In this episode we feature:
An interview with survival expert, Dr. Joe Alton.
The weight loss benefits of fatty fish.
The cancer fighting power of black pepper
How cranberries boost athletic performance
Essential items for a well stocked Emergency Kit
And more ways you can improve your health today!
For more information, and to sign up for our private coaching, visit tesh.com
Our Hosts:
John Tesh: Instagram: @johntesh_ifyl facebook.com/JohnTesh
Gib Gerard: Instagram: @GibGerard facebook.com/GibGerard X: @GibGerard
Mark as Played
Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Unknown (00:07):
Gib, hello and welcome to the podcast. I'm Gib Gerard
here with another specialintelligence for your health
with Connie selika editions ofthe podcast today on the show,
we've got, again, a whole bunchof actionable intelligence that
you can use to improve yourhealth today, plus an interview
with survival expert, Dr JoeAlton. So without further ado,
folks, here is intelligence forhealth. With Connie Celica,
(00:30):
burning fat is as simple aseating fatty fish, like wild
salmon and sardines three timesa week, according to Kyoto
University in Japan, those whoeat a diet high in fish or omega
three fatty acids gain up to 25%less body fat than those who
don't consume as much fish. Thereason fish oil turns our white
(00:54):
fat cells, the ones that createour love handles, into brown fat
cells, those are the kind thatrev up our metabolism and help
us burn more calories. So makefatty fish a bigger part of your
diet to lose weight. If you wantto lose weight, drink less,
exercise more and improve yoursleep, what should you tackle?
(01:15):
First all of it, that'saccording to a study conducted
by UC Santa Barbara, whenresearchers had study
participants commit to eatingbetter, exercising more, cutting
back on alcohol, getting moresleep and practicing mindfulness
all simultaneously. It worked.
After six weeks, the studysubject showed improvement on
(01:35):
all fronts. They were stronger,healthier, had higher self
esteem and were happier. BrainScience Professor Michael mazek
led the research and says eachlifestyle change supported the
others. Exercising makes iteasier to sleep. Sleeping well
makes it easier to eat well, andbeing mindful makes it easier to
(01:57):
make good choices. So if youhave a lot of changes you'd like
to make, go for it, do them allat the same time coming up.
We'll talk to survival expert,Dr Joe Alton. He'll share a list
of emergency kit essentials thathe recommends keeping on hand at
home and at work, including whya packet of honey could be a
(02:18):
life saver, but first, if you'rea runner or a wannabe runner,
load up on cranberries.
According to Montreal'sConcordia University,
cranberries can boost a runnerspeed by nearly 2% they're
calling it an all naturalergogenic aid, meaning that it's
(02:38):
performance enhancing. For thestudy, runners from track teams
and local running clubs took acranberry supplement and were
monitored for a month, takingthe extract two hours before
they ran, and generallyspeaking, the runners had
noticeable improvement inperformance and muscle fatigue.
So what difference can a 2%boost in performance make the
(03:01):
experts say, when it comes toathletes, it can make the
difference between finishingfifth or on the podium. So to
improve your running, eat morecranberries or take a cranberry
supplement two hours before youhead out. How bad is workplace
stress for our health as bad asbreathing in second hand smoke.
(03:22):
That's according to a new studyby Harvard Business School and
Stanford University. The reportfound that a high pressure or
super stressful job increasedthe odds of illness by 35%
and long work hours increasedthe chances of early death by
almost 20% so what stresses usout the most? By far the biggest
(03:44):
stressor was being worried aboutlosing the job. That increased
the odds of having poor healthby about 50%
The researchers hope the studywill help companies think about
the way they manage theiremployees. But we also need to
take stress relief into our ownhands. Here's what the experts
recommend. First, keep a workstress journal. The Mayo Clinic
(04:06):
suggests writing down when youfeel stressed. For example, was
it during conversations with aparticular person that signals
it may not be your job, but a coworker who's causing your stress
also do a reality check.
Although the study showed thebiggest stressor is the worry
about being fired, ask yourselfhow likely that is. It may be
something you're worrying aboutfor no reason. Lastly, find
(04:28):
something anything you likeabout your job. Psychologist
Joanna Lipari says people whoenjoy what they do deal with
stress, much better. Okay,listen to this. 55 different
natural anti cancer substanceswere tested on breast cancer
cells, and one substance was themost effective, piperine, the
(04:51):
active compound in black pepper.
That's from the AmericanAssociation for Cancer Research.
Instead.
Studies, they found piperineprevents cancer development. It
basically forces pre cancerouscells to die, and blocks the
flow of blood that feedscancerous cells. And you can get
the benefits simply by adding aquarter teaspoon of black pepper
(05:14):
to your meals every day. To getthe biggest anticancer punch,
use freshly ground whole blackpeppercorns, they contain the
highest levels of piperine.
Today, our guest is Dr JoeAlton. He's a Board Certified
Obstetrician turned survivalexpert who's made it his mission
to help his clients prepare tosurvive any disaster or medical
(05:34):
emergency. And since we'realways told to keep a basic
first aid kit on hand foremergencies. I asked Dr Alton,
what are some essential items weshould be putting in that kit?
Well, every good emergency kithas a few things in common. It
has non perishable food. It'sgot a fire starter tool, a way
to disinfect water, a sturdy,sharp knife, light sources,
(05:55):
solar blankets, spare clothesand a medical kit. Now, what
should go into that kit dependsa little on the medical issue or
disaster you're most concernedabout. But in general, you want
materials to deal with minorinjuries, like moleskin for
blisters, maybe, but alsosupplies that deal with serious
things, bleeding, orthopedicinjuries, burns, gi complaints
and more. So you might want tohave things like tourniquets,
(06:17):
blood clotting manages, pressuredressings, gauze wraps, burn
gel, all sorts of things likethat. That would help you deal
with injuries and illness, andwhen it comes to treating cuts
and burns, I understand you alsorecommend keeping honey in our
emergency kits. Why would thatbe helpful? Well, Rob process,
honey has definiteantibacterial, antiviral, anti
(06:38):
parasitic properties, and it'san excellent way to deal with
issues that can cause problemswith infection. So I think that
if you use raw, unprocessedhoney, in other words, honey
that has not been adulterated byheat, then you can actually use
that and have the best chance todecrease the chances of
(07:01):
bacterial infections. Today,we're talking to Dr Joe Alton,
who's been described by Americanoutdoor guide as America's
favorite survival medic, and hewas just saying that every good
emergency kid should have a wayto disinfect water. So I asked
Dr Alton to share his expertiseon the most effective tools and
strategies for doing that. Well,I have to say there are really
(07:25):
good, portable, commercial waterfilters at work for this purpose
life, straws, Sawyer minis, justto mention a couple. But let's
assume you don't have one. Let'sgo low tech. So yes to boiling
water, getting a nice roilingboil for one full minute will
kill almost all bacteria,viruses and parasites at high
temperatures, high altitudes,though the boiling point of
(07:47):
water is actually lower, so over6500 feet boil for three full
minutes to get the same effect.
Now, chemical disinfection is anoption when you can't produce
enough heat to boil for thateight drops of unsetted
household bleach per gallon ofwater will do twice that. Of
course, if the water is cloudy,then wait in a half hour or so
(08:08):
to allow it to work its magic,and you should be good to go.
Now, iodide is also used.
Chlorine Dioxide. We have thatin tablet form of some of our
kits so but let's say you don'thave a way to chemically
disinfect water. What you shoulddo then is take a clear, two
little liter bottle, fill it 80%full with the questionable
water, and leave it in directsunlight for six to eight hours,
and the ultraviolet light willactually kill disease causing
(08:31):
organisms. We're three timesmore likely to have sleep
problems in the summer, whenhot, sticky weather makes it
hard for our body to producesleep hormones. Here's the fix,
According to psychologist andnaturopath Dr Elaine Wilkes,
walk barefoot in the grass forfive minutes in the evening,
when it's cooler, that willstimulate pressure points on
(08:52):
your feet that reduce stresshormone production. Dr Wilkes
says that one thing will helpyou fall asleep faster and get
22 more minutes of qualitysleep. And if you can't go
outside or there's no grass nearyou, a foot massage can have a
similar effect. Today's medicalterm enuresis, that refers to
involuntary urination, whichmany of us experience as kids in
(09:16):
the form of bed wetting. Infact, one in five children will
experience enuresis by age five,making it the most common type
of bladder elimination disorder.
What causes it? It's usuallydown to not having full bladder
control. Yet. It can also becaused by stress. For example,
(09:36):
if a child's starting a newschool, or there's a new baby in
the family, or they're spendingthe night away from home. All of
those things can raise stresslevels in a way that causes kids
to react by wetting the bed. Itcan also be genetic. So if you
wet the bed when you were a kid,your own children probably will
too. In fact, in 75% of kidseither a parent or a first
(09:59):
degree relative.
Positive also wet the bed inchildhood. The good news, 99% of
kids outgrow enuresis by age 10.
But talk to your doctor if yourchild is wetting the bed at
least twice a week for more thana few months, because that could
be a sign of a medical problemfrom a small bladder to sleep
apnea. But bed wetting caused bya medical problem is rare. It
(10:20):
only happens in 3% of cases, andthat's today's medical term
enuresis coming up. We'll hearmore from Dr Joe Alton, author
of the survival medicinehandbook. He'll explain why many
of the foods we keep in storagefor emergencies are not ideal
for everyday meals, even thoughthey're perfectly safe to
(10:40):
consume. But first, a lot ofsmokers think cigarettes calm
their nerves, but actually, theopposite is true. Smokers who
quit have less anxiety,depression and stress. That's
according to the British MedicalJournal. In fact, smokers who
quit get a mood boost that'sequivalent to taking
antidepressants. So why dosmokers think cigarettes relax
(11:03):
them? Because they interprettheir withdrawal symptoms as
stress, and those symptoms cancome on after only a couple of
hours without a cigarette, thenonce they light up again, those
withdrawal symptoms go away, butwithin six weeks of quitting ex
smokers experience a significantimprovement in mental health.
Here are a couple of tricks forbetter memory and brain power.
(11:27):
First, when you need to figureout a tough problem, sit next to
a window, Michigan StateUniversity says that improves
your problem solving skills by30% because light stimulates the
brain's hippocampus, reducingbrain fog, another brain trick.
If you've ever walked into aroom and forgotten, why do this
next time, use the point andcall technique. It's an
(11:50):
industrial safety technique usedby rail workers, and it reduces
workplace errors by up to 85%all you have to do is point to
the room you're going into andcall out what you're doing,
like, I'm going into the kitchento preheat the oven. By engaging
multiple senses, you increaseawareness and reduce the chance
(12:12):
of error. You can also do itwhen you're leaving the house,
point at your curling iron andsay, I turned off my curling
iron, you'll never get halfwayto work and have to turn around
to check and to remembersomething. Walk 10 steps as if
you're wearing a superhero capewhile thinking about what you
need to remember, according toSan Francisco State University,
(12:35):
a more purposeful posture tellsyour brain you're alert that
sharpens your thinking andrecall by up to 56%
Okay, listen to this. You do nothave to go all out on every run.
In fact, you should take it easyon four out of five runs. That
means being able to sing alongwith your workout playlist
(12:57):
between breaths, then for thefifth run, push yourself to the
point that you cannot sing,according to the book 8020
running that will help you getfaster and fitter and avoid
burning out, because lowintensity runs burn more fat,
while high intensity ones burnmore calories overall, more
health intelligence fromsurvival expert Dr Joe Alton,
(13:19):
and if you or a loved one isplanning something like a
camping trip. It makes sense tobe prepared for surviving an
emergency in the wilderness,just in case. But what if your
vacation is a cruise or at aresort? I asked Dr Alton if
there's any reason we should bepreparing for emergencies in
that scenario. I've got to tellyou before you go, it's always a
(13:40):
good idea to askthese various cruises and hotels
and other resorts, whatprovisions have they made for
medical issues and especiallyemergency situations? I mean,
can these guys handle a case offood poisoning like norovirus,
which causes all those bigoutbreaks on cruise ships. What
(14:00):
if you break a boat in a fall?
What if you have a heart attack?
What if you have medical issueslike, I don't know, high blood
pressure, diabetes, could theyhandle complications? Is medical
facility nearby, so I alwaysrecommend that everyone bring
some medical supplies when youtravel getting together things
like band aids, antiseptic, sunblock, anti diarrheals,
(14:23):
laxatives, pain medicines, gosh,cold and flu meds, elastic
wraps, gauze, bandages, all thisstuff should be part of your
packing ritual. Back with morehealth intelligence from
survival expert Dr Joe Alton andin the emergency preparedness
community, there's been growingdemand for long shelf life food
that can last a year or more.
(14:46):
And you may have even seen thoseso called emergency food buckets
sold in places like Costco andSam's Club. But just one thing,
Dr Alden says, Save the meals inthose food buckets for
emergencies only.
Because there's a common healthissue associated with eating
them every day. Well, you know,a lot of families have a supply
(15:07):
of these military rations thatare called MREs, that stands for
meals ready to eat, for peoplewho have had to rely on it for a
couple of weeks or three weeksor more. Well, it's more like
Meals refusing to exit. I mean,even the Department of Defense
doesn't want its soldiers eatingthat stuff for more than a few
days. And there are actuallystudies, I mean, studies that
(15:29):
show that people that eat MREsfor, let's say, three weeks have
fewer bowel movements per weekthan those people eating regular
food. The reason given is thatMREs just aren't good at
maintaining a good gutmicrobiome. So what you're going
to need to do is add things likestool softeners, laxatives to
your medical supplies, just likeyou would need, let's say an
(15:50):
anti diarrheal in case of a GIinfection or food poisoning. So
this is something that youreally could use, let's say a
vegetable garden, to get thefiber that you need, so carrots
and broccoli, legumes, all thatkind of stuff. These are better
options. There's no such thingas a base tan. Dermatology
(16:11):
professor Dr crystal Aga, fromJohns Hopkins, says any browning
of the skin is sun damage, evenif you didn't burn first. And
don't think a tan will protectyou from burning or from sun
damage, DNA damage or skincancer. A tan is the equivalent
of an SPF three. So basically,it's like having no sun
(16:31):
protection at all, moreintelligence for your health.
From Dr Joe Alton, author of thesurvival medicine handbook, The
Essential Guide for when help isnot on the way. And in light of
the recent pandemic, when it wasimportant for infected people to
quarantine, I asked Dr Alton ifhe thinks it's smart to consider
setting up a separate sick roomin your house, and if so, what
(16:55):
should be in it? Well, theanswer is yes to that, or at
least a plan to put one togetherquickly so during the worst of
the pandemic, we had hospitalsthat were crowded. We had
overworked staff that actuallyled the CDC to suggest that if
you have a mild to moderate casein your family, that you should
treat that person at home, andfor that, you needed a room that
(17:17):
was away from household traffic,or at least had a barrier that
gave you the six feet betweenthe Healthy People and the
infected people. You needed tohave a room that would be well
ventilated, well lit, somethingthat had minimal furnishings,
and it preferably notupholstered in fabric. That's
important, because the fabricharbors organisms. You need
(17:37):
other things like gloves, masks,gowns, other personal
protection, protection gear, aswell as soap and water or hand
sanitizers, of course. And Ithink that in really highly
contagious epidemic diseasesthat people should have
dedicated bedding and bathingsupplies, clothes, utensils for
the actual sick person. And youwant to have containers that you
(18:01):
can close, that you can put themin after they're used. I've also
heard that some preppers keephazmat suits and gas masks in
their homes. Is that somethingyou'd recommend we all consider?
Well, I think you'd have to havea, gosh, an Ebola or a Marburg,
like hemorrhagic fever outbreakor or maybe like a chemical
emergency from that trainderailment that we saw recently
(18:26):
in Ohio to need all those bellsand whistles hazmat suits and
gas masks and and like, but youjust have to decide whether this
is a possible concern for youand your family. There are
examples of things like thatactually happening in 2014
during the Ebola epidemic, thelack of personal protection gear
(18:47):
and and the knowledge of how touse it caused a couple of cases
of Ebola in nurses that wereexposed to a sick person in a
Dallas hospital. I don't know ifyou remember that, if you want
to feel like your vacation islasting longer, make sure it has
plenty of variety. According toThe Wall Street Journal, one of
the reasons our vacation seemsso short, both during the
(19:07):
vacation and in our memory lateron, is because our days are so
similar to each other. So inyour memory, they blend together
into one very long day, ratherthan a week long vacation on
your next trip, try to make thedays more different from one
another. If it's a beach trip,try surfing one day, go
(19:29):
snorkeling another day, or getoff the beaten path and try some
local cuisine, even if you endup doing some activities that
you enjoy less, like souvenirshopping, the ability to
differentiate that day from theother days will help you to
categorize the vacation as aseries of distinct experiences,
(19:49):
rather than one big stretch oflounging on a chase by the pool.
And you'll get more joy from thevacation and your memories of it
down the line, here's an email Ireceived.
Connie at intelligence for yourhealth.com. It comes from Tamara
Morris, who writes, I feel likemy feet are getting larger as I
get older. Is that normal?
Tamara, it's completely normal.
(20:12):
According to the Royal Collegeof podiatry, even though we stop
growing in height around age 18or 20, our feet can keep growing
because bearing the weight ofour whole bodies year after
year, causes our feet to slowlyflatten and widen. One study of
male veterans found that almosthalf of them experienced an
increase of at least one shoesize in their adulthood, usually
(20:36):
between ages 45 and 60. And itis not just our individual foot
size. Historians say human feethave gotten larger over the last
century. In 1900 the average manin North America wore a size six
and a half shoe, and the averagewoman wore a size four and a
half shoe. Now the average shoeis four sizes larger. The theory
(20:59):
is that we're just bigger peoplenow we weigh more and we're
taller, but as far as your feetfluctuating in size, our feet
can grow half a size in one daysimply from use. The only time
you should be concerned is ifyou have sudden swelling in one
foot that could be a sign of ablood clot or heart failure, and
you should see a physicianimmediately. Thank you for your
(21:23):
email. Tamara, I hope thishelps. Okay, listen to this.
What's better than a sleepingpill a dinner high in fiber and
low in fat. Fatty foodsstimulate neurotransmitters
called orexins, which keep usawake. Meanwhile, fiber takes
longer to digest, so thenutrients are released more
slowly into the bloodstream, andthat helps our body wind down
(21:45):
more easily at night. Andaccording to the Journal of
Clinical sleep medicine, peoplewho eat a high fiber dinner fall
asleep 12 minutes faster thanaverage. We already track our
sleep, our steps and our heartrate. So what's next? Our
glucose, meaning our blood sugarlevels. It's one of the fastest
growing trends in health andwellness, and it's not just for
(22:08):
diabetics anymore. One in threeNorth American adults are now
living with diabetes or prediabetes. But even if you're
not, more people want to monitortheir blood sugar, and the FDA
just approved the first over thecounter device. It uses sensors
attached to micro needles tocontinuously measure glucose
levels, and it's being marketedto non diabetics. The thinking
(22:32):
is when people can see how foodand exercise affect their
glucose levels, they can adjusttheir lifestyle, and by keeping
glucose levels stable, peoplecan burn stored fat for energy
and lose weight. ButEndocrinologist, Dr Scott Isaac
says most people don't need aglucose tracker. It's essential
for diabetics, becausemonitoring glucose can help
(22:53):
prevent complications like heartattack, stroke, kidney disease
and amputation. But for peoplewithout diabetes, it's normal
for your blood sugar tofluctuate throughout the day,
and your body is equipped tohandle it. I'm Connie Celico
with more intelligence for yourhealth from survival expert Dr
Joe Alton, if you'd like to knowmore about him, or the latest
(23:15):
edition of the survival medicinehandbook, check out Doom and
bloom.net.
And when most people think aboutsurvival, they think about
stockpiling food, learning howto make a fire, and maybe having
some hunting skills. But I askedDr Alton if it's true that
another important component ofsurvival is even simpler than
that, just get to know yourneighbors better. Yes, you're
(23:38):
absolutely right. It's it'scommunity is very important,
because you might see a lonesurvivalist actually survive an
off grid challenge on some ofthese TV shows. But the truth of
the matter is, is that it'shard. There are a lot of
responsibilities, and you mayhave skills that I don't. I may
have skills that you don't, andI can do a lot of things. From a
(24:01):
medical standpoint, I couldtreat injuries and illness. I
can deliver a baby, I can takeout an appendix, but I don't
know how to build a shelter. Idon't know how to make a fishing
net, or I can't build a boat,and I don't know martial arts.
And there are things that I cando and things that I can't do.
You need a community to have allthose skills come together and
(24:21):
have a life that is worthliving. It something that's not
a miserable existence off thegrid and the people that can
help you might live right nextdoor. It's making you the
healthiest person you know.
Intelligence for your healthwith Connie selika, that's it
for our show today, our specialintelligence for your health.
With Connie selika. Edition ofthe podcast. I'm Gib Gerard.
Don't forget to rate comment andsubscribe on Apple podcast.
(24:43):
Spotify, wherever you get yourpodcast. It helps us out a lot.
And also you can reach out to uson social media. All of our
links are listed down in theshow notes. We try to respond to
every DM, every mention of theshow, because ultimately, we do
the show for you guys. So thankyou so much for listening. You.
Gib, hello and welcome to the podcast. I'm Gib Gerard
here with another specialintelligence for your health
with Connie selika editions ofthe podcast today on the show,
we've got, again, a whole bunchof actionable intelligence that
you can use to improve yourhealth today, plus an interview
with survival expert, Dr JoeAlton. So without further ado,
folks, here is intelligence forhealth. With Connie Celica,
(00:30):
burning fat is as simple aseating fatty fish, like wild
salmon and sardines three timesa week, according to Kyoto
University in Japan, those whoeat a diet high in fish or omega
three fatty acids gain up to 25%less body fat than those who
don't consume as much fish. Thereason fish oil turns our white
(00:54):
fat cells, the ones that createour love handles, into brown fat
cells, those are the kind thatrev up our metabolism and help
us burn more calories. So makefatty fish a bigger part of your
diet to lose weight. If you wantto lose weight, drink less,
exercise more and improve yoursleep, what should you tackle?
(01:15):
First all of it, that'saccording to a study conducted
by UC Santa Barbara, whenresearchers had study
participants commit to eatingbetter, exercising more, cutting
back on alcohol, getting moresleep and practicing mindfulness
all simultaneously. It worked.
After six weeks, the studysubject showed improvement on
(01:35):
all fronts. They were stronger,healthier, had higher self
esteem and were happier. BrainScience Professor Michael mazek
led the research and says eachlifestyle change supported the
others. Exercising makes iteasier to sleep. Sleeping well
makes it easier to eat well, andbeing mindful makes it easier to
(01:57):
make good choices. So if youhave a lot of changes you'd like
to make, go for it, do them allat the same time coming up.
We'll talk to survival expert,Dr Joe Alton. He'll share a list
of emergency kit essentials thathe recommends keeping on hand at
home and at work, including whya packet of honey could be a
(02:18):
life saver, but first, if you'rea runner or a wannabe runner,
load up on cranberries.
According to Montreal'sConcordia University,
cranberries can boost a runnerspeed by nearly 2% they're
calling it an all naturalergogenic aid, meaning that it's
(02:38):
performance enhancing. For thestudy, runners from track teams
and local running clubs took acranberry supplement and were
monitored for a month, takingthe extract two hours before
they ran, and generallyspeaking, the runners had
noticeable improvement inperformance and muscle fatigue.
So what difference can a 2%boost in performance make the
(03:01):
experts say, when it comes toathletes, it can make the
difference between finishingfifth or on the podium. So to
improve your running, eat morecranberries or take a cranberry
supplement two hours before youhead out. How bad is workplace
stress for our health as bad asbreathing in second hand smoke.
(03:22):
That's according to a new studyby Harvard Business School and
Stanford University. The reportfound that a high pressure or
super stressful job increasedthe odds of illness by 35%
and long work hours increasedthe chances of early death by
almost 20% so what stresses usout the most? By far the biggest
(03:44):
stressor was being worried aboutlosing the job. That increased
the odds of having poor healthby about 50%
The researchers hope the studywill help companies think about
the way they manage theiremployees. But we also need to
take stress relief into our ownhands. Here's what the experts
recommend. First, keep a workstress journal. The Mayo Clinic
(04:06):
suggests writing down when youfeel stressed. For example, was
it during conversations with aparticular person that signals
it may not be your job, but a coworker who's causing your stress
also do a reality check.
Although the study showed thebiggest stressor is the worry
about being fired, ask yourselfhow likely that is. It may be
something you're worrying aboutfor no reason. Lastly, find
(04:28):
something anything you likeabout your job. Psychologist
Joanna Lipari says people whoenjoy what they do deal with
stress, much better. Okay,listen to this. 55 different
natural anti cancer substanceswere tested on breast cancer
cells, and one substance was themost effective, piperine, the
(04:51):
active compound in black pepper.
That's from the AmericanAssociation for Cancer Research.
Instead.
Studies, they found piperineprevents cancer development. It
basically forces pre cancerouscells to die, and blocks the
flow of blood that feedscancerous cells. And you can get
the benefits simply by adding aquarter teaspoon of black pepper
(05:14):
to your meals every day. To getthe biggest anticancer punch,
use freshly ground whole blackpeppercorns, they contain the
highest levels of piperine.
Today, our guest is Dr JoeAlton. He's a Board Certified
Obstetrician turned survivalexpert who's made it his mission
to help his clients prepare tosurvive any disaster or medical
(05:34):
emergency. And since we'realways told to keep a basic
first aid kit on hand foremergencies. I asked Dr Alton,
what are some essential items weshould be putting in that kit?
Well, every good emergency kithas a few things in common. It
has non perishable food. It'sgot a fire starter tool, a way
to disinfect water, a sturdy,sharp knife, light sources,
(05:55):
solar blankets, spare clothesand a medical kit. Now, what
should go into that kit dependsa little on the medical issue or
disaster you're most concernedabout. But in general, you want
materials to deal with minorinjuries, like moleskin for
blisters, maybe, but alsosupplies that deal with serious
things, bleeding, orthopedicinjuries, burns, gi complaints
and more. So you might want tohave things like tourniquets,
(06:17):
blood clotting manages, pressuredressings, gauze wraps, burn
gel, all sorts of things likethat. That would help you deal
with injuries and illness, andwhen it comes to treating cuts
and burns, I understand you alsorecommend keeping honey in our
emergency kits. Why would thatbe helpful? Well, Rob process,
honey has definiteantibacterial, antiviral, anti
(06:38):
parasitic properties, and it'san excellent way to deal with
issues that can cause problemswith infection. So I think that
if you use raw, unprocessedhoney, in other words, honey
that has not been adulterated byheat, then you can actually use
that and have the best chance todecrease the chances of
(07:01):
bacterial infections. Today,we're talking to Dr Joe Alton,
who's been described by Americanoutdoor guide as America's
favorite survival medic, and hewas just saying that every good
emergency kid should have a wayto disinfect water. So I asked
Dr Alton to share his expertiseon the most effective tools and
strategies for doing that. Well,I have to say there are really
(07:25):
good, portable, commercial waterfilters at work for this purpose
life, straws, Sawyer minis, justto mention a couple. But let's
assume you don't have one. Let'sgo low tech. So yes to boiling
water, getting a nice roilingboil for one full minute will
kill almost all bacteria,viruses and parasites at high
temperatures, high altitudes,though the boiling point of
(07:47):
water is actually lower, so over6500 feet boil for three full
minutes to get the same effect.
Now, chemical disinfection is anoption when you can't produce
enough heat to boil for thateight drops of unsetted
household bleach per gallon ofwater will do twice that. Of
course, if the water is cloudy,then wait in a half hour or so
(08:08):
to allow it to work its magic,and you should be good to go.
Now, iodide is also used.
Chlorine Dioxide. We have thatin tablet form of some of our
kits so but let's say you don'thave a way to chemically
disinfect water. What you shoulddo then is take a clear, two
little liter bottle, fill it 80%full with the questionable
water, and leave it in directsunlight for six to eight hours,
and the ultraviolet light willactually kill disease causing
(08:31):
organisms. We're three timesmore likely to have sleep
problems in the summer, whenhot, sticky weather makes it
hard for our body to producesleep hormones. Here's the fix,
According to psychologist andnaturopath Dr Elaine Wilkes,
walk barefoot in the grass forfive minutes in the evening,
when it's cooler, that willstimulate pressure points on
(08:52):
your feet that reduce stresshormone production. Dr Wilkes
says that one thing will helpyou fall asleep faster and get
22 more minutes of qualitysleep. And if you can't go
outside or there's no grass nearyou, a foot massage can have a
similar effect. Today's medicalterm enuresis, that refers to
involuntary urination, whichmany of us experience as kids in
(09:16):
the form of bed wetting. Infact, one in five children will
experience enuresis by age five,making it the most common type
of bladder elimination disorder.
What causes it? It's usuallydown to not having full bladder
control. Yet. It can also becaused by stress. For example,
(09:36):
if a child's starting a newschool, or there's a new baby in
the family, or they're spendingthe night away from home. All of
those things can raise stresslevels in a way that causes kids
to react by wetting the bed. Itcan also be genetic. So if you
wet the bed when you were a kid,your own children probably will
too. In fact, in 75% of kidseither a parent or a first
(09:59):
degree relative.
Positive also wet the bed inchildhood. The good news, 99% of
kids outgrow enuresis by age 10.
But talk to your doctor if yourchild is wetting the bed at
least twice a week for more thana few months, because that could
be a sign of a medical problemfrom a small bladder to sleep
apnea. But bed wetting caused bya medical problem is rare. It
(10:20):
only happens in 3% of cases, andthat's today's medical term
enuresis coming up. We'll hearmore from Dr Joe Alton, author
of the survival medicinehandbook. He'll explain why many
of the foods we keep in storagefor emergencies are not ideal
for everyday meals, even thoughthey're perfectly safe to
(10:40):
consume. But first, a lot ofsmokers think cigarettes calm
their nerves, but actually, theopposite is true. Smokers who
quit have less anxiety,depression and stress. That's
according to the British MedicalJournal. In fact, smokers who
quit get a mood boost that'sequivalent to taking
antidepressants. So why dosmokers think cigarettes relax
(11:03):
them? Because they interprettheir withdrawal symptoms as
stress, and those symptoms cancome on after only a couple of
hours without a cigarette, thenonce they light up again, those
withdrawal symptoms go away, butwithin six weeks of quitting ex
smokers experience a significantimprovement in mental health.
Here are a couple of tricks forbetter memory and brain power.
(11:27):
First, when you need to figureout a tough problem, sit next to
a window, Michigan StateUniversity says that improves
your problem solving skills by30% because light stimulates the
brain's hippocampus, reducingbrain fog, another brain trick.
If you've ever walked into aroom and forgotten, why do this
next time, use the point andcall technique. It's an
(11:50):
industrial safety technique usedby rail workers, and it reduces
workplace errors by up to 85%all you have to do is point to
the room you're going into andcall out what you're doing,
like, I'm going into the kitchento preheat the oven. By engaging
multiple senses, you increaseawareness and reduce the chance
(12:12):
of error. You can also do itwhen you're leaving the house,
point at your curling iron andsay, I turned off my curling
iron, you'll never get halfwayto work and have to turn around
to check and to remembersomething. Walk 10 steps as if
you're wearing a superhero capewhile thinking about what you
need to remember, according toSan Francisco State University,
(12:35):
a more purposeful posture tellsyour brain you're alert that
sharpens your thinking andrecall by up to 56%
Okay, listen to this. You do nothave to go all out on every run.
In fact, you should take it easyon four out of five runs. That
means being able to sing alongwith your workout playlist
(12:57):
between breaths, then for thefifth run, push yourself to the
point that you cannot sing,according to the book 8020
running that will help you getfaster and fitter and avoid
burning out, because lowintensity runs burn more fat,
while high intensity ones burnmore calories overall, more
health intelligence fromsurvival expert Dr Joe Alton,
(13:19):
and if you or a loved one isplanning something like a
camping trip. It makes sense tobe prepared for surviving an
emergency in the wilderness,just in case. But what if your
vacation is a cruise or at aresort? I asked Dr Alton if
there's any reason we should bepreparing for emergencies in
that scenario. I've got to tellyou before you go, it's always a
(13:40):
good idea to askthese various cruises and hotels
and other resorts, whatprovisions have they made for
medical issues and especiallyemergency situations? I mean,
can these guys handle a case offood poisoning like norovirus,
which causes all those bigoutbreaks on cruise ships. What
(14:00):
if you break a boat in a fall?
What if you have a heart attack?
What if you have medical issueslike, I don't know, high blood
pressure, diabetes, could theyhandle complications? Is medical
facility nearby, so I alwaysrecommend that everyone bring
some medical supplies when youtravel getting together things
like band aids, antiseptic, sunblock, anti diarrheals,
(14:23):
laxatives, pain medicines, gosh,cold and flu meds, elastic
wraps, gauze, bandages, all thisstuff should be part of your
packing ritual. Back with morehealth intelligence from
survival expert Dr Joe Alton andin the emergency preparedness
community, there's been growingdemand for long shelf life food
that can last a year or more.
(14:46):
And you may have even seen thoseso called emergency food buckets
sold in places like Costco andSam's Club. But just one thing,
Dr Alden says, Save the meals inthose food buckets for
emergencies only.
Because there's a common healthissue associated with eating
them every day. Well, you know,a lot of families have a supply
(15:07):
of these military rations thatare called MREs, that stands for
meals ready to eat, for peoplewho have had to rely on it for a
couple of weeks or three weeksor more. Well, it's more like
Meals refusing to exit. I mean,even the Department of Defense
doesn't want its soldiers eatingthat stuff for more than a few
days. And there are actuallystudies, I mean, studies that
(15:29):
show that people that eat MREsfor, let's say, three weeks have
fewer bowel movements per weekthan those people eating regular
food. The reason given is thatMREs just aren't good at
maintaining a good gutmicrobiome. So what you're going
to need to do is add things likestool softeners, laxatives to
your medical supplies, just likeyou would need, let's say an
(15:50):
anti diarrheal in case of a GIinfection or food poisoning. So
this is something that youreally could use, let's say a
vegetable garden, to get thefiber that you need, so carrots
and broccoli, legumes, all thatkind of stuff. These are better
options. There's no such thingas a base tan. Dermatology
(16:11):
professor Dr crystal Aga, fromJohns Hopkins, says any browning
of the skin is sun damage, evenif you didn't burn first. And
don't think a tan will protectyou from burning or from sun
damage, DNA damage or skincancer. A tan is the equivalent
of an SPF three. So basically,it's like having no sun
(16:31):
protection at all, moreintelligence for your health.
From Dr Joe Alton, author of thesurvival medicine handbook, The
Essential Guide for when help isnot on the way. And in light of
the recent pandemic, when it wasimportant for infected people to
quarantine, I asked Dr Alton ifhe thinks it's smart to consider
setting up a separate sick roomin your house, and if so, what
(16:55):
should be in it? Well, theanswer is yes to that, or at
least a plan to put one togetherquickly so during the worst of
the pandemic, we had hospitalsthat were crowded. We had
overworked staff that actuallyled the CDC to suggest that if
you have a mild to moderate casein your family, that you should
treat that person at home, andfor that, you needed a room that
(17:17):
was away from household traffic,or at least had a barrier that
gave you the six feet betweenthe Healthy People and the
infected people. You needed tohave a room that would be well
ventilated, well lit, somethingthat had minimal furnishings,
and it preferably notupholstered in fabric. That's
important, because the fabricharbors organisms. You need
(17:37):
other things like gloves, masks,gowns, other personal
protection, protection gear, aswell as soap and water or hand
sanitizers, of course. And Ithink that in really highly
contagious epidemic diseasesthat people should have
dedicated bedding and bathingsupplies, clothes, utensils for
the actual sick person. And youwant to have containers that you
(18:01):
can close, that you can put themin after they're used. I've also
heard that some preppers keephazmat suits and gas masks in
their homes. Is that somethingyou'd recommend we all consider?
Well, I think you'd have to havea, gosh, an Ebola or a Marburg,
like hemorrhagic fever outbreakor or maybe like a chemical
emergency from that trainderailment that we saw recently
(18:26):
in Ohio to need all those bellsand whistles hazmat suits and
gas masks and and like, but youjust have to decide whether this
is a possible concern for youand your family. There are
examples of things like thatactually happening in 2014
during the Ebola epidemic, thelack of personal protection gear
(18:47):
and and the knowledge of how touse it caused a couple of cases
of Ebola in nurses that wereexposed to a sick person in a
Dallas hospital. I don't know ifyou remember that, if you want
to feel like your vacation islasting longer, make sure it has
plenty of variety. According toThe Wall Street Journal, one of
the reasons our vacation seemsso short, both during the
(19:07):
vacation and in our memory lateron, is because our days are so
similar to each other. So inyour memory, they blend together
into one very long day, ratherthan a week long vacation on
your next trip, try to make thedays more different from one
another. If it's a beach trip,try surfing one day, go
(19:29):
snorkeling another day, or getoff the beaten path and try some
local cuisine, even if you endup doing some activities that
you enjoy less, like souvenirshopping, the ability to
differentiate that day from theother days will help you to
categorize the vacation as aseries of distinct experiences,
(19:49):
rather than one big stretch oflounging on a chase by the pool.
And you'll get more joy from thevacation and your memories of it
down the line, here's an email Ireceived.
Connie at intelligence for yourhealth.com. It comes from Tamara
Morris, who writes, I feel likemy feet are getting larger as I
get older. Is that normal?
Tamara, it's completely normal.
(20:12):
According to the Royal Collegeof podiatry, even though we stop
growing in height around age 18or 20, our feet can keep growing
because bearing the weight ofour whole bodies year after
year, causes our feet to slowlyflatten and widen. One study of
male veterans found that almosthalf of them experienced an
increase of at least one shoesize in their adulthood, usually
(20:36):
between ages 45 and 60. And itis not just our individual foot
size. Historians say human feethave gotten larger over the last
century. In 1900 the average manin North America wore a size six
and a half shoe, and the averagewoman wore a size four and a
half shoe. Now the average shoeis four sizes larger. The theory
(20:59):
is that we're just bigger peoplenow we weigh more and we're
taller, but as far as your feetfluctuating in size, our feet
can grow half a size in one daysimply from use. The only time
you should be concerned is ifyou have sudden swelling in one
foot that could be a sign of ablood clot or heart failure, and
you should see a physicianimmediately. Thank you for your
(21:23):
email. Tamara, I hope thishelps. Okay, listen to this.
What's better than a sleepingpill a dinner high in fiber and
low in fat. Fatty foodsstimulate neurotransmitters
called orexins, which keep usawake. Meanwhile, fiber takes
longer to digest, so thenutrients are released more
slowly into the bloodstream, andthat helps our body wind down
(21:45):
more easily at night. Andaccording to the Journal of
Clinical sleep medicine, peoplewho eat a high fiber dinner fall
asleep 12 minutes faster thanaverage. We already track our
sleep, our steps and our heartrate. So what's next? Our
glucose, meaning our blood sugarlevels. It's one of the fastest
growing trends in health andwellness, and it's not just for
(22:08):
diabetics anymore. One in threeNorth American adults are now
living with diabetes or prediabetes. But even if you're
not, more people want to monitortheir blood sugar, and the FDA
just approved the first over thecounter device. It uses sensors
attached to micro needles tocontinuously measure glucose
levels, and it's being marketedto non diabetics. The thinking
(22:32):
is when people can see how foodand exercise affect their
glucose levels, they can adjusttheir lifestyle, and by keeping
glucose levels stable, peoplecan burn stored fat for energy
and lose weight. ButEndocrinologist, Dr Scott Isaac
says most people don't need aglucose tracker. It's essential
for diabetics, becausemonitoring glucose can help
(22:53):
prevent complications like heartattack, stroke, kidney disease
and amputation. But for peoplewithout diabetes, it's normal
for your blood sugar tofluctuate throughout the day,
and your body is equipped tohandle it. I'm Connie Celico
with more intelligence for yourhealth from survival expert Dr
Joe Alton, if you'd like to knowmore about him, or the latest
(23:15):
edition of the survival medicinehandbook, check out Doom and
bloom.net.
And when most people think aboutsurvival, they think about
stockpiling food, learning howto make a fire, and maybe having
some hunting skills. But I askedDr Alton if it's true that
another important component ofsurvival is even simpler than
that, just get to know yourneighbors better. Yes, you're
(23:38):
absolutely right. It's it'scommunity is very important,
because you might see a lonesurvivalist actually survive an
off grid challenge on some ofthese TV shows. But the truth of
the matter is, is that it'shard. There are a lot of
responsibilities, and you mayhave skills that I don't. I may
have skills that you don't, andI can do a lot of things. From a
(24:01):
medical standpoint, I couldtreat injuries and illness. I
can deliver a baby, I can takeout an appendix, but I don't
know how to build a shelter. Idon't know how to make a fishing
net, or I can't build a boat,and I don't know martial arts.
And there are things that I cando and things that I can't do.
You need a community to have allthose skills come together and
(24:21):
have a life that is worthliving. It something that's not
a miserable existence off thegrid and the people that can
help you might live right nextdoor. It's making you the
healthiest person you know.
Intelligence for your healthwith Connie selika, that's it
for our show today, our specialintelligence for your health.
With Connie selika. Edition ofthe podcast. I'm Gib Gerard.
Don't forget to rate comment andsubscribe on Apple podcast.
(24:43):
Spotify, wherever you get yourpodcast. It helps us out a lot.
And also you can reach out to uson social media. All of our
links are listed down in theshow notes. We try to respond to
every DM, every mention of theshow, because ultimately, we do
the show for you guys. So thankyou so much for listening. You.
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