Morley Robbins on Thyroid Health, Retinol, Magnesium, and the Real Story of Aging

01/09/23 • 66 min

2 Listeners

The Wellness Mama Podcast

Episode Highlights With Morley Robbins

What might be going on if you are told you have low iron or low ferritin
Why what’s going on in the blood isn’t always indicative of whats going on in the tissue and what to know when looking at blood tests
The three things to understand when measuring iron: hemoglobin (70% of body’s iron), ferritin (storage protein inside cells- 10% of body’s iron), serum iron (less than a tenth of a percent which actually means copper isn’t doing its job)
What hepcidin is (peptide)
Katherine Philpott MD PhD paper on how ferritin is storing excess iron in the body
Why the amount of iron you need is lower than you think..
The important part of this equation that is almost never tested by doctors and that can be shut down by Vitamin D
Why low ferritin is not an indication of iron deficiency and actually shows low copper and affects hepcidin
Dietary iron vs. recycling iron and why copper is important
What to know about Vitamin D and its relationship to retinol
The thyroid connection and why it is just a symptom of what’s going on in the body
Why low thyroid function can just be a symptom of low retinol
The thyroid doesn't run the body - it responds to the body
What you don’t know about aging that is aging you much more rapidly
Why copper, magnesium, and retinol are the big players in the real story of aging
How hair testing shows us some things that blood tests don’t
12 minerals and 8 metals that show up in hair tests (electrolytes, oxidation patterns, metals, etc)
Things we can take that mess up the way copper is used in the body (birth control, antibiotics, artificial vitamin C)

Resources We Mention

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Episode Highlights With Morley Robbins

What might be going on if you are told you have low iron or low ferritin
Why what’s going on in the blood isn’t always indicative of whats going on in the tissue and what to know when looking at blood tests
The three things to understand when measuring iron: hemoglobin (70% of body’s iron), ferritin (storage protein inside cells- 10% of body’s iron), serum iron (less than a tenth of a percent which actually means copper isn’t doing its job)
What hepcidin is (peptide)
Katherine Philpott MD PhD paper on how ferritin is storing excess iron in the body
Why the amount of iron you need is lower than you think..
The important part of this equation that is almost never tested by doctors and that can be shut down by Vitamin D
Why low ferritin is not an indication of iron deficiency and actually shows low copper and affects hepcidin
Dietary iron vs. recycling iron and why copper is important
What to know about Vitamin D and its relationship to retinol
The thyroid connection and why it is just a symptom of what’s going on in the body
Why low thyroid function can just be a symptom of low retinol
The thyroid doesn't run the body - it responds to the body
What you don’t know about aging that is aging you much more rapidly
Why copper, magnesium, and retinol are the big players in the real story of aging
How hair testing shows us some things that blood tests don’t
12 minerals and 8 metals that show up in hair tests (electrolytes, oxidation patterns, metals, etc)
Things we can take that mess up the way copper is used in the body (birth control, antibiotics, artificial vitamin C)

Resources We Mention

Thanks to Our Sponsors:

Wellnesse - My line of clean and non-toxic personal care products such as toothpaste, deodorant, shampoo and much more!

Previous Episode

Diana Rodgers on Meat Myths and Why Animal Products are Vital for Humans to Thrive

Episode Highlights With Diana Rodgers

How she got into nutrition through her own undiagnosed celiac
Why meat is the most vilified food and some reasons this is off base
The most common myths and misconceptions on meat: nutrition, environment and ethics
Why personal food decisions should stay personal and not be imposed on others
What the research says about meat being critical for childhood development
The elephant in the room: 60% of the US diet is ultra processed foods
Why it's possible to meet protein needs and still be deficient in amino acids
Protein consumption is especially important for women and children and specifically from animal products
What sarcopenia is and why it is such a big problem
Ways to help avoid sarocpenia
For every pound of plant based protein, there are four pounds of waste
The ways that cows are actually beneficial and important for the environment
Almonds vs cows for water consumption and why almonds waste much more water than cows

Resources We Mention

374: Sacred Cow: The Case for (Better) Meat (& Methane Explained) With Diana Rodgers
Sacred Cow: The Case for (Better) Meat: Why Well-Raised Meat Is Good for You and Good for the Planet by Diana Rodgers and Robb Wolf
Sacred Cow DVD
Paleovalley beef sticks
The Paleo Solution: The Original Human Diet by Robb Wolf
Ishmael by Daniel Quinn
Cronometer.com

Thanks to Our Sponsors:

Joovv - Red light therapy can be an important part of any health routine and I use mine daily to support cellular function and for my skin and thyroid. Use code wellnessmama for a discount.

LMNT - My go-to electrolyte mix that I use during workouts,while fasting and in the sauna. It's a clean source of all of your electrolyte needs.

Next Episode

Dr. Robert Waldinger on the Science of Happiness and What Makes a Good Life

Episode Highlights With Dr. Waldinger

How he became a zen master who teaches meditation around the world
The science of meditation and the science of why it is beneficial
What the Harvard study of adult development is- the longest study on the same group of people since 1938
Key takeaways from this extremely long study
The surprising key to happiness and why human connection and relationships are so important
Helpful questions for checking in on your own relationships
How childhood experiences shape mental health later in life and what children really need to feel safe and secure in life
What the data says about things that extend lifespan and things that shorten it
How human connection correlates to a longer lifespan
Strong relationships are natural stress reducers - the science of how this works
Why happiness is not something we can “achieve” past our basic human needs
How to build a safety net of well-being to help increase happiness and calm even in tough times
Ways to use our feelings as signals but exercise choice in how we act and respond
How to increase “social fitness” and nurture relationships in your life
A rule of thumb when it comes to relationships
Why kids need to see us model prioritizing relationships and taking care of ourselves
What empathetic accuracy is and how to get better at it
The W.I.S.E.R method for handling emotionally challenging situations
The best investment you can make in your own well-being (it might surprise you)
Health and lifestyle trends that stood out from the data in this study

Resources We Mention

Robert Waldinger: What makes a good life? Lessons from the longest study on happiness | TED Talk
The Good Life: Lessons from the World's Longest Scientific Study of Happiness by Robert Waldinger, MD
Wherever You Go, There You Are: Mindfulness Meditation in Everyday Life by Jon Kabat-Zinn

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"If the path before you is clear, you're probably on somebody else's path." - Joseph Campbell