As part of A Tale of Two Hygienists’ year-end review, Michelle spoke to a returning guest about the tricky equilibrium of vitamin intake and how that relates to oral health.
Dr. Stasha Gominak is a neurologist-turned-sleep coach who learned of the link between chronically poor sleep and chronic illness. As part of RightSleep, she investigates how a little bit of vitamin deficiency can go a long way to causing long-term impacts on the body, including airway paralysis during REM sleep—which leads to a whole host of oral issues!
In this episode, Dr. Gominak discusses the complex relationship vitamins have with the neurotransmitter acetylcholine, reveals the weirdest part of medicine she’s ever experienced, and delves into the obstacles she and her patients encounter when trying to find the right vitamin dosage.
EPISODE HIGHLIGHTS:
Interview starts: 15:35
– Recognizing the four major types of phyla hanging out in our stomach and how they relate to vitamins.
– Why washing certain vegetables can actually negatively impact our vitamin intake.
– Dr. Gominak tells us a story about a small but important neurotransmitter called acetylcholine.
– Finding the right balance of B vitamins for your patient.
– How acetylcholine ties into cigarette addiction and even autism spectrum disorders.
– Dr. Gominak lays out the two opposing alliances in the battle over OTC vitamin distribution.
QUOTES:
“It’s a really good time to come back around and flesh out what you know about Vitamin D in the time of COVID.”
“Too little B5 causes the same problems as too much B5.”
“B vitamins are not innocent bystanders. They are aggressively part of your nervous system.”
“You always imbue the vitamins with the power to take away the sleep as well as to give the sleep.”
“We focus on sleep apnea, but every person who is unconscious and sleeping on a bed runs the risk of occluding their airway completely.”
“It is a lot of work to put together a coordinated clinical plan and to make someone believe you.”
LINKS:
Dr. Gominak’s homepage – https://drgominak.com/
The RightSleep Workbook – https://drgominak.com/rightsleep-workbook/
THIS EPISODE COUNTS FOR CE! – but read the disclaimer below as it might not count for your state.
Go here to take the test and get your CE Credit!
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