Health Podcast: Chew Away Cavities; Dim Your Lights to Boost Your Memory

In this episode we feature:

An interview with pediatrician Dr. Ana Pal.

Get cold to boost your mood.

Shop away your waistline.

Anxiety’s Vanilla Fix.

And more ways you can 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

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Gib. Hello and welcome to another episode of the podcast. I'm Gib Gerard here with another special intelligence for your health, with Connie Celica edition of the podcast. Oh yes, that's right, all sorts of information from our show, intelligence for your health that you can use to live your life a whole lot better, to be a whole lot healthier. This week, her guest is pediatrician, Dr Anna pal. She is the co founder of the PD pals. She's a pediatrician, pediatrician PD pals, and she's gonna have the latest recommendation to help prevent possible food allergies in kids, like from peanuts to eggs, you know all the stuff that you see kids being allergic to these days. Anyway, here we go without further ado. Here is intelligence for your health with Connie Celica to battle seasonal depression, try some cold water therapy, according to the Stanford Center of longevity, cold water immersion can improve mental health by increasing levels of feel good neurotransmitters. All you have to do is go for a 15 minute swim in chilly water or soak in a bathtub filled with cool water. Scientists say dropping your body temperature for a few minutes releases serotonin, helping you feel more upbeat and energized. Here are two memory boosting habits based on the latest neuroscience. First eat more vegetables, especially mushrooms, in a 20 year Harvard study, researchers found people who ate the most fruits and vegetables had less memory loss later in life, and mushrooms specifically were linked to brain cell growth and enhanced memory and of all mushroom varieties, porcini mushrooms may be the best for your brain. They contain antioxidants that fight Alzheimer's disease, another memory boosting habit, spend more time in brightly lit rooms during the day and dark rooms at night, Multiple studies have shown that bright light activates regions of the brain linked to alertness, which helps encode memories better than trying to remember something in a dimly lit room. But then when you're trying to sleep, researchers from the University of Pennsylvania say, the less light, the better, so your brain can effectively process the day's events into your long term memory coming up. We'll talk to pediatrician. Dr Anna pal about the sounds a newborn baby makes. For example, is it normal for newborns to breathe rapidly when you hold them? What about if they gurgle or Grunt? Dr, Anna will have the facts. But first, do you find yourself fighting off afternoon brain fog, take a deep breath and start humming. The vibrations in your vocal cords will stimulate the vagus nerve, the longest nerve in the body that connects our brain, heart, lungs and muscles, and that releases a neurotransmitter that boosts concentration. And the more you can get your vocal cords to vibrate, the faster it will work. So to max out the vibration, open and close your mouth and say vowels while you hum, your brain should feel sharper in no time. If you're stressed out, you can use holiday traditions to turn your mood around. Scientists say that participating in seasonal rituals can change your brain chemistry. For example, bake some cookies, the scent of vanilla is proven to reduce anxiety by nearly 70% plus. Research shows that eating a little bit of fat increases the feel good chemical serotonin in the brain, another way to reduce stress. During the holidays, gaze at your Christmas tree for 30 seconds in a study from the University of Rochester, people who looked at their Christmas tree or something green felt significantly calmer and happier. It works because green is associated with peaceful natural settings, and that can help relieve anxiety. And one last way to use the holidays to relieve your stress, watch a movie like Miracle on 34th Street, psychologists say it makes us feel happy and secure because it reminds us of the Christmases we had growing up and solid traditional values today, our guest is Dr Anna pal. She's a board certified pediatrician and co founder of the PD pals, a company that aims to educate parents about their growing children, and Dr Powell says one of the most common questions she gets asked is about the sounds a newborn baby makes. Basically, every parent wants to know what baby sounds are normal. What I tell parents that there's a couple of characteristic sounds that they make that are very normal. One is something called periodic breathing of the newborn. So often we'll see kids babies, newborns will breathe really fast, really rapidly, and then they'll take a pause. So parents always get a little nervous about that, but that is totally normal. Nothing to worry about. Another sound they. Make a lot of gassy sounds, a lot of sometimes grungy sounds, nasally congested sounds. Those are all normal, but if they're doing a grunting sound, like in a rhythmic pattern, so if they're constantly going like a grunting rhythmic pattern, that is usually something that it would be best to talk to your pediatrician about. What I advise parents to do is take a quick video if they're not sure if the sound is normal or not, it's always good to pull out your phone, take a video, show it to your pediatrician, and then they can always reassure parents if that sound is normal or not. But if they're in any kind of distress. You see their chest caving in. They're doing that constant grunting sound, then it's best for them to be evaluated. But if they're just noisy in general, then it's usually okay. Okay, listen to this. I have good news for holiday shoppers looking to burn calories. A study was done by a market research company, which used wearable trackers to measure shoppers pulse rates, body temperature and how much they were sweating. And they found that the average person's heart rate increases 33% while their Christmas shopping, which is on par with running a marathon. They also found that 88% of people experienced an even more rapid heart rate when they found a gift they liked. However, because of that higher heart rate and all that calorie burning, half the people studied started feeling fatigued after just a half hour of shopping. Today, we're talking to pediatrician, Dr Anna PAL and she was just saying that a rhythmic grunting sound from a baby warrants a call to your pediatrician, because that could be a sign your baby is in distress. So I asked Dr Powell to tell us more about what it means if a baby is making grunting noises. So typically, when they're having trouble moving air in and out of their airway, sometimes it could just be nasal congestion. So babies are tiny to begin with, their nasal passages. Their air passageways are really tiny, but if they're having a blockage in somewhere in that passageway, whether it's in their chest, they could have gotten a cold. You know, if they're having trouble moving air through their airways, then that is when they would make that grunting sound. So a lot of times, parents, you know, hear something about RSV. RSV is a common virus that affects babies and newborns, especially so if they get a cold with RSV, that can cause the grunting sound. There's lots of other conditions, congenital conditions, that could cause that, but it's usually just a sign of them having trouble moving air through. So that's the reason we ask them to bring it up if they hear that. If you'd like to reduce your risk of getting sick, spend 20 minutes a day reading something that helps you relax and unwind. Ohio State University researchers found taking a break from daily stress, whether you bury your nose in a novel or your favorite magazine, cuts production of the stress hormone cortisol in half, and that helps your immune system produce more antibodies to fight off invading germs. That means reading for just 20 minutes a day can cut your risk of catching a cold or flu by a massive 40% today's medical term transient insomnia, that's the insomnia an estimated 75% of us experience whenever we sleep in unfamiliar environments, whether we're crashing on a friend's couch staying in a hotel or stuck on an air mattress at Grandma's house during the holidays. According to Dr Russell Rosenberg, director of the Atlanta School of sleep medicine and technology, the older we get, the more likely we are to experience transient insomnia, since we're all creatures of habit and poor sleep can seriously ruin your travel plans, because not only does insomnia make us more irritable, it drains our energy and makes us more accident prone. So Dr Rosenberg says it is important to plan ahead and make your sleeping arrangements as comfortable as possible. For some people, that might mean packing a favorite pillow or stuffed animal from home or requesting extra blankets to help even out a lumpy sofa bed. You should also try sticking to your regular sleep schedule as closely as possible. The good news is that transient insomnia is temporary, because once you return to your familiar bed and routines at home, the condition normally clears up within three days, and that's today's medical term, transient insomnia coming up. We'll hear more from pediatrician, Dr Anna pal she'll have the latest facts on when it's safe for parents to introduce potentially allergenic foods to kids, including peanuts and eggs. But first, what can help ease the pain of a sore throat? Acupuncture in your ear. It's a technique developed by Air Force scientists to relieve the chronic pain military personnel experience. So it doesn't cure your sore throat, but it releases pain relieving endorphins and natural opioids so it won't hurt as much. It's called the battlefield auricular technique. Auricular means ear only, and you can find a practitioner@medicalacupuncture.org You know that old saying you're only as old as you feel. It is true. Researchers at France's University of Montpelier found people with a more youthful mindset, meaning being curious and open to new experiences. Had stronger bodies and sharper minds as they aged, because a youthful attitude fires more of our brains, neurons, which speeds up thinking and the new experiences don't have to include anything wild like skydiving or backpacking solo across Europe, just visiting local tourist spots, trying new restaurants, watching How to videos online, even reading books about other people's experiences, will make you feel younger and more adventurous too. Never forget you are only as old as you feel more health intelligence from pediatrician, Dr Anna Powell, and according to the latest data from the National Institutes of Health, as many as one in five kids could be described as picky eaters. But recent studies have shown that an effective way to prevent picky eating is to limit how much juice and milk your child drinks. So I asked Dr Powell why that might be helpful. Yeah, so especially the first year of their life, they're drinking a lot of milk, and after the age of one, we recommend that they cut down their milk down to 16 ounces or less in a day. But children love their milk, and they love drinking their calories, because that's what they did for the first year of their life. So a lot of times, they'll fill up on the liquid, so they'll fill up on milk and juice, and then they don't necessarily want to eat. So the first thing we recommend for picky eaters is to cut down the volume of your milk to 16 ounces Max in a day. If your child is older than one, juice is pretty much just sugar water. So we don't really necessarily need it. We want to get our fruit through eating fruits, because if you look at juice over the counter, they have to remove all the fiber and some of the nutrients from juice to be able to preserve it, and so you're pretty much just drinking a lot of sugar water from those fruits, even if it says it's all natural or, you know, there's no sugar added, you're still getting the sugars from the fruit that's concentrated. So we don't necessarily need the juices to grow. It's not really necessary, and it leads to more cavities and dental problems. So we say we don't really need it, it would be better to have fresh fruit or make smoothies at home, because then you get the fiber and you get all of the nutrients from the fruit if you make it at home. Okay, listen to this. Here's an acupressure trick for sinus pressure and pain, firmly massage your hairline using circular motions from the base of your skull around your ears to the center of your forehead. Scientists at Connecticut's Manchester Memorial Hospital say it can cut sinus pain by 60% in just two minutes, because the acupressure points involved produce pain, killing endorphins and the circulation boost to your sinuses improves drainage, relieving sinus pain back with more health intelligence from pediatrician, Dr Anna PAL and until recently, the standard advice from pediatricians was to not give potentially allergenic foods to kids like peanuts and eggs until after age two. But these days, the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases says it is okay to start exposing kids to potential allergens as soon as they start eating solid food. So I asked Dr Powell why the advice on childhood food allergies has changed. There was a study called the LEAP study that was done many years ago, and it looked at all around the world, which countries had, or which areas around the world had the lowest incidence of peanut allergy? And they noticed that in the Middle East, it had the lowest incidence of peanut allergy because they started introductions as young as three, four months of age, because that was a very regular part of their diet, you know, the nuts. And so after that, a lot of studies went into it, because you're right. You know, many years ago in the United States, we were holding off on trying things like peanuts until they were older, but we noticed that by holding off and waiting till they're two or older, that actually increased the risk of them how. Having those allergies. So now what we do is, as soon as they, you know, usually turn between four to six months, under the guidance of their pediatrician, when they get the go ahead to start solid foods, you know, we recommend that they start with veggies and fruits, and then very early on, start the allergen foods, one at a time, like eggs, like peanuts, things like that. So are there any exceptions to this new guidance that should make parents continue to avoid problematic foods like in the old days? There are a couple of exceptions. So if your child has, you know, a strong family history of those allergies, or they have severe eczema, then you definitely want to talk to your pediatrician or an allergist before starting some of those allergen foods. But for most healthy kids, we've seen that starting foods early and getting repetitive exposure to these foods early reduces their incidence of developing these allergies in the future. If you're not a flosser, at least chew gum. Research finds that chewing gum cleans teeth. In the study, people chewed sugar free gum for up to 10 minutes, then the researchers analyzed the chewed gum and found about 100 million bacteria trapped in each wad that actually makes up just a small percentage of all the bacteria in your mouth, but the reduction is still significant. It can lead to fewer cavities, healthier gums and better breath. That's because when you chew gum, it actually cleans plaque and pieces of food off your teeth. Dr Dennis Kinane is the Dean of the University of Pennsylvania School of Dental Medicine, and he says a lot of the benefit from chewing gum comes from the increase in saliva it creates, and saliva is anti microbial, more intelligence for your health. From Pediatrician Dr Anna Powell, and when adults can't sleep, a common solution is to take melatonin. Well, according to the American Academy of Pediatrics, about one in three children and teens also regularly struggle to fall asleep, but Dr Powell says don't give kids melatonin to help them sleep. So I asked her, Why? So melatonin and other sleep supplements are all natural supplements. They're not usually well regulated, so that means they're not tested on children, especially. And children have growing bodies, growing immune systems, and so even things that are all natural can affect them negatively. So we have seen some kids have a side effects from melatonin, like nausea, tummy aches, things like that, and in general, we just can't say 100% that melatonin is safe for everybody, so the times that we do consider melatonin would be for kids that have autism, that are not neurotypical, that really cannot sleep at all. Some doctors will prescribe melatonin or discuss doses of melatonin with those families in those situations where it's controlled and we're monitoring the symptoms and the side effects. You know, we use it in those rare occasions, but as a general rule for everyone, it might not be completely safe for every child. So therefore, we focus on trying to build good sleep naturally, you know, by reducing screen time, by creating a routine, and by building, you know that skill to get good quality sleep from the beginning. You know that chocolate is toxic to dogs. Well, in December, dogs are more than twice as likely to ingest a toxic dose of chocolate than at any other time of the year. It's usually because their humans have stocked up on candy, cocoa and baking chocolate, and dogs love the taste, so they'll scarf down whatever they find or can reach on the kitchen counter. Cats are also susceptible to chocolate poisoning, but since they literally can't taste sweetness, they're less likely to go after it. The harmful substances in chocolate are theobromine and caffeine. Small amounts can cause a dog to vomit, and larger doses can cause a racing heart, seizures or death, and nearly five times as many dogs eat chocolate in the weeks surrounding Christmas compared with other holidays, and the darker the chocolate, the more toxins in it. So make sure you don't leave any chocolate lying around in gifts under the tree or on the kitchen counter. Here's an email I received at Connie at intelligence for your health.com. It comes from Maya Fleming, who writes, How can I know if I have a problem with gluten? Maya, a study in the journal digestion, found that 93% of individuals who think they're gluten sensitive can actually tolerate it. The researchers concluded that celiac disease wheat aller. Strategies and gluten sensitivity aren't as common as people believe, but you may be in that small percentage if you eat wheat and then experience gas, bloating, cramps, canker sores or a rash. To figure it out, try this test from Dr Mike Russell, the author of the Six Pillars of nutrition. First, keep a diary of every single thing you eat for two weeks and how you feel afterward, and include items that contain gluten that we generally don't think about, like beer, licorice, bleu cheese, hot dogs, gravy, root beer, canned baked beans and pickles. It's in the vinegar. If you find that gluten is a common factor when you experience your symptoms, cut it out completely for two weeks while still maintaining a food diary at the end of that washout period, go back to eating like you normally did for two more weeks. If you feel significantly worse, you may want to go gluten free permanently and to confirm your gluten intolerance, talk to your doctor about a simple blood test that can detect the antibodies associated with celiac disease, but keep eating foods containing gluten prior to the test, or it may not be accurate. Thank you for your email. Maya, I hope this helps. Here's one of the simplest ways to prevent dementia and Alzheimer's, get your high blood pressure down into healthy territory and keep it there. That's according to the latest study from the US National Institute of Neurological Disorders and strokes. Lead researcher, Dr Clinton Wright and his team recruited nearly 10,000 people over age 50 with high blood pressure, and gave them MRI brain scans. Then they asked all study participants to lower their blood pressure by walking at least 30 minutes a day, cutting back on processed foods, salt and alcohol, and losing weight. The result those who are most successful at making those lifestyle changes and able to get their systolic blood pressure the upper number down below 120 were less likely to develop Alzheimer's. That's compared to the people who were only able to get the top number below 140 Dr Wright says lower systolic pressure is shown to reduce the number of lesions in the white matter in the person's brain and lesions are scientifically linked to mental decline, dementia and Alzheimer's. So if you can keep your systolic or top blood pressure number below 120 the research shows you might be able to avoid Alzheimer's altogether. Okay, listen to this. It doesn't have to be below zero to cause hypothermia. It can occur at 40 degrees. One sign is shivering when the body attempts to generate heat, or fingers too stiff to zip a jacket or strike a match, because blood flow bypasses the arms and legs to keep your vital organs warm, and the top sign of hypothermia the umbles, where you stumble, mumble or fumble, an indication of serious motor coordination issues. If someone exhibits hypothermia, call 911, get them inside, out of wet clothing and covered in layers of blankets, but do not rub them, because excessive movements or jarring can trigger a heart attack. More intelligence for your health from Pediatrician Dr Anna pal. If you'd like to know more about her, just search social media for the handle the PD, pals. That's P, E, D, i, p, a, l, s, and something we keep hearing these days is that a record number of children and teens are more stressed than ever. In fact, the American Academy of Pediatrics says stress is such a problem among kids that it's become a national emergency. So I asked Dr Powell to share some of the signs that our children or grandchildren are feeling more stressed than usual. What I tell parents to look for certain signs that they can identify that I call red flags. So if they see one or two or multiple of these signs, it's definitely important to have a conversation with their pediatrician or their doctor. One could be if their sleep is interrupted. So if they're not sleeping at all, or if they're sleeping too much, that's a concern. If their appetite is affected, if you notice that they're not eating at all, they're losing weight, or the other extreme, that's another reason for concern. If they normally like to be social and be with their friends, but now they're doing the opposite, and they're isolated. They're not wanting to do the things that they normally like to do, and that's interrupting their routine. That's another red flag. Another thing is that they're constantly talking about, you know, feeling down. If they're obviously, you know, that's an obvious one. If they're saying, I don't want to be here, or it would be better off if I wasn't here, comments like these that are very negative. I. Um, that's another reason to definitely have a conversation, and then to also discuss it with your doctor. And then, of course, if they're having suicidal thoughts, that would be an emergency. But if you're noticing multiple of these fines, of course, we all get stressed. We all get anxious. We all have ups and downs in our mood. But if it's interfering with their life, their school grades are dropping, their normal life routine is being interrupted, then it's definitely important to get that address. 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. 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.