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April 11, 2024 - Dr. Oz Podcast
40:35
Kale Controversy: Unhealthy or Superfood? The Truth Revealed! | Dr. Oz | S7 | Ep 13 | Full Episode
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Today on the Dr. Oz Show, not too long ago, we all said kale is king.
I grow kale, actually, in my garden.
So where did the love go?
The truth behind the headlines saying kale is unhealthy.
Let's get to the bottom of these claims, starting with the link between kale and heavy metal toxins.
Plus, they're calling it Female Viagra.
But does the little pink pill pack the punch it promises?
There's a lot of hype, so I'm going to break it down.
Coming up next.
We'll save lives today. - Oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh.
You guys ready to get healthy?
Hi everybody!
Thank you very much.
Sometimes an unexpected turn of events can throw you off your game, but it can also be an opportunity to grow and end up with something even better than before.
Today's show is all about overcoming life's curveballs.
So we're going to start off with some headlines that are throwing a lot of you off.
They're about kale.
They're now saying it could be bad for your health, but are the claims based on real silence?
We're going to get to the bottom of that.
And you're going to meet the inspiring comic everybody's talking about.
He's wowing the judges and audiences on America's Got Talent.
It's an accent that left him with a permanent stutter.
But he didn't let it stop him.
Quite the opposite, actually.
And finally, a wife whose husband woke up from surgery a totally different person.
They're showing you how their story can revive your marriage in three steps.
So, let's get started with the rise and fall of kale.
Kale, the much-loved veggie adored by millions of fans, had humble beginnings.
I knew kale before it was kale.
Some people said kale was bitter, but we always got along.
Kale got its start as an extra, an afterthought, a mere garnish, ignored on a plate, then catapulted overnight to its breakout role as a prime ingredient in smoothies, going from virtual unknown to all-out superstar.
In no time at all, Kale had full-on celebrity status, massaged in LA, and taking up residence in the trendiest parts of Brooklyn.
Kale was pretty famous by 2012. You couldn't go anywhere without seeing it on a menu.
Kale was on a wild ride, a fan favorite in supermarkets across the country, and the ultimate honor, an invitation to the White House for Thanksgiving dinner.
But then it all came crashing down.
Kale, the world once at its feet, has fallen on hard times.
I saw an article accusing kale of being unhealthy.
I couldn't believe it.
My super green.
It was causing everything from heavy metal poisoning to hair loss, forgetfulness, even hypothyroidism.
And just like that, kale has gone from superfood to produce pariah.
But what's the real truth?
Is kale doomed to be a falling star, or can it turn over a new leaf?
You gotta love it to rise and fall with kale.
Okay, hands up if you're a kale lover.
We've talked about it so much.
All right, now, if you don't mind, for all the folks who have their hands up, how many have you cut down the amount of kale you're eating?
One lady here.
Go ahead.
What is it about these headlines that's bothering you?
Hi, Dr. Oz.
How are you?
I'm great.
How are you?
Very well.
So, I actually used to buy three or four bags of the pre-cut kale at the supermarkets, and I've cut down to about one bag ever since my mom sent me this article about the heavy metal poisoning and how it can actually be dangerous for you.
I really like it as a superfood, though, and a leafy green, so I'll...
I'll buy one bag a week and I'll supplement the other greens with other stuff.
Have you all heard the news back and forth?
You know, if you had noddings, it's influenced some, not others.
Keep the mic.
It might come up handy later on.
So let's take a look at how this kale story unfolded.
It's actually fascinating.
It teaches us a lot about how information is pushed around these days.
It's actually like a domino effect.
Y'all play dominoes, right?
One domino falls and all the other ones fall after.
So the first domino Actually, was an article.
And then there was another article.
The first one was an opinion piece in the New York Times.
It linked kale to a sluggish thyroid.
There was another article.
It was a report about a researcher who linked kale to heavy metal toxicity.
They both caused a big stir in the blogosphere, and people began to write about the so-called darker side of kale.
Then what happened?
The next domino was it got picked up by more mainstream media sources.
Even more people started reading about it.
Like our friend just described us, her mom started sending out letters, and our friend Kale started taking a bit of a beating.
So let's get to the bottom of these claims, starting with the link between Kale and heavy metal toxins.
Let me ask Dr. Holly, she's a medical contributor for CBS TV News, to join us.
How are you, Holly?
You read these articles.
You just heard our audience talk a little bit about how they're changing some of their behaviors.
You think these articles are trustworthy.
Well, you know, we really can't draw any major conclusions from these studies.
You know, in one of them, it was a very small pilot study.
It just involved 20 patients and was done in the researcher's home lab.
The main point, though, is that this is not a cause and effect study.
It only establishes a link.
So, yes, people in his study showed higher than normal levels of thallium.
Yes, they said they ate kale, but he couldn't prove that kale caused their high thallium levels.
Or any symptoms they may have been having.
Let's talk about where these metals come from, because this is an important issue for all vegetables.
Sure.
Now, thallium and some other heavy metals are a normal and natural part of our soil supply.
They can be in the soil, though, in higher amounts from things like pesticides, certain fertilizers, or even pollution.
The idea is that the roots of the vegetables start to take up the thallium and then it gets concentrated in the leaves.
You see how deep those roots are?
My goodness.
I grow kale, actually, in my garden.
Ah, very good.
So I know how deep these can get.
Right.
So the thallium, though, and the heavy metals go into all cruciferous vegetables, not just kale.
So think broccoli, brussels sprouts, collard greens, Swiss chard.
All of those things would have the same effect.
So, the question then becomes, does this toxin, in this case thallium, this heavy metal, specifically target cruciferous vegetables, or is it true in all things beyond them as well?
It does go into all vegetables, but there's something about the leaves of the cruciferous vegetables where it seems to build up a little bit more than others.
Thank you very much.
So, if there was thallium in the kale that the gentleman tested, then there's still a lot we don't know about what that means for our health.
Whether our body actually absorbs the metal.
We actually don't even know.
Maybe we peed out.
Maybe it comes out in our poop.
We don't actually know that much about it or what it does to us.
So, what are you telling your patients?
You know, I am not going to discourage my patients from eating kale or discourage them from eating any green leafy vegetables.
In my practice, a much greater concern is that we're not getting enough of those really, really nutritious things.
So unless your diet is just kale upon kale upon kale, hundreds of salads a day, there really shouldn't be a cause for concern.
The other thing is the best diet is really a diverse diet, right?
It's not about focusing on just one food.
It's about introducing numerous different healthy foods into your diet every day.
It's a gift to you from the show.
Thank you.
It's the least I could do, Dr. Phillips.
Thank you.
I'll put it in my juicer.
The next plague against kale was that it could cause a sluggish thyroid.
And there's some science behind this, but here's what they didn't tell you, that it's probably theoretical.
Let me explain this because it's really important.
The thyroid hormone is made by the thyroid gland with iodine that passes into it.
You've got to have the iodine into your thyroid to make the hormone.
Kale releases a chemical called thiocyanates.
It actually blocks the iodine from getting into the thyroid, so the hormone doesn't come out anymore.
So, this connection makes perfect sense.
Doctors learn it in medical school.
I get it.
But is it really important?
Andrea Beeman is a holistic health expert.
She loves thyroid stuff, but she's also a kale lover.
So, this is a theory that a lot of folks have been batting her out.
Most endocrinologists, however, are probably commenting on this behind closed doors.
What are they saying?
Well, they're saying whether you have a healthy thyroid or not so healthy thyroid, that kale is still okay for you because it's a highly nutritious food.
So, can I ask one question that's more specific to this?
Sure.
I get that one leaf of kale won't be a problem, but if you juice it, you concentrate it quite a bit.
That doesn't worry you?
Well, yeah, if you're going to juice 50 leaves of kale and you're going to have a big glass of green swamp juice, then absolutely.
But most people are just having two pieces of kale, throwing in some carrots, maybe some beets.
They're really mixing it up, so you're getting a nice variety of vegetables.
So we actually, in my house, make a juice every day.
And we actually take about this much kale.
Just to demonstrate this, where's my top of this thing?
I don't have a plunger.
Oh, here it is.
I have a plunger right here.
They hid it in front of me, but I couldn't find it.
So when you put your kale in here, and you can actually squeeze it in fairly densely.
Hold your ears.
Oh, half that kale I put in there.
And I'll let this drip out over time, but you'll see it doesn't make that much juice.
So there's a potential risk, potential risk, if all you do is eat kale, and primarily through juicing forms.
And the question then is left in the back of our minds for people who love kale, and I do, what else can we do?
What can we add to our diet to reduce the impact of too much kale?
Well, we can add Brazil nuts, which are rich in selenium and zinc.
You can also cook your kale, which is my favorite way to have kale, which deactivates a lot of the anti-nutrients that'll inhibit the uptake of iodine.
And you could also just have a nice variety of vegetables.
You guys feel more comfortable about kale now?
You okay, ma'am?
What are you gonna tell your mom now?
You have your mic?
Let me see your mic.
What are you gonna tell your mom after the show about kale?
I'm going to tell her to not worry about me so much and to supplement with other vegetables.
And some selenium nuts if you're really worried about it.
And some selenium nuts.
All right.
Andrew, thank you very much.
You're going to stick around, actually, because up next we are veggie voting in this year's big election to find out which green can trump kale.
Not that Trump.
Stay right here.
Thank you.
Later, of all the super healthy greens, kale has always been king.
So what's the new trending veggie?
We're presenting the latest candidates that pack as much nutritional punch.
See how you can vote for the next kale of the United States.
Coming up.
That extra weight may not be your fault.
Could it be your metabolism?
How to make sure yours is working?
With the Rhonda Jones from Empire.
All new eyes.
That's coming up on Monday.
We're showing you how to overcome life's curveballs and the kale curveball through a lot of you.
So, if you're looking to diversify your greens, we have the veg election here today.
Which green will be the new kale?
You can applaud, it's going to be exciting for you.
It's very highly debated, you can tell already.
Let's take a look at the polls.
I consulted Google Trends to see what's the new trending veggie in town.
Our first candidate is broccoli leaves.
Now you can see virtually no support until around 2008. Then suddenly broccoli leaves started gaining some momentum as you searched for her.
Our next candidate is kohlrabi.
Kohlrabi has grassroots support and has had it for years.
So it's got a bit more experience in the vegetable world.
It should be interesting how it does.
And our final candidate is dulse.
It's a seaweed whose claim to fame is that it tastes like bacon, just ready to catch up.
Looks like it could be a surprise front runner.
So, I want to welcome nutritionist Kerry Glassman, who's going to defend broccoli leaves.
Nutritionist Brooke Alpert is going to be talking about kohlrabi.
And holistic health expert Andrea Beeman will be talking about adults.
Helping me moderate our two veggie lovers.
Hi, what's your name?
Tamika.
Tamika and?
Hannah.
Hannah.
Okay.
And you guys don't know each other, right?
Nope.
Alright, so we have independent third parties who are going to judge this election.
We're going to start with these broccoli leaves, Carrie.
They're pretty intimidating looking.
What are they and why are they the next kale?
Okay, well first of all, they are the leaves of the broccoli.
And us nutritionists, we have our it veggies, and this is the it veggie of the moment.
First of all, you pretty much cannot find broccoli leaves that aren't organic and aren't non-GMO. So right away, they've got that going for them.
Also, they're packed with the super powerful antioxidants, vitamins A and C, 100% of your vitamin C needs.
I like that, I like that.
They also have two times the amount of calcium, As kale.
Sorry, kohlrabi.
No calcium.
And then they also have minerals that help absorb that calcium without the fishy taste.
Sorry, Dulce over there.
And also, they're super versatile.
And don't even think of saying that eating healthy is expensive when it comes to broccoli leaves because you buy them like a bunch like this for one dollar.
Super nutrient-packed.
I'm a big fan, if you can't tell.
Now, you guys have been tasting this, right?
Yes.
You can hold yourself in.
You want to describe it now or wait until the end?
I can describe it now.
Go ahead.
Yeah, give it a try.
I really, really enjoyed it because it wasn't as bitter as some other vegetables that I've eaten.
And what I like about it is you can just imagine what else it'll taste good with.
And that's really good.
I didn't even say that.
It tastes sweet.
That's what I wanted to say, actually.
It has actually a sweet taste.
Let's move on to Brooke, who's got a calcium-free option, I'm told, kohlrabi.
I just heard that scathing comment, but please go ahead.
This is getting dirty now, let's be honest.
Alright, so we have kohlrabi here.
One of the greatest things about this is that for half a cup, it's not even 20 calories.
So you can eat tons of it for very few impact on your caloric intake.
On top of that, this vegetable here is anti-aging.
It can prevent wrinkles.
It can prevent fine lines because it's loaded with vitamin C. Take that, broccoli leaves.
Right, so we're loaded with vitamin C. Half a cup, not the three and a half cups, half a cup contains over 70% of your daily vitamin C needs.
Vitamin C is a precursor for collagen production.
More collagen, less fine lines and wrinkles.
On top of that, you can eat the leaves And the root.
The leaves are great chopped up in a salad.
The root itself, when you slice it up, you can eat it raw, dip it in hummus.
It sort of tastes like a sweet radish.
It's a little sweet, a little spicy.
Doesn't taste like bacon.
This is a good thing in my mind.
And then, or you can also saute it.
So it's really versatile.
So when you saute it, soften up a little bit.
Kind of tastes like the stem of a broccoli.
So as I taste these, do you agree that it tastes a little bit like a radish?
Yeah, and like cabbage a little bit too without that strong kind of spice that you get when you eat it.
It's sweet.
It's sweet.
Now the third item is apparently one with a very definitive taste, the fine taste.
So Andrew's going to tell us about dulse and why it is the next kale.
Well, dulce is an amazing food.
First of all, it's an ocean vegetable, and these are land vegetables.
So this is where the mermaids live, right?
We all know how beautiful mermaids are, right?
So this is one of the most mineral-rich foods on the planet.
It's savory, it's salty, it's loaded with potassium, iodine, calcium, and if you coat it in bacon fat, it tastes like bacon.
Yeah, with bacon fat it would do it.
That's right.
So this is so good for you.
It's also, according to Chinese medicine, sea vegetables help to nourish the kidney and the adrenals and the water element inside the body.
So I vote for adults.
But of course, a little bit of bacon, a little bit of roasting, and this would be perfect.
Yeah, that was a pretty poignant taste.
You don't even need oil to make it taste like bacon.
That tastes like bacon, which some folks will enjoy.
It's the most memorable of all the tastes I've had today.
So what do you think?
Which one do you like the most?
I like this one the most.
This was really...
So you like the broccoli leaves the most?
Yes, I love the broccoli leaves the most.
Because it's something I can use every day, and my son and my daughter and my husband, they'll definitely eat it.
And what about the dulse?
I love bacon, so I would put that on top, and it would be awesome.
On top of the salad?
Yes.
Oh my goodness.
How about you?
Which one's your favorite?
I like the leaves here.
It's very filling, very thick, and very tasty.
Well, I actually enjoy radishes a lot.
So the closest thing to it was this.
However, I got to say, it doesn't matter what we say.
All these are excellent candidates for the next kale in the United States.
But the decision is yours because it's democracy.
So you're going to decide who will take this coveted role.
You can go to dros.com and vote for the next kale.
The winning candidate will be announced right here on this show and continue the debate on social media, hashtag the new kale.
Thank you very much for voting, my panelists.
Thank you.
I'll text everything you know about the little pink pill in just 60 seconds.
Next, they are calling it the new female Viagra.
With all the hype around it, I'm breaking it down for you.
How does it work and is it effective?
I am willing to try it.
Everything you need to know about the little pink pill in 60 seconds.
coming up next.
In today's conversation, the little pink pill they're calling Female Viagra.
I want to ask all of you, would you try it?
Who would try the female Viagra?
Oh, you got a brave woman.
Thank you for going first.
So, what do you want this female Viagra to do for you?
Well, it gives different medications that decrease the sexual drive.
So, I was just thinking that with the female pink pill...
That it will boost our sexual drives again.
An antidote.
Yes.
The complications of other medications.
Yes.
That's a good thought.
Thank you.
If you were going to take this pill, when would you want to see the result?
Immediately.
Immediately.
Like most men, immediately.
Yes.
Anyone else want to comment on that?
Who would take female Viagra?
I love it.
Oh, it's one in the very back.
I'm going to go up to you because I want to hear your thoughts.
Jeez.
But I picked it up.
It got me so excited.
Here, pass that along to her.
Way up there.
See if someone intercepts the mic on the way over there.
I'm 65 years old, and so I was wondering, I would like to try it, but I was wondering if I was too old to try it.
But I would like to see it, like, be one of those kind that you take and then you don't have to have immediate reaction.
It would be ready when you're ready.
Aha.
A time release solution.
Yes.
Yes.
Do you know much about this female Viagra yet?
I don't know a whole lot about it.
I have done a little study, but I don't know a whole lot about it, but I am willing to try it.
Well, you came to the right place.
Hold on to the mic.
I know there's a lot of hype out there right now about this little pink pill, so I'm going to break down this complicated medication into everything you need to know about the pink little pill in 60 seconds.
Here we go.
It's called plebanzarin.
And folks, Probably hear it more called Female Viagra.
It looks like this.
That's what the pill actually looks like.
And, good news, it's just been FDA approved.
And it's going to be available by prescription by the end of October.
But, here's a big but, the drug has been rejected twice.
By the FDA. Why?
Because of low effectiveness and it has some side effects, which include dizziness.
Here's the question.
Is it the female equivalent of Viagra?
Are they really the same?
Well, not really.
See, it turns out that Viagra increases flow of blood to the genitals, that's what this represents, while flavancerin actually boosts chemicals in the brain.
It actually works sort of like an antidepressant.
The Viagra Starts to work almost immediately, as we all know, within an hour.
But to flibanserin?
Well, not quite so easy.
It takes, actually, about a month of using it.
You gotta count the days before you start getting the benefit.
So, what is it supposed to do?
Well, it's supposed to increase the sex drive.
But how does it work?
In studies, it's been shown to increase the number of sexually satisfying events by...
Drumroll, please.
One.
One.
One to two per month, with or without orgasm.
I'll say that again, with or without orgasm.
So, why are people so excited?
Well, they're excited because there are currently 10 pharmaceuticals on the market designed to increase male libido, and now there is one, just one, for women.
And that's, my friends, an important observation.
Doesn't seem equal, does it?
So it's upsetting.
And the reality is, if you're going from zero sexually satisfying events per month to one sexually satisfying event per month, well, maybe it's worth it.
So it's a small crack in the pink ceiling.
Make sense, everybody?
They're going to go out there and try it immediately.
When we come back, the comic who won everyone over on America's Got Tay.
Later, meet a woman whose husband woke up from surgery, a complete stranger, with no memories of their life together.
How their unexpected turn of events challenged their relationship.
And what they did to rebuild a new marriage.
Coming up.
That extra weight may not be your fault.
Could it be your metabolism?
How to make sure yours is working.
With the Rhonda Jones from Empire.
All new eyes.
That's coming up on Monday.
Our next guest was changed forever when life threw him a curveball, and I mean literally.
Drew Lynch was playing ball and was hit in the neck by a softball.
When he woke up the next morning, he got the shock of his life.
Please welcome the comic, everyone in America's talking about, Drew Lynch.
Congratulations.
Congratulations.
Thank you.
What a thrill to meet you.
Oh, thank you for having me.
This is the only show that would take my insurance.
So I gotta say, it is studying, obviously, to see someone who went through what you did, try to use it as a tool to pick a career that actually would let you get there.
Are you surprised at how well you've done on America's Got Talent?
I'm pretty surprised.
I mean, it's not just that I wouldn't say like it sounds like I don't have confidence in myself.
It's just, you know, four years ago I had pretty much no other option than just talk about what I was going through.
And then in that way, comedy kind of picked me, I guess.
Yeah, I took you there.
I gotta say, Howie Mendel, who can be tough at times, when he says he's never been moved like this before, when he speaks about finding the light in the darkness, it really touched me as well.
You got the golden ticket because of that.
There are people right now, all over America, who are looking for that light.
What is your message to them?
I would say that We can't be too comfortable in our everyday routines.
We can't be afraid to explore boundaries and push the envelope on our comfort levels.
I like to do something every day that scares me.
Today, it's this.
that'll help you overcome whatever because if you get stayed and you're stationary you're never going to grow if you don't scare yourself Let's do that right now.
I want folks to scare themselves a little bit.
They should be scared a tiny bit in life.
Ask yourself, where's my light?
What is my light?
And you know illness?
As a doctor, I see this a lot.
It has a remarkable ability to focus us on that light at the end of this long tunnel of darkness.
So I want to congratulate you for all you've done.
I want to ask you a favor.
Normally, when we go to a commercial break, we have a very funny comedian who makes fun of me mostly, but then entertains the audience.
The mic is yours.
We're handing it over to you.
It's a wonderful audience.
I love you already.
Will you please do the honors?
Oh, I would love to.
Don't forget, if you have what it takes, America's Got Talent.
Auditions are currently underway.
Drew, it's all yours.
Uh, hi.
Sorry, audience over there.
It's just us.
Man, you'll notice I'm a pretty short guy.
I've been little ever since I was little.
I don't know.
My...
My mom used to measure me every year against the kitchen wall, you know?
But I never had a gross spurt.
And it eventually got to the point where she didn't want to draw over the same line, so she just had me move to the side.
LAUGHTER She's like, oh, now you're making progress.
I'm like, yeah, I'm in the pantry.
You need anything from the bottom shelves?
Oh, look, kale.
kale.
Beautiful guy.
Good luck tonight.
Gross!
Next, when he lost his memory, she felt as if she lost her husband.
What this couple had to overcome to rebuild their marriage.
And later, is beer really the culprit behind the beer belly?
We're getting to the bottom of it, coming up.
Whoever said a doctor's visit isn't fun has obviously never been to the Dr. Oz show.
Is that right?
Make your equipment today.
Okay, go to drons.com/tickets and sign up for free tickets.
Today's show is all about overcoming life's curveballs and you're about to meet a couple who took an unexpected turn of events and turned it into something even better than what they had before.
I met Richard when I was 17 years old.
I was at a high school dance.
I saw him walk in the door and I was instantly attracted to him.
In high school, Richard was the athlete of the year, but he was also a super smart guy.
And he also just had this great swagger about him.
But we married young and had two children nearly right away.
We did have struggles.
I felt very much in Richard's shadow and I wasn't sure if we were going to make it together.
In 2000, Richard was diagnosed with a rare cancer and he had a successful surgery for it, but three years later the cancer came back and he decided to have a more extensive surgery.
After Richard woke up from the surgery, I started to realize that he was more withdrawn than normal.
The man that I married was magnetic, charismatic, and gregarious, and now he was shy.
He was a completely different person.
I had basically no memories of my life before the surgery at all.
The nurses gave him a marker and a piece of paper to communicate with me because he couldn't speak.
And he was writing the same questions over and over again.
Who is here?
Who has been here?
And who is coming?
I didn't remember my high school or my college.
I didn't remember my wedding day.
I didn't remember the births of my kids.
His body was present, but the person that I knew had disappeared.
Not being able to connect with my wife and kids made me feel very frustrated and sad.
I really had no idea of how to initiate a conversation with anybody.
It was very challenging for me.
After about three weeks, the surgeon told me that Richard had a form of a brain injury when the brain loses oxygen during a bleed.
We discovered that our entire intimate life had changed.
The first time that we tried to make love, I realized that he was a virgin again.
For me, I had no idea the person I used to be, and so it was all brand new.
At that point, I decided that I was going to really try to be the best person that I could be in terms of communicating with her and try to understand the nature of our relationship.
I wasn't sure if I was going to be able to be his wife.
We had to flirt and date and get to know each other.
We had to learn how to fall in love again.
And they did just that, and they are here with us today.
Thanks for sharing your story.
Richard, just to get the medical stuff out of the way, what things can you remember now, and what things can't you?
The short answer is I have no idea.
The longer answer is it's been 12 years since the surgery, and so I've seen a lot of pictures and heard a lot of stories, and so I don't know whether they're actual memories or they're memories that have been planted, if that makes any sense to you.
It does.
I'm going to explain to you all a little bit about memory, because it's amazing this can even happen, but it does happen.
Sonia, you refer to Richard as your new husband.
Yes.
Can you help us understand the grieving process for the old Richard?
Well, the first thing that happened was we learned that he had a permanent disability, and that was a huge shock to both of us.
And I really had to grieve that fully.
I had to grieve the loss of him, and I had to grieve the loss of our marriage.
So let's get everyone the data on what's going on, Richard.
So personalities change based on the memories we acquire, but what if we lost all of our memories?
What would happen to our personality?
So let's first understand what memory really is.
So imagine that your brain is full of all these nerves, right?
And those nerves are these little strands of spaghetti.
And what happens with those, Betty, is they're actually pulled together into the structure we call the brain.
Literally, winding back and forth into a structure, crammed into our skulls, compacted with enough information and wisdom to fit into our brains.
Now, at the base of the brain, way down in here, is the hippocampus.
That's where you process critical bits of information.
Things I'm saying right now, you're gonna store them, some of them anyway, in this hippocampus.
So all these ideas, these really important things that happen in your life, they could be your first date, vacations with the family, the wedding.
So due to a complication in Richard's surgery, these all began to literally dissolve away.
Because there was no oxygen going through his brain for part of the recovery process, the hippocampus was damaged, taking away some of these memories, and making it probably harder to make new ones as well.
I want to take you back again.
Remember, the brain basically is as intricate as a bowl of spaghetti.
And we don't really understand all the intricacies of how our personalities are formed.
That's, unfortunately, that magic is what makes Richard Richard and Sonia Sonia, and me, me, and you, you.
It's the magic of our uniqueness.
Now you pointed out one thing that you were very honest about, which is that after the surgery, it was as though Richard was a virgin.
Yes.
You really had to go from the very beginning, which is not a bad idea for a lot of folks in troubled relationships right now anyway, because we have to reinvent those relationships.
How did you overcome that sense?
Well, it was a lot of practice and a lot of patience.
And so there could have been a high degree of frustration with that.
As we were experiencing all the frustrations and learning who we were again, we just had a really strong commitment to see this out.
Well, lucky for us, Tonya, is a wonderful writer.
And she's actually crafted a beautiful book.
It's on the marriage.
It's called Wondering Who You Are.
And it's available now.
We're going to apply this to a couple when we come back from the break.
But I want to understand why you want to talk about this publicly in the first place.
Well, I think that the power of reinvention became so strong for us through the writing of the book together.
I'd like to be able to help other people who are experiencing that no matter where they're having that in their life.
You know, it could be in marriage, it could be in any kind of relationship that they're currently in.
Alright, so when we come back, Sonia and Richard are going to share their three steps on how to revive your marriage.
We're going to turn the curveball that some folks are getting into home runs.
So stick around.
Later, we're finding out if beer really is the cause behind that beer belly.
That extra weight may not be your fault.
Could it be your metabolism?
How to make sure yours is working?
With the Rhonda Jones from Empire.
All new eyes.
That's coming up on Monday.
Our story is like a metaphor for marriage.
Over the years, most couples grow apart and become strangers as their relationship evolves.
In our case, extreme circumstances completely changed Richard's personality and we lost his identity and we became strangers to each other.
And so we had to learn how to fall in love all over again and that saved our marriage.
It's certainly a curveball when a complication in surgery left Sonia's husband, Richard, without his memories, and they had to fall in love all over again.
Now, they're sharing what they've learned to help you revive your own marriage.
Now, Sonia and Richard wanted to share this story, a very intimate story, because they believe all couples can fall in love again.
So, you've asked Nika and Javon from our audience, and they've been married for seven years, and they're joining us.
They've got five kids, and they feel like they have lost the connection they once had.
Nika, when did you first...
Did you sort of have the sense that you were growing apart?
I started having that sense around baby number four, three and a half years ago.
We moved into a new home.
My husband got a new job and started working nights.
Four children, night working.
It was like we were passing each other instead of connecting with each other.
It's like we lost that connection between each other.
So step one is to do what you want, experiment, which can be tough for folks with a lot of kids.
So please explain what that means.
Well, I started out with about 15 minutes of doing what I want.
It sounds like you have a lot of roles and responsibilities in your life.
So sometimes that's all you can carve out is 15 minutes at a time.
But because I had so associated myself with all of those roles, I didn't really know who I was anymore.
So it became more difficult to connect with others.
Nika, how hard will it be with all these things happening in your life to actually do exactly what you want, even 15 minutes a day?
That's going to be almost impossible.
I can be honest because our children are stair steps.
They're very young.
And you can't even go to the bathroom without one of them knocking or coming in.
And so to find that much time for myself is going to be hard.
But if my husband's willing to help me, you know.
Javon, will you help out?
Oh yeah, definitely.
You can base it 15 minutes.
Oh yeah, I'm going for 20. 20. It's a block, but it's important.
Step number two of the plan is to take technology out of the bedroom.
Big step for a lot of folks, even if they don't have challenges keeping intimate with each other.
What do you think, Javon?
Well, goodbye ESPN. Yes.
Goodbye EVA. But I'm willing to do it.
I'm willing to do whatever it takes because I love my wife to death.
She means everything to me.
And I'm willing to do whatever it takes.
I'm proud of you.
Step number three is to go for a walk together in a new town.
Let's just demonstrate this.
I'm going to let Richard take this one over.
This is a huge one because Richard used it for his rehab as well.
But walking has been part of all of our cultures for so many years.
We don't realize that it allows us to do things while we talk so we can connect a little bit.
How did it help your relationship?
Well, for me, I went from being primarily verbal to being primarily kinesthetic as a result of the surgery and everything that was going on with me.
So for me, it was very difficult to initiate conversation.
But when I was walking, it took a lot of that pressure off because it stimulated me kinesthetically and we could talk at the same time while we were walking.
And I think you could probably do it with your kids as well.
I think you could probably take all five kids and just, you know, wander around in a park or something like that.
I think they'll like that.
Yeah.
Yeah, I definitely think so.
Well, the question is, would you be willing to apply these three steps to your life?
Of course.
Could you do it today?
I'll do it in the next five minutes.
Five minutes.
Well, the daytime show, they're not ready for that, so we can't do it.
But if you're willing to let it happen today, then I've got a little gift for you.
We'd like to send you to a hotel.
We'll manage the kids.
We're going to put all the technology away, and you're going to start following this advice.
The original advice, by the way, was stay in the room for 24 hours in a row.
I don't know if you can get there, but you can give that a shot as well.
You up for this?
Yes.
Enjoy yourself.
Good luck to you.
Have a wonderful time.
I want to thank you for sharing your story and helping you get Jay Vaughn today.
I'll be right back.
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We've been talking about overcoming life's curveball, so I'm going to throw one to you right now because things aren't always what you believe them to be.
Take, for example, the beer belly.
That big belly people walk around with with great pride.
For years, you thought that beer was the culprit behind your round middle, but guess what?
You don't actually know, do you?
Is it really the culprit?
This is what you're gonna be talking about tomorrow, so let's get to the bottom of it today.
Who doesn't enjoy relaxing with a nice cold brew with some of your friends?
You're sitting back there, kicking back, enjoying it.
But the more beers you drink, the rounder your belly becomes.
Now why is that?
Here's why.
A typical bottle of beer contains about 150 calories.
If you're down several at one sitting, you could end up with a serious calorie overload.
But can your belly tell the difference between a beer calorie and a regular calorie?
Can it?
The answer is no, they can't.
So what's the deal?
Why do they call it their beer belly?
It all comes down to serving size.
Here's the deal.
A beer average is about 12 ounces of serving, while a glass of wine is about five ounces.
And a shot of something stronger is about an ounce and a half.
With beer, you end up drinking more of it to get the same buzz.
As beer's less maligned cousins.
So, the equation's simple.
More beer, more calories.
Bigger belly.
Here's the bottom line.
If you drink wine in greater quantities than beer, the expression could just as easily be wine belly.
But it's not a thing, is it?
We don't call things wine bellies.
You call them beer bellies, and now you know exactly why.
So, to celebrate, I'm putting this little explanation on Facebook.
Make sure to tag the beer lover in your life and share it with your friends and family.
Remember, healthy and happy starts at home.
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