Intelligent Medicine

Nutritionist Leyla Muedin answers these listener questions: Can you recommend any antioxidant supplements that don't contain copper?; I'm 63 years old, 5'3" at 205 pounds and my weight will not budge despite exercising 5 to 6 days a week with a trainer - help!

Dr. Mohit Khera, Director Laboratory for Andrology Research at Baylor College of Medicine, and co-author of “Re-Coupling: A Couple’s 4-Step Guide to Greater Intimacy and Better Sex,” dishes on the latest research on sexuality. What are the health benefits of sex? Is testosterone safe? What are the benefits for men? Can it be helpful for women? Can just diet and exercise reverse Erectile Dysfunction? What supplements help ED? What’s the nitric oxide connection to ED? What’s the problem with frequent use of erectile dysfunction drugs like Viagra? Why is low-dose daily Cialis being promoted for both ED and BPH? What are the causes of Female Sexual Dysfunction? Is there a new blockbuster female sexual enhancer on the horizon? If you’re not interested in sex, is that a problem per se? Why is it said that ED may be a hallmark of circulatory problems? How does weight loss promote rekindling of libido? Is it true that more sex can prevent prostate cancer? Can men recover normal sexual function after prostate surgery?

Dr. Hoffman continues his conversation with Dr. Mohit Khera, Director Laboratory for Andrology Research at Baylor College of Medicine, about overcoming obstacles to optimal male and female sexual performance.

The popular pro-vegetarian documentary "What the Health" and one doctor's response. What is your take on aspirin compared to Advil for pain? I have acute gout and my CRP is 9! How can I lower it?

I've been on statins for 23 years and would like to stop taking Crestor, but what can I do about my increasing calcium score? How nutritious is nutritional yeast, any downside to its consumption? Dr. H, how much vitamin D are you currently taking? I'm considering taking strontium for mild osteoporosis but I'm concerned about risks for heart problems, what are your thoughts?

Dr. Hoffman welcomes Dr. Amy Myers, author of "The Autoimmune Solution" and "The Thyroid Connection." Dr. Myers recounts her own struggles with Graves' Disease; What were the antecedents that caused her to develop this autoimmune thyroid disorder? How prevalent is autoimmunity? Why is it reaching epidemic proportions in the U.S.? Dr. Myers discusses how diet, leaky gut syndrome, toxins, infections, and stress combine to create a "perfect storm" for autoimmunity. What supplements work for autoimmunity? Is the Paleo Diet the best route to recovery? Why are beans and gluten considered no-no's for patients with autoimmunity? How do you heal the gut? Why is taking synthetic thyroid medication not enough for some patients? What role for iodine? Vitamin D? Is coconut oil beneficial?

Dr. Hoffman continues his conversation with Dr. Amy Myers, author of "The Autoimmune Solution" and "The Thyroid Connection."

A caller with venous insufficiency and Type 2 diabetes; A megadose of Vitamin D quells sunburn pain, redness; Natural treatment of restless leg syndrome; Vitamin D vs. cardiovascular disease; Is curcumin a blood thinner? Treatment for underactive adrenals.

How to economize when you're taking 25(!) supplements per day; Natural ways to lower blood pressure; Reassuring news about strontium; A marijuana breathalyzer may become a new tool for traffic cops; American Heart Association says use corn oil in place of lard or butter--but new studies show it promotes breast cancer.

Hoffman Nutritionist Leyla Muedin answers these listener questions: "Coconut oil isn't healthy. It's never been healthy." I'm shocked by this article and would like to hear your comments; On a recent test, I came up sensitive to candida albicans. Should I stop consuming kombucha and other probiotic foods because they're fermented?

America is in the grips of an unprecedented opioid epidemic. This time, it’s not just about heroin, confined to the inner cities among impoverished minorities. It’s spread to suburbs and rural areas and is affecting predominantly white middle-class populations. It started when, under marketing pressure from makers of pain medications, doctors were encouraged to view pain as “the fifth vital sign,” on a par with blood pressure, heart rate, and temperature. But pain is subjective, and not amenable to such a simplistic formula. More people see doctors for pain than for diabetes, heart disease, and cancer combined! Along with liberal prescribing, the ubiquity of powerful, long-acting drugs, and more lenient sentencing of drug sellers have fostered a surge in drug overdoses. Moreover, we have created a huge underclass of addicted, hopeless, unemployable, debilitated Americans, who often succumb to suicide. Statistics show far too many people take more medication than is prescribed, stockpile or share medications, doctor-shop to obtain more prescriptions, mix drugs with alcohol, and continue use of medications for purposes other than pain relief. Unscrupulous doctors often sell prescriptions. We need a total reassessment of the way we treat pain in America. As a society, we have far too little tolerance for transient (physical and psychological) pain, and the medical profession and drug companies are all-too-wiling to oblige. Experts now call for a closer look at alternative modalities like yoga, meditation/mindfulness, Tai-Chi, QiGong, acupuncture, core-training, acupuncture, etc. Diet may play a role in curbing inflammation; certain supplements like fish oil, curcumin, boswellin, vitamin C and D, and magnesium may help pain. The revolutionary work of the late Dr. John Sarno, who urged patients to let go of stress that perpetuated their pain syndromes, also deserves consideration.

Dr. Hoffman continues his talk on chronic pain, the opioid epidemic, and natural treatment of pain.

Should I cut back on my vitamin D given Dr. Gaby's recommendations? Why did it take several years of taking 8,000 IU vitamin D every day to get my levels in the 50's? Is there a benefit for a healthy, active retiree to get IV vitamin C or glutathione regularly? Is it safe to consume water from Type 1 PET plastic bottles (polyethylene terephthalate)?

My husband has bipolar and his meds make him feel terrible, would lithium orotate be a good alternative? Recently I switched from Synthroid to WP thyroid and now I'm having palpitations--help! Sometimes I feel dizzy before having a bowel movement, why does this occur?

Pioneering cancer researcher Dr. Thomas Seyfried argues that we’ve taken a massive wrong turn in cancer exploration by ignoring the true metabolic basis of cancer. Dr. Seyfried cites the work of Nobel Prize-winning biochemist Otto Warburg, who identified the Warburg Effect in the 1930s. Featured in a recent NY Times article entitled “An Old Idea Revived: Starve Cancer to Death,” Dr. Seyfried argues that depriving cancer cells of glucose and glutamine, their prime metabolic fuels, offers a non-toxic way of curbing cancer growth. This can be achieved, in part, via a ketogenic diet, in conjunction with certain blocking drugs. Hyperbaric oxygen therapy (HBOT) provides an ideal accompaniment to the diet. What precisely does a true ketogenic diet consist of (Hint: It’s not Atkins!)? How can patients following the diet monitor whether they are achieving true ketosis? What role does the Charlie Foundation (CharlieFoundation.org) play in supporting patients following ketogenic diets? What new research is Dr. Seyfried pursuing? Why has the Cancer Establishment been slow in accepting this paradigm?