March 31, 2022 general

Our Practitioner Panel on the show last week did not get to all the questions and we later came up with additional information on one we did discuss:

• A senior caller is bothered by splitting fingertips. Thoughts:
  • Make sure you aren’t using harsh soaps, alcohol hand sanitizers, or other drying products that are causing the problem. If you must use hand sanitizer, follow quickly with moisturizer. [CeraVe is an effective brand.] If your occupation is the culprit (e.g. painter) consider gloves.
  • Check with your doctor to make sure it isn’t a sign of something more generalized such as eczema or psoriasis. ( Note: Those are autoimmune conditions that are often related to gut health. You wouldn’t automatically think that a probiotic would help your fingers, but it might.) Diabetes and fungal infections can also be associated with dry fingertips.
  • Show guest Lynn Morales, ND shared this natural recipe for fingertips: 1 egg yok, 1 tsp Manuka honey, 2 TBS extra virgin olive oil [hmm don’t eat it but it sounds good]. Whisk together and place on hands for 20 minutes before sleep. Then wash hands before bed.
  • We mentioned making sure your body is hydrated from the inside. (Lots of benefits elsewhere in the body even if it doesn’t solve the finger problem.)
  • For a temporary treatment, there are several brands of liquid bandage and even some are labeled for care of skin cracking. According to People’s Pharmacy contributors, a drop or two of instant glue (e.g. super glue) takes the pain away within minutes. And it stays on long enough for the split to heal itself, in most cases. The same active chemicals are found in liquid bandage, but glue costs much less and lasts longer. It keeps the wound sealed and clean too.
• A listener asked about different types of magnesium and iodine.
  • The mineral magnesium is critically important for hundreds of functions in the body—for example, keeping the heart beating properly, the bones dense and the nervous system calm. Read about many more important ways it helps us. Many inexpensive supplements contain magnesium oxide. That is not very well absorbed and therefore is less likely to get to our cells. That type does draw moisture into the intestines and so is similar to Milk of Magnesia which is used as a laxative. Magnesium citrate is not costly and is better utilized than oxide. Nutritionists often have their favorite type, e.g. magnesium malate, magnesium glycinate, or magnesium taurate. Magnesium threonate crosses the blood brain barrier so it can be a good choice for sleep or anxiety. This article reviews 10 types and their uses.
  • Iodine is a crucial nutrient for the thyroid gland which is much more important than most people know. Peter McCullough, MD has raised interest in iodine as an antiseptic to get covid virus out of the nasal passages, mouth and throat as soon as possible after exposure. For that purpose, he says to dilute 2 tsp of betadine iodine cleanser in 6 ounces water. Circulate that in the nose using something like a netti pot. Also, swish and gargle but spit it out.) National Institutes of Health Nutrient iodine fact sheet.
• A caller asked why resveratrol was useful after the covid ”vaccine” shot. There are many reasons resveratrol (the red wine molecule) is helpful in the prevention and early treatment of the corona virus. However, Dr. McCullough alerted us to the serious concern science is discovering that the supposedly temporary mRna vaccines may also change the permanent genetic code, our DNA. Resveratrol blocks that process. Read more.
• One caller asked for advice on how to get into the nutritional field. Well, there are probably as many paths as there are nutritionists. Many, like me got interested out of personal need and, after learning a lot in a job (mine in a health food store), decided to make it formal with certification (in my case the IAACN). Many nutritionists start out at college studying to be a dietitian and expand their horizons with the IAACN. Consider doing an internet search for “distance learning nutrition degree”. Lots of options.