Causes or Cures

Send us a textBenzodiazepines (Benzos) are some of the most commonly prescribed drugs in the world for anxiety. Despite how common they are, most people, including doctors and pharmacists, don't know the extent of benzodiazepine withdrawal, including the vast array of symptoms, nor do they know how to treat it. Many doctors and stakeholders confuse addiction with chemical dependence, which can be extremely frustrating for the person going through withdrawal, who took the medication as prescribed. Folks afflicted often turn to online forums and seek out others with similar withdrawal symptoms for advice. They are part of the "prescribed harm" community. Between searching for answers and managing symptoms, many people become so frustrated and exhausted that they resort to taking their own lives. As Dr. Huff mentions in the podcast, in the past year alone, she knows of at least 30 people who were going through benzo withdrawal and ended up killing themselves.  In this podcast, Dr. Huff opens up about how she felt while on benzodiazepines and her horrific experience coming off of them. She talks about the guidance she did/did not receive and what ultimately helped her. She does not mince words.  Dr. Christy Huff is a cardiologist by training, a mom and currently serves as director of the Benzodiazepine Information Coalition.  To contact Dr. Eeks, do so through bloomingwellness.comTo listen to her new comedic parody on the sleazy side of the wellness industry, check out Yours in Wellness, Krystal Heeling on Amazon.Or you can listen to it from Google Play or Walmart! Or follow her on Instagram here. Or Facebook here.Subscribe to her newsletter here!Support the show

Send us a textIn this episode of Causes or Cures, Dr. Eeks interviews Dr. Fiorella Belpoggi about the potential health risks of wireless technology and radiation from EMFs (electromagnetic fields). The safety of EMFs is in the news due to the rollout of 5G and because of a recently resurfaced petition to the World Health Organization that was signed by 250 scientists warning about EMF exposure and health effects. That said, there have been no randomized controlled animal trials involving 5g. The 2 largest animal trials to date did not evaluate 5g. There has been no formal guidance to minimize exposure and no regulatory body has stated that there needs to be such guidance. Dr. Belpoggi is the head of research at the Ramazzini Institute in Italy and Director of the Cesare Mal-toni Cancer Research Center, where she has worked since 1981. She has published over 100 peer-reviewed papers and has done research on a variety of environmental exposures, including pesticides, plastics, food additives and hormones. To date, she has performed the largest animal study involving EMF (cell phone) exposure and cancer risk, which is covered in this interview, along with her recommendations for use of cell phones and wireless technology. ( For those with short attention spans, a summary of her recommendations will also be included in Dr. Eeks' blog at bloomingwellness.com.) Dr. Belpoggi is a fellow of the International Academy of Toxicologic Pathology; a member of the European Society of Toxicologic Pathology, and she has served as an expert witness or adviser for the European Parliament, the World Health Organization, the Directorate General for Health and Consumer Affairs, and the European Center for Environmental Health.Keep in mind that this podcast is just a conversation. It's not health or medical advice. In other words, enjoy the talks, but don't run to the hills with anything.  You can contact Dr. Eeks at bloomingwellness.com.Follow Dr. Eeks on Instagram here.Or Facebook here.Or Twitter.Read Manic Kingdom here.Listen to her short audio parody on the wellness industry here.Subcribe to her newsletter here!Support the show

Send us a textIn this episode of Causes Or Cures, Dr. Nicole LePera talks about her own personal journey and health struggles, her approach to overcoming them and how that experience, plus her experience with others as a professionally trained psychologist, guided her approach to healing the mind and body. With Dr. Eeks, Dr. LePera talks about whether the holistic lifestyle is accessible to everyone, how aging affects mindset, how to handle the challenges of social media and use it in a way that's beneficial for the mind and body, and the steps anyone can take, right now, to enhance his/her mind-body wellness journey. She's also very candid about facing obstacles and what keeps her motivated.   Dr. LePera was trained at Cornell University and The New School as a traditional psychologist and went on to find the Mindful Healing Center in Philadelphia, where she focuses on relationships, gut health, sleep, cellular health, belief and mindfulness. She has close to 1 million followers on Instagram, and you can follow her here. To contact Dr. Eeks, do so through bloomingwellness.comTo read or listen to her new comedic parody on the sleazy side of the wellness industry, check out Yours in Wellness, Krystal Heeling on Amazon.Or you can listen to it from Google Play or Walmart! Or follow her on Instagram here. Or Facebook here.Subcribe to her newsletter here!Support the show

Send us a textTalks about climate change are heated and ongoing. You often hear, especially from fans of The Green New Deal,  "We literally only have 12 years to fix the problem!"  Is that hyperbolic, or is that the truth? While there are various governmental committees working on solutions to reduce carbon emissions, one thing we don't hear a lot about is nuclear power. No one really dives into the details of nuclear power. Nuclear power sounds scary and turns a lot of people off. But what exactly is it and how does it compare to oil and coal? What are the risks and the benefits? Should nuclear power be part of the cure for man-made global warming or will it cause a host of problems? In this episode of Causes Or Cures, Dr. Andy Karam discusses nuclear power in detail and its potential role in reducing carbon emissions. Andy has a doctorate degree in environmental sciences and a masters degree in geological sciences. He's a graduate of the Naval Chemistry and Radiological Controls School and the Naval Nuclear Power School. Since 1981, Andy has worked in the radiation safety field. He started out working for the Navy and designed numerous radiation safety courses for the military and universities, including The University of Rochester, Rochester Institute of Technology, American University of Kosovo and The Center for Advanced Defense Studies. He's a board-certified international consultant for all radiological and nuclear matters, including radiological terrorism, and has consulted for the NYPD Counterterrorism division, NYC Department of Health, NASA Lewis Research Center, Honeywell, International Atomic Energy Agency, Panama Canal, the Canadian Army, Constellation Energy group and more. He's worked as a professor and has written over 200 peer-reviewed articles, several books and over 100 technical papers on the subject. This only touches on his extensive CV. For his full bio, please visit Dr. Karam's website here. You can contact Dr. Eeks at bloomingwellness.com.Follow Dr. Eeks on Instagram here.Or Facebook here.Or Twitter.Read Manic Kingdom here.Listen to her short audio parody on the wellness industry here.Subcribe to her newsletter here!Support the show

Send us a text In this episode of Causes Or Cures, Dr. Eek talks with Dr. Marcelo Gleiser about atheism, agnosticism, belief in God and the intersection of science and the spiritual dimension. He explains why he believes radical atheism goes against the scientific method. What's a rational position to take? What about theism vs radical theism? What are the limitations of science, if any, when it comes to explaining how we got here and other "big questions"? These questions and more are addressed in the podcast.   Dr. Gleiser is a theoretical physicist, author of several popular science books and over a hundred papers in peer-reviewed journals, professor of physics and astronomy at Dartmouth College, and recipient of the prestigious Templeton Prize.  Take a listen.  You can contact Dr. Eeks at bloomingwellness.com.Follow Dr. Eeks on Instagram here.Or Facebook here.Or Twitter.Subcribe to her newsletter here!Support the show

Send us a textSome people call it the "War On Antidepressants" and others call it the "War Over Antidepressants."  Either way, antidepressants are in the news a lot, most recently related to the topic of withdrawal. Many doctors and stakeholders believe that antidepressant withdrawal ( symptoms that occur when you stop taking the drug) lasts, on average, up to 2 weeks. Others say that isn't true, and that symptoms can last much longer. Some say antidepressants are very effective for clinical depression. Others say that just isn't true. Strong opinions are at the heart of the debate over antidepressants, which has escalated to a heated social media exchange and what some call a "Twitter War."  Today's guest is Dr. Michael Hengartner, a highly published senior researcher and lecturer at Zurich University of Applied Sciences whose area of expertise includes psychiatric epidemiology, public mental health, psychosomatics, health services research, social psychiatry and psychopathology. In this episode, he presents evidence that challenges the notion that antidepressant withdrawal lasts, on average, only two weeks and also presents evidence that challenges the notion that antidepressants are effective drugs for clinical depression. To contact Dr. Eeks, do so through bloomingwellness.comTo read or listen to her new comedic parody on the sleazy side of the wellness industry, check out Yours in Wellness, Krystal Heeling on Amazon.Or you can listen to it from Google Play or Walmart! Or follow her on Instagram here. Or Facebook here.Subcribe to her newsletter here!Support the show

Send us a textAmanda Anderson is the founder of Spoonie World And Chronic Illnesses That Keep You Cooped Up, a Facebook support group for individuals with chronic illnesses. The group has over seven thousand members from all over the world and is very active, night and day. Amanda is also a Spoonie and talks to Dr. Eeks host of Causes Or Cures and founder of bloomingwellness.com, about Spoonies, pain, the opioid epidemic and marijuana, with the essential questions being: Would increasing access to marijuana reduce opioid use? Are pain patients being treated unfairly because of the opioid epidemic? Are we overlooking the benefits of opioid medication?  Tune in! To contact Dr. Eeks, do so through bloomingwellness.com Or follow her on Instagram here. Or Facebook here.Subcribe to her newsletter here!Support the show