Chelsea: Hi Dr. Cabral! Two quick questions – I’m a healthy and active 30yo female and have a high running body temperature. My friends and my partner often comments that my skin is always hot to the touch almost like I have a fever but it’s my baseline, especially in the evening and overnight. I sweat easily and am a true pitta. Do you know why I might run so hot? I have stripped back most inflammatory foods after doing my lab testing and am in good health overall, and don’t have hot flashes or anything I’m just curious why I’m warmer than anyone I know! Second – my Oura ring shows me that I get almost all of my REM sleep between 6am -8am. Is this normal? This means any time I have to get up early I miss out on most of my rem, when when I try to go to bed earlier. I’d estimate most nights I’m fully asleep before 11 and always practice good sleep hygiene to maximise my deep and rem cycles. Is this normal/is there anything I can do to get more rem before 6am? Thank you! Chelsea

Jill: Hi Dr Cabral. Thank you 100 times over for changing my life. Question I go to bed around 11 but around 2-3 am I start itching uncontrollably until I wake up. All over really but then specifically in one spot on the inside of my thigh. It keeps me up all night. I have read It’s because of body temperature change, moisture etc I also have severe dry mouth upon waking? Is this simply dehydration? . I have an air purifier in my room and i drink water? Does this mean i need more? I try to slow down water before bed to avoid waking up to urinate. What am i missing or what Would you suggest? What exactly is going on? Thank you again, Jill

Anonymous: Hi! I am such a huge fan of the podcast! It has truly taught me a lot. I have been learning a lot about ayurveda lately, but something that still confuses me is the ayurvedic season. In my country, we only have only rainy and sunny seasons, not the 4 seasons. I was wondering how that translates ayurvedically to the dosha seasons. I would like to tailor my diet to the season but I’m a bit unclear on how to do that. Also, my birth constitution is predominantly vata(50%) and the rest is pitta and kapha respectively. I understand that I need more grounding carbs, and wholesome oils and fats in my diet. Especially because I tend to have dry skin and dull low density hair. However, whenever I increase them, I gain a lot of weight especially in my face and belly. I assume it’s insulin issues. I have tried detoxing and fasting but I still have a lot of food cravings. And it’s not for refined carbs, it’s for healthy foods like sweet potatoes and also fats like avocados . When I finish a meal, I feel physically full but mentally unsatisfied. I can’t seem to stop eating even though I know that I’ve had enough. The feeling is so strong. I also can’t seem to stop thinking about food even when I’m not eating. It’s overwhelming. I would love your insight on this. Thank you for all you do!

Michelle: Hi Dr. Cabral. I hope this will be an interesting one for you to answer. Couple years ago before I knew what a proper functional medicine gut/stool test was I did one that gave me a list of foods to avoid and superfoods to maximize based on my microbiome. Avoid list foods were bell peppers, paprika, tomato and the reason given was because my gut had pepper and paprika mild mottle virus and tomato mosaic virus. Another food on the avoid list was coffee and the reason given was because the catechols in coffee can be unfavorable to my gut. What are coffee catechols? Is any of this real? Can the viruses be eradicated? I don’t drink coffee but I want to try a coffee enema so will I be compromising my gut as the test suggests? Thanks for the guidance!

Marleena: Hi! Thank you so much for what you do! I’m a Vata 32 years old currently working through adrenal fatigue with your team. I’ve been trying to maximise my self-care so I started implementing hot Epsom salt baths 2x a week before dinner. My readiness in the Oura ring is not as great the morning after the days I do the bath as it looks like my heart rate is a little higher throughout the night. Any idea why these baths might be affecting me like that? I only stay for 10 min.

Brenda: Hi & thank you Dr Cabral for all your knowledge. What are your recommendations/experience with transdermal cream vs by mouth form. An Ayurvedic practitioner recommended chandika vit d transdermal cream instead of using a by mouth form of drops or supplements to prevent less liver overload . Appreciate your advice regarding this. Thank you

Thank you for tuning into today’s Cabral HouseCall and be sure to check back tomorrow where we answer more of our community’s questions!