Naturally Savvy

Functional medicine goes way beyond just giving a "pill for the ill."The aim of functional medicine is to help you reach optimal health by identifying the unique underlying causes of disease and treating them. It's more than looking at just symptoms, but rather investigating what systems are out of balance. As Dr. Mark Menolascino of the MenoClinic puts it, functional medicine goes way beyond just giving a "pill for the ill." At Dr. Menolascino's center, he and his fellow physicians practice a new model of medicine that brings together the best diagnostic tools and technologies from conventional medicine, the emerging tests and tools that help identify critical imbalances, and the Eastern tradition of a personalized care program addressing the whole person. Listen in as Dr. Menolascino joins Andrea and Lisa to share more about what functional medicine is, how it works, and why it might be the best option for you.

An emerging new technology promises to help prevent damage to both your DNA and liver from alcohol consumption.Did you know that two hours after you drink an alcoholic beverage, your DNA starts to experience damage? This occurs whether you're a social drinker or like to imbibe on a daily basis. An emerging new technology promises to help prevent damage to both your DNA and your liver. This three-ingredient "mixture" is designed to be distilled in hard liquors such as vodka, whiskey, rum, etc.  And, it doesn't change your experience of drinking... just the negative physical effects on your body. Listen in as Carol Alt joins hosts Andrea and Lisa to share more about this new technology and when it can be expected on the market. 

A mother's worry, stress, fear, and anger can all have a significant impact on an unborn child.Vibrations in mothers can affect her unborn child.  A child's body starts to absorb energy and "feel," even in the womb. Worry, stress, fear, and anger can all have a significant impact.  Anything and everything that happens throughout your life, even before birth, creates an imprint, whether positive or negative. Shaman Isabella Stoloff works with individuals to remove energetic imprints that are negative. By shedding those imprints, you can feel lighter, brighter and happier in your life. Listen in as Isabella joins Andrea and Lisa to share some of the techniques you can use to calm yourself during pregnancy and reduce the amount of negative energy being passed to your unborn child.

How can you learn to be your true self, no matter what environment you're in?With the stress and "noise" of today's society, it can be difficult to stay on the path to finding your true self and your true purpose. How can you learn to be yourself, no matter what environment you're in? For instance, you may feel more comfortable around family and friends, but struggle to present your true self in your professional relationships. Or, vice versa. Klay Williams, author and Lifestyle Consultant, helps individuals learn to live their very best in all human interactions.  He calls this process getting to your "Plan A." Listen in as Klay joins Andrea and Lisa to discuss why finding your Plan A is so important, as well as tips for getting to that realization. 

What you think, say and do is affecting you on a vibrational level every single moment. Those same feelings and thoughts also impact children in a significant way.What you're thinking, saying and doing is affecting you on a vibrational level every single moment. Those same feelings and thoughts also impact children in a significant way.  Ariana Bahret, Certified LifeLine Practitioner, works with both kids and adults in helping them process emotions. A key point in her work is that we should all have awareness of our thoughts and know that all emotions are good. If you're angry, honor it, feel it, and process it. Don't push your emotions aside. If you do, they'll sit stagnant in your body and can create mental, emotional, spiritual and physical unease.  Listen in as Ariana joins host Andrea Donsky to explain why energy and emotions are so impactful on our lives, as well as tips for helping both kids and adults work through emotions... whether negative or positive.

When you're not processing emotions, your energy gets blocked. This can not only cause emotional, mental, and spiritual angst, but also physical ailments.The seven chakras are the centers in our bodies in which energy flows through. Emotions are energy. When you're not processing emotions, your energy gets blocked. This can not only cause emotional, mental and spiritual angst, but also physical ailments. By tuning in and honoring your emotions and yourself, you can help avoid this blockage. Ariana Bahret, Certified LifeLine Practitioner, helps her clients "un-clog" their chakras through a variety of modalities using the LifeLine Technique. But, she says there are some simple ways you can open your chakras on your own. These include meditation, visualization, intention work, speaking your truth, daily exercise, and using mantras. Listen in as Ariana joins host Andrea Donsky to share more about why keeping your chakras balanced is important, as well as how the Lifeline Technique can help.

Learn some simple tips for alleviating acid reflux, without turning to harmful medications.If you're suffering from acid indigestion, heartburn, or acid reflux, you may have turned to OTC or prescription medicines to help ease the burning pain. These medications work to lower the amount of acid in your stomach. The problem is, you need acid in your stomach. Acid plays a crucial role in killing off pathogens and bad bugs. Not having enough could lead to issues like bone fractures, pneumonia, and kidney disease. According to Carolyn Harrington, Certified Holistic Health Practitioner, there are better ways to reduce heartburn symptoms. One tip is to stop eating aggravating foods. While foods like tomato sauce and citrus fruits are often blamed, wheat, gluten and dairy can actually be the most problematic. Avoiding foods that give your gut grief may be enough to allow digestion to get back on track.  It's also important to keep your gut flora healthy by eating fermented foods, taking probiotic, and staying away from sugar, which angers the bad bacteria. Carolyn advises eating smaller meals, drinking a lot of water, and incorporating aloe vera juice into your daily regimen. Listen in as Carolyn joins hosts Andrea and Lisa to share more simple tips for alleviating acid reflux, without turning to harmful medications. 

Advocating for yourself is huge when it comes to your own healthcare.By the age of 16, Robin Farmanfarmaian had been misdiagnosed with an autoimmune disease, undergone six surgeries, had three organs removed, and been subjected to 40 hospital stays. All of this was based on misinformation. Advocating for yourself is huge when it comes to your own healthcare.  Doctors and patients should be peers. You are the expert of your own body. Doctors should be the consultants who help you heal.  Robin joins Andrea and Lisa to share her own health journey and how it spurred her to advocate for patients. She also discusses new in-home blood tests that are coming in the next few years.

Every day, millions of people battle temptation as they try to drop unwanted pounds.Every day, millions of people battle temptation as they try to drop unwanted pounds. For those who succeed, a whopping 80 percent quickly pack the weight back on. Renowned psychologist Dr. Joseph J. Luciani has explored the emotional triggers and ingrained habits driving overindulgence. He's identified simple self-coaching techniques proven to control cravings and break the cycle of self-sabotage. Dr. Luciani believes that understanding anxiety, depression, and emotional issues in general is key in making changes. Unless you change destructive habits, you're going to be on the yo-yo highway again and again. Dr. Luciani says it's important to find ways to encourage, not discourage yourself. Optimism is critical. Listen in as Luciani joins Andrea and Lisa to share more about the effectiveness self-coaching can have on permanent weight loss.

Is your shower curtain slowly killing you?Most conventional shower curtains are made of vinyl (PVC). Unfortunately, no other plastic releases as many and as dangerous of chemicals as vinyl. The chemicals can affect your respiratory system, liver, kidneys, and central nervous system. They even have a cancer connection. One study found that these shower curtains release up to 108 volatile organic compounds (VOCs) into the air. These chemicals can still linger in the air up to 28 days after being unwrapped and hung. Not only are you breathing in these toxins, but they're also getting into the pores of your skin.  Lisa Beres, Certified Green Building Professional, joins Andrea and Lisa to share some healthy alternatives to vinyl shower curtains. Hemp: Naturally resistant to mildew and bacteria. Machine wash. No liner needed. Linen (organic): May be used with or without a liner.  Birch Organic cotton PEVA (or EVA): Non-chloride plastic. Better alternative to vinyl but still affordable.

Springtime is the perfect time to start fresh and start over.Springtime is the perfect time to start fresh and start over. You can focus on flushing out and re-invigorating your mind, body and soul and link the energy of the changing seasons to your own daily routine.  What are some everyday techniques you can use to detoxify naturally, inside and out? Randi Ragan, Founder of GreenBliss EcoSpa and author of A Year of Living Mindfully: Rituals to Seasonally Nourish Mind, Body and Spirit, joins Andrea and Lisa to share her favorite tips for springing into new possibilities.  Journal. Write down all the things that are working for you and the things that are not working. This will quickly illustrate where you need to turn your focus.  Focus on the lymphatic system. Drink a lot of water. Dry brushing increases your circulation and gets your lymphatic system moving. Practice lymphatic massage. Incorporate lemon and lemon juice. This flushes your system and gets your digestive system working. Live in the moment. As the seasons change, walk around and notice the little things that happen from day to day.

When we are young, we are taught bathroom habits that can inhibit our health, or we develop habits along the way not understanding the potential risks.When we are young, we are taught bathroom habits that can inhibit our health, or we develop habits along the way not understanding the potential risks. Research suggests that “better bathroom behaviors” can diminish future pelvic disorders. While not a “how to potty train” book, Riding the Potty Train is the first ever picture book to address actual pelvic health needs of little girls as they are potty trained. Riding the Potty Train is for parents, educators, healthcare providers, caregivers. Jeni Donatelli Ihm, co-author of the book, joins Andrea and Lisa to share why this book can be helpful for children and adults alike.

A magnesium deficiency could be negatively impacting your heart health, leading to a variety of unexplainable symptoms.As they age, women are often encouraged to take more calcium for strong and healthy bones. The problem is, those same women are not relayed the importance of also taking magnesium.  The two minerals work in combination: magnesium relaxes muscles, calcium tightens muscles. If you don't have enough magnesium, your muscles won't go to rest. This includes your heart muscle. According to Dr. Carolyn Dean, author of The Magnesium Miracle and Atrial Fibrillation: Remineralize Your Heart, there is a dilemma in magnesium deficiency diagnosis because there aren't very good good methods for measuring magnesium levels in the body. However, there are a number of symptoms that might indicate a magnesium deficiency, including insomnia, migraine, heartburn, colitis flares, eye twitches, leg pain, constipation, depression, and chest pains. Listen in as Dr. Dean joins Naturally Savvy hosts Andrea and Lisa to explain the connection between magnesium and heart health.

What are some of the newest trends in natural products?Natural Products Expo West is the leading trade show in the natural, organic and healthy products industry, attracting over 70,000 industry professionals and 3,000 exhibits to the Anaheim Convention Center. Naturally Savvy host, Andrea Donsky, recently attended the trade show and got to sample some of the newest healthy products on the market. In this segment, she joins co-host Lisa Davis to share some of the tops trends, including alternative sources of protein (plant, animal, insect; yes, insect!), probiotic and fermented functional foods, avocado products, and new concepts on breakfast cereals.

The weight loss concept of "eat less, move more" is a myth. Which foods should you be eating?For the last many decades, we've been told that to lose weight, we must "eat less and move more." This concept is a myth. Fortunately, experts like Dr. David Ludwig are helping to spread the word.  In the past, if you couldn't lose weight by restricting calories and upping your exercise, it was implied that there is something wrong with you. But, as Dr. Ludwig puts it, "humans aren’t toaster ovens; we are dynamic biological systems." When you cut back on calories, your body fights back by releasing stress hormones and slowing down your metabolism. You're set up for failure from the get-go. The problem with low-fat diets is that they're loaded with processed carbs. These foods raise insulin more than any other food. Insulin is like “Miracle Grow” for your fat cells. When you reduce your insulin levels, your fat cells calm down and release those pent-up calories. Your brain recognizes this, and you don’t feel hungry anymore. Dr. Ludwig advises that you eat until satisfied and snack when hungry. Of course, you also need quality sleep, methods of stress release and enjoyable physical activity. Dr. Ludwig joins Naturally Savvy hosts, Andrea Donsky and Lisa Davis, to share more about his book, ALWAYS HUNGRY? Conquer Cravings, Retrain Your Fat Cells, and Lose Weight Permanently, as well as the types of foods you should be eating to successfully lose weight.