Health Podcast with Connie Sellecca: Exercise to Reduce Cancer Risk; Plant-Based Diet to Fix Your Gut; Social Fitness for Longevity

In this episode we feature: 

An interview with board-certified dermatologist, Dr Michelle Henry.

Exercise to reduce bladder and kidney cancer risks.

One week of a plant-based diet can restore a healthy gut. 

The proper way to apply sunscreen. 

Social fitness is crucial for longevity, reducing chronic stress. 

And more ways to 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

Transcript

Unknown: 0:07

Gib, hello and welcome to the podcast. I'm Gib Gerard here with another of our special intelligence for your health with Connie Celica editions of the podcast today on the show, we've got, as usual, ways to improve your health, starting today, but most importantly, we've got an interview with board certified dermatologist Dr Michelle Henry. So here we go, without further ado, our special intelligence for your health with Connie Selig. Edition of the show. Here's an excellent reason to get up off the sofa and get some exercise. Too much sitting significantly raises your risk of cancer. According to the researchers at WebMD, people who stay physically active most of their lives are 73% less likely to develop bladder cancer and 77% less likely to develop kidney cancer. That's compared to lifelong couch potatoes. According to the Mayo Clinic, we should all be getting at least 150 minutes of moderate physical activity a week, like a brisk walk, or 75 minutes of vigorous aerobic activity, like a spin class. Bottom line, more exercise equals less of a cancer risk. How do you define a healthy gut gastroenterologist, Dr Joel Mason from Tufts University says if you're not experiencing bloating, constipation or diarrhea, then your gut is probably healthy. However, Dr Mason says the best way to maintain or boost your current gut health is to eat a wide variety of plant based foods, because different plants feed different types of bacteria in your guts microbiome. But there's a catch, you'll need to eat a plant based diet for at least a week before new species of healthy microbes will take hold and replace the unhealthy ones that made you sick. And unlike probiotics, which tend to get destroyed in the stomach, the bugs found in whole fruits and vegetables are more likely to survive into your intestines and give you the healthiest gut possible Coming up, we'll talk to board certified dermatologist Dr Michelle, Henry. She'll tell us exactly how much sunscreen we should be applying and why we need to put it on before we're out in the sun. But first, here are the basic differences between a food allergy and intolerance. With an allergy, the tiniest exposure to food will cause hives and difficulty breathing. But intolerance just means your digestive system can't handle a certain food. For me, it's peanuts, so if you only feel gassy and bloated, that means you are intolerant to fall asleep faster, tell yourself a bedtime story. That's the advice of cognitive scientists at Simon Fraser University in British Columbia, when they asked study volunteers to describe what they thought about before falling asleep, they discovered that people who struggle to sleep. Are planning and problem solving in bed, but people who fall asleep quickly mostly use visual imagery, like imagining what the interior of your private jet would be like, and using that technique can help you become a good sleeper, thinking of your own bedtime story as you drift off, which is called cognitive refocusing, can help you fall asleep faster and reduce how often you wake up during the night. So think about what it would be like to live in Rome and really try to picture the details. Or think about what it would be like to meet your favorite actor or musician. Where would you be? What would you be wearing? That will prevent your mind from ruminating on a problem, and you'll become a better sleeper. Okay, listen to this. No matter who you want to get closer to, from your spouse to your grandkids to your best friend, all you have to do is talk about the future together, like a trip you want to take, or the fun stuff you'll do over the summer. Psychiatry professor Dr Michelle riba says talking about the future is all about hope and possibility, and having shared goals and plans lifts our mood and inspires us, even if you don't live near someone, talking about future plans helps you bond, and when you do see each other, you'll have something to connect on. Right off the bat today, our guest is Dermatologist, Dr Michelle, Henry. She's the founder and owner of skin and esthetic surgery of Manhattan, and with warmer weather, more of us will be out in the sun. So I asked Dr Henry, how much sunscreen should we apply, and if we're also wearing makeup with an SPF, do we still need sunscreen? So when we're applying sunscreen, it's really important to apply the appropriate thickness. So sunscreens are graded upon how thick the layer is. That's when they're tested to see if they're actually going to give the SPF 30 or SPF 50 protection that the label indicates. So you want to have a nice thick layer on. So you can ensure that you're having adequate protection. So for the face, about a nickel sized amount of product is typically sufficient. And for the body, about a golf sized amount is sufficient. You should apply your sunscreen, particularly Chemical sunscreens, about 20 to 30 minutes before you're going outside, because it needs to bond with your skin. Physical sunscreens are inert ingredients, zinc and titanium dioxide, so they reflect light and you can go out more quickly with those when you are applying makeup, you should apply your sunscreen first. And you know makeup with SPF is additive. I do like it, but it is not sufficient as your primary protection. Typically, we do not apply makeup in as thick of a fashion, or as even of a fashion as we would apply sunscreen, so sunscreen should remain your primary protection. Today, we're talking to board certified dermatologist Dr Michelle Henry. She was just giving us a little sunscreen, 101, but something people may not know is that everything from the medications we take to our perfume to our favorite summer drinks could interact poorly with the sun's UV rays. So there are many topical ingredients and oral medications that can make the skin more sensitive to the sun, and we call those photo sensitizing ingredients. So citrus is a very common one. We call it Margarita dermatitis. You know, a lot of people will have spent a great weekend. They made margaritas that citrus gets on their hands, and now they have a big rash. And the rash can be so robust that it can even blister, and often leaves with a very pattern, a very characteristic pattern of hyperpigmentation that's called the phytophthodermatitis. You know, photosensitivity could also happen with different fragrances. Certain skincare ingredients, like alpha hydroxy acid or beta hydroxy acid, can make the skin a little bit more sensitive to the sun as well. Some really common oral medications are used for hypertension or high blood pressure, can also cause photosensitivity. So it's very, very important that when you're taking medications, always ask, is this going to be moved more sensitive to the sun? And always think about that when you're using your skincare, if you're stressed out or a naturally anxious person, keep lavender scented soap by the sink, and when you wash your hands with it, you'll wash away your worries. That's according to a study in the journal frontiers in behavioral neuroscience. It found that the distinctive scent of lavender sends signals to the brain to relax. In fact, it reduces stress as effectively as commonly prescribed anti anxiety medication and any lavender scented product will work from a sachet to essential oil. Today's medical term glioblastoma, according to the MD Anderson Cancer Center, a glioblastoma is the most aggressive type of brain tumor and is considered a stage four cancer diagnosis. Glioblastomas often grow in the brain's frontal lobe or temporal lobe, but they can be found anywhere in the brain. A glioblastoma in the frontal lobe can cause problems with speech, movement, behavior and memory. When people have a glioblastoma in the temporal lobe, they might have trouble making new memories, difficulty understanding language and struggle with their sense of hearing, vision, taste and touch. Common symptoms of a glioblastoma are constant, headaches, double vision, nausea, reduced appetite and mood and personality changes. The Treatment includes brain surgery, radiation therapy and chemotherapy. But unfortunately, doctors say the average glioblastoma survival time is 12 to 18 months, and that only 25% of patients survive more than a year, and that's today's medical term glioblastoma coming up. We'll hear more from board certified dermatologist, Dr Michelle, Henry, she'll tell us the number one reason why people get acne. But first, to avoid grabbing unhealthy snacks at the grocery store, use a cart instead of a basket. The Journal of Marketing Research shows that shopping with a basket instead of a cart makes you nearly seven times more likely to purchase vice foods like candy and snacks. The researchers say that curling your arm inward to carry a basket increases your desire to embrace instant rewards like sweet snacks. With a cart, you tend to extend your arms while pushing, and that's emotion associated with avoiding negative outcomes like pushing something away, and that makes you more likely to shop smartly when is putting in the absolute minimum effort a good thing. It's when you're trying to start a new habit that's according to BJ Fogg, founder of Stanford University's behavior. Your design lab. And author of the book tiny habits, in fact, Fogg writes about a concept known as minimum viable effort, or MVE, where you think about the smallest part of a new habit that you're willing to commit to, because good habits are all about consistency, and with MVE, you're much less likely to give up on a habit too soon, because it takes less effort to maintain a new habit. So with exercise, for example, your minimum viable effort might be committing to just a walk around the block every day or skipping every escalator you see and taking the stairs instead. Then if you can do that consistently, try walking around two blocks. The point is, if you can maintain a habit that involves doing the absolute minimum, then you'll have much better odds of building on that habit. Okay, listen to this. If you need a quick brain boost, step away from what you're working on and go outside for a few minutes. Combined, research from the universities of Colorado and Texas found that switching up your environment clears your working memory. That's where you store short term information, so you'll have more mental space to come up with solutions to problems. Another brain booster lie down for a few minutes. When we're lying down, our body stops producing high alert chemicals, and that can help your mind drift so you think of more out of the box ideas back with more health intelligence from Dermatologist, Dr Michelle Henry and a lot of people, teens and adults, struggle with acne. So I asked Dr Henry to tell us what causes acne? Because we've been told it can be caused by everything from eating too much sugar to poor hygiene. So what's the truth? So many people blame themselves for their acne, but acne really is primarily hormonal and genetic. It's not often due to hygiene, unless my occupations are cleansing their skin appropriately, but it is a hormones and their genetics that creates a perfect environment to flare acne. Now, while there are some foods that can flare acne, there are not foods that we typically say cause it, but if you are someone who is prone to acne, there are certain foods like dairy and, you know, sugars, anything that gets your insulin pumping, is likely to make your poor stickier, make you more prone to having acne, so foods can slay it, but we typically don't implicate foods solely in causing the acne. It is more of your genetic and hormonal makeup back with more health intelligence from board certified dermatologist Dr Michelle Henry and one of the trendiest skincare products these days are red light wands and masks. And I was curious to know if the masks sold for at home use work well enough to see results. So there are some some studies suggesting that red light in particular, might simulate the mitochondria helping to increase, you know, skin activities, stem cell turnover. We know the mitochondria is kind of the powerhouse of the cell, that both red light and infrared light might be anti inflammatory. So there are beliefs that they can help from everything from joint pain, and that's what like infrared, which is deeper, and infrared, we typically will perceive as heat we can't see it, and with visible light, like red light, that can help with inflammation, stimulating collagen, some types of acne. So this area of Photobiology is growing, but there are kind of some studies suggesting some help with with colleges simulation, some help with even hair with red light and similarly, with infrared. Here's a great way to keep your brain healthy as you age, eat more fiber. Researchers from the University of Illinois found eating foods packed with soluble fiber helps protect against age related memory decline. So what is soluble fiber? It is a type of fiber that attracts water and slows digestion. So what does slow digestion have to do with our brain well as our bodies digest fiber, it triggers production of a fatty acid called butyrate, which is anti inflammatory. And since aging causes inflammation in the brain, getting more butyrate from fiber slows how quickly our brain ages for intelligence, for your health, from Dermatologist, Dr Michelle Henry. If you'd like to know more about her, her Instagram handle is her name, Dr Michelle Henry. And although we should all get a skin check from a dermatologist once a year, it's good to know the basics of what to look for when it comes to skin cancer, so you can catch it early. So the American Academy of Dermatology recommends. And going under skin checks, or having a skin check by a board certified dermatologist once a year. What you're looking for are any moles that are asymmetric. This is particularly with melanoma. We use a new mount called the ABCDEs of melanoma. So any moles that are asymmetric, that have an uneven border that maybe have multiple colors, or ink black, even if you have a mole that starts to turn white that you've had for a long time, that could be something called regression. It's like your immune system is trying to, like, clear it on its own. D is the diameter, so mole should be smaller than a pencil eraser. E is evolving. Anything that that's changing, and that's for melanoma now, for non melanoma skin cancer, which would be basal cell cancer or spinal cell cancer, you're looking for any new pink bumps, any daily areas, any new ulcers or sores that aren't healing and aren't going away, really, anything that that has been around for a few recognize it. I say go to your dermatologist and let them check it out. Being by the ocean can make us feel invigorated, but it's not because of the sand and sun. The psychological boost we get from the beach comes from the air. Research shows that the air at the beach is naturally charged with negative ions, which help enhance the absorption of oxygen when we breathe, in turn, that can trigger the release of happiness hormones in our brain and boost our mood. Negative ions also have an antibacterial effect, killing airborne germs and viruses. It's the reason many hospitals use ionized air in their surgical and burn units, for example, so what if you don't live near a beach, and you don't have a beach vacation in the works, researchers say we can get the benefits of negative ions anywhere there's moving water, like near rivers, waterfalls or even during rainstorms. Here's an email I received at Connie at intelligence for your health.com, it comes from Sharon Jameson, who writes, I have a bunion. Will a toe spacer make it go away, or do I need surgery? Sharon, you should definitely consult a podiatrist. But here's what we know, more than 25% of people worldwide have bunions, and most often they're genetic. With a bunion, the bone just behind the big toe gradually shifts sideways. You'll notice a bump at the base of your big toe, and probably feel pain there. Beyond pain, you may have swelling around your big toe, develop corns or calluses, and your toe movement may become limited, and once your bunion becomes symptomatic, you may start to have other foot problems. That's according to Dr Dana brems, a podiatric foot and ankle surgeon. She says some patients will develop osteoarthritis. Others might experience swollen nerves or develop a hammer toe, and unfortunately, bunions can only be resolved without surgery in the very early stages, but once you feel pain, surgery is the go to treatment. Most surgeries involve repositioning the bone, sometimes securing it with titanium plates. People can generally walk immediately after surgery, but you'll need to wear a special post surgery shoe for about six weeks, and most people are back to running and full activities after around three months. Thank you for your email. Sharon, I hope this helps. Okay, listen to this. Take out a book that's an old favorite and just start reading. Researchers found that reading a favorite novel can send our stress levels plunging almost 70% within six minutes. That's because becoming immersed in a fictional world distracts us from our real life worries. In fact, reading an old favorite does such a good job that it will slow our heart rate and relieve tension. Almost immediately, researchers have discovered the one type of fitness that can help us live longer. And it's not about how much you lift or how intense your exercise is. All that matters is your social fitness. Social fitness is our ability to cultivate and maintain positive relationships, which reduces our chronic stress. And chronic stress is the root cause of a lot of diseases. Neuroscientist John Cacioppo studied social fitness with the US military, and he found that social fitness exercises like doing someone a favor or practicing conflict resolution reduced loneliness and boosted the health and well being of soldiers. And he's not the only one who says our social fitness has a similar effect on our health and longevity as physical fitness, the Journal of Lifestyle Medicine found that social interactions have a healing effect on patients. For example, cancer patients have higher chances of survival if they feel they have social support. So exercise. Your social fitness every day, it's as easy as saying hello to your neighbors or checking in with your friends. Clinical Psychologist Emily Anholt calls those small acts emotional push ups. And the more you do, the healthier you'll be, more intelligence for your health. From board certified dermatologist Dr Michelle Henry, and although skin cancer is often the result of DNA damage from the sun's UV light, it is possible to get skin cancer in areas that are never exposed to the sun, like the soles of the feet. In fact, singer Bob Marley famously got skin cancer under the nail of one of his big toes. So I asked Dr Henry, how can we get skin cancer in locations that don't see the sun, while we know that UV light is a carcinogen and is critical in creating non melanoma skin cancers, and melanoma cancers, or skin cancers have other influences outside of UV light, and those can include certain viruses like that, like HPV, can play a role in squamous cell cancer and genetics, and this is why, particularly with melanoma, we can see melanoma in our double double covered areas, so like under your underwear, under your bra, under your nails and the soles of your feet. And those are areas where UV light doesn't play as much of a role, but genetics do. That's it for our show today, our special intelligence for your health with Connie Selig edition of the podcast, I'm Gib Gerard. Don't forget to rate comment and subscribe on Apple podcast. Spotify, wherever you get your podcast. It helps us out a lot, and also, you can reach out to us on social media. All of our links are listed down in the show notes, we try to respond to every DM, every mention of the show, because ultimately, we do the show for you guys. So thank you so much for listening. You.