toxins

Dr. M’s SPA Newsletter Audiocast Volume 14 Issue 15

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Micro/nano-plastics (MNP) – the new ultra threat to our health
In a first of its kind study, a group out of Italy has found quite disturbing results in the hearts of a few hundred tested individuals. From the study: 257 patients completed a 35 month study where they detected polyethylene in the 59% of the patient’s heart’s carotid artery plaque. In addition, 12% of the patients had detectable amounts of polyvinyl chloride. “Electron microscopy revealed visible, jagged-edged foreign particles among plaque macrophages and scattered in the external debris. Radiographic examination showed that some of these particles included chlorine.” (Marfella et. al. 2024) Individuals with micro/nanoplastics in the carotid atheroma were at significantly higher risk for myocardial infarction, stroke, or death than those without detectable MNP. The hazard ratio is 4.5 which is to say that the risk is 4.5 X higher for the plastic exposed people…..plus a literature review.
Enjoy,
Dr. M

Dr. M’s SPA Newsletter Audiocast Volume 14 Issue 12

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Pregnancy is a super important time. Do not take by inhalation, ingestion or other exposure anything that is a potential toxin for the body.
Things to avoid:
1) Caffeine – in low to minimal doses, it is clear that caffeine is safe for pregnant women and their offspring. Caffeine easily crosses into the placenta and thus the baby’s circulation. In utero babies cannot metabolize caffeine well putting them at risk with increasing exposure. The data does not support the same reality for more moderate to high doses. Caffeine is known to raise blood pressure and heart rate in all users in variable numbers based on metabolism capabilities…… plus a literature review and a recipe.
Enjoy,
Dr. M

Dr. M’s SPA Newsletter Audiocast Volume 13 Issue 25

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This week we talk all about sweat and heat liberation.

Sweating is a very important tool that the human body and most mammals use to eliminate unwanted stuff. In this case, the body primarily is eliminating heat and toxins via liquid sweat.
When we exercise vigorously or it is a hot day or we find ourselves overheating while fighting an infection, sweat will pour from our skin through glands and an endothermic reaction. The water that is released caries heat from the body with it. It evaporates into the air liberating the heat and thus cooling the body.
In this sweated liquid are electrolytes and toxins. Primarily, the sweat fluid has a natural release of small amounts of sodium and to an even lesser extent, potassium and calcium. This fluid will also facilitate the release of chemicals that the body does not like….. plus a few articles in a literature review.
Enjoy,
Dr. M

Dr. M’s SPA Newsletter Audiocast Volume 12 Issue 46

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This week we look at PFAS Chemicals – Otherwise called “Forever Chemicals”

Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) or forever chemicals are being found all throughout the world as their use has risen over the past 6 plus decades. PFAS are a family of chemicals known as POPS or persistent organic pollutants as they are reported to not break down easily. They have been found in products like Teflon based nonstick cookware, Scotch Guard and Gortex stain-resistant carpeting and clothing, dental floss, commercial firefighting foams and many types of food packaging. Unfortunately, these toxins have been detected in drinking water, house dust and foods/beverages of common consumption…..
We will also discuss children’s strengths and hospitals.
Enjoy,
Dr. M

Dr. M’s Women and Children First Podcast – Putting It All Together #1

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This week on the show, I sit down to put the first three maternal/child health podcasts into perspective. We take a more nuanced view of how these three experts are tied together. We examine the basic underpinnings of maternal health risks through the eyes of these thought leaders in preparation for the next three experts who will take us on a tour of human health from a microbiome and environmental perspective. This show is also a way for the folks that are on the go to get a summary of the podcasts for their benefit.

 

Be well,

Dr. M

Dr. M’s Women and Children First Podcast #5 – Dr. Victoria Maizes, Fertility and Optimal Woman’s Health

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Dr. Victoria Maizes is executive director of the University of Arizona Center for Integrative Medicine, chief of the UA Division of Integrative Medicine and a professor of medicine, family medicine and public health. Internationally recognized as a leader in integrative medicine, she stewarded the growth of the Arizona Center for Integrative Medicine from a small program educating four residential fellows per year to a designated “Center of Excellence” that trains more than 500 residents and fellows annually.

Dr. Maizes has pioneered multiple innovative educational programs including the Integrative Family Medicine Program, and Integrative Medicine in Residency, two national models for educating primary care physicians. As founding co-chair of the education committee of the Consortium of Academic Health Centers for Integrative Medicine—the mission of which is to promote integrative medicine, she has led a team of educators in developing objectives for medical students in integrative medicine.

Her passion for women’s health makes her ideal for a discussion on fertility and the best path forward for a woman wanting to become a mother. Her book, Be Fruitful, is a road map leading to the best pregnancy and child outcomes. We discuss the root causes of infertility and maternal disease. Dr. Maizes teaches us the pathway to be followed for a mother to be in order to unwind the antecedent risk factors for infertility and disease.

I hope that you enjoy my conversation with Dr. Maizes,

Dr. M

Dr. M’s Women and Children First Podcast #3 – Dr. Randy Jirtle and the Discovery of Maternal Risk

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Dr. Randy Jirtle joins the show today to discuss his groundbreaking research that ushered in the era of epigenetics. Time Magazine nominated him for person of the year in 2007 and had this to say about him: “Dr. Jirtle’s pioneering work in epigenetics and genomic imprinting has uncovered a vast territory in which a gene represents less of an inexorable sentence and more of an access point for the environment to modify the genome. His trailblazing discoveries have produced a far more complete and useful understanding of human development and diseases” — Time Magazine. This interview is ground zero for the Women and Children First Podcast as we discuss the underpinnings or mechanisms of disease risk for all humans as it relates to the environmental inputs of our lives that are driving health or disease at both the pregnancy and post natal periods. We look specifically at how maternal nutrition and later chemical exposure directly affected the health of the agouti mouse offspring. This experiment was the first of its kind and paved the way for a complete shift in human disease understanding. For parents, this podcast is really the beginning of everything that I am trying to convey regarding a healthy pregnancy and childhood. Without this interview, the following interviews will be more difficult to understand. The picture becomes very clear once his research is cemented in our minds.

His biography is as follows: Professor of Epigenetics at the Department of Biological Sciences, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, NC, and a Senior Scientist at McArdle Laboratory for Cancer Research at the University of Wisconsin, Madison, WI. He was previously professor of radiation oncology and associate professor of pathology at Duke University, Durham, NC, where he had been a faculty member since 1977. He graduated with a B.S. degree in nuclear engineering in 1970 and a Ph.D. degree in radiation biology in 1976, from the University of Wisconsin-Madison. His awards list is long but the key to Dr. Jirtle is that he is a curious thinker and we are grateful for this.

Please enjoy my conversation with Dr. Randy Jirtle,

Dr. M