follow-up questions on oral health
I loved the oral health episode! I plan to and already am adding some of the protocols into my daily routines. I do have additional questions though. I use a tooth oil called Ora-MD that is made up of almond oil and essential oils. Did you get any information on essential oils and oral health? I am especially wondering how essential oils affect the oral microbiome. They are so strong and I wonder if they might kill some of the healthy bacteria. I also wonder about retainers which are essentially plastics and resins that are used to attach permanent retainers to the teeth. Are these releasing toxic microplastics or bysphenols or any other substance that could be problematic? Secondly do they affect tooth health through the night? I have receding gums in places and my recent holistic dentist suggested that is from having braces (twice in my case). He says that there is currently data coming out about how moving the teeth in the bones can affect the gums and their adherance to the teeth. Did you learn anything about this? Is there any new literature coming out about this? Lastly, what about electronic tooth brushes vs regular tooth brushes? I use the Oral-B and I think it has really improved my brushing but am curious what the research shows. Thank you! So happy to be supporting your work and to be a part of this forum!
Night Waking
I would love to hear more about night waking, if it is really a problem in sleep or not and if so, how to eliminate it. Is it really THE BEST to sleep through the night? Or is night waking pretty normal and common? I wear an Oura ring and often get excellent scores (and crowns) despite waking in the night for anywhere from 30mins - 2hrs. I have tried many different techniques to eliminate night waking but I am still experiencing it most of the time. Here are some of the things I have tired. - stopping fluids at 7pm (except what I need to take supplements before bed) - supplements for sleep currently Ashwaganda (Sleep Maintenance), Calcium/Magnesium, Apogenin, chamomile tea, Ayuphos (phosphotydil Serrine) {have tried many others in the past too many to list} -When I wake in the night I chew one chewable tablet of Designs for Health Pharma GABA -HRT including Estradiol and Progesterone -Meditation each day -Sensate device (for relaxation and vagus nerve stimilation) 2x per day -Red lights in the living room for relaxing and reading at least 1 hour before bed -Eating dinner at 5:30-6:30 and no snacking past 7pm at the latest -9pm bedtime (this has slowly moved earlier and earlier and I seem to sleep best with this bedtime) -Wear ear plugs at night and sleep in a completely dark room -I now have no bed partners - my husband and I have our own bedrooms and we both sleep much better this way! Regardless of how much fluid drink or don't drink I tend to need to get up to pee in the night. Whether I feel the need to pee or not, my mind still wakes at around the same time in the middle of the night. Is this just a habit that I need to somehow break? Could it be changes in my blood sugar or something else? I do tend to have lower blood sugars. My doctor at one point suggested a low dose of a newer sleeping pill (Mirtazapine/Remeron: 7.5mg nightly x 6-12 weeks to retrain your sleep). What do you think of this idea and what does the research say about a short stent of a sleeping pill to get back to a non-night-waking sleeping pattern? I have tried cognitive behavior therapy techniques which sometimes help a little but I ultimately go back to the same night-waking pattern. I typically wake between the hours of 2:30am and 4:30am for 30mins to 2hrs. I have tried listening to a meditation in the night or getting up to read but that only makes my sleep worse. I also try mindfulness and breathing techniques in the night and this with relaxing and melting into the bed saying "sleep" to myself in my mind seams to work the best at getting me back to sleep eventually. It means I am in bed for a long time to get adequate sleep but then wake with good scores in the morning. My mind is just so active in the night thinking, planning, ruminating, etc.! I am 54 years old and have had this type of "insomnia" for probably 15 plus years. I have had a sensitive stress response in the past and have to really watch stimulation and even how much I exercise to avoid getting overly fatigued. One theory I have is that because I typically get between 1.5 -2hrs of deep sleep early in the night my body feels rested and so my mind wakes up too much when I come out of this deeper sleep state? I also tend to get about the same amount of REM sleep through the second half of the night. However, If I wake up before getting at least 7 - 7.5 hours of sleep I feel like I am not as rested. I realize this is long and detailed but hopefully it helps to understand what I am aksing here. I'd love to hear any thoughts you have and any research that has been done regarding night waking, whether it is problematic or not and solutions if it is indeed a problem. Thank you! Zenana
Vertigo
I'd love an episode on Vertigo. I have had vertigo off and on for years. I have heard of more and more people experiencing vertigo. Why is this happening and what are the causes? Is it really just the otoliths and if so why do they not go back in place and stay there? Is it related to hydration? Or viruses? Or simply head position? Or any other causes? And by vertigo I mean room spinning not light-headedness or dizziness. I've had neck adjustments, Epley maneuver, testing for Menier's disease, etc. and still have vertigo off and on. What does the research say on vertigo?