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The Clay Travis and Buck Sexton Show
Wellness Unmasked: Beating the Fall Blues: Dr. Nicole Saphier on the October Theory and Seasonal Wellness
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- [00:00]
Lenovo Commercial Voice
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- [00:31]
Ben Ferguson and Ted Cruz
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- [01:06]
Dr. Nicole Safire
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- [01:43]
Ben Ferguson and Ted Cruz
If you own or manage your business, they can, with help from iHeartradio. People are already shopping for their loved ones and hunting for deals wherever they can find them. Including right here. They're listening to the radio. They're listening to podcasts. They could be listening to you. Don't wait for for everyone else to kick off the holidays. Get your best season of the year up and running today. Call 844-844-IHEART or visit iheartadvertising.com I'm Ben Ferguson. And I'm Ted Cruz. Three times a week we do our podcast, Verdict with Ted Cruz. Nationwide, we have millions of listeners. Every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday, we break down the news and bring you behind the scenes inside the White House, inside the Senate, inside the United States Supreme Court. And we cover the stories that you're not getting anywhere else. We arm you with the facts to be able to know and advocate for the truth with your friends and family. So download Verdict with Ted Cruz now. Wherever you get your Podcasts.
- [02:44]
Dr. Nicole Safire
Welcome to Wellness on Mass. I'm Dr. Nicole Safire and this is where we are going to peel back the layers of modern health and really just get real about what your body and soul needs to thrive. Today we're going to shine a light on something that I've recently learned about. Have you ever heard of October theory? No, I'm not talking about orange theory. Don't get those confused Orange theory, I guess I think those are those, those little pop up gyms and it's an exercise regimen. No, what I'm talking about is October theory and apparently it's a real thing because I've been reading about it. Some call it the October effect and essentially what it is, it's that the idea that as the daylight hours so start shrinking, you know, we have the shorter days, less sunshine, it has a lot of effect on our body. Now we already knew this. This is nothing new. But what's interesting about the October theory, that kids are going back to school and people are back at work in these regimented schedules. People are actually more motivated to make changes specifically for their health and wellness right now in October than they were, say during the summer months. And by the way, is it ever really too early to start preparing that bikini body for those summer months? Time starts right now. So let's talk about October theory and what are some things that we should be doing as we head into these shorter, darker months? Well, one of the most important things to understand is how the shorter, darker days actually affects us. I know you've heard of seasonal affective disorder and maybe you're like me. As there's less sunshine, you find yourself being a little bit more sluggish, little bit more moody. As you're heading into the holidays, we're eating a lot more. I'm telling you, your body is actually working against you. It's not just all on your brain, although your brain is part of the problem right now. So when we think of the sunlight, when sunlight hits your skin, it actually triggers a natural chemical reaction that converts cholesterol in the skin into vitamin D. Now you've heard me talk about vitamin D. Vitamin D is so important for our body. Think of it really as your body's built in solar panel. Vitamin D travels through the liver and the kidneys to become its active 4 calcitriol, which is critical from everything from your bone health to your immune regulation to your mental health. Here's where it gets really, really interesting. So yes, vitamin D essential. I talked about a lot during COVID It's really good for your immune system. In fact, patients who are hospitalized from COVID early on when they were given high doses of vitamin D did better than those who didn't have vitamin D. So we know it helps your immune system and it is cold, flu and Covid season. So we need our immune system as strong as possible. It's also very good for your bone health. It helps keep your bone hard, helps metabolize certain things and keep it from weakening. As we age, we all age and we all lose some of that density of our bones. So it's essential for that too. But I want to also talk about how it affects our mood, our mental health, and really just our overall brain chemistry. So what does vitamin D actually do in our brain? Well, it stimulates the pineal gland. It's a tiny little gland in our brain and it stimulates the production of tryptophan hydroxylase. Don't worry, you don't need to remember that name of the enzyme. But that enzyme actually converts tryptophan. Yes, that's what you hear people talk about. It's in Turkey and some of the other things that we eat. But tryptophan turns into serotonin from that enzyme, tryptophan hydroxylase. So that burst of energy and then calm or crash you feel after a sunny day at the beach or a big turkey meal, that's not your imagination. That's neurochemistry in your brain in action. So what happens? Serotonin is the body's natural mood stabilizer. You've heard of an ssri? Well, that is the antidepressant, anti anxiety medications that try and increases the amount of serotonin circulating in our brain and our body. That's how that pharmaceutical drug works. Wouldn't it be great if we could just increase our serotonin in a more natural way? Maybe with fewer side effects that are black box warning on those medications. That seems like the right thing to do. Serotonin promotes feelings of just overall well being, keeps anxiety in check and affects appetite and even digestion. Low serotonin levels are linked to depression, sleep problems, and just that overall feeling of I can't get going in the morning, I can't get going in the day that many of us experience, especially when the days get shorter. I'll be honest, I felt it yesterday. It's happening, it's real. That's why you'll hear people talk about seasonal affective disorder, also referred to as sad. It's essentially a form of depression that follows the rhythms of the season. People get this seasonal depression. As fall rolls in and the sunlight exposure decreases because the vitamin D levels are dropping, the serotonin production is slowing. And for many people, their mood and energy, it takes a hit like they actually feel it again. This isn't in their head. Well, it is in their head, it's in their brain. But it's actually a chemical reaction that's happening that's making them feel this way. And so this kind of plays into that October effect that I was talking about. The idea that as the daylight hours are shrinking and the serotonin dips, our internal rhythm is shifting. It's called the circadian clock or circadian rhythm. I'm sure you've heard it a few different ways. It's essentially the system that regulates sleep hormones and our body's metabolism. It relies on sunlight as the center of it. Without sunlight, that circadian rhythm is just out of whack. And so it falls out of sync. You can have sluggish feelings during the day, then you have sleep disturbances at night. Well, why is your sleep being disturbed if you're sluggish all day? You'd think your body wants to go to sleep. Well, it again goes back to that brain chemistry, serotonin. When the sunlight goes off, serotonin starts being converted to melatonin. I know you've heard of melatonin. It's one of the most popular natural herbs out there to help you sleep. So when you are not being exposed to sun, your body's own serotonin is now being converted to melatonin. And melatonin is signaling to your body, it's time to go to sleep now. So daylight savings, when it's dark at 5pm, your brain is telling your body it's time to go to bed. But a lot of us are still at work. We have to get kids to soccer, we have to cook dinner, we have to do laundry, we have to do all those things. It is not time for bed yet. So what are some things that we can do to make sure that we are maintaining our circadian rhythms, trying to put off that evening time melatonin burst, all of these things that we can potentially do naturally. Now, I do want to make a quick caveat before we go into the natural remedies for this. Some people are truly affected by seasonal affective disorder to the fact that their depression doesn't just stay this mild, low level depression. It can be quite severe. Especially as you head into the holidays, there's feelings of isolation, being away from friends and family. Feeling alone. Sometimes you really do need help, whether it's talking to someone, a therapist, a doctor. And sometimes you actually do need to pursue potential medications. With that being said, you should try everything possible to treat it naturally first and see if you can have some benefit. But if not, there is no shame in talking to a doctor about some alternative things that you can do. Depression and seasonal affective disorder really does affect us all very, very differently. So for me, as we are heading into these darker, shorter days, I am getting my family geared up for it because it's kind of like survival of the fittest. During the fall and winter season, it's busy back to school, and we're trying to ward off all of these respiratory viruses and we have shorter days. So our body is trying to tell us to just sleep all the time. What can we do? So here's what I'm going to tell you. The most important thing is start your day out by chasing that morning sunlight and do it the best way you can. For me, I mean, I obviously, when I'm waking up in the morning, it's dark outside. So I turn on lots of lights in my bedroom. That light is kind of stimulating my brain, saying, the day has begun. Once the sun has come out, I will stick my head out the window if necessary, just to get a little bit of natural sunlight on my face to get that vitamin D synthesizing and getting the serotonin going in my body. You can do that by taking a walk outside. Maybe you need to walk your dogs. Try and wait until the sun comes up. Take a walk in the middle of the morning at work. Whatever you can do to get some natural sunlight, just roll up your sleeves. You don't need to stand outside in a bikini. Just a little bit of sunlight will go a long way. By turning your face up to the sun, rolling your sleeves up a little bit. I promise you, the skin is your biggest organ. It is there to absorb this sunlight. So 10 to 15 minutes of natural light, first thing of the day, can be a game changer when it comes to regulating your circadian rhythm. If you live in a place where it is truly dark until like noontime, there are little natural sun lamps that you can have. I'm not talking about going to a tanning bed. I do not recommend those. But even on Amazon, you can see that they have little lamps that you can put, whether it is in your bathroom in the morning, and it just gives you a burst of light to try and set the precedent for the morning for you. Some people may Consider taking vitamin D supplementation during the fall and winter months. I personally actually take vitamin D supplementation all year round because it is so crucial, especially especially for women as you head off into that perimenopause menopausal time. Vitamin D is incredible for you. We've already mentioned your immune system, your bone health, but also mental health and other things. And so especially if you're living in northern climates like the Northeast, like I am, you fall below your optimal levels by mid fall in vitamin D and you take blood tests and you will see a lot of people actually have decreased vitamin D during this time. So you always want to take the recommended dose, whether it's from your doctor, whether it's from the back of your vitamin D supplements. Don't think to yourself, I'm going to triple, double, quadruple my dose. Don't do that, okay? Bad things can happen when you take too much supplements, I promise. I mean, just take what's recommended and if you need a little bit more, talk to your doctor about it so they're at least monitoring your levels. And I know I say this at nauseam, but you want to be exercising regularly. Why is that? Well, obviously exercising is very good for our physical health, but it also naturally boosts serotonin production. That's right. Particularly aerobic activities, meaning like your cardiovascular stuff like walking, running, cycling, whatever it is. I personally love to exercise in the morning because that is when I want that serotonin boost. Some people like to exercise in the evening. That's totally fine because if it's boosting your serotonin, when you turn off that light there, it's going to turn into melatonin and tell your body it's time to sleep. So either way, whatever time of day you can find to exercise, even if it's for 15 minutes, just do it. Your body's going to thank you, I promise. There are also some foods that are high in serotonin or they're high in tryptophan or other things that are converted to serotonin in your body in the morning. The things like eggs and oats are actually really high in tryptophan. So we eat a lot of eggs in my house, probably because we have chickens outside and I need to go through those eggs. But eggs are an incredible source of nutrients, one of them being tryptophan. Evening time. Think salmon, spinach, nuts, seeds. Thanksgiving and all the holidays are coming up. Turkey is very high in tryptophan. That's why you feel great after you eat and then you want to go sleep, because that's right, your serotonin switch to melatonin, and your body's like, time to sleep now and again. I did mention those light therapy lamps. I myself have never used one, but I have bought them for my husband, because if anyone gets seasonal affective disorder, it is my husband in the sense that he is more moody during the fall and winter. I think he was meant to live on a beach. He loves the beach. You would never think that he was from New York City. He loves sunlight. He loves to be warm. And the colder, shorter, darker months are hard for him. So going into it, we know that. So he has a lamp. I make him take vitamin D, make sure he's eating all the right things. And I am a nag when it comes to exercise because I want. I don't want him to feel like he has to go and hibernate for the next few months because he feels sluggish and doesn't feel great during the colder months. I want him to enjoy it. So therefore, we do what we can, right? So those are all the things that we can do to kind of focus on our serotonin production and try and ward off seasonal affective disorder. But I also want to embrace this October theory even more because we deal with that every year. But why not harness something else? Is there a way to challenge our brain a little bit during these cooler months when we're not outside and there's not as much to do? What can we be doing inside that also is stimulating our brain and keeping us actively engaged? Right now are working on puzzles. And they don't necessarily love puzzles, but puzzles are very good for you. It uses both sides of your brain. It uses a lot of dexterity, pincer grass, fine motor, all of these things that are really crucial for kids while they're developing. And it's something you can do all weather. You can do it inside. I know a lot of kids like Legos. We do, too. But puzzles right now are what they're into. But as an adult, doing a puzzle is also very important. So I am doing my own puzzle right now. And so we all just kind of sit around and do it, and we're talking about the day, and we work on the puzzles for even just like 15, 20 minutes a day at the end of the day, something we're doing together, but also stimulating our brain. And the last thing I want to mention, just because it's happening today, and I want to make sure everyone who's listening to wellness and mass benefits from this Droprx, my liquid herbal nutraceutical brand, you may have heard me talk about it a little bit. I don't talk about it that much. It's essentially a line of nine different concoctions that I put together during COVID for myself to treat my inflammation, my pain, and a whole bunch of different things. Ones for like hair, nails and skin. Ones for natural aphrodisiac and hormonal support, ones for brain health, one's natural anti anxiety. Long story long, it's essentially a line of liquid herbs that I put together. They're available on Droprx.com, but they're also available on Amazon. And the only reason I'm mentioning it right now is because it's the Amazon prime day today and tomorrow and I've decided to go crazy and they are marked down anywhere from 20 to 50% off. So now is the time. I refuse to buy anything full price. So if you are like me and you want to sell, now's your time to do it. And Boost is the exact one that you want to help fight off seasonal affective disorder. Because Boost has lion's mane, ashwagandha and some other natural herbs that naturally boosts your metabolism. Boost gives you a little bit more energy and helps you start the day off. So if we're doing all those things, we're chasing morning light, we're eating tryptophan rich food, we're exercising, maybe throwing in some natural herbs, some vitamin D supplementation, maybe talking to a doctor if you need to, all of these things. I promise you we will get through these winter months together. We will do what we can to fight that sluggish feeling and we'll get through on the other side and be looking at the sun again in springtime soon, I promise. I know it's October, so Breast Cancer Awareness month. Seeing as that is my day job, we will be talking about breast cancer. It's going to be during October. It's gonna be an episode that you do not want to miss. But for now, chase that sunshine. Do what you can to beat off that sluggish feeling. Thanks so much for listening to wellness unmass. I'm Dr. Nicole Sapphire. Make sure to listen to Wellness Unmasked on iheartradio wherever you get your podcasts and we will see you next time.
- [18:51]
Lenovo Commercial Voice
In the heat of battle, your squad relies on you. Don't let them down. Unlock elite gaming tech@lenovo.com, dominate every match with next level speed, seamless streaming and performance that won't quit so you can push your gameplay beyond performance with Intel Core Ultra processors for the next era of gaming. Upgrade to smooth high quality streaming with Intel Wi Fi 6e and maximize game performance with enhanced overclocking. Win the tech search power up@lenovo.com lenovo.
- [19:23]
Ben Ferguson and Ted Cruz
Lenovo, you know what your customers are doing right this second? The exact same thing. You are listening to me. Which, let's be honest, is kind of flattering. But my point Is, ads on iHeartRadio actually get heard in the car, at the gym, on the couch, while people are walking their dogs. Who's a good boy? Who's a good boy? You're a good boy. That's right, dude. You're a good so why not make the next ad about you? Get started today. Call 844-844-IHEART or go to iheartadvertising.com that's 844-844 iheart or iheartadvertising.com I'm Ben Ferguson. And I'm Ted Cruz. Three times a week we do our podcast, Verdict with Ted Cruz. Nationwide, we have millions of listeners. Every Monday, Wednesday and Friday, we break down the news and bring you behind the scenes inside the White House, inside the Senate, inside the United States Supreme Court. And we cover the stories that you're not getting anywhere else. We arm you with the facts to be able to know and advocate for the truth with your friends and family. So down A Verdict with Ted Cruz now. Wherever you get your podcasts. When I told people I was making a podcast about Benghazi, nine times out of ten they called me a masochist, rolled their eyes, or just asked why Benghazi? The truth became a web of lies from prologue projects and Pushkin Industries. This is Fiasco Benghazi.
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Dr. Nicole Safire
What difference at this point does it make?
- [20:50]
Ben Ferguson and Ted Cruz
Listen to Fiasco Benghazi on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.