Q&A Time! Back Pain, Turning Blue from Silver, Vitamin K & More!

We're opening up the inbox today and answering some of your questions! 

From  mustard for back pain, to colloidal silver and the "Love Has Won" documentary, to grass-fed butter and celebrities sleeping schedules  - we've got a lot to cover today. 

We're covering:

• why I'm recording this podcast at 5am
• mustard for back pain and other considerations
• colloidal silver and a woman who thinks she's God
• how much sleep is too much
• grass fed butter vs regular
• Vitamin K being the new Vitamin D

As always if you have a question or comment, feel free to DM me on instagram at @itskyleb or email me at info@kylebuchanan.ca 

The Key Moments in this episode are:

00:01:08 - bad sleeping week

00:05:50 - mustard for back pain

00:11:20 - Love Has Won and colloidal silver 

00:15:20- Vitamin K

00:20:30 - excessive sleep considerations

00:25:10 - today's feelgood thing 

Transcript

Feelgoodery is recorded in front of a very tired live studio dog

Hello my friend, I hope you’re well slept and you’re listening to this awake and rested, or you’re just about to go to bed and you’re listening to this to fall asleep which apparently a lot of you do and I take that as a compliment.

It is 5 am right now for me, I have been up since 230 this morning. I don’t know what it is, but this week I have had terrible sleeps, it’s taking me forever to fall asleep, but up until today I slept through the night. Today for whatever reason, I was ready to go at 230am. It is the full moon today, which very well be that reason. We’ve talked about it before on the show, but we do tend to have more trouble sleeping on a full moon, and if you know anyone that works at a hospital, they’ll tell you that they get a lot of the most weird cases during a full moon. It is a thing, the full moon can mess us up and it is definitely taking me for a nice little spin this morning. 

And poor Sam, the live studio dog, he doesn’t know what the hell is going on. We got up at 230, went for our walk, he wanted food because that’s his routine but as soon as he finished I think that’s when he really clued in that things weren’t quite right and he’s been very clingy. He’s at my feet right now, but as soon as the sun comes up we’re going to go to the park like we do every morning. 

But even though I’m tired I do have this kind of weird high, which I normally get whenever I wake up early. I don’t know if you like early mornings or not, but I do - especially when living in the city, because when you live downtown, in a condo, that’s a lot of people and a lot of energy during the day. It’s a hustle and energeticallly you sort of feel that. But when I get up early, and people are still sleeping, it’s energetically calmer and I can hear myself think. One day I’ll live in the country and will wake up whenver I want because it’ll be quiet all the time, but for now we do what we can.

Before we get into the agenda today I did want to just note something about last week’s episode, if you caught it. So when I talked about the Overthinking Unloads, I mentioned that there were going to be 5, and there actually was only 4. And that was just an error on my part, there was ONLY 4, and I apologize if I got your hopes up with 5. My bad. But I hope you enjoyed the 4 that were given. 

Okay so for today, I thought  we’d open up the inbox and answer some of your questions. One or two of them I’ve answered on The Morning Show but whats nice about the podcast is that I can go a little bit more in depth in my answers and give some extra nuggets. As always, if you have a question, please feel free to dm me on instagram at @itskyleb or shoot me an email at info@kylebuchanan.ca And all of that info is in today’s shownotes. 

First Question comes from Charlie from Toronto

Hey Kyle, listened to the back pain episode, really helpful, wondering your thoughts on Mustard for back pain or any other tips?  

The back pain episode we did last year was one of the most listened to episodes, I think a lot of us are in pain quite a bit. So if you deal with back pain and haven’t listened to it, feel free to go back. I’ll overview some key points in a second. 

But when it comes to mustard, this was a thing that was popular on tik tok, there was this hockey player that was squirting mustard into his mouth for cramps. And I might have talked about it on here before, but essentially, there isn’t a lot of research for yellow mustard when it comes to pain. BUT, some people swear by it and it has worked for me, on occasion, not all the time, but sometimes, when I feel my back start to ache, especially lower back, I will taake a spoonful of yellow mustard and down it and sometimes it does alleviate the pain. Now the research isn’t solid on why this can work, theoretically some say the mustard could stimulate your mouth to send receptors to your nervous system to calm down a bit, other people suggest the turmeric aspect. But here’s my thing. It doesn’t hurt. And it’s cheap. So if you are dealing with pain and open to it, and don’t have much in the house aside from mustard and condiments, take a spoonful or two and see if it makes a difference. This is one of those things that is generally safe and besides the taste, it doesn’t hurt to try. 

Beyond that. If back pain is a thing, one tip that my chiropractor gave me, Dr. Dave at Toronto Neck and Bain Clinic which I can’t recommend enough, is hoola-hooping. Because we sit a ton now, we’re not moving as much and we’re losing that flexibility which makes us more prone to injury, by hoola hooping you move things around down, get the spine and fluid moving and this can hep support the back. And even if you don’ have a hoola hoop, just doing that motion, both ways, slowly, can be a great thing to do mid day. I’ve been doing it since he mentioned this to me in the fall and I can knock on wood say that things are better in that department. 

Beyond mustard and the hoola hoop, we did talk about nutrition in the last episode but if you did injure yourself, or you’re trying to heal from pain, diet really can make a difference. 

Your diet can either slow down healing, or speed it up, it can make pain worse or it can make pain better. Now if you’re looking for a general guidelin. when it comes to pain management, the diet that comes out on top is the The Mediterranian Diet. And if you haven’t heard of it, The Mediterranian diet is a collection of dietary habits in the countries that border the Meditarranian sea. And nutritionally, it makes sense why it would be great for pain management because it’s naturally anti inflammatory, and reducing inflammation is key for aches and pains.  

So the outline, some of the staples of the diet include: a high amount of vegetables, fruits, legumes, nuts and seeds, a high amount of olive oil which is fantastic for pain management, and a moderate amount of fish and poultry and whole grains. It’s got very little red meat or dairy in the diet, and doesn’t include refined sugars.  Now personally - the absence of SUGAR is the bigger thing for why I think this is effective, and the addition of more veggies, fruits and olive oil.

The ONE note I would say - is that IF there is  there is arthritic pain in particular and you’re trying to reduce it, the two tweaks I would suggest would be, for a period of time,  removing the wheat nd nightshade vegetables from the diet (so things like bell peppers, eggplant and white potatoes), as both of these may increase pain and inflammation in some arthritis sufferers. And it doesn’t have to be forever, but try removing them for a period of time, see how you do, see how you heal, and then slowly experiment with adding it back in. 

But those are some things to consider. Feel free to go back to the back pain episode to learn a bit more. 

Next Up. 

Jordana from Whitby ON emailed saying

“SO I just watched Love Has Won and my mind was blown. Can you talk about your thoughts on Colloidal Silver??”

So crap on a cracker. Have you seen the documentary Love Has Won. It’s an HBO documentary, only 3 episodes, if you have NOT seen it, it is something you cannot look away from - if you have a thing for cult documentaries, this is for you. If you want to pause this, go take 3 hours and watch it, then come  back, please do. I will wait. And I don’t want to spoil anything, but long story short, skip ahead like 30 seconds if you want to miss this, this 20 something girl decides one day that she is GOD, she calls herself MOther God, gets a following, decides whoever she is sleeping with on a given month is Father God, and channels messages from her guides whom she calls galatics I think, who include Robin Williams, it’s wild. ANd through alcohol and drugs she is able to do her work. But the big thing is that when she gets sick, she takes colloidal silver, and her team starts manufacturing this to sell it and also give to her. She just takes copious amounts of this and then eventually.. Well it dosn’t end well. 

So - lets talk colloidal silver, which is essentially a suspension of silver particles in a liquid. It has a long history, it’s a very old remedy and it does have antimicrobial properties to it. So with the rise of antibiotic resistant bacteria nowadays, it’s an antimicrobial alternative that has the potential to be an option for bacterial infections. Now personally, I love colloidal silver for topical use, putting it on on the skin, especially for burns. 

Taking colloidal silver internally is different. It’s more nuanced. Silver is a heavy metal, it can build up in the body. When you take too much of it, it can lead to a condition called Argyria (ArHEEReeA), which is when your skin turns blue. It can also cause neurological issues and organ toxicity when taken to excess. Watch that documentary to see it in action. You do not want to take too much, you do not want to turn blue. 

So all this to say. My thoughts are - topical silver, good option for the skin - burns, acne, certain rashes. Internal use needs to be approached with caution and with a health care practitioner that knows what they’re doing.  There are company’s out there that do make solid products, and there are some companies that use a silver that leaves your body in a few days and doesn't accumulate. This is not one of my go-tos, but I also don’t write off the potential of colloidal silver when used in the right circumstance. 

What I DO recommend, is going to watch Love Has Won. 

Karen from Lunenberg NS asks 

What the heck is Vitamin K?

Vitamin K is the new Vitamin D. Vitamin K is a fat-soluble vitamin, like Vitamin D and it comes in 2 main forms. K1 and K2. 

 K1 is primarily involved in blood clotting and is found in leafy green vegetables, it’s been studied for a while. K2 is the second form that’s becoming more of a hot topic. It’s always been there but we’re learning more and more about how important it is, especially for the health of our bones. Vitamin K2 helps to regulate calcium and helps to ensure that calcium goes where it’s supposed to go, like our bones and teeth and not our soft tissues. It’s like a traffic controller at an airport. 

But it’s not just bone health, Vitamin K2 has been linked to a  35% reduction risk of prostate caner, especially in advanced cases, and research is suggesting its beneficial for cardiovascular health, skin heatlh, and even cancer prevention. 

And UNLIKE K1, K2 is a little harder to get out of the diet. It’s found highest fermented foods because it’s mostly produced by bacteria, in fact we are able to produce some K2. Natto, which is fermented soy, is the top pick when it comes to fermented foods. Other foods include chicken liver, butter,  and blue cheese. So because it can be a little bit more tricky, K2 supplements are becoming more mainstream and you’re going to be hearing more and more about them.

Now to go a little bit further, there are different forms of Vitamin K2. The two most common are something called MK4 and MK7, and when you go out and shop for vitamin K you’ll see one or both forms in a supplement.  MK-4 is found in animal products, and MK-7, derived from fermented foods.  And although While MK-4 is more recognized as the active form of vitamin K2,  and has been used very successful in Japan for years, MK-7 has demonstrated its effectiveness even at lower doses, providing more sustained results. So a lot of companies will have both forms in their supplement. But of course, please consult with your health care practitioner to find what’s right for you. 

Olivia from Kingston ON asks: 

A lot of celebrities have been talking about sleeping for 10 plus hours (Rob Lowe, Dakota Johnson). . . is it possible to get TOO much sleep? 

Two things to keep in mind. One, it’s not a bad thing to sleep longer once in a while, but what I’d say is that  if you are sleeping 10,11, 12 hours a night and are still waking up tired, and you feel fatigued and drained during the day, it can be a sign that that the quality of your sleep isn’t great and some work is needed on that - or, there could be some underlying issues going on that need to be addressed. The second thing,  even though there is no magic number, is that generally speaking, that 7-8 hours per night is still that sweet spot . Any less than that, or any MORE than that  are associated with a deline in cognitive performance, so not thinking as clearly, poor memory and having more trouble making decisions, things like that. 

Now in terms of being able to catch up on sleep, when you’re in what they call a SLEEP DEBT, from what I understand from several sleep experts, is that it’s not possible to play catch up. Because normally we are never able to truly catch up on the amount of sleep lost, because on average we only sleep in an extra 1-2 hours per night. So if you collectively lost 2 hours of sleep each night during the week, that would mean youd have to sleep 10 extra hours on the weekend on top of your regular sleep, which is normally not possible. 

But again, you do what’s right for you. The BIGGEST thing, is that you listen to your body. When youre run down, when you’re sick, sleep as long as youd like and don’t fret about the oversleeping. But like I said in the beginning, if it is your norm to sleep for a long time but you still dont feel rested, that is by far the biggest factor to consider when it comes to oversleeping being a problem. 

Susan from London ON asks 

What is the difference between regular butter and “grass-fed” butter? 

The major difference between the two is the  diet of the cows that produce the butter. Grass-fed butter comes from cows allowed to graze on grass, which is ideal, while regular butter comes from cows fed grains or grass or a mixture of the two. Grass-fed butter typically looks more yellow than regular butter, because it’s higher in beta-carotene, it also tends to have a richer taste and generally speaking, it is more nutrient-dense than regular butter. Grass fed butter tends to be higher in Vitamin A, Vitamin E and omega 3 compared to regular butter, and it’s also higher in a type of fat called CLA, which is a type of fatty acid important for metabolic health. So it’s a much more nutrient dense option, but it’s normally more expensive unfortunately.  Shop around though because the price of grassfed butter really varies depending on the store. But we talked about Bulletproof last time, and when you hear about people putting butter in their coffee, it’s normally grassfed butter. 

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And that sound means that it’s time for today’s feelgood thing, which are little weird things we spotlight so we train our brains to seek out the good more often, because our brains are so good at seeking out the day. 

Today’s feelgood thing is, for those who remember these days, peeling off the plastic wrap in one smooth go when you get a new CD. I mean we don’t buy CDs or DVDs anymore, but remember the plastic they used to wrap them in? So thin and vacuum sealed. It would take multiple tries to use what finger nails you have to get in the corner, get a lip and peel it off and it normally took multiple tries. But then, one in a while, you peeled it off in such a way that you got the whole thing off in one go. You just saved yourself an hour, and you didn’t have to grab the knife or scissors to destroy the case trying to get the plastic off. 

Just for that one moment, the CD gods were looking down on you thinking that you deserved an easy moment. And then you got to open the cd adn enjoy that spice girls music. And the smell. Remember the smell? That fresh chemical smell of cds and dvds.. That too, was a feelgood thing.

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Lots of different stuff today from cults to blue cheese to sleepy celebrities and eating mustard. Riveting stuff. So of course, naturally - as always, please feel free to share this episode to someone who might enjoy it, or leave a review and 5 star rating. It does help other people find their way into this feelgoodery space, and it’s becoming a little community which I am just so grateful for. The more the merrier. And thank you always for your support. 

With that, we’ll say goodbye for another week. The sun is just starting to come out, or what I used to know as the sun, now I just know it as slightly less dark CLOUD because it has been grey in Toronto for months, but either way that means that Sam gets to go to the park. I hope you have a great day ahead, or have the sweetest of dreams if you’re already asleep, probably dreaming of a blue person eating mustard and cheese based on what you’ve just listened to, but either way - I hope you are good to yourself, and I will see you next time on feelgoodery. 

And now for the legal stuff. The information provided in this podcast is for informational purposes only and is not a substitute for professional medical advice. Please always constul with your health care provider.