# The Meat That Bites Back: Ticks, Family Microbiomes, and the Cholesterol Test You're Not Getting

An episode of [HEALTH TALK AMERICA](https://invisiblenetwork.ai/podcast/453006069), 14 Sep 2026, 45 min.

Audio: https://dts.podtrac.com/redirect.mp3/api.spreaker.com/download/episode/75124816/bm_091326_3.mp3

A steak dinner turns deadly hours after the fact — and the real culprit isn't food poisoning; it's a tick bite from months earlier. This episode, Dr. Adam Brockman unpacks the strange science of Alpha-gal syndrome, reveals why your household might be sharing more than just a roof (hint: it's bacteria), and breaks down a cholesterol marker that could be catching heart risk your standard labs are missing. Plus: the real story behind honey as a natural immune booster, and why your family's health is more connected than you think.\ Health Headlines of the Week Health Alternative of the Week Health Mystery of the Week

## Transcript

[0:00] Speaker 1: Thank you.
[0:12] Speaker 2: You are listening to Health Talk America. Across the nation,
[0:16] Speaker 2: millions of Americans are searching for real answers to real
[0:19] Speaker 2: health questions, and this is where they find them. Welcome
[0:22] Speaker 2: to the number one health talk radio program in America,
[0:26] Speaker 2: Health Talk America. Your host, Dr. Adam Brockman, doctor of naturopathy,
[0:31] Speaker 2: doctor of chiropractic, and certified specialist in regenerative sports and
[0:36] Speaker 2: anti-aging medicine, joined by Dr. Bob Martin. a chiropractic physician,
[0:41] Speaker 2: board-certified clinical nutritionist, and a diplomate of the American Academy
[0:45] Speaker 2: of Anti-Aging Medicine. We'll be right back. 800-606-8822. That's 800-606-8822.
[1:21] Speaker 2: This is Health Talk America.
[1:27] Speaker 1: Well, hello, and welcome to Health Talk America, the show
[1:31] Speaker 1: that's been separating fact from fad for over 30 years,
[1:34] Speaker 1: one honest headline at a time. I'm Dr. Adam Brockman,
[1:38] Speaker 1: and I've got to tell you, this hour's lineup is packed.
[1:41] Speaker 1: We have your health headlines. your health alternative, and your
[1:45] Speaker 1: health mystery coming up. And we've got a lot to
[1:47] Speaker 1: cover in between. We've got a cholesterol test that might
[1:51] Speaker 1: be smarter than the one your doctor's currently running, a
[1:54] Speaker 1: tick bite that turns hamburgers into the enemy, a sleep
[1:58] Speaker 1: discovery that ties your pillow to your muscle tone, and
[2:03] Speaker 1: cancer numbers that are both encouraging and a little humbling.
[2:07] Speaker 1: And also a weight loss, the medication story that needs
[2:11] Speaker 1: more nuance than the headlines are currently giving it. So
[2:14] Speaker 1: I want you to buckle up. We've got some ground
[2:17] Speaker 1: to cover. But first, the essentials. The phone number is
[2:21] Speaker 1: open this hour and it's open every hour. That's 800- Again,
[2:26] Speaker 1: that's 800-606-8822. And if you want to dive deeper, the
[2:32] Speaker 1: show notes or anything we referenced today, it's all waiting
[2:35] Speaker 1: for you at healthtalkamerica.com. That's healthtalkamerica.com or our toll-free hotline,
[2:41] Speaker 1: which is 800-606-8822. Now, let's go ahead and get into it.
[2:48] Speaker 1: Let's start with our health headlines this week. Let's start
[3:01] Speaker 1: at the heart, literally. For decades, the number everyone's obsessed
[3:05] Speaker 1: with is LDL, and that's your so-called bad cholesterol. It's
[3:10] Speaker 1: the headline stat on every lab report, the thing that
[3:14] Speaker 1: your doctor circles in red pen. But here's the plot
[3:19] Speaker 1: twist I want to tell you about. New research suggests
[3:22] Speaker 1: that LDL might be measuring the wrong thing entirely. Think
[3:26] Speaker 1: of it this way. LDL tells you how much cargo
[3:29] Speaker 1: is on the truck. It doesn't tell you how many
[3:33] Speaker 1: trucks are actually on the road. That's where the marker
[3:36] Speaker 1: called APOB comes in. It counts the particles themselves as
[3:43] Speaker 1: And it turns out that the particle count may predict
[3:46] Speaker 1: heart attack risk far more precisely than the cargo weight
[3:51] Speaker 1: ever could. Talking about the LDL. To people, the same
[3:55] Speaker 1: LDL number, but completely different APOB counts and completely different
[4:02] Speaker 1: risk profiles than the standard panel would ever flag. Now,
[4:07] Speaker 1: if you listen to this show for more than five
[4:09] Speaker 1: minutes at any time, you know exactly where I'm going
[4:13] Speaker 1: to go with this. This is the textbook, normal lab,
[4:17] Speaker 1: hidden risk situation. So here's your homework. If heart disease
[4:22] Speaker 1: runs in your family or you've ever been told that
[4:25] Speaker 1: your cholesterol is borderline, but it's okay right now, ask
[4:30] Speaker 1: for APOB test by the name. It's one extra blood draw.
[4:36] Speaker 1: And it might be the most important line item on
[4:39] Speaker 1: your next physical. And speaking of things that are heightened
[4:42] Speaker 1: in plain sight, let's talk about the tick that's turning
[4:46] Speaker 1: people into accidental vegetarians. And I promise I'm not making
[4:50] Speaker 1: this up. We've covered this on the show before. It's
[4:53] Speaker 1: called alpha-gal syndrome, and the culprit is the bite of
[4:57] Speaker 1: the lone star tick. Though researchers now say that the
[5:01] Speaker 1: geographic region of the tick's capable of triggering this, it's
[5:05] Speaker 1: wider and it's growing. So don't just assume that you're
[5:09] Speaker 1: safe because you're not in a tick country labeled on
[5:14] Speaker 1: a map. Here's the mechanism. The bite introduces a sugar
[5:18] Speaker 1: molecule into your bloodstream. Your immune system builds antibodies to
[5:23] Speaker 1: fight it. And from that point on, your body starts
[5:27] Speaker 1: treating a cheeseburger like it's an intruder. So we're talking
[5:31] Speaker 1: about hives in GI distress, and in some cases, full anaphylaxis.
[5:37] Speaker 1: Sometimes just hours after the meal, which makes the connection
[5:41] Speaker 1: almost impossible to spot on your own right off the bat.
[5:45] Speaker 1: So if you've developed a mysterious reaction to beef, pork,
[5:48] Speaker 1: or lamb, and you spend any real time outdoors, this
[5:52] Speaker 1: is a conversation that you need to have with your doctor.
[5:55] Speaker 1: It's basically this absurd illustration of something that we always
[6:02] Speaker 1: say on the show, Your environment writes those checks, and
[6:06] Speaker 1: eventually your immune system has to cash them. More on
[6:11] Speaker 1: this later. But now let's move on from what's biting
[6:15] Speaker 1: you to what's actually happening while you sleep. Researchers are
[6:21] Speaker 1: zeroing in on the connection between deep, slow-wave sleep and
[6:26] Speaker 1: your body's overnight release of growth hormone, the stuff responsible
[6:30] Speaker 1: for muscle repair and fat metabolism. while you're trying to sleep.
[6:37] Speaker 1: If you skimp on the deep sleep and you're not
[6:41] Speaker 1: just droggy and irritable the next morning, you're also quietly
[6:45] Speaker 1: sabotaging your body's ability to build lean muscle tissue and
[6:49] Speaker 1: burn fat. No matter how clean your diet is or
[6:52] Speaker 1: how hard you hit the gym, deep restorative sleep is key.
[6:56] Speaker 1: And that's the piece a lot of people miss. You
[7:00] Speaker 1: can actually do everything right during the day and still
[7:04] Speaker 1: undercut yourself at night. So protect that deep sleep like
[7:08] Speaker 1: it's part of your training program. Because it essentially is.
[7:12] Speaker 1: A consistent bedtime in a cool, dark room and putting
[7:17] Speaker 1: the phone down, I suggest as much as an hour
[7:20] Speaker 1: before the lights are out. It's boring advice. but it
[7:23] Speaker 1: gets those bulletproof results. All right, let's talk about a
[7:27] Speaker 1: headline that's genuinely good news, but with an asterisk. Cancer mortality, overall,
[7:35] Speaker 1: it continues its long-term decline. And we're talking early detection
[7:39] Speaker 1: and better treatments. And yes, even public health messaging is
[7:44] Speaker 1: actually working. That's worth celebrating, and I don't say that
[7:48] Speaker 1: about every headline that we cover on the show. But
[7:52] Speaker 1: this is an important but, I want to tell you,
[7:56] Speaker 1: that progress isn't landing evenly. Disparities by income, geography, and
[8:02] Speaker 1: access to care mean plenty of communities aren't feeling that
[8:05] Speaker 1: improvement at all. So here's what I think. Don't let
[8:09] Speaker 1: a national average lull you into thinking that someone else
[8:13] Speaker 1: has this handled. If you or a family member has
[8:16] Speaker 1: skipped a screening because of cost or distance or plain fear,
[8:21] Speaker 1: that gap in the data has a face, and it
[8:24] Speaker 1: might be yours. So call your provider. Ask about community
[8:27] Speaker 1: screening programs. Be the reason the next set of statistics
[8:30] Speaker 1: looks even better. And finally today, let's close with a
[8:35] Speaker 1: story that keeps everyone that's watching That isn't a no,
[8:39] Speaker 1: it's talking about. It's the GLP-1 medications. It remains the
[8:46] Speaker 1: biggest weight loss story in the country. And now researchers
[8:50] Speaker 1: are asking a sharper question. How do these drugs actually
[8:55] Speaker 1: perform in older adults where muscle preservation in the bone
[9:00] Speaker 1: density matter just as much as the number on the scale?
[9:04] Speaker 1: So here's the nuance that keeps getting left out of
[9:07] Speaker 1: this conversation. Losing weight quickly without protecting lean muscle can
[9:13] Speaker 1: leave someone lighter but weaker. And weaker is not the goal.
[9:19] Speaker 1: If you're on one of these medications, the GLP-1 medications,
[9:23] Speaker 1: or thinking about starting, don't let this conversation stop at
[9:27] Speaker 1: how much can I lose. Push it further with your provider.
[9:32] Speaker 1: Ask about resistance training, adequate protein, and ongoing monitoring so
[9:38] Speaker 1: the number on the scale doesn't come at the cost
[9:41] Speaker 1: of your strength. So again, here's the rundown. A smart
[9:46] Speaker 1: cholesterol test, a tick with a bizarre grudge against a barbecue,
[9:51] Speaker 1: a sleep muscle connection worth protecting, cancer progress that still
[9:58] Speaker 1: has a gap that's worth closing, and the GLP medication
[10:03] Speaker 1: trend that deserves a fuller conversation than it's getting. So
[10:08] Speaker 1: the five headlines, five conversations that you can start with
[10:12] Speaker 1: yourself this week to be your own best doctor. Okay, folks,
[10:16] Speaker 1: so we've got a full hour ahead, and I want
[10:18] Speaker 1: your calls. The number to call in the show is 800-606-8822, 800-606-8822.
[10:28] Speaker 1: And also everything we cover today is available at healthtalkamerica.com. Again,
[10:34] Speaker 1: that's healthtalkamerica.com. Don't move. We've got a lot more ahead,
[10:39] Speaker 1: and it's worth the wait. We'll be right back here
[10:41] Speaker 1: on Health Talk America. I'm Dr. Adam Brockman.
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[12:09] Speaker 1: And we are back on Health Talk America. I'm Dr.
[12:13] Speaker 1: Adam Brockman, and if you're just joining us or you
[12:16] Speaker 1: stepped away to grab a snack, welcome aboard. Before we
[12:19] Speaker 1: get into what might be an interesting story that sometimes
[12:24] Speaker 1: we just need to bring up, let's get you squared
[12:27] Speaker 1: away with how you can get into the show. The
[12:29] Speaker 1: call-in line is open right now at 800-606-8822. That's 800-606-8822.
[12:37] Speaker 1: And everything we're about to discuss, plus the full library
[12:40] Speaker 1: of past episodes, lives permanently at healthtalkamerica.com. All right, I
[12:47] Speaker 1: want you to think for a second about what you
[12:50] Speaker 1: actually inherit from your family. You know, your eye color, yes.
[12:56] Speaker 1: A tendency to fall asleep during long car rides, maybe.
[13:01] Speaker 1: Grandmother's stubborn streak, almost certainly. But here's one thing you
[13:06] Speaker 1: didn't see coming, and that's your gut bacteria. Not metaphorically, literally.
[13:13] Speaker 1: Researchers have discovered that people who live together, we're talking spouses, kids, roommates,
[13:19] Speaker 1: and whole households, actually swap and share microbiomes with each
[13:25] Speaker 1: other to a degree that would make you look twice
[13:29] Speaker 1: at the dinner table tonight. Let's start with a number.
[13:33] Speaker 1: Couples living together share roughly 30% of their gut bacteria.
[13:39] Speaker 1: So again, that's 30%. Not because they're eating identical diets.
[13:44] Speaker 1: The research shows that even when partners eat completely different meals,
[13:51] Speaker 1: this happens from proximity. We're talking about sharing a kitchen area.
[13:55] Speaker 1: a bathroom, a bed, breathing the same air, touching the
[14:00] Speaker 1: same doorknobs, and it doesn't just stop at the gut.
[14:05] Speaker 1: Couples share up to 38% of their oral microbiome and
[14:10] Speaker 1: around 35% of their skin microbiome. So in plain English,
[14:16] Speaker 1: after enough years together, you and your spouse are running
[14:21] Speaker 1: significantly overlapping bacterial ecosystems. Somewhere out there, you know, you're
[14:28] Speaker 1: thinking this. Now, follow me here. A divorce attorney just
[14:33] Speaker 1: realized that they need to figure out how they're going
[14:36] Speaker 1: to split up the microbiome, the microbes in the body, right? Now,
[14:42] Speaker 1: before you start eyeing your family with suspicion, here's the
[14:48] Speaker 1: part that actually matters. Most of this sharing is a feature.
[14:53] Speaker 1: It's not a bug. So a rich, diverse microbiome, one
[14:58] Speaker 1: that's been cross-pollinating by the people around you, it's been
[15:04] Speaker 1: linked to lower risk of things like irritable bowel syndrome
[15:09] Speaker 1: and even certain cardiovascular issues. So your body isn't just
[15:13] Speaker 1: tolerating this bacterial exchange. It may genuinely be benefiting from it.
[15:20] Speaker 1: So diversity... It turns out it's not some nice philosophical idea.
[15:26] Speaker 1: It's biology working exactly the way it's supposed to. Now,
[15:31] Speaker 1: here's where the story gets even bigger than the couch.
[15:35] Speaker 1: Researchers pulled microbiome samples from families across more than 20
[15:41] Speaker 1: countries and found two distinct pathways of bacterial inheritance. The
[15:46] Speaker 1: first is what we call vertical transmission. And that's mothers
[15:50] Speaker 1: passing along the microbiome, the makeup of it, to their
[15:54] Speaker 1: children in remarkably... that their maternal fingerprint can still be
[16:00] Speaker 1: detected well into adulthood. So decades after you've moved out,
[16:06] Speaker 1: you've gotten married, and you started eating things that your
[16:09] Speaker 1: mother would absolutely not approve of, traces of her microbiome,
[16:15] Speaker 1: the influence of it, are apparently still riding around inside you.
[16:20] Speaker 1: So somewhere, mothers, they're nodding and saying, I told you
[16:26] Speaker 1: I'm always with you. And the second pathway is horizontal transmission.
[16:31] Speaker 1: The sharing that happens between people simply living in close quarters,
[16:37] Speaker 1: regardless of blood relation. So again, we're talking roommates and
[16:42] Speaker 1: partners and kids swapping bacteria with their siblings. And honestly,
[16:48] Speaker 1: probably with a family dog too, though that is some
[16:53] Speaker 1: research that still needs to catch up. The point is,
[16:58] Speaker 1: Your household isn't just a group of people who happen
[17:02] Speaker 1: to share the same address. Biologically speaking, you're operating as
[17:07] Speaker 1: something closer to a single interconnected ecosystem. So if you
[17:11] Speaker 1: think of your home less like five separate apartments under
[17:15] Speaker 1: one roof and more like a coral reef where every
[17:19] Speaker 1: organism influences the water everyone else is swimming in. And
[17:25] Speaker 1: this isn't purely a human phenomenon either, which is the
[17:30] Speaker 1: part of this that makes it so fascinating. Scientists studying
[17:35] Speaker 1: multi-generational households found that the degree of bacterial overlap actually
[17:41] Speaker 1: tracks with how much physical time people spend together, meaning
[17:46] Speaker 1: that your teenager who slams the door and disappears to
[17:50] Speaker 1: their room for 18 hours a day quite literally may
[17:54] Speaker 1: be drifting apart from the family microbiome right along with
[17:58] Speaker 1: everything else. So there's something almost poetic about that. Presence
[18:05] Speaker 1: isn't just an emotional currency in the family. It turns
[18:08] Speaker 1: out to be a biological currency as well. So what
[18:13] Speaker 1: do we actually do with this? Well, here's my take.
[18:16] Speaker 1: And I think here's why I think this story matters
[18:20] Speaker 1: more than it sounds like on the surface. We spend
[18:24] Speaker 1: so much time and energy talking about individual health, your diet,
[18:30] Speaker 1: your exercise, your supplements, your sleep, as if each person
[18:35] Speaker 1: in a household is running their own isolated experiment. But
[18:39] Speaker 1: this research says otherwise. Family wellness isn't just a nice
[18:45] Speaker 1: phrase for everyone to eat their vegetables. It's a biological reality.
[18:51] Speaker 1: When one person in your house overhauls their diet, starting
[18:56] Speaker 1: with maybe fermenting their own vegetables or brings home a
[19:00] Speaker 1: dog that's tracked in half the backyard into the living room,
[19:05] Speaker 1: they're quite literally changing the internal ecosystem of everyone else
[19:10] Speaker 1: living there too. And here's the flip side worth sitting on.
[19:16] Speaker 1: This cuts both ways. Chronic stress and poor sleep and
[19:20] Speaker 1: processed low-fiber diets don't just affect the person that's eating them.
[19:25] Speaker 1: There's growing reason to believe that these patterns ripple outward
[19:31] Speaker 1: into the shared household in the microbiome as well. So
[19:35] Speaker 1: not in a blame your spouse kind of way, nobody's
[19:39] Speaker 1: microbiome shaming anyone right now, but in a way that
[19:44] Speaker 1: we're actually in this together. If you've ever wondered why
[19:50] Speaker 1: an entire household seems to catch the same stomach bug
[19:53] Speaker 1: or share the same sensitivities or even mirror each other's
[19:58] Speaker 1: energy levels, this research offers a genuinely compelling piece of
[20:03] Speaker 1: that puzzle. It It might also explain why some households
[20:07] Speaker 1: seem to weather cold and flu season as a unit.
[20:11] Speaker 1: Either everyone gets hit or almost nobody does. It's shared
[20:15] Speaker 1: exposure and it's shared defenses. So here's my prescription. It's
[20:21] Speaker 1: a fun one. Treat your family's health like a shared garden,
[20:26] Speaker 1: not separate flowerpots. Cook real food together. Get outside together.
[20:33] Speaker 1: If somebody in the house wants to start fermenting sauerkraut
[20:36] Speaker 1: in the kitchen and it smells like a science experiment
[20:39] Speaker 1: that's gone rogue, let them because they might be quietly
[20:43] Speaker 1: upgrading everybody's gut health in the process. And if you've
[20:47] Speaker 1: got young kids, know that your time that you're spending
[20:51] Speaker 1: with them now is more than just shaping memories. It's
[20:55] Speaker 1: shaping their internal biology. And that's one thing. shared meal
[20:59] Speaker 1: or one muddy hug at a time. It's one of
[21:03] Speaker 1: these stories that starts as this quirky fact and it
[21:07] Speaker 1: ends as a genuine reminder that health in a household
[21:11] Speaker 1: isn't just parallel, it's connected. You are, in this very
[21:15] Speaker 1: real sense, sharing more with the people that are around
[21:19] Speaker 1: you than you ever realized. So the next time someone
[21:22] Speaker 1: in your family finally convinces the rest of the house
[21:25] Speaker 1: to eat more fiber, don't roll your eyes. Say thank you.
[21:29] Speaker 1: That might be more help for your gut than what
[21:34] Speaker 1: you're giving your partner or your family member credit for. Okay,
[21:38] Speaker 1: so we've got a lot more ahead this hour, and
[21:40] Speaker 1: I want to hear from you. Call us 800-606-8822. And remember,
[21:44] Speaker 1: everything from today's show is archived and ready for you
[21:47] Speaker 1: at healthtalkamerica.com. Stick around. We'll be right back. You're back
[22:09] Speaker 1: with Health Talk America. I'm Dr. Adam Brockman, and I've
[22:12] Speaker 1: got a sweet one for you today, quite literally. It's
[22:15] Speaker 1: one of those health alternatives that sounds almost too simple
[22:19] Speaker 1: to matter, and yet the research behind it is more
[22:22] Speaker 1: interesting than you'd expect. But before we get to that,
[22:26] Speaker 1: let's reset how you can get in touch with us
[22:29] Speaker 1: for anyone just tuning in. The line into the show,
[22:32] Speaker 1: it's open. It's 800-606-8822. That's 800-606-8822. 606-8822, and you can
[22:40] Speaker 1: find every resource, every reference, and every past episode that
[22:44] Speaker 1: we produced available, and that is at healthtalkamerica.com. That's healthtalkamerica.com,
[22:52] Speaker 1: our toll-free hotline, which is 800-606-8822. If you got a
[22:58] Speaker 1: health question that's burned a hole in your pocket, now's
[23:01] Speaker 1: the time to dial in because we love nothing more
[23:04] Speaker 1: than working through your real world questions on air. Man,
[23:09] Speaker 1: before we get to today's health alternative, I want to
[23:11] Speaker 1: take a moment to talk about something I genuinely believe in.
[23:15] Speaker 1: And with that, let's talk about your mouth for a second,
[23:18] Speaker 1: because here's something most people never think about, and that's
[23:21] Speaker 1: oral health in the whole body health that is far
[23:25] Speaker 1: more connected than we give it credit for. And that's
[23:29] Speaker 1: exactly why I want to tell you about Spry. Spry
[23:32] Speaker 1: makes oral care products that are functionally powered by xylitol.
[23:37] Speaker 1: And that's a natural sugar that doesn't Just avoid feeding
[23:42] Speaker 1: the bacteria that causes cavities. It actively works against them.
[23:47] Speaker 1: And most gum and mints on the shelf are loaded
[23:49] Speaker 1: with sugar or artificial sweeteners that do your teeth zero favors.
[23:54] Speaker 1: Spry flips that entirely. Their chewing gum, the mints, and
[23:59] Speaker 1: the toothpaste... uses xylitol as that star ingredient. It helps
[24:04] Speaker 1: to reduce the harmful bacteria that's responsible for plaque, cavities,
[24:09] Speaker 1: and bad breath, while also supporting saliva production, which is
[24:14] Speaker 1: your mouth's natural defense system working the way that it's
[24:18] Speaker 1: supposed to with xylitol. And here's what I appreciate most.
[24:22] Speaker 1: Spry isn't just chasing a trend, they're addressing a root cause.
[24:27] Speaker 1: Dry mouth, bacterial overgrowth, enamel erosion. Those aren't just cosmetic issues.
[24:34] Speaker 1: They're gateways to bigger inflammation problems that can ripple into
[24:39] Speaker 1: your overall health. And taking care of your mouth is
[24:42] Speaker 1: taking care of your body. And Spry's product line is
[24:46] Speaker 1: simple and it's clean. Gum, mints, toothpaste, even oral rinses,
[24:51] Speaker 1: all built around the same philosophy of working with your
[24:55] Speaker 1: body's chemistry and not against it. No artificial dyes or chemicals,
[25:00] Speaker 1: no unnecessary junk. It's just a smarter way to protect
[25:03] Speaker 1: your smile every single day. So if you've been chewing
[25:07] Speaker 1: the same sugar-loaded gum out of habit or brushing with
[25:11] Speaker 1: a toothpaste that's more foam than function, it's time for
[25:14] Speaker 1: that upgrade. Look for Spry wherever you shop for natural
[25:18] Speaker 1: health products, including CVS, Target, Sprouts, and natural grocers. Or
[25:23] Speaker 1: visit their website to learn more about the full line.
[25:26] Speaker 1: The website is clear.com. That's spelled X-L-E-A-R.com. They are the
[25:32] Speaker 1: same makers of Clear Nasal Sprays, also powered by Xylitol,
[25:36] Speaker 1: which you should try as well. That's clear.com for Clear
[25:41] Speaker 1: Nasal Sprays in the Spry Dental Defense System. All right,
[25:45] Speaker 1: let's get into this week's health alternative of the week.
[26:07] Speaker 1: This week's health alternatives is organic raw honey and its
[26:11] Speaker 1: underrated role in immune and gut health. Here's a number
[26:16] Speaker 1: that stopped me in my tracks. The average American consumes
[26:19] Speaker 1: over 150 pounds of refined sugar a year, while one
[26:24] Speaker 1: of nature's most powerful immune-supportive sweeteners sits quietly on the
[26:30] Speaker 1: shelf right next to it. So today, we're talking about
[26:33] Speaker 1: a real raw honey, not the ultra-processed, the heat-treated syrup
[26:39] Speaker 1: that's masquerading as honey at the bottom shelf, but the
[26:42] Speaker 1: genuine article. Here's why raw honey deserves a second look.
[26:48] Speaker 1: Unlike refined sugar, which offers your body nothing but a
[26:52] Speaker 1: fast spike and an equally fast crash, raw honey retains
[26:57] Speaker 1: natural enzymes and trace antioxidants in small amounts of pollen
[27:02] Speaker 1: that some research links to reduce seasonal allergy sensitivity. So
[27:08] Speaker 1: it's a training your immune system effect from a repeated
[27:12] Speaker 1: low dose exposure of raw honey. It's also documented that
[27:17] Speaker 1: its antimicrobial properties, raw honey, it's been used topically for
[27:22] Speaker 1: wound care for generations. And there's decent evidence that it
[27:26] Speaker 1: can soothe a scratchy throat and calm a nagging cough
[27:30] Speaker 1: more effectively than many over-the-counter seers. In fact, Some pediatric
[27:35] Speaker 1: studies have found honey outperforms common cold suppressant ingredients for
[27:40] Speaker 1: nighttime cough relief in children over one year old, which
[27:45] Speaker 1: tells you something about how underestimated the substance really is.
[27:49] Speaker 1: There's also a gut health angle that doesn't get nearly
[27:54] Speaker 1: enough attention. Raw honey contains natural prebiotic compounds that can
[28:01] Speaker 1: help feed the beneficial bacteria that's living in your digestive tract.
[28:05] Speaker 1: Remember our conversation earlier this hour about shared family microbiomes?
[28:10] Speaker 1: This is one of those small everyday inputs that can
[28:14] Speaker 1: nudge your internal ecosystem in a healthier direction. And that's
[28:18] Speaker 1: one spoonful at a time. But all this matters, not
[28:24] Speaker 1: all honey. on the shelf is created equal. A lot
[28:29] Speaker 1: of commercial honey is ultra filtered and heat processed, which
[28:33] Speaker 1: strips out much of what makes it beneficial in the
[28:36] Speaker 1: first place, leaving you with something that's nutritionally closer to
[28:40] Speaker 1: corn syrup than real honey. And some studies have even
[28:44] Speaker 1: found a portion of imported honey on the store shelves
[28:46] Speaker 1: is cut with cheap sweeteners entirely. So If you're going
[28:52] Speaker 1: to make the swap, look for raw, unfiltered, and ideally
[28:56] Speaker 1: local honey because local matters because of that pollen profile,
[29:00] Speaker 1: which will match closer to what is actually triggering your
[29:04] Speaker 1: seasonal allergies in that particular area, which is exactly that
[29:09] Speaker 1: low-dose exposure effect that we're after. So here's my practical prescription.
[29:14] Speaker 1: Try swapping refined sugar for raw honey in your tea bag.
[29:18] Speaker 1: your morning oatmeal, or your homemade dressings. A spoonful before
[29:23] Speaker 1: bed can also support and help you sleep better for
[29:27] Speaker 1: some people since the natural sugars help to regulate that
[29:31] Speaker 1: liver glycogen overnight, potentially reducing that middle-of-the-night cortisol spikes that
[29:36] Speaker 1: jolt some people awake at 3 a.m. And one other
[29:40] Speaker 1: important caveat, because safety always comes first on the show,
[29:46] Speaker 1: raw honey should never be given to children under one
[29:48] Speaker 1: year old. And for everyone else, in reasonable amounts, it's
[29:52] Speaker 1: one of the simplest, most enjoyable upgrades that you can
[29:55] Speaker 1: make in your pantry. Remember, your immune system is incredibly sophisticated.
[30:00] Speaker 1: It just needs the right fuel in the right environment
[30:03] Speaker 1: to do its job. You don't have to overhaul your
[30:06] Speaker 1: entire diet overnight, but you do need to make consistent
[30:10] Speaker 1: intentional swaps. And if you're looking for high quality, raw,
[30:15] Speaker 1: unfiltered honey, natural grocers is a great place to start.
[30:19] Speaker 1: They hold their products to strict quality standards, free of
[30:22] Speaker 1: synthetic additives and unnecessary processing. You'll find other places and
[30:27] Speaker 1: their staff can help you find the real thing. Raw honey,
[30:30] Speaker 1: that's your health alternative of the week. Something that is
[30:34] Speaker 1: just an easy, powerful upgrade. And it's not a supplement.
[30:38] Speaker 1: It's putting the real version of something that you already
[30:41] Speaker 1: love back on the table. We'll be right back. You're
[30:43] Speaker 1: listening to Health Talk America. Do you know about your
[30:59] Speaker 1: body's most important signaling molecule? It's called nitric oxide, and
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[31:56] Speaker 1: 888-4435 or go online to N101. com. That's N101. com. I'm Dr.
[32:03] Speaker 1: Adam Brockman, host of Health Talk America, the nation's number
[32:06] Speaker 1: one health talk radio show. And today I want to
[32:09] Speaker 1: talk to men who are watching their hair disappear and
[32:11] Speaker 1: wondering if anything actually works. Here's what I tell my listeners.
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[33:03] Speaker 1: get started today. Welcome back to Health Talk America. I'm Dr.
[33:18] Speaker 1: Adam Brockman, and this next segment is one of my
[33:20] Speaker 1: favorite kinds to bring you. It's a genuine, it's a
[33:23] Speaker 1: medical mystery, and the kind that had doctors scratching their
[33:27] Speaker 1: heads before the pieces finally clicked into place. And if
[33:31] Speaker 1: you're just tuning in, the call in line for your
[33:33] Speaker 1: health questions, it's open and it's 800-606-8822. That's 800-606-8822. And
[33:41] Speaker 1: also every past episode and reference that we mentioned today
[33:45] Speaker 1: is archived and it's waiting for you at healthtalkamerica.com. That's healthtalkamerica.com.
[33:52] Speaker 1: Also our toll-free hotline, 800-606-8822. Okay, it's time for our
[33:58] Speaker 1: health mystery of the week. Okay, I want to set
[34:09] Speaker 1: the scene. I want you to picture a man in
[34:11] Speaker 1: his mid-40s. He's healthy, he's active, and there's no major
[34:16] Speaker 1: medical history to speak of. He goes camping with friends,
[34:19] Speaker 1: and he does what people do at campsites everywhere. He
[34:22] Speaker 1: cooks up a steak over the fire. He eats well
[34:26] Speaker 1: and he sleeps under the stars. But hours later, something
[34:30] Speaker 1: goes terribly wrong. Not immediately. That's the detail that makes
[34:35] Speaker 1: this case so strange. It's not until well into the night,
[34:39] Speaker 1: long after the meal, that his body starts reacting violently.
[34:44] Speaker 1: I'm talking severe allergic symptoms and a cascade that ultimately
[34:49] Speaker 1: proves fatal. And here's the twist that took investigators time
[34:54] Speaker 1: to untangle. The culprit wasn't the steak itself, and it
[34:58] Speaker 1: wasn't food poisoning. The real trigger happened weeks, maybe months earlier,
[35:04] Speaker 1: from something far smaller than that cow, and it was
[35:07] Speaker 1: a tick bite. And this case became one of the
[35:10] Speaker 1: first documented deaths tied to a condition called alpha-gal syndrome,
[35:15] Speaker 1: and it is, without exaggeration, one of the strangest allergic
[35:20] Speaker 1: conditions in modern medicine. So here's the mechanism. Certain ticks,
[35:25] Speaker 1: most notably the Lone Star tick, it carries a sugar
[35:28] Speaker 1: molecule called alpha-gal in the saliva. And when the tick
[35:32] Speaker 1: bites you, your immune system encounters this molecule, and then
[35:36] Speaker 1: some people decide it's a threat worth remembering. It builds
[35:41] Speaker 1: antibodies against it. The problem is the same sugar molecule,
[35:45] Speaker 1: that alpha-gal, is found throughout the tissue of mammals. venison,
[35:54] Speaker 1: essentially anything that is considered red meat. So your immune system,
[35:59] Speaker 1: now primed to attack alpha-gal whenever it finds it, treats
[36:04] Speaker 1: your dinner like it's an abating pathogen. And here's what
[36:08] Speaker 1: makes this genuinely mysterious from a diagnosis standpoint. the reaction
[36:13] Speaker 1: isn't immediate. With most food allergies, you eat the trigger
[36:18] Speaker 1: and you know within minutes. The swelling, the hives, the
[36:21] Speaker 1: trouble breathing, it's fast and it's obvious. But alpha-gal syndrome
[36:25] Speaker 1: plays a much slower, a much sneakier game. Symptoms typically
[36:31] Speaker 1: don't show up for three to six hours after the meal.
[36:34] Speaker 1: So someone can eat a burger at a barbecue, feel
[36:37] Speaker 1: completely fine, go through their evening and then wake up
[36:40] Speaker 1: in the middle of the night with hives or stomach
[36:43] Speaker 1: cramps or in severe cases, full anaphylaxis. Shock. And this is,
[36:50] Speaker 1: you know, they have no absolutely any idea what triggered
[36:53] Speaker 1: it because the culprit, the meal itself was hours in
[36:57] Speaker 1: the rearview mirror. So for years, this delay sent patients
[37:01] Speaker 1: and doctors chasing the wrong leads entirely. And we're talking
[37:05] Speaker 1: food poisoning, stomach viruses, stress, anything but this tick bite.
[37:11] Speaker 1: And the scope of this mystery is far bigger than
[37:15] Speaker 1: what most people realize. The CDC estimates close to 450,000
[37:20] Speaker 1: Americans may be affected. And that number is almost certainly
[37:24] Speaker 1: an undercount because the condition is isn't nationally tracked and
[37:28] Speaker 1: the delayed symptoms make it easy to miss. Even more concerning,
[37:33] Speaker 1: researchers have documented what they are calling an explosive rise
[37:38] Speaker 1: in the cases, with the positive antibody test climbing roughly
[37:43] Speaker 1: 100-fold over the past decade. And this isn't staying confined
[37:48] Speaker 1: to a traditionally tick-heavy southeastern United States anymore. The geography
[37:55] Speaker 1: of it, the footprint is expanding, which means doctors in
[37:58] Speaker 1: regions that never used to worry about this are now
[38:01] Speaker 1: seeing cases walk through their door with no framework for
[38:05] Speaker 1: recognizing them. So, who tends to get caught in this
[38:09] Speaker 1: particular medical mystery? In arresting The research is showing that
[38:15] Speaker 1: the typical patient profile skews toward older adults, more often women,
[38:20] Speaker 1: and frequently the people who have already had this history
[38:24] Speaker 1: of tick-borne illnesses like Lyme disease or existing food allergies.
[38:29] Speaker 1: If that describes you or someone in your family or
[38:32] Speaker 1: you've noticed unexplained hives, GI distress, or allergic reactions that
[38:38] Speaker 1: seem to have no obvious trigger, especially ones that show
[38:42] Speaker 1: up hours after a meal rather than the minutes, this
[38:46] Speaker 1: is worth raising directly with your doctor and specifically asking
[38:51] Speaker 1: about alpha-gal antibody testing. So here's the part of that
[38:56] Speaker 1: mystery that I think matters most to you listening right now.
[38:58] Speaker 1: There's no cure, just time. Management is entirely avoidance, cutting
[39:03] Speaker 1: out the red meat, sometimes dairy, and in some cases,
[39:07] Speaker 1: even being cautious with certain medications and vaccines that use
[39:11] Speaker 1: the animal-derived ingredients. But the good news, once it's identified,
[39:18] Speaker 1: the condition is completely manageable. Poultry, seafood, eggs, and plant-based
[39:23] Speaker 1: proteins are still on the table. But the real danger
[39:26] Speaker 1: isn't the allergy itself. It's not knowing it exists in
[39:29] Speaker 1: the first place. So in practice, I've had great success
[39:33] Speaker 1: with acupuncture. So if you're affected, please look for a
[39:36] Speaker 1: local provider that can administer acupuncture for allergies and the
[39:40] Speaker 1: proper protocol that's associated with that. That's been our health
[39:44] Speaker 1: mystery for today, the meat that bites back in the
[39:48] Speaker 1: six-legged culprit behind it. So we've got more ahead. Call us, 800-606-8822.
[39:54] Speaker 1: And everything available today is at healthtalkamerica.com. We'll be right back. Dr.
[40:05] Speaker 1: Adam Brockman here. You've heard us say it before. Your
[40:08] Speaker 1: mouth is the gateway to your body's health. But what
[40:11] Speaker 1: if your dental problems could actually be repaired, not just patched?
[40:16] Speaker 1: If you're struggling with painful gums, jawbone loss, implant failure,
[40:20] Speaker 1: or chronic dental infections, don't settle for more drilling or
[40:24] Speaker 1: medications that just mask the problem. At American Holistic Care Center,
[40:29] Speaker 1: healing starts from the inside out. Imagine regenerating healthy gum
[40:34] Speaker 1: and bone tissue, eliminating toxic materials, and in restoring balance
[40:39] Speaker 1: to your entire body, starting with your smile. Call now
[40:43] Speaker 1: to schedule your consultation at 877-207-0824. That's 877-207-0824 or visit AmericanHolisticCare.com
[40:46] Speaker 1: because your smile is more than cosmetic. It's a reflection
[40:50] Speaker 1: of your whole body health. AmericanHolisticCare.com. And that brings us
[41:17] Speaker 1: to the close of another hour of Health Talk America.
[41:20] Speaker 1: I'm Dr. Adam Brockman, and I want to say this
[41:23] Speaker 1: was one of those hours that reminded me why I
[41:26] Speaker 1: love doing this show. We covered a lot of ground today,
[41:29] Speaker 1: and I mean it. We opened with the health headlines
[41:33] Speaker 1: that range from a smarter cholesterol marker your doctor might
[41:37] Speaker 1: not be checking to a sleep muscle connection most people
[41:41] Speaker 1: have never even considered. Then we went even deeper into
[41:46] Speaker 1: that family wellness story. The idea that your household isn't
[41:51] Speaker 1: just sharing a roof, you're sharing a microbiome, quietly shaping
[41:56] Speaker 1: each other's health in ways science is now only catching
[42:00] Speaker 1: up to. Then we swapped out the pantry with a
[42:04] Speaker 1: health alternative that's been sitting around on the grocery store
[42:08] Speaker 1: shelves the whole time, and that's real raw honey. And
[42:12] Speaker 1: it does more for your immune system than most people
[42:15] Speaker 1: give it credit for. And then we closed out with
[42:18] Speaker 1: a genuine medical mystery, that alpha-gal syndrome, the tick-borne allergy
[42:24] Speaker 1: that turned one man's steak dinner into a case study
[42:28] Speaker 1: doctors are still learning from. So if there's one thread
[42:33] Speaker 1: running through all of it, it's this, that your body
[42:37] Speaker 1: is constantly sending you information. And so is the world
[42:41] Speaker 1: around you, whether that's ticks, your table, your sleep, even
[42:46] Speaker 1: your family. Health isn't one big decision that you make
[42:50] Speaker 1: just one time. It's a hundred small informed choices that
[42:55] Speaker 1: are made consistently that add up to something real. And
[42:59] Speaker 1: I want to say thank you to everyone who has
[43:03] Speaker 1: called in who's emailed, who's sent in a question today,
[43:07] Speaker 1: and all of you that are listening. This show only
[43:11] Speaker 1: works because you show up with real curiosity and real questions.
[43:16] Speaker 1: And honestly, some of the best material we cover starts
[43:20] Speaker 1: with something a listener noticed in their own life that
[43:23] Speaker 1: science hadn't quite caught yet. Keep those questions coming. That's
[43:30] Speaker 1: not just a nice sentiment. It's how this show gets
[43:33] Speaker 1: better every single week. And before we sign off, let's
[43:37] Speaker 1: lock in one more time. If you want to reach us,
[43:41] Speaker 1: call us at 800-606-8822. That's 800-606-8822. And also for show notes,
[43:50] Speaker 1: for references, for past episodes, and everything we discussed today,
[43:54] Speaker 1: I want you to head over to healthtalkamerica.com. Bookmark it,
[44:00] Speaker 1: share it with a friend. Share it with someone who
[44:02] Speaker 1: needs it. And if you missed anything this hour, it'll
[44:06] Speaker 1: be waiting for you there. Again, that's healthtalkamerica.com. So that
[44:12] Speaker 1: is it for this hour, friends. Be curious about your
[44:15] Speaker 1: own body and be proactive about the things that you
[44:20] Speaker 1: have control over. Your sleep, your food, your movement, and yes,
[44:26] Speaker 1: even your tick checks. Small steps consistently taken are how
[44:32] Speaker 1: real health gets built. I'm Dr. Adam Brockman. Thank you
[44:36] Speaker 1: for spending this hour with us. We'll see you next
[44:38] Speaker 1: week right back here on Health Talk America. Until then,
[44:42] Speaker 1: stay well, stay informed, and keep asking the questions that matter.

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