. And whenever there's controversy, it helps a bit to understand statistics. There's something called a J curve, and the theory was that teetotalers had a slightly increased risk of things like heart disease and brain disease, which, by the way, go together.
Then, it decreased with a glass or two of red wine a day, and then the swoop up in the letter J indicated an increased risk with heavy drinking. However, whether or not there's any benefit to consuming red wine is now being challenged. And many experts assert that there is no safe level of drinking. 
And if you've ever met my mother, you know she agrees wholeheartedly.  But here's the deal. There is no question that excessive drinking increases the risk of,  you name it. And it's especially harmful in midlife. Besides that, it increases your risk of everything I'm going to mention for number eight on the list, which is head injury.
 And it's more common than you might realize. Over 23 million adults over the age of 40 have had at least their bell rung. That's slang for a concussion. It can be from falling, car wrecks, or sports injuries. And the more times your brain gets conked, the greater the risk. That's what we call dose dependent.
Preventable? Often. Wear a helmet if you're riding a bicycle, snowmobile, motorcycle, or snowboarding or skiing.  And always, always, always wear your seatbelt. But here's where the rubber meets the road.   And that's number nine, certain chronic medical conditions.
And here's the deal. Anything that affects your blood vessels affects your heart and brain. So, things like high blood pressure and diabetes, which damage blood vessels, they aren't good for the old ticker and they aren't good for the noggin either.  Okay, I don't know about you, but I'm ready for some good news.
 You too, huh? 
Well, how about this? Everything that keeps your blood vessels healthy is affected by lifestyle. If you didn't know that was coming, I'd like to welcome you to your first episode of the Healthy Looks Great On You podcast. But seriously, not smoking, limiting alcohol use, maintaining physical fitness, social connectedness, managing stress and things like depression, as well as eating whole foods. 
That's your best weapon to prevent dementia, protect your heart and maximize your overall health. 
Now if you already have one of these conditions, hear me.  Sometimes, it's not necessarily too late. Remember You can't go back and change the beginning, but you can start where you are and change the ending.
now, let me give you this caveat. Sometimes, it is too late, and conditions are not reversible, and that's often the case. So, prevention is super important.  And also, it's felt that 40 percent of dementia cases can be prevented. That leaves 60 percent that cannot.  Diabetes, high blood pressure, and obesity can be prevented, treated, and sometimes even reversed with lifestyle changes.  I won't go into each one now, but there are lots of episodes that address these six pillars of lifestyle medicine, as well as specific recommendations for each of these conditions. Just head over to my website, www.
healthylooksgreatonyou.  com, and browse for them. Included is an episode on preventing cognitive decline, and I'll link this one in the show notes. 
But, before we say goodbye Let's say goodnight, because number 10 on the list is sleep. 
The first question is, does poor sleep increase the risk of dementia or does dementia interfere with good quality sleep? And the answer is yes, both are true.  On top of that, people have more difficulty sleeping as they age. And here's another conundrum. Do prescription medications for sleep increase the risk of dementia?
I mean, if poor sleep is a risk factor, shouldn't we just head to the pharmacy and pick up a bottle of sleeping pills? Well, a recent study showed that certain sleeping medications increase the risk of dementia in white people to the tune of 79%.  Now, that's in people who either often or almost regularly took sleeping medications compared to people who rarely or never took sleeping pills. 
And by the way, white people use way more medications for chronic insomnia. Medications like Xanax and Valium. Trazodone, Halcion, Dalmane, Ambien, and Resoril. They're prescribed to white people 10 times more often.  But, despite these risks, 10 percent of older adults regularly take sleeping medication.
And, guess what? Women are the biggest users.  Okay, fine, what if you just take over the counter medications like Benadryl, or Diphenhydramine, or Tylenol PM?  The common ingredient, diphenhydramine, has some evidence that it's associated with a higher incidence of dementia.  So what are you supposed to do if poor sleep increases your risk and medication increases your risk too?
Well, I'm so glad you asked.  Sleep is complicated, but it's essential. I'll share some previous links to episodes in the show notes if you struggle with sleep. I have some good news. Coming soon, I'm doing a month long series on sleep, so make sure you stay tuned because I'm going to do a series of live webinars, too. 
And if you go to my website, there are a couple of downloads that you can snag. Three simple ways to improve your sleep and what to do if you're tossing and turning because your mind won't shut off. 
Okay, before we finish, what about George Burns? 
Well, he lived with good health and a sharp mind until he was 100 years old. Think he didn't have risk factors? Think again. He started smoking cigars when he was 14 years old, but never cigarettes, and like Bill Clinton's joint, he didn't inhale. He had two to three drinks a day, and sometimes more, but he says he never got drunk.
And he had a serious head injury after falling out of the bathtub.  He adored his wife of 38 years and looked forward to joining her in heaven. In the meantime, he exercised daily. He swam, walked, and did sit ups and push ups.  But maybe, just maybe, his biggest strength was the laughter he generated. He says he didn't tell jokes, but rather anecdotes and lies. 
But he was a funny guy.  Now, I'm not saying that laughter will keep you from getting dementia or make you live longer, but it sure will put more joy in your life.  So laugh and be healthy, because healthy looks great on you. 
     The information contained in this podcast is for educational purposes only and is not considered to be a substitute for medical advice. You should continue to follow up with your physician or health care provider and take medication as prescribed. Though the information in this podcast is evidence based, new research may develop and recommendations may change.
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From Loneliness to Belonging
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Preventing Cognitive Decline
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Is it normal aging or dementia?

 Do you ever wonder if your forgetfulness is normal or an early sign of dementia? Could losing your keys be something more sinister? While memory lapses are just part of getting older, knowing the difference between normal aging and early dementia could change everything. Today, we'll uncover the subtle warning signs that should not be ignored
 I'm Dr.Vickie Petz Kasper. I practiced obstetrics and gynecology for 20 years until I landed on the other side of the sheets   as a very sick patient. When my own body betrayed me, I took a handful of pills to manage my disease and another handful to counteract the side effects. My health was out of control.
Through surgery, medications, and lots of prayers, I  regained my strength only to face another  diagnosis.  My doctor challenged me to make radical changes through lifestyle medicine. Now I feel great and I want to help you make changes that make a difference. Healthy Looks Great On You podcast takes you to many medical schools so you can learn the power of lifestyle medicine.
If you're ready to take control of your health, you're in the right  place. Whether you're focused on prevention or you're trying to manage a condition. I'll give you practical steps to start your own journey toward better health because healthy looks great on you.  
 This is episode 154, Is it Normal Aging or Early Signs of Dementia?   Today we resume our month long series on dementia. If you've ever worried about your own cognitive function, or that of a friend or a family member You're going to learn what's normal and what's an indication of something more ominous.
And we're going to start by taking a look into the complexities and wonders inside our skulls. The brain.
It's the most complex organ in the body. When I was a medical student, over the course of gross anatomy, we dissected a cadaver. All the organs. It was a long and tedious process, separating tendons and blood vessels in the hand, examining the stomach, pancreas and liver as we removed layer after layer from the abdominal cavity.
We inspected the lungs inside and out.  But you want to know what we did not do in gross anatomy? brain.  Now, before you think we skipped something, just the opposite is true. At the end of the semester, we had to remove the brain because there was an entire course that followed on neuroanatomy.  But don't worry, I don't call this mini medical school for nothing, so I'll be quick, but we are going to do a very surface overview of the anatomy of the brain.
Your brain weighs about three pounds and it contains lots of nerve cells. and an intricate network of communication.  This may surprise you, but about 40 percent of it is water, protein, carbohydrates, and salts. And guess what comprises the other 60%?  If you said fat, you get to graduate early, but I'm guessing that you didn't.
There are three main parts of the brain and two main layers. Now, of course, this is a huge oversimplification, and there's so much more, but we're going to stick to the very basics. The biggest part of the brain is the cerebrum, and it takes up about 80 percent of the brain. This is your thinking, feeling, reasoning, learning, problem solving memory part of the brain.
It's the part that makes you uniquely you. It allows you to speak, and exercise judgment, and feel, and see, and hear, and touch. It also helps regulate temperature and controls the movement of your body. But it's the cerebellum in the back part of the head that keeps your body balanced and coordinated. And it's about the size of your fist.
It may also play a role in thought, emotions, and social behavior, even addiction.  The third part is at the bottom of the other two parts. It's called the brainstem, and it connects the brain to the spinal cord, and it controls basic functions, like your heart rate and breathing. 
The outer layer of the brain is called gray matter because it's literally a darker shade. The interior of the brain is made up of white matter.  And speaking of matter, why does any of this matter? Well, you see, different parts of the brain control different functions. And wherever there is pathology, There is loss of function and like real estate, location, location, location is everything. 
The surface of the brain is convoluted with these deep folds and this creates more surface area for more connections between neurons or nerve cells.  But as we age, the brain starts to shrink and it actually starts in your 30s and 40s. Then, like crow's feet and gray hairs, it starts to ramp up at age 60 along with saggy skin.
and accelerates even more after age 70. Hmm, aging is not for the faint at heart, but a lot of people are doing it. In fact, one in six American adults is over the age of 65. According to U. S. Census data, this age group grew nearly five times faster in the total population over the last 100 years to reach nearly 17 percent of the entire population in this country.
to To the tune of 55 million gray headed, pickleball playing, Medicare receiving, joint creaking, golden agers. And yeah, we're concerned about living independently, driving,
retaining our mental acuity, and remaining productive members of society.  Full disclosure, I'm not quite there, but I'm also not far away.  The brain's characteristics can actually be seen on imaging. MRI is the most sensitive, and with aging, the radiologist can see that the surface of the brain is less wrinkled and occupies less space inside the cranium or skull.  I mean, when your belt's a little loose, that's not a bad thing, but who wants a smaller brain? And unfortunately, this is not like Honey, I Shrunk the Kids, where you can just aim a contraption and zap it back to normal.  It's more like the sweater you accidentally put in the dryer.
It's not going to be the same.  And although it's normal for the brain to lose volume as we age, it's When it exceeds what's expected for age, that's not normal. When the brain no longer fits snugly inside the skull, we call that atrophy. And there are varying degrees from mild to severe, and symptoms typically match depending on which areas of the brain are affected. 
 In this episode, we're going to focus on 10 signs that you should not ignore. And you can find this information on the AA website. Oh, not that AA, but if you need it, I'll put a link to that in the show notes too. I'm talking about the Alzheimer's Association website.
We're going to discuss each one as well as when to worry and when not to, but here's the list from their website.  Memory loss, challenges in planning or problem solving.  Difficulty completing familiar tasks. Confusion with time or place. Trouble understanding visual, imaging, and spatial relationships. New problems with words and speaking and writing.
Misplacing things and losing the ability to retrace steps. Decreased or poor judgment. Withdrawal from work or social activities. And finally, changes in mood or personality. Now let's dive into each one. When you think of Alzheimer's or dementia, what do you think of?  I'm not sure I heard you, but I think you said trouble remembering things.
And you know, we all have trouble remembering things, especially if we're distracted with a million thoughts running through our mind. And it's perfectly normal to have trouble remembering things like someone's name.  Not someone close, like your kid, but maybe someone you just met. And you know most people say, I'm just not good with names.
Well here's a little tip. Most people aren't good with names because they don't listen in the first place. When you're at an event and you're meeting lots of people and you're going to be introduced to people, you're thinking about what you're going to say, not what they're saying to you. So here's a little hint.
The best way to get good with names when you're meeting new people is repeat their name back to them. That's It forces you to listen and it helps you remember.  It's also normal to miss an appointment occasionally or forget a call you were supposed to make.
Or forget to pick something up that you were supposed to do. But what's not normal is forgetting information.  Also forgetting birthdays and anniversaries of people close to you, that's not normal.  People with early signs of dementia may start to rely more on putting everything on their calendar or taking notes or setting an alarm on their phone to remember things.
Now, some of these are just organizational skills, like set a reminder on your phone to take medication. But when people start forgetting routine things, That's way more concerning.  I'm not sure telling the same stories over and over is necessarily a bad thing. It's kind of part of our social fabric. But, certainly asking the same questions over and over is a red flag.
Like, when is my hair appointment? Then five minutes later, when is my hair appointment? Over and over.  
Next on the list is difficulty with what we call executive function. And this is the part of the brain that helps us follow a plan or solve a problem. It's necessary when dealing with numbers. And this can manifest itself as the inability to do something like follow a recipe. That's a warning sign.
But also more subtle things like just difficulty concentrating. Mentally tasking exercises just take a lot longer in people with early dementia. Now, it's normal to slip up occasionally and forget to pay a bill, or leave out the baking soda in a recipe.  But with early dementia, things that should come easy, get more and more difficult.
 Playing games becomes more of a challenge, or navigating directions. And getting lost is a big concern for people with dementia, both driving, as well as something we call wandering.  But, it's perfectly normal to have to ask your grandkids how to program your favorite shows on your streaming platform. 
But, it's perfectly normal to have to ask your grandkids how to program your favorite show on Netflix. You've probably even seen those commercials where the grandparents are just waiting on their grandkids to come and help them with their phones.  But, if someone loses the ability to do something simple like return a text message or read an email, That's more serious.
And back when everything was on paper, it seems like we often wrote the date. Now, sometimes I have to think about what day it is. You too? Well, that's normal, as long as you can remember quickly. Dementia, on the other hand, causes people to not know what day, month, year, or even season it is. And what about trouble seeing?  As we get older, our eyesight tends to go kaput due to normal aging as well as things like cataracts. Recently, uncorrected vision loss has been linked to dementia just like untreated hearing loss. Good grief, I have to get up and put in my hearing aids and put on my glasses in order to function.   While declining visual acuity is normal, difficulty interpreting what you see is not.
And people with dementia start losing the ability to read and comprehend. They also have difficulty with color contrast, and this can be very dangerous because they may fall because they don't realize there's a step or there's a rug and that can trip them up.  Have you ever lost your train of thought in the middle of a conversation? 
I remember a particularly stressful season of my life about 10 years ago, and I felt like I couldn't complete a thought or a conversation, but it's because my mind was a million miles away.  Turns out it's normal to occasionally have trouble finding the right word you're looking for. But in people with dementia, this is more pronounced.
They may start stories in the middle instead of a logical beginning, and they often repeat things in a loop.  But they come to a word and they can't recall it, so they kind of make a weird substitution like calling a watch a hand clock.
What about losing things? Well, it's okay if you have to ping your cell phone on your hand clock or search for your keys.  I'm kidding, I hope you know that. But when my kids would lose things, I always told them to look with their brain, not their eyes. And think back to when you last saw it, and then retrace your steps.
It usually works, but people with dementia can't do that. They also may put things in weird places, like put a can of vegetables in the refrigerator.  And when they can't find their car in the parking lot, They may jump to the conclusion that someone has stolen it.  Since the decision making part of the brain is affected by dementia, people make poor decisions.
And of course, we all have bad judgment occasionally, but in dementia, this can be a serious problem, and it can be really dangerous. Because they're more susceptible to scams, and that can have devastating financial consequences. But it's also physically dangerous, because they may forget to turn off the stove or the faucet, and as the disease progresses, their hygiene is affected, as well as their ability to dress appropriately. 
Now, after the holidays, you may just be ready for some peace, quiet, and solitude. Sometimes we all just want to stay home and veg out, but people with dementia struggle to participate in conversations, so they may withdraw from things that they used to enjoy. Especially if it requires more complex mental activity. 
And lastly, there can be mood swings and personality changes. In fact, and hear me on this one, Dementia can present as depression, anger, extreme irritability, and anxiousness.  Because here's the deal, when all of this is slipping, they know, and it's scary.  And even though it's frightening, I don't want you to ignore warning signs in yourself or in someone you love. 
Because if something's wrong, there is hope. Stay tuned for more about prevention, treatment, and even some evidence about reversal. And of course, it's all about a healthy lifestyle. And if you're ready in this new year to make healthy lifestyle habit changes, I have a great resource for you. You can go to my website, www. healthylooksgreatonyou.  com and find kickstart to healthy habits in just seven days.
Of course, I'll also put a link in the show notes, and there are lots of podcast episodes that will help. And when you're on my email list, I send out lots of goodies. Recipes, sources of fiber, foods that affect your mood. So this is not something you want to miss. 
Because your physical health affects your brain health, and healthy looks great on you.
     The information contained in this podcast is for educational purposes only and is not considered to be a substitute for medical advice. You should continue to follow up with your physician or health care provider and take medication as prescribed. Though the information in this podcast is evidence based, new research may develop and recommendations may change.
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Alzheimer's Association
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The Ultimate Guide to Avoiding Sickness

The stomach virus, COVID, cold, flu, RSV and whooping cough are going around. We're in the thick of germ season.
Dr. Vickie Petz Kasper tells you the truth about how germs spread and how you can stay well and avoid catching them. 
Tis the season to be coughing, catching all the germs and getting sick.  Whew, there really is a lot going around right now. So how can you keep from getting sick? 
You've probably heard that the stomach bug is going around. The most common cause is the Norovirus. And January is typically flu and RSV season, and COVID levels are high.
All three are increasing and this is not unexpected. Why is that? Well, because of all the travel and family gatherings, the number of people you are in close contact with on a daily basis usually consists of your immediate family, friends, and co workers. But over the river and through the woods, all those germs are coming to gather at Grandmother's house to spread like wildfire. 
 In this special edition episode, we're going to talk about how these six infections spread and what you can do to prevent it. But first, we need to go to mini medical school and learn about viruses and bacteria.  Pop quiz! Of the six diseases I mentioned, all but one is a virus. Do you know which one is caused by a bacteria? Norovirus, the common cold, flu, RSV, whooping cough, or COVID. Not sure? Well, listen close. I'll tell you as we review each one.
But first, some basics. What is a virus? Well, it's a fragment of genetic information like DNA or RNA, and it's inside this protective shell that's called a capsid. And a lot of them look like a ball with these spiky things on it. They don't have any cells, and they're tiny. Their goal is to perpetuate, and they need a host to reproduce. And humans, well, we're so hospitable. We work great. First they attach to their host, and then they enter the host, and then they start replicating inside the host. Then they assemble more viral particles and whoosh, release them. And that, my friends, is a very, very brief overview and simplistic overview of how they make you sick.  
One more thing. If you have a viral infection, an antibiotic will not do one frazzling bit of good. And that's what it says in all the medical textbooks, "Not one frazzling bit of good." And I know you want an antibiotic because you've got a lot of things to do and you want to get well fast. If you go to urgent care, you can probably snag a Z Pak pretty easily. But, if you have a viral infection, it won't do one frazzling bit of good.
Now, why am I so passionate about that? I'll get to it in a sec, but let's first talk about bacteria. They're different.
Bacteria are also tiny, but they have a single living cell. Some bacteria are actually good, and they keep you healthy.  And that's why taking an antibiotic when you don't need one is bad for you. Because if you kill off all the bacteria in your gut, that upsets the gut microbiome  for a long, long time. And what happens in the gut microbiome? Well, that's where neurotransmitters are made and where the immune system is regulated. I have some links in the show notes from previous episodes if you want to learn more about how the gut actually affects your brain and your mood.  Now, on the other hand, if you do have a bacterial infection, you need an antibiotic. Okay? Got it? Antibiotics are for bacteria, not viruses.
Let's move on, starting with the stomach bug, which really isn't a bug at all. And I bet you already guessed that the stomach virus is caused by one of those spiky little pieces of genetic material that needs you to be its host. 
The most common cause of the stomach virus is the Norovirus, and this one spreads easily, so it's super contagious. People with Norovirus infection can shed billions of invisible viral particles. That's billions, but it only takes a few to make you sick. And it doesn't really seem fair to stack the deck that way, especially since the end result is diarrhea, nausea, vomiting, and stomach cramps, and possibly headache, body aches, and fever.
You get it from sick people, contaminated food or water, and surfaces. Now that last one's really important, and that's the reason that I always, always use the little wipes. to wipe down the handlebar of the grocery cart and I wash my hands as soon as I can.  And once you're exposed to the Norovirus, it takes about 12 to 48 hours to get sick. So it usually makes the runs through the household pretty quickly. You can get infected with Norovirus by ingesting little bitty tiny pieces of feces or vomit from an infected person. Yeah, mom and dad. That's why you're at risk when little Johnny brings this home from school. All that barehanded cleaning and caring for your sick splattering little one puts you at risk for going down for the count, too.
Your biggest defense is wash your hands. with soap and water. Wash them often, and wash them good. And keep your hands out of your mouth, eyes, and nose.  This virus grows really nicely in big Petri dishes, otherwise known as cruise ships. And that's why they installed 974 hand sanitizer stations right in front of the food troughs. Hand sanitizer doesn't really work that great for this particular virus. Turns out good old fashioned hand washing is much better. So, maybe that cart wiping isn't doing much good, but it certainly won't hurt. Anyway, be careful what you touch and keep it out of your mouth and nose, and wash your hands.
Now let's move on to the common cold. Quick question, virus or bacteria? You got it. Virus. Specifically the rhino virus. And remember, rhino means nose  and it's also a type of Corona virus.  That's right. Corona virus first identified in the 1960s and effectively killed by Lysol. Says it right there on the label.  Next question. If the common cold is caused by a virus, will an antibiotic help you recover faster? Nope. Can it hurt?  I hope you said yes, and if not, go ahead and hit rewind.
The symptoms of a cold usually last less than a week, but can last up to two weeks. And they include runny, stuffy nose, headache, body aches, sore throat, fever, coughing, and sneezing. There's a link in the show notes on how to differentiate a cold from allergies.
Different viruses are spread in different ways. The common cold is spread through droplets from an infected person and they find you when that person coughs or sneezes. You can breathe them in or you can get infected by touching a contaminated surface then touching your eyes, nose, or mouth. That's why it's recommended that you cough or sneeze into your elbow. Because if you cover your mouth and nose with your hands and then shake hands or touch something or a surface, then the virus uses that as an opportunity to hitch a ride onto someone else's hands. Then, if they touch their eyes, nose, or mouth, they're infected. So wash your hands and keep them out of your mouth, eyes, and nose.  
Another virus that spreads by droplets is influenza. These droplets are spread when people with flu cough, sneeze, or even talk. You can also get it from touching surfaces than touching your mouth, nose, or eyes, but that's actually less common. Most of the time you catch it directly from another person. These little viral particles are within droplets that land right in your mouth or nose. And, relatively speaking, these droplets are kind of big. They're greater than 5 microns in diameter, so they don't really travel far because gravity just pulls them to the ground within about 3 feet.
Now, once you're exposed, the virus goes to work pretty quickly and you typically get sick a couple of days later. Now, flu season is definitely upon us and it's spreading. When I was young, my mom had the flu and she said, She thought she was going to die and kind of hoped she would. Now personally, I don't ever recall having the flu. But it's serious. It can be fatal. And there are lots of different types of flu, and some cause more severe illness than others. So far this year, there have been 9 pediatric deaths, and it's early in the season. 3. 1 million cases of flu have been reported, resulting in 37, 000 hospitalizations and 15, 000 deaths.
According to the CDC, flu is on the rise.  How do they know? Let's take a look at how the data is collected because it might surprise you.  They look at emergency room visits, hospitalizations, and the number of tests done for certain diseases and the percent positivity. And there are benchmarks for those. But that wouldn't really give us a total picture, would it? Because some people don't go to the doctor or the hospital. 
Want to know a secret?   They're looking at your poop. No, not yours individually, but collectively. They study wastewater and test feces for these viruses. I mean, it's kind of brilliant, albeit really gross.  They even have a poop dashboard. Of course, they have a more sanitized named for it. It's a Wastewater data. There's a link in the show notes if you're interested or if you don't believe me. And honestly, it's pretty fascinating if you're ready to geek out. I just wonder if they advertise on LinkedIn, looking for a CPA, a chief poop analyst. Qualifications must understand virology, statistics, and have a high tolerance for gross things. And maybe they got the idea from Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. Who knows?
Okay, enough of that.  Now we call influenza flu for short and moving on, we call respiratory Syntcial virus, RSV for short. And the normal RSV season is late fall to winter, though that, again was thrown out with a lot of other things during the pandemic. 
Wanna guess how it spreads? Just like the flu and the common cold, RSV spreads through droplets. You already knew it was a virus, I mean, it's right there in the title. But, it's the same old viral tactic. Somebody who's infected coughs or sneezes, the droplet travels the short distance between you, and  you breathe it in.
This virus can survive on hard surfaces like door handles and tables for many hours. So, if you touch it and introduce it into your mouth, nose, or eyes, It can spread that way. It can also live on your hands or a used tissue, but not for very long. So what should you do?  That's right. Wash your hands and don't touch your face.
Now, this is important. RSV can infect anyone at any age and more than once in their lifetime. In fact, nearly everyone gets it before their second birthday. But here's the deal. Babies can get really sick from it. And you can give it to them by kissing their face. So yeah, Grandma, this is one reason that new moms tell you, Don't kiss my baby.
The other is the herpes virus, which causes fever blisters, but it can be fatal to newborns.  RSV can cause severe illness, hospitalization, pneumonia, and death in older adults too. So if you're sick, stay at home. Seriously, don't share your germs. When it comes to respiratory viruses, clean air also helps. That means HEPA filters for indoor air, or if you live in the South, you can probably open some windows except maybe those 13 or so days when we get bitter cold and ice. Anyway, just wash your hands and cover your mouth and nose when you cough or sneeze, spray the Lysol, keep your distance, wipe down the surfaces.
There's just not a lot of variety in these recommendations and following them just might protect a vulnerable little baby or a precious elderly grandma. And that logically helps me segue to COVID. You knew we were going to talk about COVID, didn't you?
Transmission rates are really high right now. And here's a test I bet you'll ace. Is COVID a bacteria or a virus?  Bingo. Let's go a step further. COVID 19 is a coronavirus. And remember, there are lots of different kinds, but there is something very unique about COVID, and that is how it's spread. And hopefully you already know this, but let me remind you that COVID 19 is not spread the same way as the common cold, RSV, or the flu.
And this is one of the things that made it so scary and dangerous. You see, COVID is airborne. Instead of hanging out in big heavy droplets that fall quickly to the floor, it floats along through the air. So you can literally get it from someone who isn't even in the same room with you. Think about a small bathroom where someone has coughed and then you go in, breathe in the little viral demons and get sick. It even traveled through ventilation systems in heavily populated apartment complexes.
For the most part, the COVID virus spreads among people who are nearby. Basically, talking distance, coughing, sneezing, singing, and even breathing distance. And the louder you talk or sing, the further these little particles travel. We call it aerosolization.  I mean, think about hairspray in an aerosol can. You spray it, it gets on your jewelry, the mirror, your glasses, your husband comes in and starts fanning the air. Except these particles aren't big enough to declare their presence floating in the air.  Depending on the ventilation, airborne diseases can travel more than six feet and hang around for hours floating in the air. 
Fortunately, there are not a lot of airborne diseases, but there are a few, like tuberculosis and measles. which is also on the rise and will likely continue to increase.  
Remember when we didn't know how COVID was spread? I traveled to my daughter's during that time to see my grandbaby and drove eight hours without stopping to eat and only once to get gas and go to the bathroom. I wore gloves and an N95.  I never got into washing my groceries but I did wear an N95 a lot plus I worked in a hospital so there's that.
Now you can touch a contaminated surface and get COVID through your eyes, mouth, and nose. So do the drill. Wash your hands. Don't touch your face. But it's that airborne aspect that made it different. Besides the fact that it was a novel coronavirus and we just didn't have any immunity.  
The pandemic highlighted the need for America to get healthy too. Obesity was associated with poorer outcomes. And now we have GLP 1 agonists, which are helping people control obesity because it's so much more than willpower and determination. I put a link in the show notes about GLP 1 agonist and obesity, but listen, we still need to be physically active and eat whole food. 
Now, we've talked about five viruses, Norovirus, rhinovirus that causes the common cold, influenza, RSV, and COVID, but what about whooping cough? Virus or bacteria?  You guessed it, whooping cough is caused by Pertussis Bordetella. And this bacteria is very contagious. It spreads easily through the air when someone coughs. And boy, do they cough. Sounds like a big wheeze before this violent coughing fit and a shower of germs. It lasts a long time and people are contagious for two weeks. And that cough can linger for months.
You may be wondering, if it's a bacteria, should you take an antibiotic? And the answer is yes. But, for this one, you've got to take them early.  Not everyone gets that classic whoop. that gives it its name. Some people just get a little tickle and a cough and maybe they don't even know they're sick or their doctor tells them they have bronchitis or a sinus infection. And those are the ones you've got to watch out for because they can spread it.
And like RSV in babies, it can be life threatening. Babies don't cough, they quit breathing. And one third of infants less than one year old who get whooping cough require hospitalization. Wow, that's serious. And that is why, when I was practicing obstetrics, I always recommended that my pregnant patients and everyone who was going to be around the newborn get a booster shot called Tdap. It stands for tetanus, diphtheria, acellular pertussis.
Now let me stop right there. And I want you to hear me.  I really wanted to do this episode because promoting health is the whole goal of this podcast. I want to give you information, motivation, inspiration. to take measures to protect and improve your health.
When it comes to seasonal illnesses, it's important to have a good baseline health and a strong immune system. That means a healthy gut microbiome, a healthy weight, and controlling risk factors like diabetes and hypertension.  I really care about you and I have no intention of wading into controversial waters.
 So, if you have strong emotions when it comes to vaccines, Push stop on this podcast. But I really do care about you and I'm gonna keep this part really short. But if you want to have a further discussion about vaccines, I will literally schedule a call with you.
Just email me, DrVickie@healthylooksgreatonyou.com and we can talk about it. Please don't send me hate mail, but if you do, I'll respond with love and grace  because I don't want this information which is rooted in solid science, evidence, research, medicine, and statistics to interfere with our relationship.  I'm not asking you to respect my opinion or anyone else's because this is not about opinion and it's not about respect.  But you see, that is something that changed with the pandemic. Distrust was sown  and maybe deserved. Maybe there was something nefarious, but there was also a lot we just didn't know. And as we learned and we learned quickly, things changed.
Anyway, talk to your doctor is the best advice I can give you.  I remember when the chicken pox vaccine came out, my son was two years old and he had asthma. And I was a little leery because it was a new vaccine. I talked to my pediatrician and he advised giving it. Two years later, my son's preschool had to shut down because every single kid had chicken pox. Except my one little vaccinated boy. They even had to cancel preschool graduation because yeah, that's a thing.
Instead of telling you what I do or what I know or how I feel, let me preface all of this by saying I've been a medical doctor for three decades. I was chief medical officer of a hospital for seven years, including the pandemic years, and I know what I saw firsthand. I do a lot of research from reputable sources for each podcast episode. So if you trust me, keep listening, but again, if you have strong feelings, now is the time to stop listening and you can tune back in next week. We'll pick up on the dementia series and talk about things we can agree on. I mean, we don't all have to agree on everything to be friends, do we?  
Okay, I already told you that I recommended that all my pregnant patients get Get Tdap to protect their babies, and this is based on recommendations from the CDC, the American Academy of Pediatrics, and the American College of Obstetrics and Gynecology, all reputable organizations. They also recommend the flu shot.
Now, vaccine reactions are real. but they're rare. I don't personally know of a pediatrician who does not vaccinate their children. They see firsthand what these infectious diseases can do.  Now, I'll admit doctors have various opinions because they have various perspectives and we call that bias. Think about it. If a doctor only works in an outpatient clinic, they may have tons of experience treating some infection and what they do supports their beliefs.  But they don't know what goes on in the emergency room or the hospital. And the doctors that do have a different bias. And this was especially true during COVID. 
There were a lot of sayings that went around during COVID, like, what about the obesity epidemic? Why are we not talking about that? And I think we should be talking about it. Or what happened to the flu? Did it suddenly disappear? Well, it turns out that social distancing, washing your hands, wearing a mask, avoiding crowded places prevents the flu too.
It's recommended that everyone over the age of 6 months get a flu shot.  And if you're concerned about mercury or thimerosal, you'll be glad to know that single use vials of the flu shot don't contain any and haven't in many, many years.
Now, remember I told you that I've never had the flu? You see, after my mom had it, she made sure we were vaccinated every year. And I continue to get the flu shot every year. I gave it to my kids every year. It is a killed virus. And you cannot get the flu from the flu shot. And yes, I know, you may have gotten the flu shot and then gotten the flu. And there's several reasons for that. Number one, the vaccine typically is only between 40 and 50 percent effective. Number two, it takes a couple of weeks before it works, and you might have gotten exposed to the flu right before you got the vaccine or right after before your immunity kicked in. You may also get the flu right after you drink a Coke.  That doesn't mean the aluminum can caused it, and I'm sorry if that was a little snarky, but correlation does not equal causation, and that's super important when you're looking at data rather than anecdotal experiences.  
I remember how excited we were at the hospital when the COVID vaccine was delivered. I even took a video on my phone. It made a huge difference in the death rate we were seeing. And as soon as it was available, I got the COVID vaccine and all the boosters until the virus mutated enough to not really cause severe disease in most healthy people. I would still get it if it prevented COVID. But unlike what we thought at first, the COVID vaccine does not prevent COVID or the spread of COVID, just the severity of the disease, hospitalization, and death.  Not that that's not important. 
The RSV vaccine is recommended for people age 60 and over. And there is a form of it that's available for newborns who are at risk. 
Again, Tdap is recommended for pregnant women during every pregnancy and for anyone who's going to care for the baby.  Vaccines in pregnancy, like flu and Tdap, are given later so that those maternal antibodies can help protect the baby when they're too young to be vaccinated.  
I know, attitudes have really shifted about vaccines. I remember when I was in the second grade, they lined us up at school and shot us in the arm with the same air gun to vaccinate us against smallpox. Remember smallpox? That disease has literally been eradicated from the face of the earth by vaccines. We all got it at school, and I'm not even sure our parents knew we were going to get it, but my mom is an ardent supporter of vaccines. Wanna know why? In a word, surely. You see, she had a cousin who was in an iron lung at the age of 17 from polio. It was a dreaded disease and the vaccine was a huge victory against this debilitating illness.  
I guess people have a reason for believing what they believe. If you've seen devastation from an illness or from a vaccine, you're gonna have strong feelings and rightfully so. I've seen what I've seen and you've seen what you've seen. So, please send me an email if you want to continue the conversation. But I think we can all agree, keep your germs to yourself, wash your hands, get some fresh air, don't touch your face, and stay healthy. Because healthy looks great on you.
 
     The information contained in this podcast is for educational purposes only and is not considered to be a substitute for medical advice. You should continue to follow up with your physician or health care provider and take medication as prescribed. Though the information in this podcast is evidence based, new research may develop and recommendations may change.
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