Q&A with Leyla, Part 1: Lavender Oil to Relieve Itching

• Can topical B12 help relieve itching?
• The types of doctors to avoid
• Getting back to basics
• A case study of lavender oil helping to relieve itching
• You say you’re dairy sensitive but you use whey protein. Please explain.
• What are your thoughts on a lactose relief patch that is on offer?

Q&A with Leyla, Part 2: Is high blood pressure genetic?

• Is high blood pressure genetic? Are we stuck having to take blood pressure meds?
• Could you please critique the study asserting fish oil supplements elevate the risk of atrial fibrillation?
• I’ve had strep throat three times in two months! What gives?
• I’ve had queasy reactions to protein added foods

A Brand New Tool for Gut, Inflammation, and Brain Support: Holistic Practitioner Jane Jansen details Essential Formulas’ Dr. Ohhira’s Postbiotic Fermented Food Concentrate, a non-GMO, gluten-free, dairy-free, capsule-free fermented paste in travel-friendly, non-refrigerated sachet packets. She explains the difference between probiotics and postbiotics, emphasizing that this concentrate delivers postbiotic metabolites (including short-chain fatty acids like butyrate, plus enzymes, amino acids, vitamins, peptides, and growth/repair factors) created via a five-year fermentation of fruits, vegetables, mushrooms, and seaweeds. The paste contains postbiotics but no live probiotics. While probiotics are the “good bacteria,” postbiotics are the beneficial compounds they produce. Because they are already formed in this product, your body doesn’t have to wait for bacteria to colonize to feel the effects. It provides nutritional support for your microbiome.

Naturally Healthy Pets: Whole-Food Diets, Microbiome Repair, and Integrative Therapies with integrative veterinarian Dr. Judy Morgan, DVM, CVA, CVCP, CVFT. She argues that pet ownership benefits human wellbeing and that pets concentrate household toxins, warning against routine pesticide-based flea/tick and other veterinary drugs due to environmental contamination and adverse events. She recommends species-appropriate whole-food diets (cats as obligate carnivores; dogs mostly meat) and criticizes ultra-processed pet foods, synthetic nutrient premixes, grains/legumes in kibble, and high-carb diets that fuel yeast and inflammation; she discusses safe calcium, zinc, and vitamin D sources. In part two, she describes veterinary acupuncture, chiropractic, and laser/red-light therapies with case examples, links skin/ear “allergies” to gut dysbiosis, uses microbiome testing, FMT capsules, and detox support, highlights omega-3s, PEA for pain, and CBD for seizures/anxiety, and outlines multi-layered natural flea/tick prevention. Intelligent Medicine listeners can get 50% off Dr. Judy authored books found on NaturallyHealthyPets.com. Just use the coupon code INTELLIGENT50.

Part 1: Eradicating Smoking?

A tale of 2 pneumonias—NASCAR racer Kyle Busch dead at 41 while Rudy Giuliani, age 81, survives critical care; Newly discovered evidence that Neanderthals were practicing dentistry—59,000 years ago! “Fatty 15”—does it measure up to the hype? Stem Wave—A shocking way to obtain pain relief; When to give antibiotics for a tick bite; Proposed ban on tobacco products for future generations of Brits aims to eradicate smoking.

Part 2: Natural Alternatives to Repel Mosquitoes and Ticks

Soon-to-arrive drugs promise to address elevated Lp(a); Best natural alternatives to repel mosquitoes and ticks; When cancer treatments cause osteoporosis; Organoids and computer simulations promise to reduce the toll of live animal experimentation; Land snails and pythons yield clues for new drug development; Shortfall in doctors accelerated by early retirement as physicians cite “hassle factor.”

Q&A with Leyla, Part 1: An Overview of Itching

• An overview of itching
• Would tofu be a good addition to my diet?
• Is TMAO a risk factor for heart disease when eating meat?
• How about interviewing an expert on vegetarianism?

Q&A with Leyla, Part 2: Wool Carpeting v. Hardwood Flooring

• Would you discuss vertebroplasty vs. kyphoplasty?
• I recently had a fundoplication surgery and now have gastroparesis
• Could you recommend a healthy aging supplement?
• How to treat Meibomian Gland Dysfunction/dry eye disease?
• Should we get wool carpeting or hardwood flooring?

Investigative journalist Charles Piller reveals deep-seated corruption in Alzheimer’s research as chronicled in his book, “Doctored: Fraud, Arrogance, and Tragedy in the Quest to Cure Alzheimer’s Disease.” The discussion delves into the issues surrounding Big Pharma’s influence, fraudulent scientific studies, and the implications of a controversial 2006 experiment at the University of Minnesota. They also address the costly and marginally effective Alzheimer’s drugs like Aducanumab, the challenges faced by alternative research hypotheses, and the significance of improving scientific integrity and checks and balances in medical research.

Dr. Corey Schuler, PhD(c), FNP, DC, CNS, and director of medical affairs at Allergy Research Group, details his paper “Energy Allocation Resilience and Endocrine Integration” in the International Journal of Molecular Sciences. He introduces the Energy Allocation System (EAS), which emphasizes how the body allocates energy—not just produces it—and links many symptoms to impaired bioenergetics and resilience. They discuss mitochondria as energy generators and cellular signaling hubs, the integrated stress response and endocrine coordination (HPA axis, thyroid, gonads), and mitohormesis/eustress (exercise, fasting, heat/cold, circadian “zeitgebers”). Schuler explains nuanced testing for fatigue (diurnal cortisol, CGM patterns, thyroid markers including T3/reverse T3) and a case of a perimenopausal woman where oral contraceptives and cortisol dysregulation affected glucose patterns. They cover mitochondrial support (removing obstacles like pollutants/antibiotics, triglycerides, carnitine, dietary fats, micronutrients) and pacing/sequencing lifestyle interventions.

Intelligent Medicine Radio for May 23, Part 1: Persistent Itch

Dr. Marty Makary out as FDA Commissioner—was he the victim of a BigPharma purge? Are “liquid biopsies” useful for predicting recurrences, as well as guiding therapy, for cancer? Nighttime smartphone by adolescents surges, eroding kids’ sleep needs; Persistent itch may require an “all of the above” approach to break its vicious cycle—could topical vitamin B12 provide an answer? Study critiques research methods that fast-tracked new Alzheimer’s drugs.

Intelligent Medicine Radio for May 23, Part 2: Menopausal Sleep Problems

You won’t believe this new medical use for Classic Coca-Cola; The solution for menopausal sleep problems goes beyond mere hormone replacement; Paxlovid strikes out vs. Covid in new trials; Pesticide exposure may explain rising colorectal cancer rates in young people; Big Food touts faulty study that claims healthier food regulations will cost consumers; Higher aerobic fitness boosts size of the brain’s memory centers—as does memorizing London taxi routes. 

Q&A with Leyla, Part 1: Dr. Hoffman’s Scandinavian Trip

• Highlights from Dr. Hoffman’s Scandinavian trip
• Should I eliminate the nightshade family of foods from my diet?
• My friend has been experiencing acid reflux since using a reverse osmosis water filtration system

Q&A with Leyla, Part 2: Should we all be using unbleached toilet paper?

• Where can I access peptide therapy for my wife in California?
• What are other methods of lowering LDL doing exactly that niacin is not?
• Should we all be using unbleached toilet paper?
• Would I benefit from taking minoxidil and finasteride for hair growth?
• What can I do about my festoons?

Dr. Jacob Teitelbaum, an Integrative Medicine physician, researcher, and best-selling author specializing in chronic fatigue syndrome, details “adrenal fatigue,” contrasting Endocrine Society guidelines focused on overt adrenal failure with his view that the adrenals can be functionally exhausted and may be missed by standard testing and “normal ranges.” They discuss adrenal roles in stress response, blood sugar regulation, blood pressure, immunity, and symptoms suggesting low adrenal function (irritability when hungry, sugar cravings, fatigue, recurrent infections, lightheadedness/brain fog, mood shifts). Contributors include high sugar intake, chronic stress, dehydration, and salt restriction, with modern media fear/divisiveness cited as a major stressor; hypothalamic dysfunction and circadian rhythm disruption may cause “tired but wired” insomnia. They cover options such as licorice (not DGL), dietary and lifestyle changes, Adrenaplex, adaptogens (ashwagandha standards, HRG80 red ginseng study), phosphatidylserine for high nighttime cortisol, cautious low-dose hydrocortisone thresholds, and DHEA/pregnenolone considerations, plus resources at endfatigue.com.