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!
Dopamine and Parkinson's
Dopamine is a pretty hot topic, and you share very useful techniques for supporting healthy levels. I'm wondering if there is any research that looks at techniques such as cold exposure for supporting early-stage PD. Also, I am interested to hear what the science says about exercise, dance, ping-pong, etc., and the progression of Parkinson's.
Disorders of Consciousness
Andrew Huberman, I just discovered your podcast about 6 months ago and I listen to it practically every day. And I absolutely love the information you provide! Unfortunately, I’m emailing on a much sadder note right now. My dad underwent what was anticipated to be a routine surgical procedure right before Christmas. However, during the operation, he had a cardiac arrest for an extended period of thirty-four minutes. He is now in either a minimal consciousness or a persistent vegetative state (it is difficult to determine which label applies to his condition). But he woke up a week and a half after the last surgery and regained consciousness for three days. After being reintubated for pneumonia he has not regained that level of consciousness. Recent MRI scans revealed minor strokes, which explain the loss of movement in his right arm, yet these findings, according to the ICU neurologist, do not explain his ongoing profound neurological impairment. We moved him to an LTAC (Long Term Acute Care) facility. The LTAC's neurologist has indicated a grim prognosis, suggesting there is little hope for recovery. This assessment has led my mother to consider withdrawing life-sustaining measures, which currently is a feeding tube, to allow for a dignified passing under palliative care (e.g., morphine drip). My inquiries to the LTAC neurologist about the potential for recovery, given the MRI results and Dad's brief periods of consciousness, have yet to yield satisfactory explanations. If his brain structures issues are minimal (which an MRI scan a month after the cardiac arrest proves) why is he not waking up? What is the mechanism for why someone would be persistently vegetative or minimally conscious if their brain structures are fine? If it is chemicals or an altered state of metabolism in the brain, could that be transient? Why would someone wake up and be significantly conscious for three days (a week and a half after the cardiac arrest) and then laps into a vegetive state, especially where no further brain structure damage occurred (as shown on a recent MRI). This uncertainty makes it all the more crucial to understand his condition fully before making irreversible decisions. Do you know of any person or group (perhaps in academia) I could talk to understand mechanistically what could have happened to my dad? Is there any literature I could read. I just read “Into the Gray Zone” by Adrian Owen, where he tells how he used an fMRI scanner to determine that almost 1 in 5 apparently vegetive patients are actually conscious and aware of everything around them. My brother and I are in search of clarity regarding what may have transpired, any additional treatment avenues, and the possibility of seeking a second opinion to better understand my dad’s condition and explore all potential options. My apologies. I know this may not be the best forum to ask this question.