Reviewed by the BioHackers Lab Team | Last updated: May 25, 2020

In today’s interview I get to speak with Australian clinical dentist and holistic health advocate, Dr Ron Ehrlich.

We talk about how he dealt with the stress of his prostate cancer diagnosis and about recognising the common stressors that can contribute to poor health and recovery ability.

Ron is very passionate about helping people de-stress their lives and improve their wellbeing using the holistic approach to health.

We also get a chance to talk about the vital factors (that Ron calls the five pillars of health) he feels we should all make sure we are addressing to help us counter the effects of various stressors we are all exposed to on a daily basis.

If you know someone who is interested in learning more about:

  • Coping with a prostate cancer diagnosis
  • Why use a surgical option and holistic approach
  • What the five common stressors we are exposed to in our life are
  • How different sources of stress impact our lives
  • What are the five pillars of health
  • Tips on how to easily improve these areas in our lives

Then this interview is for them.

I really enjoyed the story Ron shared with us as he helped explain how we can incorporate some simple changes into our lives to support our health.

He also shared some insight into issues that are not typically discussed when a man gets diagnosed with prostate cancer and how this can cause stress.

Whether it is improving our nutrition and sleep or dealing with our dental health, it is likely we all have areas we can work on to potentially improve our wellbeing.

Special thanks to Ron for joining me on the show.

Enjoy the episode!

Get Dr Ron Ehrlich’s book: A Life Less Stressed: the five pillars of health and wellness on Amazon.

Listen On Your Favorite Podcast App

Hear episode 94 directly on your favorite podcast app by clicking a link below:

Speaker Links

Dr Ron Ehrlich Australian dentist
Dr Ron Ehrlich: Australian Holistic Dentist

Follow, or find out more about, Ron on these official links:

Show Notes with Timestamp Links

Find summarised highlights of what we talk about during the interview.

Use the clickable timestamp links to jump direct to those points in the audio file below:

[00:20] – Introducing Dr Ron Ehrlich, one of Australia’s leading holistic health advocates with over 35 years of clinical practice as a holistic dentist. He also currently serves as President of the Australian College of Nutritional and Environmental Medicine, is the co-founder of the non-profit organisation Nourishing Australia and is the author of the book: A Life Less Stressed: The Five Pillars of Health and Wellness.

[01:01] – Ron shares his personal story of coping with being diagnosed with prostate cancer. During his recovery he took time off and wrote his book.

[06:10] – Statistics say that one in three women, one in two men will develop cancer by the time they turn 60 and child cancers are also on the rise. Ron talks about some more statistics and some potential issues such as family history, profession, vitamin D and MTHFR.

[11:07] – A question a lot of people with a cancer diagnosis ask is: “Why did I get it?”. In his book, Ron talks about the five stresses we face in life that compromise our immune system and the five pillars of health that build resilience. The model of health Ron uses in his practice explores the five stresses: emotional, environmental, postural, nutritional and dental.

[12:40] – We are all exposed to environmental toxins and radiation, that is not the question. The question is to what extent does it affect you? Only about 5% of chemicals we are exposed to have gone through rigorous testing. We also need to consider the synergistic effect of all the chemicals combined as well as Wi-Fi radiation.

[15:31] – Ron decided to go for the surgical option straight away rather than trying other options. He talks about why he made this decision and why this is a personal decision every individual needs to make for themselves. Ron also did other things, such as reduced his carbohydrate intake considerably.

[18:34] – Dr Dean Ornish’s research showed how a vegetarian diet and meditation can also be helpful in seeing improvements. Ron explains how the medical profession can be quite dismissive of alternative solutions. However, combining the medical procedures with the alternative support can yield some very positive results.

[21:14] – Bringing the blood chemistry back into balance is really important. Ron regularly goes to see his integrative men’s health doctor and checks his blood chemistry, vitamin levels and methylation.

[21:58] – Sleep is something Ron has had a lot of focus on in his practice. Having had problems with snoring he realised it was affecting his sleep.

[23:47] – Another useful way of dealing with cancer is fasting as it activates the process of autophagy. There is also meditation, exercise, the use of saunas, detoxing, etc.

[24:32] – Ron checks his PSA levels (which should remain undetectable) every 6 months. A helpful point Ron makes is that with PSA numbers, the rate of change can be more significant than the absolute value.

[26:01] – Post diagnosis, Ron was more diligent about his carbohydrate levels. He is also more diligent about fasting, practising time restrictive eating within a 6-8 hour window. He also has an infra-red sauna at home, has scaled back on his stressful work, is religious about sleep, practices meditation and reduced his alcohol intake significantly. Finally, he is very conscious about avoiding Wi-Fi radiation.

[33:26] – In terms of vitamin D, he finds he still needs to supplement (with a vit D and vit K combo) to keep his levels at around 80-100.

[34:29] – When it comes to dental health, a very important considerations is chronic inflammation. Two of the most common infections know to men occur in the mouth: tooth decay and gingivitis/periodontists. Ron recommends that anyone with cancer have their oral health checked out thoroughly: gum and periodontal health, decay, and 3D x-ray check of fillings.

[37:37] – There is a connection between the overall health with oral health. Ron explains that 95% of oral disease has no pain associated with it at all.

[39:00] – Mouth taping is a growing trend. By breathing through our nose we have five levels of filtration. Four of these are bypassed when we breathe through our mouth; we also don’t filter and humidify the air. Nitric oxide is an important antimicrobial body regulator which is also produced by breathing through the nose. Ron also explains why over-breathing is a problem.

[43:05] – If you get up at night to go to the bathroom, sleep disordered breathing might be a reason. Ron shares a tip on mouth taping.

[46:36] – Matthew Walker’s book Why We Sleep describes sleep as nature’s built-in, non-negotiable life support system. Quantity and quality of sleep are vital foundations for maintaining good health.

[48:45] – Ron explains that as our world is becoming increasingly more complex the solutions are actually remarkably simple. [Ron shares a tip about fasting: don’t go from a low-fat diet to fasting, you need to go low-carb and explore ketosis first.]

[49:58] – To contact or find out more about Ron, he recommends his own podcast, Unstress with Dr Ron Ehrlich or visiting his website: drronehrlich.com. There is also an app in the app store where you can access the webinars and the e-courses.