Neuroveda Podcast for Complex Health - #64 Aly Cohen, MD: All you need to know about WATER! Sources, Regulations, Contaminants and Chooseing Filters for your Drinking Water

#64 Aly Cohen, MD: All you need to know about WATER! Sources, Regulations, Contaminants and Chooseing Filters for your Drinking Water

04/20/22 • 50 min

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Dr Aly Cohen. MD and environmental health specialist (and very entertaining speaker), gives us the full low-down about our drinking water in the U.S.. She starts out describing how the 160,000 treatment plants in the US make up ~80% of our water sources and are bound only to the regulations, restrictions and testing from the Safe Water Drinking Act of 1974. At that time, and since, it's only federally required to test for 91 known toxic chemicals; 95,000 chemicals have been introduced into our environment since the 1950's, leaving 94,909 untested for in our drinking water, at least 1000 known to be endocrine disruptors (most others are not tested so, for the most part, we don't even know their impact). She reviews some of these in detail (including a review of why endocrine disruptors are called 'disruptors'. What is in our water is cumulative of everything that goes down our drain- pharmaceuticals, metals in pipes, dead animals and literally anything that gets flushed down your toilet or washes into sewers including industrial chemicals and farm run-off. When that is 'purified', it's often done with other chemicals- chlorine or flourine, etc, that often isn't removed after it does its cleansing action. She also notes the variability of the wastewater quality can intimately depend on the day, including any climate events like floods, that also flood the wastewater plants. This is one way that climate change can directly, day by day, impact our water quality. So what to do?!? First of all, avoid chemicals in all ways possible (check out Dr Cohen's website (https://thesmarthuman.com/), TEDx talk "How to Protect Your Kids from Toxic Chemicals" (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HSCeP0hyuTI), Smart Human Podcast (https://thesmarthuman.com/podcast/) and her Instagram, Twitter & FaceBook page (https://www.facebook.com/TheSmartHuman/). We then do the deep dive into water filtration with the highest recommendations for reverse osmosis (including how this is the minimum set standard for dialysis water used with patients). Listen in! It's not an option! This is information that we need to hydrate our bodies & grow & protect our babies' development, and age with grace. It's water!

Previous Episode

#63: Anup Mulakaluri, ND: Heart & Spirit of Ayurvedic Neurology

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Despite being born into an Ayurvedic culture, Dr Anup Mulakaluri, ND, didn't seek out Ayurvedic training until his mom gained medical benefit this ancient science. As soon as he started his training, he knew he was at home and brings the cozy comfort of Ayurveda to each patient he sees and the teaching he does, like in our show today. He starts out describing Ayurveda as 'a system of healing, a way of life, a spiritual practice and as a functional medicine'. He then dives into how we can understand ourselves through our doshic makeup, meaning the three components of our constitution termed vata, pitta, and kapha. With his clear definitions and descriptions of how to stay balanced, lovingly shares what to do when it's hard to wake up in the morning, for example. We then shift to the Ayurvedic perspective of neurology. He describes the nervous system is the action arm of consciousness, where choices are made. He discusses the innate connection between the nervous system and the gut as they can be connected through vata dosha and 'vatagati', meaning 'vata goes there'. Dr Mulakaluri unfolds the beauty of Ayurveda to meet the patient exactly with what they need. Typically with neurological disease, primary treatments are to apply soothing oil topically with massage but also internally with ghee, oils, and fatty animal tissue like cold-water fish in the diet. He explains how the lipophilic nature of oil allows it to penetrate through membranes to address neurological tissues. From here, Dr Mulakaluri reviews a few cases with treatments given for a patient with Parkinson's Disease, a patient with primary progressive multiple sclerosis (MS). In brief, he also reviews the incredible and unique process that is Ayurvedic panchakarma for detoxification, cleansing, restoration and rejuvenation. Panchakarma is the tool for hitting the reset button. He bravely answers our question about 'why does Ayurveda work for neurological conditions'. This was such a relaxing show to record and we are thrilled to offer you this look into Ayurveda today.

For more information about Dr Anup Mulakaluri, ND, and his clinic, Natural Rhythms Ayurvedic Naturopathy: https://ayurvedicseattle.com/

Parkinson's:

AV Mungale, et al. Role of Panchkarma and Shaman Chikitsa in Parkinson’s Disease. World Journal of Pharmaceutical research, Vol. 10(2), 1430-1437.
Verma J, et al. An Open Clinical Study to Evaluate the Efficacy of Shirobasti and Nasya with and without Levodopa in the Management of Kampavata w.s.r. to Parkinson’s Disease (PD). Research & Reviews: A Journal of Ayurvedic Science, Yoga & Naturopathy Volume 8, Issue 3.
Sagar M. Bhinde, Kalpana S. Patel,1 Virendra Kumar Kori,1 and S. Rajagopala. Management of spastic cerebral palsy through multiple Ayurveda treatment modalities. Ayu. 2014 Oct-Dec; 35(4): 462–466.

Multiple Sclerosis: Shailesh VD, et al. Effect of Ayurvedic and Panchkarma treatment in Ashti Majja Gata Vata: A Case Study. J. of Ayurved and Holistic Medicine, Vol. 5 (6), Nov-Dec. 2017.

Guillain-Barre Syndrome: Nakanekar, Amit et al. “An ayurvedic approach in the management of Guillain-Barre syndrome: A case study.” Ancient science of life vol. 35,1 (2015): 52-7

Myasthenia Gravis:

Ashwini HA, et al. ROLE OF PANCHAKARMA IN MYASTHENIA GRAVIS– A CASE STUDY. Int. J. Ayur. Pharma Research, 2018;6(3):61-65.
Vidyasagar, Prashanth A.S. A critical understanding of Myasthenia Gravis and it's Treatment in Ayurveda. Int. J. Ayur. Pharma Research, 2018;6(8):55-61

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#65: Dr Howard Weiner, MD, Understanding the Neuroinflammatory diseases: MS, Alzheimer's, Parkinson's, ALS & Glioblastoma

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Dr Howard Weiner has been evaluating neuroinflammatory diseases for over forty years now. Multiple sclerosis (MS) is his main target, but in the show today, you’ll hear how comparing the causes and courses of Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s, ALS (Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis), and glioblastoma can tremendously deepen our insight into all of these neuroinflammatory conditions together. Dr Weiner is a story-teller (and film maker! ‘What is Life? The Movie”) who starts with a description of the four types of cells that make the brain into the brain: neurons, oligodendrocytes, astrocytes, and microglia. Then it’s on to the details: MS is white blood cells entering the brain triggering inflammation, while abnormal protein accumulation is the hallmark for Alzheimer’s (amyloid & Tau proteins), Parkinson’s (alpha-synuclein in the dopaminergic areas), and ALS (TP protein and others). As we wind our way through the immune system, Dr Weiner shares their surprise at finding MS has a pathologic B-cell component. Antibody-oriented diseases can be addressed with what’s called monoclonal antibody drugs, many of which are used for MS therapy (and 1000’s of other ‘mab’ drugs for other autoimmune diseases). We then turn to the concept of using vaccines for autoimmune conditions. By priming the immune system, we can change the way it reacts to threat & inflammation- these are being considered for both Alzheimer’s (Protollin from bacteria) & MS (stimulates T cells to dampen microglial activity). This is followed with discussion about the links between the brain & the gut/ microbiome and the gut/brain axis impact on neurological disease. He notes even certain cancer therapies that work better or worse dependent on the microbiome. He lays out the challenges of large-scale trials which often don’t yield game-changing success stories but can still be of great value on the secondary analysis to tease apart the patients that did gain benefit to then work backwards judging if other similar sub-set patients could be served by said intervention. This serves for some of the upcoming potential treatments in current trials including aspects of xenon gas, 40Hz flickering light for Alzheimer’s (https://www.alz.life/), ibudilast, inhaled cromolyn to control microglial inflammation, and/or stem cell injections into the spinal cord. Dr Weiner ends by recognizing the frustration and fear that these neuroinflammatory conditions can inspire, but emphasizes the importance of having hope and the incredible gains we’ve made, which will continue, especially in treating MS, over the past 40+ years.

Resources:

· Dr Weiner’s Lab website: https://weinerlab.bwh.harvard.edu/?page_id=154

· Book: “The Brain Under Siege, solving the mystery of brain disease, and how scientists are following the clues to a cure” by Dr Howard Weiner, MD (2021)

· Book: Curing MS: How Science is Solving the Mystery of Multiple sclerosis (2005)

· Movie: What is Life- the Move: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MxUFD1UsCpc