Epigenetics: Creating Optimal Health

Listen now to the 5/3/21 show on KPFA.org—94.1FM

**https://kpfa.org/player/?audio=356073**

Epigenetics is the study of how our lifestyle, behaviors, and the environment we live in can cause changes that affect the way our genes work. It used to be thought that our DNA rigidly determines our health, but scientists have confirmed that the vast majority of our genes are actually fluid and dynamic. Our gene expression is a powerful part of our overall health, and the more you understand this complex topic the more empowered you will be to influence your health and longevity.

Guest

Dr. Kenneth R. Pelletier, PhD, MD is a clinical professor of medicine at the UCSF School of Medicine and former clinical professor of medicine at the Stanford School of Medicine. He is also Chairman of the American Health Association and is a vice president with American Specialty Health. At the UCSF School of Medicine, he is the Director of the Corporate Health Improvement Program (CHIP), a research program between CHIP and fifteen Fortune 500 corporations. Dr. Pelletier has authored numerous books (over 13) including international bestseller, Mind as Healer, Mind as Slayer, and his 2018 book, Change Your Genes Change Your Life. He is a peer reviewer for several medical journals including the Journal of Occupational and Environmental Medicine and serves on a number of corporate boards. He has published over 300 professional articles and has appeared on ABC, CBS, CNN, NBC, and the BBC to discuss his research.

To learn more and get a free copy of his book, Change Your Genes Change Your Life, go to https://drpelletier.com.

 

 

Staying Healthy During The Pandemic

It’s over a year now since we began to adjust to the many challenges of the Covid-19 pandemic. How are you doing?  And what questions do you have about staying healthy as things are opening up and more and more people are getting vaccinated? Let’s talk about how to keep your health and well being front and center as we start to enjoy some of the things we’ve missed so dearly.

Listen now to KPFA.org, 94.1FM, 4/5/21

https://kpfa.org/player/?audio=354359

GUEST

Harry McIlroy, MD, is an integrative physician certified with the Institute for Functional Medicine. Before medical school and completion of residency at Contra Costa Regional Medical Center, he had a background in nutrition and obtained a Master’s degree in acupuncture and Chinese medicine. Dr. Harry strives to provide patients with health tools that empower them to improve their well being. Some of his specialities include Medical Cannabis, Chronic Pain, Digestive HealthRegenerative Medicine, and Insomnia. He serves as a volunteer clinical faculty member for the UCSF Medical School, and mentors and teaches medical residents at the Contra Costa Regional Medical Center, which provides medical care to underserved populations. He has recently joined BioReset Medical where he continues his focus on treating chronic disease with Functional and Regenerative medicine.

If you want to hear the previous show I did (April 2020) with Dr. Harry McIlroy, you can listen here for many good tips on health:  https://www.nurserona.com/staying-healthy-during-covid-19/

 

Staying Healthy During The Pandemic

It’s over a year now since we began to adjust to the many challenges of the Covid-19 pandemic. How are you doing?  And what questions do you have about staying healthy as things are opening up and more and more people are getting vaccinated? Let’s talk about how to keep your health and well being front and center as we start to enjoy some of the things we’ve missed so dearly.

Tune in to KPFA.org, 94.1FM, 4/5/21 from 2-3PM (PST)

Call us at 1-800-958-9008 with your questions and concerns regarding Covid-19, your general health, and ways to keep your immune system strong.

GUEST

Harry McIlroy, MD, is an integrative physician certified with the Institute for Functional Medicine. Before medical school and completion of residency at Contra Costa Regional Medical Center, he had a background in nutrition and obtained a Master’s degree in acupuncture and Chinese medicine. Dr. Harry strives to provide patients with health tools that empower them to improve their well being. Some of his specialities include Medical Cannabis, Chronic Pain, Digestive HealthRegenerative Medicine, and Insomnia. He serves as a volunteer clinical faculty member for the UCSF Medical School, and mentors and teaches medical residents at the Contra Costa Regional Medical Center, which provides medical care to underserved populations.

If you want to hear the previous show I did 4/2020 with Dr. Harry McIlroy, you can listen here for many good tips on health:  https://www.nurserona.com/staying-healthy-during-covid-19/

 

Uprooting Racism in Medicine: Where Do We Go From Here?

In the US, Black and other ethnic minority groups are hit the hardest by Covid-19, creating a renewed focus on racism in healthcare. There are so many false beliefs that many doctors and other healthcare providers still work from about Black people, such as their skin being thicker, their blood coagulating differently, and that they feel less pain.  When doctors are blind to their racist beliefs and attitudes it can lead to less effective treatments, more pain, humiliation, and even death. It’s time that doctors, medical students, and other health care professionals take anti-racist study seriously and get support to see bias in themselves and in others.

On 1/18/21 we had a conversation on About Health (94.1FM KPFA.org) to discuss racism in medical care. We heard about personal experiences of racism and some of the history that has added to the mistrust of doctors based on racist practices. You can hear that show here: https://www.nurserona.com/racism-in-medical-care/  It seemed important to me to do a follow up show to continue the conversation.

What are ways to uproot racism in medicine?

Listen now to About Health on  KPFA.org—94.1FM (3/22/21)

**https://kpfa.org/player/?audio=353495**

Dr. Jeff Ritterman is a retired cardiologist from Kaiser Richmond where he worked for 29 years.  He was also a Professor and Clinical Coordinator for the Physician Assistant Program at Touro University and  worked for three years doing Adult Primary Care at Lifelong Medical in San Pablo. He is on the Board of Directors of San Francisco Physicians for Social Responsibility and served on the Richmond City Council when they introduced the first municipal Soda Tax. In the 1980s he helped start the Salvador Medical Relief Fund and the Committee for Health Rights in Central America.  He personally delivered medical supplies to Salvador Refugees in Honduras and Costa Rica.  In the 1990s he started the Southern Africa Medical Aid Fund and delivered medical supplies to the African National Congress’s Clinic in Lusaka, Zambia. He has helped start two Racial Equity Book Clubs, one with Kaiser Oakland and the other with San Francisco Physicians for Social Responsibility.  He is the author of two recent papers on combating Medical Racism.You can read one of them here: http://www.thepermanentejournal.org/issues/2021/spring/7609-the-ally-book-club-a-tool-for-challenging-racism.html

Dr. Nadia Gaber is a postdoctoral fellow in the Program on Reproductive Health and the Environment, studying the influence of the chemical industry on the science and regulation of toxic chemicals. She received her PhD in medical anthropology and is obtaining her MD at UCSF with support from the NIH Medical Scientist Training Program. Her research in Detroit and Flint looked at the politics of urban health and safety in the U.S. through the lens of water. She is continuing to develop that research in a book project called Life After Water that blends ethnography, grassroots epidemiology and critical race theory. She is a member of the new UCSF REPAIR Project, a three-year initiative to combat anti-Black racism in the health sciences and has organized off-campus with groups like Critical Resistance and the Arab Resource and Organizing Center.

 

Some References From Dr. Ritterman

1. Washington HA. Medical apartheid. New York, NY: Anchor Books; 2008.

2. Owens DC. Medical bondage. Athens, GA: University of Georgia Press; 2017.

3. Diangelo R. White fragility. Boston, MA: Beacon Press; 2018.

4. Kendi IX. How to be an antiracist. New York, NY: Random House; 2019.

5. Metzl JM. Dying of whiteness. New York, NY: Basic Books; 2019.

6. Hoffman KM, Trawalter S, Axt JR, Oliver MN. Racial bias in pain assessment and treatment recommendations, and false beliefs about biological differences between blacks and whites. Proc Natl Acad Sci USA 2016 April;113:4296-301. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas 15160471131073 Accessed August 20, 2020.

2/15/21 Dementia: Culture, Race, and Care

Listen now to the 2/15/21 show on KPFA.org (94.1FM)

https://kpfa.org/player/?audio=351134

50 million people are living with Alzheimer’s and other dementias worldwide, and there are nearly 10 million new cases every year. Here in the U.S. African Americans are twice as likely to develop Alzheimer’s and other dementias, but only half as likely to get a proper diagnosis, treatment or access to support resources.Join us to talk about the diagnosis and care of people with dementia and how culture, race, and health disparities are important parts of the discussion.

Guest:

Karla Fields is a Community Outreach Specialist at the Alzheimer’s Association.  Her primary focus is outreach to the African American community.  She is a former educator and has over 30 years experience in education, public relations, fundraising and civic engagement.  In her free time Karla enjoys spending time with her husband and three children. https://www.alz.org/norcal