DoctorOz: B. Smith's Alzheimer's Diagnosis: Understanding the Impact | S6 | Ep 39 | Full Episode

Today on Dr. Oz, legendary model, restaurateur, and TV host Bee Smith on the diagnosis that shattered her world. I have Alzheimer's. How did you first begin to figure out there was something going on here? With her husband by her side. When she has Alzheimer's, I have Alzheimer's. How their story inspires others. And we're going to fight back. Coming up next on Dr. Oz. Bee Smith is a true pioneer. She took the modeling world by storm, became a famous restaurateur, and a successful TV host. But now, she's been diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease. And she's welcoming our cameras into her home, bravely sharing her story. As a model, Bee Smith became the first black woman to land on the cover of Mademoiselle. I'm Bee Smith. Capitalizing on her good looks and flair for design, she went on to build a lifestyle empire. So if you're just starting out, you might want to get... She was even called the Black Martha Stewart. You look fabulous. But at the peak of her success, Bee started forgetting things and was unable to multitask. She went to see her doctor, and the diagnosis was devastating. At 60 years old, brain scans showed Bee Smith was suffering from early onset Alzheimer's. When you're used to doing things, and doing a lot of things at one time, it feels like the air has been taken out of you, and you're not quite the lady that you were. You're not making tea with that barb. What are we making it with? Oh, you can't... I know, but... Now, four years after her diagnosis, Bee's once busy life with husband Dan has slowed down considerably. I'll take it over. Okay. And Dan is now her primary caregiver. I'm actually more of a homebody, and my husband would like me to cook a little quicker. I know how fluid and how easy she made things look, and now that's not the same, and so I forget at times. To keep Bee's mind stimulated... You're going to read it out loud, right? Yeah, I am going to read it out loud. Dan reads the paper with her every day. Few people have ever visited Oak Spring Farms and Grand Home. Oh, that's not good. They also do word games. Clam. Okay, great. What word is this? Not always successfully. Ape. J-U-N-K. Come here, big boy. Dan and Bee have been married 22 years, but make no mistake, this is the biggest challenge their marriage has faced. Anyone that thinks going through this is a walk in the park, it's not. Well, look, I'm reading it, Dan. I'm trying to figure out what I do want. You're expecting what you had, but you don't have what you had, but you still have her. It makes me feel the way I am right now, tearful. Because I don't want him, you know... You know, this is the tough part of it. I mean, we know that we're in a fight. I mean, and we're going to fight back. Bee Smith and her husband, Dan Gaspi, are here. You okay? Yes, I am. I don't want to upset you. I just want to talk a little bit about something. You're so brave. Well, thank you. You just recently told the world that you had this diagnosis. Right. How have you been feeling? Actually, I feel very good. I've been working out a little bit, cooking a little bit, doing, you know, all types of things with the family and the family dog. So, I'm trying to keep our life going forward on the same plane that it always has been. Four years ago, when you first began to find out about this, what were your symptoms? I wasn't the woman that I've always been. I was very, at the time, I didn't understand what was going on myself until I finally got to the doctors and we started talking. And that's where I finally understood that I had Alzheimer's disease. And I understand at the very beginning, you didn't even tell the man of your life, Dan, about the diagnosis. Why were you hesitant? Well, I didn't want him to have to go through what I was going through. But when you have a significant other, at some point, it's going to come together where the person figures out that there is something wrong. The great thing about my wife, about Sweetie, is that she has always been very independent. She has always been a person that figures out how to do things regardless. She could come down a flight of stairs, wear a gown, cook, sing, go back up the stairs. And everything that she did was effortless because she was gracious and she was a decent person and you knew it wasn't a facade. So how did you first begin to figure out there was something going on here? What did you think was happening in the beginning four years ago? Well, you get little signs of difference. And by that, I mean things that are forgotten. Being on time becomes sort of, you think, laissez-faire. And if you don't know what's going on, was she burnt out? Is she tired? Does she need a vacation? And you do those things and then you still have that. Well, why is she cooking so slowly today? There's a guy for you. I mean, she would normally whip things up at hyperspeed and she could just take things out of the refrigerator that were leftovers and make them look like a four-course meal from a Parisian restaurant. As someone who has responsibilities as a caregiver, what are the biggest challenges? Well, you have to learn the language of patience. And that's a tough thing when you're an A-type personality, which I am, and she is too. It's frustrating. I feel like I'm causing pain for you, Bea, and I don't want to. You're not causing pain. I just get a little emotional. Well, there's a lot to be emotional about. You've done everything we've heard already perfectly in the past. Why did you feel compelled to come forward and talk about this, even though you knew it would make you uncomfortable? Well, I've seen quite a few people go through many different things health-wise. And it's not like television. You just want to turn it off and turn it on. I want people to understand that Alzheimer's is something that is really... And anybody can get it. People tend to think of Alzheimer's as the older person who says, get off my lawn. But the reality is there are now people in their late 40s who have early-onset Alzheimer's. I know a guy who's in his mid-50s who's a mathematical genius, and he doesn't know what year it is or what the day is, if you ask him. And when you look within the African-American population, they're twice as likely to have Alzheimer's as the general population or non-African-American population. And what gives? Well, what scares me and what gives to me is I think about so many heads of household who are women, who are the backbone of African-American society. And if grandma or auntie or mom gets it, and she's the main breadwinner or she is the one who's instilling discipline and education in the kids, and she can't do it herself, and the taboo that sort of people think, well, you know, you've got a mental problem you don't talk about. And so we talked about it, and we said that, you know, honestly, be honest. The straightest line between two points is the truth. And let people know, because this is not something that can be swept under the rug. Bless you for doing that. Let me, if I can, I have a wonderful physician here, Dr. Mary Sono. She's the director of the Alzheimer's Disease Research Group at Monsanto Hospital in New York. That's where Bea is being treated. If you don't mind, share with the audience why early testing makes a difference, why so many folks who aren't sure if this is their problem ought to at least make sure they know what's going on. It's really important to get early testing. It gives you an opportunity to get the treatments that exist. There are treatments out there, and they can help. They're not cures, but they make a difference. And the earlier you get them, the more benefit you're likely to get. And why is it that African Americans have twice the incidence of Alzheimer's? Well, it's something that we're not sure about. But in particular, we know that African Americans get more diabetes, more heart disease, more hypertension. And those things may make it more apparent when they have some cognitive problems. It doesn't cause Alzheimer's disease, but it might make it more apparent. Also, they're hesitant to get help and to get medical attention. And so there's an opportunity. Let's change that now. We knew that it was important to get help. We did. How is an illness like this, which tears apart families so often, affected the two of you and your relationship? Well, honey, you want to? Well, I think that our relationship is so strong that Dan has had to put up a lot with me. I had to do that anyway, but that's okay. Can I take that shopping? Yes. Yes, exactly right. But okay, where were we? Well, you know, the thing that's critical, Doctor, is the time, like what the good doctor over there says, that time that you know something could be happening and the time it's fully blown to the point there's no discussion. And that's a critical time because when we were going through that whole period, and I call it a WTF period, you don't know why you're doing things and you can't make you try to rationalize and you realize it's not the person. It's the disease. I think if anything, you know, Sweetie and I understand in life that, you know, everybody's given a deck of cards and you get to play a hand. We got a tough hand, but we're going to play it to the best of our abilities. Yes, we are. I can't tell you how honored I am that you're willing to share your story on our set. I appreciate it. Best of luck to you. Thank you. Love you all. Love you. It's moving in the right direction. I'm proud of that. Thank you. If you'd like more information on Alzheimer's test, you can go to DoctorHours.com. We have lots of stuff there. I'll be right back. Coming up next... Cutting-edge news. Three new blood pressure breakthroughs that may prevent yours from affecting your health. How your weight and the number five could have a major effect on your blood pressure. Coming up next... The enterovirus. With more than 500 infected all across America. How can you protect your kids? The warning signs to look out for. All new Dr. Oz. That's coming up tomorrow. Breaking news about blood pressure. And what truly excites me, three new breakthroughs that might prevent yours from affecting your health. In fact, today's information is so cutting-edge, some of it was just announced. And today, I'm bringing it to you. Blood pressure is out of control in this country. With an alarming 25% surge in the diagnosis of essential hypertension in emergency rooms in just the last five years. That's a wake-up call for every woman watching. Because high blood pressure is the number one risk factor for the number one killer of women in this country. Heart disease. New research says doctors need to treat blood pressure even earlier and more aggressively in women than in men. But there's good news. Today, three new blood pressure breakthroughs every woman needs to know about. Here are the facts as we know them. One out of every three adults has high blood pressure. Almost 70% of people who have had the first heart attack have high blood pressure at that time. And nearly half of all adults who have high blood pressure are women. Today, three new breakthroughs. They're so powerful, even the world's best cardiologists are paying attention. One of them, Dr. Lori Mosca, preventive cardiologist and my colleague at New York Presbyterian is joining me. Thanks for being here. So these breakthroughs, what makes them so important? How are they going to turn the tide on this terrible, terrible problem so many folks are afflicted by? Well, I think these studies are really exciting because they really provide an opportunity for us doctors to help patients really improve their blood pressure and also to help them be motivated to take charge of their own health. And they're really new. They're out in the last few months, so it shows us that we're always learning new things. The first blood pressure breakthrough has to do with your weight. And it's all about a magic number, 5. Dr. Mosca, 5 pounds. Why is it so critical? What does the study show? Well, 5 pounds turns out to be a really important threshold. It shows that 5 pound weight gain can actually significantly increase your blood pressure. But I like to really flip that around and say 5 pounds of weight loss can reduce your blood pressure. In fact, I brought a little tool with me that I love. I've used this for years in my practice. This is actually 5 pounds of fat. That's what it looks like. And, you know, some people say, well, I only lost 5 pounds. It doesn't seem like a lot. It's a lot. It actually can lower your risk. Let me, if I can, show you why doctors like Dr. Mosca and myself are concerned about this. Come on back. The fat's not just anywhere. The fat specifically we're talking about is inside the belly. But it's particularly in one location. I've not talked about this much before, so I want to make it really clear. Let's go inside the belly and show you where the organs are. Underneath all the muscles, you have the stomach and the livers up here. But behind them, there's actually the kidneys. And the kidneys get blood from the major tubes, and they're vitally important. And when they're squished by fat, see this fat encroaching on them, they are suffocated. And they literally have to change the amount of blood they're getting as they shrivel up and are beginning to suffer. They have to change your blood pressure. By raising your blood pressure, they can eke out enough blood to stay alive with all this fat around them. It doesn't take much fat loss. 5 pounds takes the pressure off these kidneys, changes the chemicals in them, and affects your blood pressure. How much does it have to affect? Well, yeah, and I wanted to just mention, too, that we tend to think about fat as being all types alike, but it's really this gut fat that you pointed out, not the butt fat, as we like to affectionately refer to it, that's really important. It seems to be a really active type of fat. And it turns out in this new research that 5-pound weight gain was associated with about 4 points increase in blood pressure. So it doesn't sound like a lot, but it turns out that this study was done in healthy adults. And 4 points is a lot. But again, in a way, we can flip that and say that's great news, because if we lose that 5 pounds and we lower our blood pressure by 4 points, that's a really great thing. They're medications we sometimes use, hoping for that kind of reinforcement. That's right. That's a very good point. Next breakthrough. Something called the polypill. It's a pretty cool name and pretty interesting insight. So what is this polypill? So a polypill is really a fixed dose of medications, a combination of them that have already been proven to lower the risk for heart disease. And it's really interesting because the FDA recently has been having a lot of very positive discussions about this, that the polypill might actually be associated in some individuals with as much as a 50 to 60 percent reduction in the risk of heart disease. Huge. Yeah. Let me explain what it is to everybody. Sure. It's a pretty cool idea. So let's say you need to be on 3 pills. Let's say one of them is aspirin. So a polypill could include an aspirin. And that would help with inflammation and thinning of the blood. But then you need to be on a cholesterol medication. That's very common. You need both those together. And that statin would actually lower the cholesterol. So that could be in the polypill. And then let's say your blood pressure is high, like we were just talking about in general. You know, it could be a problem for a lot of folks. So an antihypertensive drug like a diuretic or an ACE inhibitor, that could be also a part of this polypill. So you've got now one pill with all the things in it that you normally would have to take separately. So I'm actually sort of curious. In medicine, the general trend has been to customize, that one size doesn't fit all. Why are so many folks excited about this? Why is it such a big breakthrough this week? Yeah, this is a very interesting trend, and I think it really addresses an issue that we face. It's a real issue in medicine that we have many patients not taking the medications after we prescribe them. They're on too many. So the theory behind the polypill is that if we simplify the regimen, that people will be more likely to adhere to them and to lower their risk. And in fact, a recent new study has shown that the polypill, compared to taking multiple medications, is associated with better adherence. So I think this is really on the horizon now. So for all to know, the pill is so new a concept that it's not out yet. Okay, the final breakthrough has to do with how we treat your blood pressure. For years, doctors have treated high blood pressure with lots of powerful medications. But it seems in older folks, too much of a good thing can actually be harmful. The breaking news is that lowering your blood pressure too much has been linked to memory loss and dementia. So explain how this is happening. Well, you know, we've known for a long time that high blood pressure is bad for the brain. The brain is just like any other tissue in the body. It needs blood. That's how it gets its oxygen and its nutrients. And so when we have high blood pressure that's damaged our vessels for a long time, we can develop a stroke, which is a lot like a heart attack. You know, we don't get enough blood to the brain. But again, another thing that we're learning from this new research, in that older individuals that have stiffer blood vessels, they might actually need a little bit higher blood pressure. So too low blood pressure in some individuals may not be such a great thing. Let's show them what we're talking about. Again, Dr. Musk is a very busy practice. I send her a lot of cases in this regard. But we've all had relatives like this. I can speak personally. Trying to get my dad to take his pills is difficult. And you're trying to titrate it. But if the pressure's not where it needs to be, no one's happy. So let's talk about the general concept. So ideally, you want your blood pressure to be right about here. That's the healthy number. Your brain is up here. I've got two different people. Your brain, when you're, let's say, middle-aged, is sometimes being pushed more than it needs to be pushed. The blood pressure is good. Then it becomes healthy. And then something happens. You put on five extra pounds, or you're not taking your meds the right way. And all of a sudden, it gets so hard, you begin to sometimes damage the blood vessels. So that's the fear. That's why we use blood pressure pills. What happens is if you're trying to help somebody as a doctor, and you're giving them pills, and you realize that you don't want them to be above that blood pressure number, you want them to stay below this damaging number that we showed earlier. So you get them up into what you think is a reasonable range. What this study is showing us is that because the brain is used to having a little bit more pressure coming into it, especially if there's damage to the blood vessels, not enough blood actually reaches the brain. And so having a blood pressure that's too low in this area can lead to shrinkage of the brain and damage in the way the brain functions. So you're not quite as sharp. And when you see this start to happen in patients, we would always just try to measure the pros and cons. Now it's becoming evident. We want to let that blood pressure seep up just a tiny bit more so you don't get as much memory loss, and you certainly want to avoid dementia. Dr. Moskowitz, thank you very much. You can find a printable blood pressure tracker on DrOz.com to keep track of your numbers, along with a guide of simple steps and solutions to keep your blood pressure down. Be right back. Tell us, have you had to address issues with your blood pressure? I went to the doctor and noticed that my blood pressure was way high. It runs in my family. I cut out salt, and it went back to normal, and I feel much better. Share your story on Dr. Oz's Facebook page. Coming up, it's one of the most commonly mistreated symptoms and one of the biggest myths out there. The hot debate over how to break a fever. All your burning questions answered. That's next on The Dr. Oz Show. Today in Is This Myth For Real? I'm tackling fever myths. It's one of the most commonly mistreated symptoms, and here's what you've been told about how to break a fever. Hi, Dr. Oz. My mother's always told me the best way to fight off a fever is to get into an ice bath. That's cold. My grandmother always told me the best way to beat out a fever was to sweat it out. I've heard that if you put a cool damp washcloth on your forehead, that it will bring down a fever. Is this for real? Those remedies sound familiar. Yeah, I know they do. Well, here's a number one fever myth, and it's going to surprise a lot of you. Are you ready? If your body temperature is high, break the fever immediately. Why do you believe this is true? Sherry's joining us. Well, when you have a fever, you're contagious, so you'd want it to go away. And when your kids have a high fever and they're sick, you want them to break it. You want it to go away. You don't want them to be sick anymore. I love how you just said that, because I think a lot of people think that, that when your fever's high, then you're contagious, if I got it right. Who else thinks that's true? A couple hands over there. Yeah, good. Thank you. Thank you for that one. They're honest out there. We all act that way, moms especially. We aggressively treat them. I know my wife and I have a discussion all the time. It is a myth. It really is. But fevers, and this is important, fevers should be left alone. And there's no evidence at all that lowering the temperature is going to make the illness get better faster, which is ultimately what we want. In fact, I think fevers might be a good thing. Tell me why. Let me show you. Okay, even better. We'll put the vision back in television. Okay. I'm going to show you exactly why it's so. So I built you a little model. This is our body, nice and sleek and slim. Okay? Thank you. You get to be the virus that matches your blouse. Wonderful. I'll get to be the fever. All right, so normally fevers are the body's first defense against infection. So let's go ahead and put the virus in there. Okay. When the virus particles get in there, they start raising havoc with your body. And what does your body do? It's very, very smart. This is an age-old technique. It starts to fight the germs away by heating itself up. And when it gets to 100.4, it spews out all the bad stuff, including the virus particles. But notice, the germs have died. They couldn't survive in the higher temperature. But what happens to the body? Over time, the fever comes back down again, gently but surely. In fact, fevers can go untreated, and almost always within two to three days, you're back where we started, at normal. Okay. Now, I heard also another little rumor out there, that a lot of you all are using things for your fevers like ice and coolness. In fact, that's one of the other myths that I've heard, that you use ice to cool down a fever. Well, it does feel like it helps bring your body so hot. And if you have 104, you use the ice to cool the child down. How long have you been doing that to your poor kids? Well, the oldest one is 16, the youngest is 7. All right, come over here. A long time. I'm going to save them some headaches. It actually turns out that it is a myth. And let me show you why. Okay. It makes intuitive sense. The reason these myths are out there is because they sort of make sense to us. But if you actually examine them, there's a problem. Here's why. Let's say you're the rubber ducky, okay? And you've got a little bit of a fever. So you put yourself in ice, or mom does, or someone does. When you're in there, your skin gets cold, turns blue, gets cold. So your body has to warm you up again. What does it do? It elevates its core temperature to make you shiver. When you shiver, your body heats up, and your temperature goes back higher than it would have been to begin with. All right. Don't tell my kids then. They probably have seen the show. All right. Thank you for joining us. Thank you. All right. Now, another fever myth that worries me is that you want to sweat out a fever. Safia has volunteered to come in today with her fever outfit. This is a bundling-up technique that I've seen in my own home. How are you? I'm good. How are you? It's very attractive. I'll grant you that. I'm wearing a lot of layers. Are you hot at all? Yes, a little. And who taught you how to do this? My mother. Of course. Yes. Well, sweating is a good thing in general, and I don't mind that happening. The question is, does it make you get better faster? And it turns out it is a myth. Oh, it is a myth. It doesn't work. All that layered clothing you have on actually traps in the heat, so your body's already trying to make it hot, but your body doesn't know you're putting layers on. So instead of sweating it out that way, if I can help you. Yes. Let me have this. You can take off a couple layers. Yeah, I have a lot of layers on. Oh, my goodness. You're not kidding around, Safia. No. Here we go. Is there anything under that? Yeah. All right. Yes, go ahead. Just making sure. I didn't see you before. I have a lot more layers on. All right. At least I didn't have the bathrobe. So I don't want you putting these on. From now on, one layer of clothing. One layer. And then a thin blanket when you have a fever. Let your body do what it naturally wants to do. Especially when you're sleeping, you won't be able to otherwise. And the other thing I want you to do is hydrate. Because when you sweat, which you will do with a fever, you want to be able to put the right stuff back in you. So you need fluid, and you have the electrolytes to go along with it. This is a little homemade concoction that I like making. Oh, nice. It's my homemade electrolyte water. It looks tasty. Well, you're going to taste it here. Actually, taste that while I explain it. You put a little bit of salt in there. You need just a pinch of salt because you need the sodium. Some orange juice. Not just the vitamin C, but all the other nutrients that go along with it. A little bit of honey, and it will help hydrate you. It's really good. Would you rather have that or all these layers of clothing? This. Thank you, Rosha. And call it a day. Thank you for the confidence, happiness. All right. Thank you. Let me go for you and everybody else. There are three exceptions to what I'm talking about. This is important. Adults, if you get over 103 degrees, that's an emergency. You've got to see somebody. Babies, and this is important also, rectal temperature is the best way to go. If you're younger than three months, anything more than 100.4. If you're older than three months, higher than 102 degrees. And you've got to get someone to look at you real quick. If you want to find out more health myths, which ones are for real and which ones are not, and which ones you've wondered about, you can go to hashtag OzMyths, and I'll be right back. Next, the fastest natural way to make migraines disappear. One spice had patients feeling better in hours. Completely natural and side effect free. Alleviate that pain in a snap. Coming up next, the enterovirus. With more than 500 infected all across America. How can you protect your kids? The warning signs to look out for. All new Dr. Oz. That's coming up tomorrow. I had a crushing headache that feels like this. It's like a vice almost, debilitating, painful. Well, we've had one of these, and you know the desperation and wishing that pain would go away. So today, I'm going to give you the fastest natural way to make migraines disappear. But first, I need a little bit of help from the audience. It's time for my assistant of the day. So how about seat number 96? 96. Happy for you. Yes. Sometimes the audience gets mad. They don't like the fact that you got picked, and they get upset about it. But these guys really are cheering for you. Who'd you come with, by the way? I came with my bridesmaids. Oh, that's a lot of bridesmaids. Yes. When's the wedding? September 20th. Well, congratulations. Thank you. All right. What's your first name? Emily. You ever get headaches? Yes. You do? Yes. Does it feel like this? Oh, yes. Go ahead and give me one more hammer there. Don't break the table. Gentle, gentle headache. All right. And what do you do to make that pain go away? I go to sleep. It helps? It does. It's hard to go to sleep with pain sometimes. Yeah. That's one of the criteria when we grade pain. Is it so bad you can't focus or sleep? So sometimes it becomes an issue even for that. So folks take medications a lot of times. You must do that as well. Tylenol. Yeah. There's a recent study, and this is why I wanted to do this segment today with you. A recent study showed that a spice, I'm going to present the spice to you in a minute, had people feeling 90% better within two hours. Really? If they're having a migraine. Wow. Within two hours. That's amazing. But the question is, what is it? You must be curious. I am. You're a curious person, Emily. So we'll take a little Fifty Shades of Grey approach here. All right. Now, remember, this is all about trust. I want you to taste one of these. Just right there, right there. Just chew it. Yeah. Now, what is that, you think? Ginger. Very well done. That was fast. That was good, yeah. I'm going to show you how ginger alleviates migraine pain. And again, I was so startled by this that I built you a little demonstration to reflect it. But I need a little help. See, I need to pick one person from the audience you can work with. Is there someone up there? How about your friend that you're next to up there? Marcel. Marcel, come on down. Come on down. We've got to do this together. Okay. Oops. Are you excited about the wedding? I am. Especially the reception. After my speech, I'm hitting the open bar. That's right. All right. Come on over here. What's your first name? Marcel. Marcel, come on. So, Marcel, you're going to go first. All right. Then we'll get Emily in. So you're going to have to get in this little costume for me because you're going to represent a blood vessel. Good thing I wore my Spanx today, huh? That's right. So go through there. Oh, my gosh. Get your arms through first. Oh, my gosh. And then through there. You head through there. Nicely done. Emily, come over here. Same thing for you. Go right through there. Nicely done. Oh, you've been losing weight for the wedding, I bet. Looking hot as can be. Sweating for the wedding. All right. Are you in there all the way? I am. All right. Now. Oh, perfect. You're coming over here. Stand right over here, both of you. Now, here's the deal. I'm going to face you guys off. You're like battlers. But what you're really representing are blood vessels in the brain. And in migraines, in particular, when you have a normal blood vessel, you're going to minding its own business, not touching anything else, the vessels get large. And when they get large, they begin to rub together and throb. Go ahead. Take it away, sumo wrestlers. And they're bouncing. They're squeezing between them, pushing each other up. And all of a sudden, the nerves, they're in between them. Bring those nerves down. Up. Come over here. You guys will start crushing the nerves in between you. One more time. Boom. And then it happens. The pressure puts the nerve on their trapezius. And guess what? You have unbearable pain. One more time. Boom. All right. Stop. All right. This is going to be one heck of a wedding. I'll tell you. All right. So this poor nerve has been devastated. I mean, just crushed. And it's being hurt by these big blood vessels. So what you want to do, and this is what a lot of the treatments do, they actually have a way of reducing the swelling of the blood vessels because they've gotten engorged. So I am going to play Ginger, and I'm going to pop you. All right. And as I do this, you get a lot thinner, and so all of this becomes nice and smooth around you. So you get a nice, sleek, elegant self. This nerve is no longer being tortured. That's the goal. And Ginger does it remarkably effectively if you take it the right way. You want to learn how to take it the right way? Yes. All right. Come on, Emily. You can join us also. So it's a big party. You get in the middle over here. All right. There's three ways. You guys look wonderful dressed like that, by the way. The color just does something special for you. All right. So Ginger, Ginger, Ginger. How are you going to take it? So the first thing you can do is you get fresh ginger. Then you chew one or two of those if you want, whenever it's in its purest form, it works very, very effectively. Those blood vessels will come down almost immediately. Again, within two hours, they saw relief, and most people are having migraine headaches. You can also try ginger candies, but one of the best ways to get it is ginger tea. This could be a fantastic morning ritual, and I want your honest opinion on this. That will help stave off a migraine. So let's say the morning before the wedding, give it a shot, we'll go through this ritual just to make sure nothing interferes with a day that could be stressful, but it's going to be blissful because getting married was the best thing I ever did in my life. Thanks for both being here. Thank you. Good luck. We'll be right back. Coming up, wash away toxins, pain, and stress with the help of a good hot soak. It's a great way to get magnesium in topically or through the skin. A bath full of health and healing benefits. What to add to your tub? Coming up next. What if you could soak away toxins, pain, and stress? All you need, maybe, to make a huge difference is this. It's called Epsom salt. And taking an Epsom salt bath is one of the safest and smartest steps on your road to better health. Here on behalf of our sponsorship partner, Dr. Teals, is integrated physician, Dr. Tasneem Patia. Welcome to the show as always. Thank you. Explain to everyone what Epsom salts are. Sure. So Epsom salts, remember, are a compound of magnesium sulfate, and basically what they're doing is they're providing magnesium to the body. Magnesium is the number one important mineral in the body. It regulates almost 300 different processes in the body, but it's one of the biggest mineral deficiencies in the country. Almost 80% of Americans are deficient in magnesium. So a lot of you never thought about magnesium, so let me show you why it's so important. If I can just drive this one point home, I'll be super happy today. So I built you a body. This is a body that reflects how we sort of work. There are all these crazy, important chemical reactions that run our nerves, our sugar levels, our regulates our blood pressure, muscle function. It's all supposed to work, but if you don't have magnesium, the machine doesn't work. The chemical reactions critical for these processes don't work. So what magnesium does, because you have it in some places, but if you don't have enough of these M's, you go ahead and put an M down here, see what happens. You begin to plump this up before you realize it, all of a sudden you'll start to get function. But you'll notice you might not have it everywhere. So if you want to get it completely level, in this case your energy production, make sure you have enough. Having a little bit's not the right answer. Having the right amount is the right answer. If you've got the magnesium you need, they're acting in there critically to get this process to move forward the way you want it. So let's go back and explain some of the critical benefits of getting Epsom salts. And this is important because if you truly appreciate this, you'll start to do this more often in your life. So how is it possible to get the benefits of Epsom salts by soaking in them? Well, the great thing about Epsom salts, remember, is that it's a great way to get magnesium in topically or through the skin, rather than having to take something orally or really being dependent just on food to get your magnesium. And break it down for folks. What are the health benefits if you have the right amount of Epsom salts or the magnesium from them? We know Epsom salts are helpful for muscle aches and for joint pains. We know they're great for stress relief. So for example, with Dr. Teal's lavender Epsom salts, I call it a triple threat. And let me tell you why. Because we've got the bath, which we all know is relaxing, then we've got the Epsom salt providing magnesium, but finally we've got the component of lavender, which we know is an essential oil that helps to induce a relaxation state. So a great way to relax. And depending on what your needs are, there are other products too in the Dr. Teal's line that use other essential oils to help with specific issues. So show us the magic of making the tub the right way. So this is the fun part. So you know, this is so easy. We can all do this. So you have your lovely tub of water here. You take two cups of Epsom salts and just pour them directly into the water. Remember the water should be warm, not hot, ideally right around 90 degrees or so. And then ideally you soak in it for about 12 minutes. You have a busy clinical practice. I do. What kinds of results do you see among the people, you know, day in and day out are coming to see you? Well, this is the most exciting part because I get into a situation where not everybody, you know, can take things orally. So I need to find ways for them to get magnesium in and for them to find ways to really help them with muscle pain or joint pain. So we see so many benefits. I mean, I have athletes that come in and they may have had old injuries, so they have areas of, you know, muscles that are real tightened and contracted. They'll do Epsom salts a couple times a week and that's their answer. I've got executives that shift time zones all the time and they can't relax, you know, they can't no matter what they do. They can't find a way to wind down. This is their answer. So there's so many wonderful, wonderful benefits and we use it a lot in practice. So I trust you, as you know. Yes. But I actually wanted to verify. So I had a couple members of our audience do this for a couple of days. Three of them went home. They took the Epsom salt baths and they're here. Vicky's going to start us off. Please all stand if you don't mind. So Vicky, what was it like for you? Hi. Well, I'm a runner and every time I run, I get a dull, achy, tight feeling in my knee and it actually caused me not to be able to sleep at night. But after using the Epsom salts, it actually soothed my muscles, it relaxed my knee and I was able to sleep very well. And by the way, the actual lavender scent, oh my God, total relaxation. Even my husband liked it. And you had a pain issue. Yes. I have a bad back and I would say in terms of one to 10, I was probably at a six and after using the salts, I was at about a two. The best part was that I was able to turn the corner and resume yoga and brisk walking. And I also slept beautifully. It was actually sleepy after I took the bath. And Franco, how did it compare to other things you've tried? It was so much better actually, because I've been going on nine months with having like a constant neck pain and I've tried ice packs, heating pads. I've gone to doctors, anti-inflammatories. I really feel like I've done the whole thing. And when I had this opportunity, you know, when I got over the fact that I had to take a bath and I probably haven't done that, you know, since I was a baby. You don't bathe? I'm a shower guy. I'm a shower guy, like most guys. But it was very relaxing and I feel better. You know, I sleep better. I get out of bed easier. And the best thing is I have a one-year-old son at home. Hi, Lucio. And I took him to the football game, I carried him around all day and the pain was a lot better. Well, thank you for doing the experiment for us. I appreciate it. Thank you. Hi, Lucio. All right. So, Dr. Bob, you've got another surprise for us. It may be one of the most favorite uses for epsom salts. It's one of the most favorite and it's probably even easier than the bath. So we talk about Dr. Teal's foot soak. And with the foot soak, it's pretty easy. You just have to stick your feet in some epsom salts. This one in particular has a little bit of peppermint in it and helps get rid of odors. You know, all of us run around all day with tired, achy feet, especially as women, I think. We're in our fancy shoes and we pay for it by the end of the day. So this is a great solution just to do the foot soak. Well, we've got the whole front row here. What do you guys think? Honestly, it's made my feet feel so soft as soon as I put them in. Thumbs up, down mostly? So silky. Absolutely. Silky? They're so soft. Wish I knew about this sooner. Dr. Bob, why didn't you tell her earlier? Why didn't you tell her earlier? Okay, you know what? This whole front row, the front row gets to go home with a bag of Dr. Teal's lavender Epsom salt. There we go. You notice? You notice how it's a muted applause? They're just being polite up there. You want to go home with a bag of stuff? Yeah. The whole audience is going home with Epsom salt. That's Dr. Teal's. I want to thank Dr. Bhatia and our sponsorship partner, Dr. Teal's. I'll be right back. The enterovirus, with more than 500 infected all across America. How can you protect your kids? The Warning Signs Program. That's coming up tomorrow. A bad day here and there, but take a look at parents who are actually having a worse day than you. Here's a dad who is covered in paint. I hope those markers are waterproof. He's very loyal to his daughter there. And look at this one. This is a mom who's going through what happens to me a lot. Don't you hate when that happens? With Philomena, she's gotten quite large. Her stomach has gotten quite large, too, and she can really push it out there. That's happened to several of my suits already. Anyway, time for In Case You Missed It First. The best way to use ginger to get rid of your migraine fast is to chop it up. Take the fresh ginger. It stops the migraine at its worst. Take one of those quarter-inch slices, and in its purest form, it will shrink down those blood vessels, which seem to be part of the problem in our head when we're just banging with pain with migraines. Now, if the migraine is just starting, you can even take a ginger candy. Sucking that ginger candy has been shown to quell the nausea associated with migraines. Works for other kinds of nausea as well. If you're looking to soak away the toxins, the pain, and the stress of your life, all you may need to do is soak in something called an Epsom salt bath. It makes a huge difference. To make the perfect Epsom salt bath, you're going to get a water temperature that's around 90 degrees, so not too hot, but comfortably warm. You add two cups of Epsom salts, and then you just soak in that for about 12 minutes. You absorb all that magnesium from the Epsom salts, and it's wonderfully soothing because you need the magnesium for a lot of the machinery of the body. Finally, let me close with a warning. Please be careful about what you buy online, especially weight loss pills. There's some dubious people online that prey on folks like you who are trying to do the right thing for your health. Sometimes they even try to make it seem like I'm endorsing their products. I don't. To see a full list of our trusted sponsorship partners, you can go to DrRoz.com, and I'll see you next time.