Kerryn: Hello Dr Cabral, thank you for sharing your wisdom, I really appreciate your insights into health and wellbeing. My question is on behalf of a colleague who has Myelofibrosis. She is a single Mum to 2 school-age children and is slowly experiencing a deterioration of symptoms (particularly fatigue). She has been seeing the same hematologist for many years and is under the impression that there is nothing she can do to slow down/ halt the progression of her condition. She eats a standard diet, is busy with work/ parenting duties and does not have any regular physical exercise that Im aware of. She also lives in a house with rising damp and her 2 children have asthma and seem to get recurrent coughs/ colds. What would be some steps she could take to improve her condition? With gratitude Kerryn

Jill: Hi there, I’m 38yrs old and have been sick for 4yrs. Chronic migraines with severe vertigo and crippling brain fog, also hormone imbalance. I’ve seen numerous docs, including a naturopath, but I’m growing worse. All MRI’s and scans show I’m healthy. All docs point to daily medication, which I’ve resisted. I’m very active, a long distance runner, raising two beautiful little girls, and I long to get back to myself for them . Can you please help me?

Grace: Hi Dr. Cabral. Love the podcast! I lose weight very easily so I like to have oatmeal in the morning with my smoothie. You say you have oatmeal as well before your smoothie. Isn’t that improper food combing though? Shouldn’t the smoothie be first and the oatmeal after or it doesn’t really make a difference? Also, is it okay to add nuts and seeds in your morning oatmeal or do you think that will cause to much digestive issues? Thanks so much for all you do!

Josh: Dr. Cabral, First and foremost Happy New Year! I hope this email finds you well. Over the last couple of months I’ve taken an interest in the study of Ayurvedic Medicine, in hopes of finding a more natural approach to my condition (more on that in a minute). In doing so, I’ve come across a lot of your work (via Youtube & your website) which I must say has been very enlightening. Contrary to most Western MD’s, I like the fact that you dig deep into the underlying root causes of your patients problems rather than just taking a one size fits all approach and prescribing potentially harmful medicine that leads to other issues. I’ll keep my story rather short as I’m sure you’re busy and receive many of these. I’m 36 years old today and when I was 18 years old I was officially diagnosed with Familial Hypercholesterolemia. I’ve had combined levels of total Cholesterol as high as 411 with LDL in upwards of 250 mg/dl. This wasn’t a complete surprise however, as my Mother and most on her side with our blood type (B+) carry this “genetic” disorder. I’ve seen various doctor’s and cardiologists since, and all seem to agree that this disease is not curable and that I must take heavy doses of statins (which my body rarely tolerates), and most recently PCSK9 inhibitors, which to be honest have worked remarkably. The problem is getting approvals from insurance and consistently fighting through appeals due to the cost and classification of the drug, this and the fact that no one really knows the long-term side effects of them. Over the last 18 years I’ve tried to become an expert in my disease, but depending on what literature you read, Cholesterol is either the hero or the villain. You hear the Big Pharma stories about how much they profit off statin prescriptions, and how they’re overprescribed. I’m at a point where I don’t know who to trust or believe. As far as lifestyle, I feel great. Since my diagnosis I’ve maintained a strict regimen from a diet and exercise perspective. I play sports routinely, and maintain an active lifestyle. I’ve done everything from Veganism to Keto with little to no results on overall Cholesterol. I meditate daily and routinely work on stress management, yet this disease constantly lingers in the back of my head creating anxiety and fear that I can’t seem to escape. I currently live in Miami, Florida so I’m not sure how practical it is for me to be a patient of yours being located in Boston, but I’m hoping you can provide advice on what kind of approach you would take for someone with my condition. Or perhaps even recommend a colleague in the general vicinity. I have a beautiful family with two young children that I want to be around for many years to come. I’m in search for answers, and I think our stories can relate to some extent. I’m hoping you can be that “alternative” doctor that changes my life as yours did for you. Respectfully, Joshua

Karin: Love your podcast!!! My acne has cleared after spending the holidays at the beach in the sun. You have mentioned that the sun kills the bacteria. Was hoping you could elaborate a bit more and give other ways to beat this acne besides spending too much time in the sun. Been home a week now and it is back. Thanks!! Karin

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!