How Can I Reduce Inflammation?

Is inflammation at the root of your daily aches or chronic health hurdles? In this episode, host Darleen Mahoney sits down with Dr. Sabrina Russ, a geriatric pharmacist and wellness coach, for a down-to-earth chat about what inflammation actually is and why it matters as we age.

Forget the medical jargon—we’re breaking down how simple shifts in diet, hydration, and stress management can make a massive difference. 

Through personal stories and expert advice, you'll learn that managing your health doesn't have to be overwhelming. Tune in for some high-quality encouragement and a reminder that small, sustainable steps can lead to a much more comfortable life. 

Connect with Dr. Russ and learn more about personalized health coaching and telehealth services at keepwellnesssimple.com, with links provided in the episode description.

SeniorLivingGuide.com Podcast sponsored by Best-Selling Author on Retirement, Tom Marks & TerraBella Senior Living.
 

The background music is written, performed, and produced exclusively by purple-planet.com.
https://www.purple-planet.com/

SeniorLivingGuide.com Webinars and Podcast represents the opinions and expertise of our guests. The content here is for informational and educational purposes. It does not necessarily represent the views, recommendations, opinions or advice of Fairfax Publishing/SeniorLivingGuide.com or its employees

Transcript

Darleen Mahoney [00:00:02]:

Today we are joined by Dr. Sabrina Russ. She is a board-certified geriatric pharmacist and national board-certified health and wellness coach. As the founder of Simplicity Pharmacy Services and Wellness Center and creator of Keep Wellness Simple, she helps older adults safely manage medications while using practical lifestyle strategies to reduce inflammation improve nutrition, and support long-term health and independence. Thank you so much for joining us today, Dr. Russ.

Dr. Russ [00:00:32]:

Thank you, thank you so much for having me. It's my pleasure.

 Darleen Mahoney [00:00:36]:

Yeah, absolutely. So I'm really excited about this topic because it's something that I don't really think that we talk about, um, but we talk about it, um, we talk about it over like dinner, uh, we talk about it over cocktails, and then we talk about it when we're getting our coffee in the morning, um, and I think we talk about it when we order a glass of wine night, um, we're going to talk about, uh, reducing inflammation.

Dr. Russ [00:01:02]:

That's right. Exciting, exciting.

Darleen Mahoney [00:01:05]:

I mean, it's— and the older you get, the more you talk about it, right? Right. Um, yeah, exactly, you know, and, and the issues with it. Um, so, and it's, and it's important to seniors. So tell me exactly, what is inflammation? So when you're talking about inflammation, are you just talking about Oh, my feet are a little bit swollen today, my hands are a little bit swollen today, or, or exactly what is it?

Dr. Russ [00:01:30]:

Yeah, absolutely. It's all of that. Um, if you're feeling swollen feet or swollen joints, um, it is from inflammation. So basically inflammation is when our bodies have too much, um, we call oxidative stress. So there's different things that cause our body to be stressed, right? Regular stress, the environment, the atmosphere, some things we cannot control. But there are some things that we can control, like our diet, like what we eat can cause our body to be in this stressful state, so to speak. And so what happens is when our body is, is stressed like that from different, um, factors, it causes our body to be inflamed. Or you have those symptoms, you know, it'll show up as, you know, swollen joints, or it can manifest as headaches. Our body, uh, manifests this inflammation in different ways, and ultimately it ends up manifesting itself as a chronic disease like diabetes, heart disease, um, even Alzheimer's. I mean, so a lot of the chronic diseases we face today come from inflammation. As a matter of fact, 8 out of 10 of the diseases that we have today come from our bodies being too inflamed.

Darleen Mahoney [00:02:46]:

Yeah, and I feel like, um, arthritis is, is one of the big ones that's like the first sign of inflammation, like maybe at a, at a younger age, or maybe I'm completely wrong about that, but I feel like arthritis is something that you start kind of noticing, like especially like in the morning and things like that. You kind of wake up and your, your fingers are kind of achy, stiff,

Dr. Russ [00:03:08]:

and yeah, mm-hmm, yeah, that is definitely— that is one of the signs, um, and every— you know, it's different in everybody You know, actually diseases start 10 years before they actually manifest. So let's just say if somebody's dealing with arthritis pain or if somebody is a diagnosed diabetic, um, just count back 10 years, that was going on in the body. That inflammation was slowly progressing in the body. And here we are now, boom, you know, now I, I've got diarre— diabetes or I have osteoarthritis. Like, where did this come from? But disease starts 10 years before the symptoms actually manifest. So many times, you know, now, you know, we're going to the doctors and things like that for something that could have been preventive maybe 10 years prior. So, you know, you hear a lot now, you know, inflammation is kind of like a buzzword now. But I think the real thing that we have to think about is many of us in the healthcare field now are making that transition to more preventative care. And so when we look at preventative care, we got to backtrack, like, what is the root cause of the inflammation? What is the root cause of the high blood pressure or high cholesterol? What is the root cause of all these chronic diseases that we're dealing with today that we really see a lot in our seniors? But the trend is shifting that a lot of our children are starting to experience a lot of these symptoms that we would typically see in the older adult. So we know in America we've got to make a change. Um, in our healthcare system, um, as a healthcare provider, and, and many healthcare professionals are making that shift that we really want to see our patients, you know, live a vibrant life, live a life of wellness, whatever that looks like for the patient. But we got to get to the root cause, and most of the time with these chronic diseases, it starts with inflammation. So it's like, how do we deal with this inflammation?

Darleen Mahoney [00:05:03]:

Yeah, yeah. So with inflammation, um, primarily comes from diet, um, exercise, lack of exercise?

Dr. Russ [00:05:15]:

All of the above. All of the above. It's a spectrum of things. It comes from, um, stress, um, it comes from our environment, just, you know, chemicals in the air, pesticides. Like I say, some things we can control, some things we can't. Uh, a lot of it comes from nutrition, what we're eating. A lot of it comes from, you know, lack of exercise. So it's just a whole lot of different things coming together. None of us are exempt from being inflamed, unfortunately. But what we can do is we can change that. Let's focus on what we can change, which is our diet or nutrition, which is getting more exercise, you know, sleep, sleep hygiene, stress management, drinking, hydration, all of those things, factors that we can do Genetics has a part to play in it as well. Um, you know, lots of— we can't do a lot about our genetics, um, but there are foods that we can eat that speak to our genes, that tell our genes, hey, we need to help your immune system be healthier. So you need to eat more, you know, the rainbow. You need to eat more, uh, foods that are bright and orange and red and, you know, all those kind of things. So that's a whole nother topic or study today. Um, But there, to a certain extent, we can eat a certain way to help our genes. So, yeah, okay.

Darleen Mahoney [00:06:37]:

So, well, and then one thing is, is, you know, when we're talking about seniors, um, so with them, you talked about it, it manifests 10 years earlier. So as they've aged, they've already been indignated with inflammation. So, um, they're kind of— it, it's harder to be proactive when you're already at that point, right? Um, so they're, they're having to change lifestyle. Um, one of the things that I think can be difficult for seniors as well is, you know, that's— it's hard to already change the way you eat, and then it's harder for them mobility-wise, and then they're taking medications. Our medications, um, proactive? I mean, are they something that can make inflammation worse and then you have to take medication for inflammation?

Dr. Russ [00:07:28]:

Um, there are certain medicines that can, um, lead to, um, inflammation. Um, and like you said, you brought up a really valid point. If, you know, say someone's like, well, a senior that's like, well, I'm already— I've already got heart disease, now what? There's no hope for me. Yes, there is hope for you because it's, it's about taking small steps where you are. And when I work with my patients, I try— and that's the aspect of the health coaching that I like because I'm there to support you, to, um, provide a safe space where you're able to— we can kind of break that down. Like, what does, um, disease prevention or a healthy lifestyle, or what does that look like for you? So, you know, I will work with that person and say, okay, let's see. Uh, you know, wellness looks different for everyone. So someone may say, well, I really want to walk. The doctor says I need to walk. You know, 30 minutes a day, 5 days a week, I have arthritis. What— how do I need to do that? And so, you know, you start with, okay, do you have— do you do any movement in your home? Do you do any cleaning in your house? Do you, um, you can walk around your house if you're able to. You can, um, they have those, um, what do they call them? I'm drawing a blank on the technical name, but I call them like the foot pedals. Um, there's almost like they're stationary and it looks like, you know what I'm talking about? It's almost like you're moving your feet, those. Yeah, yeah. I forgot the technical name.

Darleen Mahoney [00:08:53]:

You can sit, you can literally sit on a couch and use them, right?

Dr. Russ [00:08:56]:

And you can use that, correct? Okay, that is correct. And there is so much data out there that how effective that is, because the key is it's not about running a marathon, it's not about running— I gotta run 5 miles and lose all this weight— but it's a— you have to adjust to what fits your life. So if you have problems with arthritis, joint pain, you can't move around, then you can, um, try one of those. And they're not really that expensive, believe it or not. Um, but that get— you just— it's movement. It's about what movement— get the body moving, get the blood circulating. Yeah. So you start with that. So that's why it's, it's good if you can have— work with a healthcare provider, um, and a health coach that can sit down with you one-on-one to let's break down those little pieces in your life. Because what might work for me may not work for that person. But it's about taking— identifying what's practical for you. And I think that's what we need to do. Um, we have to get out of the one-size-fits-all and make it personalized because everybody's different.

Darleen Mahoney [00:09:53]:

Yeah, right, right. And I think taking an overall look at not only— I think sometimes when you go to the doctor, and I mean, this is just my experience, sometimes is they just want to give you your medications and and leave and not have like the overall conversation on lifestyle. So, how does your lifestyle fit into, uh, your medications? And can we maybe, um, work on the lifestyle to delete some of the medications that you're already taking? So, you don't really need the medications, right? Um, I mean, can we adjust your diet? And I know that, um, that's something that I think we should be doing more instead of trying to put the Band-Aid with the medications, because then you start putting medication over medication over medication, and then before you know it, you're on all these different medications.

Dr. Russ [00:10:37]:

Right.

Darleen Mahoney [00:10:38]:

Um, and you're hoping they're not interacting, but at some point they're gonna have some effect on your energy, on your, on your different parts of your life. They're just— there's just unavoidable, I would, I would imagine.

Dr. Russ [00:10:52]:

Yeah, yeah, absolutely.

Darleen Mahoney [00:10:54]:

Yeah, yeah. So what is the biggest culprit in inflammation, uh, for inflammation, um, that I— that you feel like people are kind of, um, I would— I don't want to say addicted to, but I, I am personally addicted to, um, sugar. It's so bad. Yeah, so bad.

Dr. Russ [00:11:16]:

It's okay. It's so easy.

Darleen Mahoney [00:11:19]:

We do, and it's, and it's usually in the form of like a chocolate.

Dr. Russ [00:11:23]:

Uh-huh. Yeah.

Darleen Mahoney [00:11:24]:

So, um, it's really hard.

Dr. Russ [00:11:28]:

It is, it is hard. And, uh, I cannot say that, um, like I'm a master of it and I eat no sugar, you know. No. Um, I have my moments where I, I want to reward myself with a cookie, and that's what I'm going to do. Yeah, but, but, but sugar— I'm glad you brought up sugar because it is one of the key factors of inflammation, and it is very addicting. Um, there was a study that showed, uh, there was an autopsy that they did of a person's brain who was addicted to like, like street drugs, and they compared that to someone who was, um, obese— their brain of someone who is obese, and the brain was similar of the addiction part. They, they saw that. So food, it is, it is, um, so the sugar is addicting because what it does is that it— when we eat it, it causes our body to release dopamine. That's why we get so excited, like, yes, I can't wait to eat this piece of cake when I get home, or this brownie. Yeah, so it's, it's so— at that, even you just thinking about the sh— is releasing those dopamine, you know, that's like our happy or I love, you know, hormone. So, um, so, but yeah, what happens is it's the same way when you're— when our bodies consume too much of it, it causes our bodies, um, we're not able to— because we have to have certain amount of, of sugar or carbohydrates because carbohydrate turns into, into sugar. But it's a— there's a healthy balance with that, and there are more natural type sugars. So For instance, like I tell patients that, um, okay, we, we know we wanna cut back on your sugar and that's whether it be table sugar, that can be sugar and high fructose corn syrup. That's in a lot of our foods today. Uh, and that's why a lot of times I just encourage people to, um, good— get into like reading food labels. And because you'll, you'll see that you don't even have to be an expert of knowing everything with reading a food label. But if you look at the inactive ingredients, and you see in there like high fructose corn syrup, and it's usually like one of the first ingredients that's, um, or additional ingredients that's in there in that product. Um, this is a high percentage of it, but high fructose corn syrup causes our bodies, um, you know, to be inflamed. But that's another sugar, um, that's in a lot of our foods. It's in a lot of our condiments like ketchup you know, all of our sauces and dressings, that high fructose corn syrup is in there, is hidden in there. And so, you know, you can have somebody that's wanting to, uh, like, not necessarily lose weight, but they feel like they're doing all the right things. Like, I don't— I don't eat a lot of candy. I don't, you know, I don't eat a lot of junk food. But sometimes it's those hidden sugars like the high fructose corn syrup. You know, you may— the person may say, I don't, I don't eat a lot of like Sugar. I don't drink a lot of sodas, but it's the high fructose corn syrup, that hidden sugar that's in there. Yeah, because high fructose corn syrup, it's a lot of that in, in your sodas as well.

Darleen Mahoney [00:14:29]:

Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. Um, no, I, I agree with that. And I, I will tell you the, the thing with sugar, you know, we talk about it and you, you mentioned it is addictive, and it, it is. And, and we say that as— I say it kind of as joke— as like a joke. It's addictive, right? But the reality is it is actually very addictive.

Dr. Russ [00:14:51]:

It is addictive.

Darleen Mahoney [00:14:52]:

Yeah, it is addictive. It's as addictive as a cigarette or as alcohol or as anything else. It actually is addictive.

Dr. Russ [00:14:58]:

It is, yes.

Darleen Mahoney [00:15:00]:

Um, and I, I can remember, or I absolutely— this happens to me if I bake like cookies. I will bake them and I can literally sit here and they call me I can hear them calling me, right? I will, I will have to eat all of them till they're gone just because I know that they're in there and they have to be eaten. It's literally like the craziest thing, right? It makes me insane. And that's when I really realize I am so addicted that I can't just let a cookie sit there for like 2 days, 3 days. I literally, I have to finish them off. They can't just be— yeah, um, you're

Dr. Russ [00:15:38]:

not by yourself though. It's, it's, um, it's, it's a real thing. And so It's like, okay, well, I'm addicted. Well, how do I— you know, most people, you know, don't think about sugar being addictive, you know? Right. So, um, but it's like, okay, so I'm not supposed to have any cooks or cake or, you know, cake or cookies, or what am I supposed to do when I bake? You know, and that kind of thing. So I like to, I always like to tell patients to give them an alternative. Um, because just to say don't do no sugar, um, that's not realistic. And then you're going to stress yourself out, and that's going to cause you to be— you know, you're going to gain more weight because now you have more cortisol. It just spirals. So we don't want to make you more stressed. So I always tell patients, let's look at some alternatives and start small. So it may be, okay, um, I had, I had someone I was coaching one time, she was addicted to soda, um, like I think it was Pepsi, I believe. And she's like, I'm not going to give up my Pepsi, I'm telling you that right now. So don't try to get me to stop, cause I'm not. I said, I'm not going to try to get you to stop, but how about if we, if you do 3 Pepsis a day, 7 days a week. Okay. So let's do, how about you try to do maybe 2 sodas a day, 7 days a week, or, you know, or do every other day. You know, we work together to see, you know, and she was like, okay, that's good. Because even though I told her about the high fructose corn syrup, I mean, that's what, you know, that sugar is, you know, that's addicting. She knew it was addicting. But again, just being practical, like, okay, if I keep— if I stay on this path and keep— if I don't do nothing, most people know they've got to make a change. They've got to do something different because if not, it's going to, you know, like lead to the chronic diseases. Or if you're already dealing with those chronic diseases, it's going to make it worse, you know, and then you can get into more serious complications like you know, blindness, like if you're diabetic and you just don't want to control your blood sugars and you don't make any change in your diet, your blood sugars stay elevated. You have, you know, dialysis and blindness. It just gets— it's not going to get any better. So, but I like to tell patients as well, let's look at some other options because I feel like if you're going to tell people to stop doing something, give them some alternatives. So I'll say, you know, there's stevia. Stevia comes from the stevia plant. And it's a really nice alternative. Um, you know, when you have these, um, alternatives, healthier alternatives, you know, they're not going to taste like sugar, sugar that we taste buds are used to, but we have to train our taste buds. So I say to— for more healthier things. And so, you know, you can do the stevia, um, you can do honey, um, you can even do maple syrup, but you are, you know, of course you are— you want to stay in the portion side. You don't want to overdo it. You know, if you got a pack of stevia, like, I'm gonna do 5 packs 'cause I want to taste just like table sugar. So, so look for those alternatives and just start where you are. You have to, you have to make small changes. So if you love drinking your coffee in the morning with table sugar, you know, you do 3, 3, you know, tablespoons or teaspoons of table sugar. So, well, let me just switch it. Try for a day, start one day instead of using that table sugar, try to use stevia. And see, and, you know, and start with that. And you may— you might do instead of one pack, you may do 3 packs, but you're in it. And gradually, you know, create a plan for yourself, you know. But over time, that is going to be more beneficial for you. And sometimes we just have to outweigh the pros and the cons. Like, okay, I know I love my coffee, but if— with all this sugar, but if I stay on this path, you know, who knows, it's going to make my arthritis worse. And because it's all that sugar, you know, yeah, I try to be practical.

Darleen Mahoney [00:19:33]:

Yeah, well, I'll tell you, um, I used to be addicted to Coke, Coke, Coke, Coca-Cola, Coke. Um, and then I went into the Diet Coke and I would drink so much of it. And then I just decided, um, I can't keep drinking. Like, I would wake up in the morning and have coffee and then just do Coke the rest of the day. I wasn't really— probably really hydrating because I was that's what I was drinking. I was— I was in my 20s at the time, going into my 30s. So, you know, I was younger and could do it. But I just— I realized I got to stop drinking all this stuff because it was affecting me. And I could tell that it was really affecting me. And I was just so addicted to it. Right. Um, and I started out the same way. I started trying to cut back on it and integrate more water and then kind of switch to a green tea for the caffeine, which is what I kind of thought that I was needing to replace it. Um, and I will tell you now, I cannot— the thought of a soda is disgusting to me. So I can't— I cannot do it. And then I also stopped putting stuff in my coffee, the sugar and the, the fruit, the, um, any sweetener, to be honest with you. Now I drink my coffee black. I can't stand the thought of having stuff in it. So I think you really do 100% train your taste buds, right? And you can do it. It does just take a little bit of time. But the upside to it, which I don't think people realize, is if you can just power through that change, right, you'll feel better. It's not even the, the avoiding some of these chronic diseases and things like that, because those You definitely. But you also— you— your mood feels better. You have more energy. You're not as tired because all of those sugars really do— they, they just make you feel like crap.

Dr. Russ [00:21:30]:

They, they do. They drain— it drains you. You said it perfect. It drains you of your energy. It affects your mood. It, um, sleep. All these things are affected, um, by that sugar. And it just takes just one change. Like you say, if you can just get through that that tough process of— I like to say like a withdrawal, you know, because your body is— your body's going to detox. It's going to— because it's like, what are we doing here? No sugar? What? So, you know, you mentally prepare yourself like, okay, I'm gonna go today and not drink. I mean, you can be— do it gradually. No sodas, if that's, you know, what you're dealing with. Um, just gradual. Or you can do cold turkey. Maybe do, you know, just be ready. Your body will respond a certain way. But once you get through that, um, in the end result, and you know, that's what you have to look at. And I also wanna encourage our seniors, even if you on, you know, if you're on lots of medications, if you're dealing with different, um, chronic diseases, you know, diabetes, heart disease, arthritis, things like that, um, you still can start where you are. It's not like all hope is gone. You know, there's no hope for me. I mean, why even try? No, start where you are. So, um, you know, whether it be, um, it's okay, I'm going to focus on making some small nutritional changes. You know, I don't like to use the word diet because, you know, that's like, oh, diet, no. But let me— some small nutritional changes and start with, okay, I'm going to decrease my sugar intake. I'm going to, um, I'm going to switch up and use stevia, or I'm going to, I'm going to read, um, my labels on my soda and I'm going to switch. Like you said, you switched and transitioned to diet, and then you went from there to teas. So there is a— there's a path to it. To me, um, to sustain a wellness lifestyle, it has to be gra— a gradual change. It has to be realistic into your life. You know, I lost— I lost 47 pounds, and I've been able to keep it off for about 3 years now. And so everything that I teach and I coach people patients through, um, seniors to the little ones, is, is sustainable. You can— whatever it looks like for you, don't try to necessarily do what I did. I'm giving you a framework, but tailor it for you and your life. And that's what it is. We don't— I don't want our seniors to be discouraged. I want them to be encouraged here in this podcast, is that there is hope for you. It, you know, it may be that, um, you know, if, like I said, we're talking, you know, about arthritis and we know sugar can make that worse because it causes inflammation. So it may be, well, why don't I eat more foods that are going to decrease the inflammation? You know, foods that, um, st— no, decreasing that sugar intake, but also foods that are going to help, um, reduce the inflammation, like foods that have, um, more what we call, um, omega-3, you know, flaxseed, Eating more green leafy vegetables. But there's a lot of options out there to try to, um, that you can do, incorporate new— just with nutrition-wise changes that you can make. Because it's, it's not about perfection, but it's about consistency. Whatever you decide to do, you have to be consistent with it. And I think that's sometimes a challenge too, is being consistent. But you don't beat yourself up, you just You know, make that decision. Start one day. It could be one hour. You could say, I'm— for one hour, I'm not going to drink any Coke today, Coca-Cola soda today, you know. But start small.

Darleen Mahoney [00:25:05]:

They can be done. Now, does hydration with water— does that help decrease inflammation?

Dr. Russ [00:25:16]:

Um, it does. Um, it, it plays a part because what happens is you, you know, our bodies, we is— what are we, like 70% water? And so, you know, we— but many times we're dehydrated, and that's what makes us feel so bad. So water, increasing your water intake will not only help with inflammation, but it's going to make you feel better because it's helping to detox the body. Water helps, you know, you know, you're going to go to the bathroom a lot as you're drinking the water, but that's helping our kidneys to flush out our body. So it's a— it's a— the toxins. It gets rid of the toxins. Exactly. So yes, you want to increase the hydration. So all these different things, these pieces, um, work together to reduce that inflammation.

Darleen Mahoney [00:26:01]:

Okay. So there's some healthy food choices that are helpful in reducing inflammation. Um, you mentioned like omega-3s, um, which Those are foods that you can intake, but sometimes seniors, they— one thing I do know about seniors is sometimes they are small eaters. They are not— they start to reduce their intake of daily, uh, meals and proteins and things like that, right? So those are things they may want to have a conversation with their healthcare provider. Yes. About, um, adding in some of those natural supplements. Um, would you agree with that?

Dr. Russ [00:26:39]:

Oh, absolutely. Yes, definitely talk with your healthcare provider to, um, to see what, you know, what foods you can eat that, um, give you that omega-3 that you need because omega, omega-3 helps to reduce inflammation in our bodies. Uh, now I will say this because as a pharmacist as well, um, you know, I know it's hard to get all the nutrition that we need. You know, you can, you can use flaxseeds. Flaxseeds really good, um, high in omega-3. Um, you know, your oily fish like your salmon, um, is high in, um, you know, omega-3. But you, like you said, many times seniors don't eat a lot. So that may be the time where you have a conversation with your provider about incorporating supplements into your diet because, um, you know, our supplement— and it has to be a really good quality supplements. I tell my patients, um, that, you know, when I'm consulting with them and creating that wellness plan, um, for them, and, you know, there's certain supplements, um, I educate them about what to look for in supplements. And I actually, you know, I actually— I sell supplements as well, but, um, but what to look for in good quality supplements, you know, talk to your healthcare provider. Because many times the supplements that we buy out of the store unfortunately have a lot of, like, pesticides in them. The, the quality is not the best, and and all of that. And then if you got a question, um, hey, who's going to help you sort through all of that stuff? And there could be some drug interaction, so you definitely want to talk to your healthcare provider about, um, because supplements are another option if you're not able to, you know, get all of the nutrition. Like you said, seniors many times, they're not big eaters. So, you know, there are supplements that you can take um, to a long, you know, that are safe, that you can still get that same benefit out of, right?

Darleen Mahoney [00:28:35]:

Mm-hmm. Yeah, right. No, I agree with that because supplements— and the thing that's happened, I think, with supplements, with like— I wanna— I don't want to say it's like a healthcare craze, but now that you have Amazon, you have all these different, you know, websites, you have TikTok, you have the reels, you have all these different things that now can target you based on any— you have a thought that pops into your mind and all of a sudden you're getting an ad online. It's getting— right, so like, it's kind of getting crazy and scary all in the same breath. Um, but you don't know where some of these products are being created. You don't know what's in them. Um, and you're taking them and you're putting them in your body with all faith that it's something that's healthy and good for you because they said it is.

Dr. Russ [00:29:23]:

That's right, absolutely. And I'm glad you brought that up because, um, and actually there was a lawsuit that the FDA had against Amazon. So Amazon is, is a platform, you know, so, you know, their claim is, well, we're just selling it, we don't have any control over, you know, what this— where it's coming from. And so there were, um, you know, uh, vitamins and supplements that were being sold on Amazon that, um, the, the company that I guess used Amazon as the platform, you know, it was, it was fake, it was counterfeit. Supplements and things like that. So you, you're thinking, okay, I'm saving some money, I'm going on here Amazon, I'mma buy these vitamins. But I would say, uh, if you, if you are not able to get connected with a healthcare provider who, who sells quality supplements, um, that you need to try to— if you can find out who is the actual manufacturer of that vitamin that you're looking for, right? And you can reach out to them because a lot of the manufacturers now, um, they do have an online website. But ideally, you want to try to find a prov— healthcare provider, especially if you have a healthcare provider who is like holistic in, in mindset, or integrative health, uh, functional medicine. Many providers like that, um, or someone like myself that's in the nutritional space, um, we have access to high-quality vitamins that we know that there's, um, about the quality control, we know about the storage, we know about the purity. Um, you know, because there's very strict testing, um, and quality control measures that are in place that the average consumer may not know about, but that we know that have been, you know, well vetted through a lot of the, um, vitamin and supplement platforms that many of us healthcare providers use that are in this space. So, um, but it's very scary because, because you don't know what you're getting. And then if you got a question, you may have some— like if you had a vitamin store or something and this person, you know, you're asking the cashier, what do you think about this? But they don't have a med— they don't have a background. They don't know your medical history. And that's when you run into serious problems too, because you got— they don't know your medical history, they don't know your medication history, they don't know any of that about you. And, um, so they're just recommending something that they might have been trained on in a class, but they don't know the interactions that you're on a blood thinner and now they want you to— you want to take Ginkgo for your memory. Well, that's a drug interaction. Serious drug interaction. They don't know all that. And people not just going to willingly tell, um, you know, yeah, I actually take— well, maybe they do. Don't do that, right? The person that, you know, GNC, I take this, this, and this. Do you think it interacts? No. Go to your pharmacy and talk to them. You talk to your healthcare provider. But yes, so you would have to be educated. So that's what I tell my seniors. Definitely ask your local pharmacist, ask your healthcare provider if you're thinking about supplements or you, you know, you want to do better, you want to plan, um, what, what works best for you. Talk to your healthcare provider always.

Darleen Mahoney [00:32:25]:

Yeah, no, that's, that's the word of the day. Definitely talk to your health care provider, um, and really, um, hopefully they can guide you with the supplements and not just you know, with the really good quality supplements. And if they don't automatically do that, dig a little bit deeper. Ask them, hey, I really want good quality supplements. Can you provide where I need to go for that other than just going up to the Publix or the GNC, what have you, right? Um, see if they can dig a little bit deeper for you to make sure that you're getting, um, really good quality supplements, because they do make a difference. I mean, they do. So much out there. There's just so much out there.

Dr. Russ [00:33:07]:

Yeah. Uh, yeah, I do want to say too, with when you're dealing with these high-quality, um, supplements, they have a very, um, they get into your, your bloodstream very quickly. They absorb very quickly into your bloodstream, which is what we call bioavailability, which is good because if, if that, um, a large percentage of that supplement is in your bloodstream, it's going to get to those organs. It's going to get to where the body needs quick. And so, and that's another issue too, that a lot of the vitamins that you just buy out the stores, um, their bioavailability, uh, is very low. So you're just taking something for months and months and you're like, I don't feel no better, you know, right? Because you're really not getting anything, you're just taking something, you know. But yeah, that's important.

Darleen Mahoney [00:33:52]:

I was taking B12 shot— I mean, not B12 shots, but B12 under the tongue liquid, and my B12 was still like— I, I still had like no, no B12 in my body, and I wasn't absorbing it. Um, so I had to do B12 shots in order to get my body to absorb B12.

Dr. Russ [00:34:11]:

Right, that's an excellent example.

Darleen Mahoney [00:34:13]:

It was just not absorbing it. And I mean, the— definitely, you know, it started out, well, let's do the under the tongue, you know, little dissolvables. That didn't work. Let's do the liquid. That didn't work. I mean, nothing was really working in order to get my B12 up. Right, so I have to do shots. It's insane. But yeah, yeah, your body just doesn't always absorb even though you're putting it in.

Dr. Russ [00:34:36]:

That's right. And there could be other things, you know, with that too. Sometimes it could be, you know, in your digestive system, your, your gut microbiome. And a lot of people hear that now, you know, one of— you know, we want to make sure our gut is healthy because that helps, um, that helps also with inflammation, making sure our gut is healthy. Um, prebiotics, probiotics. Um, you know, all those things are important because if our gut helps to— you know, our small intestines, large intestines, they help to absorb, you know, the, the proper amount of nutrients that our body needs from our foods. But it also helps to make your, um, certain vitamins in our digestive system. Yeah, your B vitamins. Yeah. So that getting our gut health, um, back under control also is a way to reduce inflammation. So there's a lot of layers to it.

Darleen Mahoney [00:35:25]:

Reduce inflammation. Yeah, yeah, I love it, I love it. Well, this is such a great conversation, um, that we had with you today. Um, I did want to mention, so Dr. Aris, you are located in Columbia, South Carolina, your practice? Yes.

Dr. Russ [00:35:42]:

Um, is that correct? That is correct. I am just double-checking. Yes, I am, I am in the beautiful city of Columbia, South Carolina. Um, my practice is Telehealth, virtual. Um, okay, nice. Yeah, so, you know, if anyone's interested, they can, um, reach me at, um, keepwellnesssimple.com. Okay, keepwellnesssimple.com, that's all one word together. Um, that's, um, that's part of my brand that incorporates not only the medication, uh, assessments and medication safety, um, but also the health coaching and wellness piece of it, especially if that's your goal. Like, I'm trying to be well as much as I can, live this holistic life as much as possible. Yeah. So just find me on that website and I'm on all the social media platforms as well. Okay.

Darleen Mahoney [00:36:31]:

So we're going to— just for our listeners, we're going to include that link in the description so that you can connect directly with her. So if you're listening, you can definitely find that in the description of the podcasts. Um, so you can connect directly with Dr. Russ and get to know her a little bit more and maybe she can help you on your wellness journey. Absolutely. Yeah, I like it.

Dr. Russ [00:36:53]:

It's virtual.

Darleen Mahoney [00:36:53]:

That's the way to go, so you can connect with anyone anywhere. Perfect, right?

Dr. Russ [00:36:59]:

Yeah, absolutely.

Darleen Mahoney [00:36:59]:

Well, thank you so much for joining us today. If our listeners have enjoyed this podcast, please share it with others that you think will benefit from the information that we provided today. And please check out the rest of our podcasts. We have over 100— I think like 120 right now— podcasts. Um, we've been podcasting for 5 years, and we have so much incredible information that we hope will benefit your lives and the ones you love, check us out. We're available anywhere you listen to podcasts, such as Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and many more. Thanks for listening.