E29: "If you have lungs, you can get lung cancer"

As Reina Honts approached her 50th birthday in 2018, she had a strong instinct that she should get her lungs tested. Since Reina had no symptoms and was a non-smoker, it was surprising that a tumor in her lung was found. After undergoing a lobectomy, Reina is now cancer-free. Reina, who joined the Lung Cancer Research Foundation as a Board Member, believes that early detection was invaluable for her lung diagnosis and wants more people to know that "If you have lungs, you can get lung cancer." Click here to watch video clips and podcast show notes: Lung Cancer Awareness.

E28: Detox EMFs With Your Family At Home & School

As Executive Director of the scientific think-tank Environmental Health Trust, Theodora Scarato is uniquely informed about the health risks from our EMF exposures. So how does she apply her expertise into real life: with her kids, at home, and in her community? Listen to this relatable conversation to help encourage you to keep detoxing EMFs with your family at home, school, and in your community. Click here to watch video clips and podcast show notes.

E27. Money's Energetic Power

Beloved healer Deborah Hanekamp is founder of Space by Mama Medicine and author of Ritual Baths: Be Your Own Healer. Deborah has fascinating wisdom to share on the most essential ways to consider energy, love, self-care, and connection.

In episode 27, Sophia explores Deborah's perspectives on money and its energetic influence on our well-being and even on our children. Deborah describes the energetic powers of money, and that we should consider money's energetic exchange.

Click for Podcast Show Notes. 

E26. Heal Burnout, Anxiety, and Stress

Kelsey Patel is one of Hollywood’s leading wellness and reiki experts. She is not only a sought after spiritual empowerment coach, yoga teacher, reiki healer, and meditation teacher, but also a multi-faceted entrepreneur and inspirational speaker. Kelsey's newly published book Burning Bright: Rituals, Reiki, and Self-Care to Heal Burnout, Anxiety, and Stress is especially apropos during this time of great uncertainty. Click for Podcast Show Notes. 

E25. Heal Your EMF With Energy Medicine

Author of Energy Medicine: The Science and Mystery of Healing, Jill Blakeway has been treating patients for more than 25 years with acupuncture and Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM). In this episode, hear about the groundbreaking field of energy medicine and what Jill learned from top healers, researchers, and practitioners—including from Stanford and Princeton professors' research on the physics behind energy medicine and healing. Click for Podcast Show Notes. 

E24. Protect Your Brain and Body from 5G and Other EMFs

Dr. Devra Davis, founder of Environmental Health Trust and Nobel Peace Prize winner, explains what science has discovered about the health risks from the wireless radiation from our everyday devices. Author of several award-winning and critically acclaimed books, including Disconnect: The Truth About Cell Phone Radiation, Dr. Davis discusses the biological effects from 3G, 4G, 5G and the Internet of Things. We end the podcast with her nine recommendations to promote healing from cell phone radiation. Click for Podcast Show Notes. 

E23. Grounding Yourself with Meditation

Tal Rabinowitz, founder of Den Meditation, helps ease our way into finding a meditation style that can help us get grounded, centered, and soothed. Hear about different ways you can start. There are so many! But, they all share the goal of helping us learn about—and love—ourselves more fully. Don't waste one more day from discovering the depths and diversity within you. Listen to my conversation with Tal by clicking below. Click for Podcast Show Notes.

E22. Heal your eyes from digital screens

A leading holistic optometrist who has been practicing for 40 years and is a NY Times bestselling author, Dr. Marc Grossman shares fascinating and empowering insights about your eyes. 

This delightful conversation will inspire you to take more breaks—with specific strategies (like eye exercises)—to counterbalance the modern strain on our eyes. Especially since many of us are staring at digital screens more than ever!

This is an important and relevant conversation for you and your loved ones. Listen to my conversation with Dr. Carpenter by clicking below. Click for Podcast Show Notes.

E21. Optimize Your Immune Response for the Novel Coronavirus

World renowned public health physician, Dr. David O. Carpenter enlightens us on how to optimize our immune response to covid-19 with four key strategies.

Key questions discussed: Are toxic cleaning products worthwhile now because of the novel coronavirus? Homebound with wireless devices, are our EMF exposures undermining our immune response to covid-19? Is climate change going to make infectious diseases part of our new normal? Can air pollution make you more vulnerable to the coronavirus?

Listen to my conversation with Dr. Carpenter by clicking below. Click for Podcast Show Notes.

E19-20. How to Select the Best Air Purifier for You

Indoor air quality and air filtration guru, Vinny Lobdell, Jr, is co-founder of Intellipure, president of Healthway Family of Brands, and Global President of Pure Wellness. 

Air purifiers are helpful for filtering toxic fumes, allergens, fungi, particles, and ultrafine particles (they are smaller than the tip of a hair). These ultrafine particles can irritate and inflame our air passageways, like our lungs. They can also penetrate to other areas of our body and contribute to cancer, heart disease, and more. 

Listen to my conversation with Vinny Lobdell, Jr by clicking below for tips on how to select the best air purifier for your circumstances and budget. Podcast show notes.

E18. Essential Features of a Healing Home

Esther Sternberg, MD is Research Director and Chair at the Andrew Weil Center Integrative Medicine. She is also author of the books, Healing Spaces: The Science of Place and Well-being and The Balance Within: The Science Connecting Health and Emotions.

In this podcast, Dr. Sternberg explains what the science has discovered about how certain design elements of a physical space can affect our immune response, stress, relaxation, memories, and peace. You'll also learn how to incorporate positive, healing triggers into your home and routines. 

Listen to my conversation with Dr. Sternberg by clicking below. Or, review the transcript of the podcast.

E17. EMF Protection Tips from a Former Telecommunications Engineer

Co-author of the book Radiation Nation, Daniel DeBaun, previously a telecommunications engineer at Bell Labs and AT&T, describes EMFs as "bees in the room." One bee won't hurt you unless you are allergic. The more bees in the room, however, the greater the risk of getting hurt by the bees.

EMF sources are likes bees. The more EMF sources, the greater the risk you will be harmed. 5G is a new species of bees that will be layered into our more-crowded-than-ever environment that is full of new species of bees (or EMFs).

Former telecom insider Daniel Debaun provides a great context of EMFs and how they can affect our biology, and therefore how to consider 5G. We also discuss our bodies' own EMFs, how "grounding" works, and EMF protection approaches that work. 

You can listen to my conversation with Daniel by clicking below. Or, review the transcript of the podcast.

E16. Can Your Home Contribute to Chronic Symptoms?

Author of Organic Lifestyle Made Easy: How To Create A Chemical-Free Household One Step At A Time, Angela Cummings learned that her home was making her and her son sick. 

Conditions she experienced included sinus and ear infections, earaches swollen glands, dizziness, and chronic fatigue.

People of all ages suffer from various chronic symptoms. I suspect that considering the health of our homes could help many. Most people just don't know that their homes and household items can contribute to health issues.

If you or someone you know have unexplained chronic symptoms, then maybe something you hear in this podcast might inspire you to consider the health of your home. 

Click below to listen. You can also review the transcript: Transcript of podcast with Sophia and Angela Cummings of Occupant Wellness.

E15. Headaches, nausea, and fatigue. Might you be electrohypersensitive?

Headaches, nausea, fatigue, and heart palpitations could signal that you may have electrohypersensitivity.

Listen to this podcast to learn more about EMFs, symptoms that may indicate that you are sensitive to your regular EMF exposures, EMF protections products, and how you can take care of yourself. You'll learn more about our ability to develop resiliency and recover.

Click below to listen. You can also review the transcript: Transcript of podcast with Sophia and Dr.Carpenter.

E14. Insights on Diet, Fracking, Drinking Water and Vaccines

Having studied my family's toxic exposures, I grappled with a practical approach to diet, drinking water, breastfeeding versus infant formula, vaccines, EMFs, and more. While my family's physicians were wonderful, they were not trained in environmental factors' influence on health. 

For years, as I came across the work of Dr. David O. Carpenter, I wished for the opportunity to ask him many questions, like: Do you eat meat and dairy? Are the vaccination schedules for children safe given the toxic ingredients reported to be in some? What kind of water filtration system do you use? How do you live with technology given your expertise in EMFs?

My wish came true. And you can listen to my conversation at the link below. You can also review the transcript: Transcript of podcast with Sophia and Dr.Carpenter.

E13. Overlooked Healthy Choices for Healthy Living

Identified by peers as one of the top 20 pioneers under 40 in environmental public health, Dr. Joseph Braun, a Professor of Epidemiology at Brown University, studies how early life chemical exposures—ones that we can also modify—may influence our lifelong health. This is one of the best lifestyle podcasts that your health won't want you to miss.

Whether you’re already a parent, considering having children, or if you are just interested in healthy living, you’ll learn about an overlooked pillar of health—toxic exposures from our everyday products—and six detox tips for the average person. They involve drinking water, canned foods, plastics, carpets, cleaning, and organic foods.

You can also review the transcript: Transcript of podcast with Sophia and Joseph Braun.

This is an important topic that we must keep learning more about.

E12. Support these retailers that are providing you with healthier products

Safer Chemicals, Healthy Families works hard to protect us from toxic chemicals by fighting to strengthen laws, working with retailers to phase out hazardous chemicals from the marketplace, and educating the public about how to protect our families from toxic chemicals. 

One campaign that you should know about is called Mind the Store, which ranks retailers based on their policies towards eliminating toxic chemicals from products that these retailers sell. Listen to this podcast, or view the podcast show notes to see how you can support leading retailers that are protecting us: Transcript of Sophia and Mike Schade.

E11. Auras, spirits, destiny, the soul's journey, and how our hardship teaches

Sophia talks to Deborah Hanekamp (Mama Medicine), a seeress carrying over 17 yrs in the healing arts. They discuss people's auras, the spirits that surround us, destiny, and our many teachers.

Deborah is an Initiated Amazonian Shaman, Reiki Master and Yogini. She has developed Medicine Readings and led Medicine Reading ceremonies all over the world. Her work has been featured in Vogue, New York Times & Marie Claire Magazine. Vogue magazine called her "Fashion's Favorite Healer."

Listen to this provocative conversation that may leave you feeling more calm, compassionate, and loving. Podcast show notes coming soon: Transcript of Sophia and Mama Medicine.

E10. How toxic exposures threaten our reproductive health and children's health.

With a list of impressive and varied roles at Yale School of Medicine and Yale New Haven Hospital (among other organizations), Dr. Hugh Taylor is an internationally-recognized expert in female reproductive health. In this podcast, Sophia Ruan Gushée talks to Dr. Taylor about how toxic exposures (including cell phone radiation) may affect reproductive health, like fertility and outcomes of pregnancy and IVF. For podcast show notes, please click here: Reproductive health expert from Yale Medical School discusses how toxic exposures may influence our reproductive health and children.

E9. No one is exempt from suffering, so let's have more fun with Heather Lilleston, co-founder of Yoga for Bad People

I love listening to Heather Lilleston talk about suffering. Heather exudes beauty, sunshine, and happiness. And she glows with love, kindness, and grace. So, how could she discuss suffering with such familiarity and study? 

For those who suffer, and feel alone, and that they somehow deserve their pain, I share the following conversation with you as a reminder that no one's life is perfect, we each have our own set of challenges, and we are each in this human experience together. You are not alone.

Heather and I also discuss money, teaching, and business! Click below to listen, or read Podcast Show Notes.

E8: I tried halotherapy at the Montauk Salt Cave, and this is what I learned

Sophia Ruan Gushée discussed halotherapy (or salt therapy) and salt baths with Shannon Coppola of Montauk Salt Cave. Visitors, Shannon, and Shannon's family experience relief of symptoms from eczema, Lyme disease, respiratory issues, and other inflammation-related issues. Listen to consider whether halotherapy should become part of your weekly routine. Click here for more: Podcast show notes on Montauk Salt Cave.

E7: Bees and Other Pollinators: What You Should Know and Simple Steps to Help Our Bees

Sophia Ruan Gushée visits beekeeper Laura Klahre, founder of Blossom Meadow, which is located in the North Fork of Eastern Long Island. Sophia and Laura discuss Colony Collapse Disorder, the pollinator crisis, and simple steps we can pursue to support our bees, other pollinators, and our ecosystem. Read show notes & highlights here, & listen to the episode below!

E6: Probiotics, Gut Health & Fermentation with Sandor Katz

Are probiotics worth the money? In this episode, Sophia chats with Sandor Katz-- a NY Times bestselling author of the books Wild Fermentation and The Art of Fermentation, to learn all about gut health, the microbiome, probiotics, and pickling vs. fermentation for improving overall health and wellness. Healthy gut flora has been rumored to help everything from allergies and asthma, to eczema, and even anxiety, stress and depression. Listen further to learn "Fermentation 101" from this renowned guru!

Read show notes & highlights here, & listen to episode below!

E5: Organic Sleep? It's a thing.

Sophia Ruan Gushée chats with Kristen Rannala, mother of three, and founder of Organique-- a cutting-edge, organic mattress company based out of California. 

Conventional mattresses can off-gas toxicants like chlorine, formaldehyde, heavy metals, pesticides, phthalates, and VOCs. Get the quick download on what you need to know about a healthier mattress for you and your family, and learn simple steps to clean up your night's sleep. 

As a bonus, you will hear what this health-conscious mother of three feeds her children for breakfast. Inspiration galore!

Visit organiquesleep.com for more information about Kristen's mattress company.

E4: Healing Through Essential Oils

Have questions about essential oils? So did we! Essential oils have been rumored to help with everything from better sleep and curing colds, flu, allergies, asthma and eczema to easing anxiety and stress-- as well as supporting people with more serious conditions, like autistic spectrum disorder. In this episode of the Practical Nontoxic Living podcast, host Sophia Ruan Gushée sits down with Alaknanda Nabar of Family of Light Holistic Center in Brooklyn, NY to learn from her family's healing journey with essential oils. Learn how to begin using them in your own home, precautions to take, and gain inspiration from this expert's amazing daily holistic care routine.

E3: Reducing EMF Exposures for Better Sleep and Health

Sophia Ruan Gushée sits down with Matthew Waletzke (Environmental Consultant) to learn about concerns over excessive electromagnetic field (EMF) exposures, and how we can gain clarity, wellbeing, and restorative sleep through reducing our EMF exposures in a few simple steps.

Click here to read podcast notes: Reducing EMFs.

E2: A Conversation with the PNL Team

Sophia Ruan Gushée sits down with Ashley S. Cooke & Eden Connelly of the Practical Nontoxic Living team to discuss how learning about toxins in our environment has impacted their lives.

E1: Introducing A to Z of D-Toxing

Get an inside glimpse into why Sophia Ruan Gushée created her critically acclaimed book A to Z of D-Toxing: The Ultimate Guide to Reducing Our Toxic Exposures. In the author's first podcast, she shares heartfelt speeches from her book launch party, as she invites listeners to join her never-ending journey of discovering new tips and tricks for practical, nontoxic living.