In celebration of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. we will discuss African American Wellness. The harsh reality is that not all patients are treated equally, and racism has consequences on a person’s health and health care.An Associated Press wire story from 1966, contained Dr. King’s famous quotation regarding injustice in health care—“Of all the forms of in-equality, injustice in health, is the most shocking and in-human.”
My guest today, Dr Michael Lenoir, has been committed to the health and well-being of the African American community for a long time now…believing that “Healthcare is a fundamental right.”
Guest: Dr. Michael Lenoir
Dr. LeNoir has been the CEO of the Ethnic Health America Network, and currently he is CEO and Chairperson of the African American Wellness Project and the host and producer of the Black Doctors Speak Podcast. He is a board-certified, practicing pediatrician in Oakland, and a nationally recognized expert on asthma in inner cities. In the past he served as president of the Ethnic Health Institute at Alta Bates/Summit Medical Center and associate clinical professor in pediatrics at the University of California, San Francisco. He has been an active member of the National Medical Association and was the 114th President. Dr. Lenore was the host of About Health Radio show on KPFA.org for over 20 years.
Good oral health is a critical component of health for adults and children. It not only helps prevent problems like cavities and gum disease but also contributes to overall wellbeing. In California, more than 50% of children in kindergarten already have experienced dental decay, with nearly 3 in 10 being untreated. Maintaining good oral health through oral hygiene, healthy nutrition, and receiving preventive and early dental care can reduce the risk of systemic diseases, improve self-esteem, and support good nutrition.
Listen now to the show aired 1/8/24 on About Health, 94.1FM—KPFA.org
Dr. Jared Fine is the former Dental Health Administrator, for Alameda County, where he served the Public Health Department for nearly 40 years. After graduation from dental school at Maryland, he served in the US Navy Dental Cops at Treasure Island. He completed his, Masters in Public Health at UC Berkeley before completing a dental public health residency at UCSF.He is recognized in as a visionary leader in public health policy, program development, advocacy and community organization. He initiated Alameda County’s WIC oral health program, and led Alameda County in the development of its first 5 year strategic Plan for Oral Health. He co-chaired the successful 2016 Soda Tax Campaign in Oakland and served on Oakland’s Advisory Commission for 2 years. Dr. Fine co-chaired the advisory committee to the California Oral Health Plan, chaired the non profit Center for Oral Health for 10 years, co-chairs the Oral Health Committee of the County Public Health Commission. He has served on the Board of the Alameda County Dental Society since 1986 and initiated the development of “California Dental Association’s 7 Year Strategic Plan to Overcome Barriers in Access to Care.”Most recently he has served as a consultantto Alameda County’s Healthy Teeth Healthy Communities, Dental Transformation Initiative pilot project serving as the Dental Health Ambassador.
Dr. Bahar Amanzadeh, DDS, MPH, is a California Oral Health Technical Assistance Center (COHTAC) member and an Assistant Clinical Professor at UCSF School of Dentistry. She has been the Dental Health Administrator at the Alameda County Department of Public Health where she planned, evaluated, and oversaw the dental public health programs. She is an independent consultant in dental public health. She works with multiple organizations and local jurisdictions to conduct oral health needs assessments, develop community oral health improvement plans, and guide the implementation and evaluation of such plans. She focuses on school oral health programs and dental care coordination and strives to engage the communities to build the infrastructures to combat oral health disparities. Previously, she directed the Community Based Dental Education program at UCSF School of Dentistry. Dr. Amanzadeh has an extensive background in working with underserved communities, designing educational, preventive programs and integrative systems of care in the areas of children’s oral health and school oral health programs, dental care coordination and community health workers, the oral health of pregnant women, seniors, people with disabilities, and those experiencing homelessness, motivational interviewing, and Trauma-Informed Care. She is also a mother, a visual artist, and an intuitive painting facilitator.
With the holiday season upon us, it may be a good time to reflect on your relationship with alcohol. Rebecca Williams, PhD, author of the new book, Simple Ways to Unwind without Alcohol, offers us strategies for behavior changes that can lead to more ease and better health. She encourages us to slow down, develop compassion for ourselves, and discover new ways of understanding what we need.
Rebecca E. Williams, PhD is a psychologist, wellness expert, and award-winning author. She received her master’s degree from Harvard University, and her doctorate with a specialization in clinical psychology from the University of California, Santa Barbara. Rebecca enjoyed a twenty year career as a clinic director with the San Diego VA Healthcare System; was associate clinical professor in the School of Medicine at the University of California, San Diego; and maintained an active private practice. She is co-author of two popular books bridging addiction recovery with the power of mindfulness. The Gift of Recovery: 52 Mindful Ways to Live Joyfully Beyond Addiction and The Mindfulness Workbook for Addiction: A Guide to Coping with the Grief, Stress, and Anger that Trigger Addictive Behaviors. The workbook is now in its second edition and has been translated into multiple languages. Rebecca is excited to introduce her latest book Simple Ways to Unwind without Alcohol: 50 Tips to Drink Less and Enjoy More designed for those who want to change their relationship with alcohol and embrace a healthy lifestyle. Find out more by visiting her website www.mindfulnessworkbook.com.
Have you wondered about the safety of the products you use to keep your home clean, or the chemicals that are in your lipstick or hair products? Did you know that you may be putting asbestos, formaldehyde, or even lead on your hair or lips? Toxic chemicals in our cosmetics, sunscreens, and skin care products are unregulated, and many cleaning produces, non-stick frying pans, or water resistance clothes, may contain the toxic “forever chemicals” known as PFAS. Recent reports from the United States Environmental Protection Agency reveal that PFAS may be a bigger issue than we originally thought.
Every day we’re exposed to toxic chemicals in the air, water, food, and in the products we use. The more we know, the better chance we have of making good choices for our health and the health of our children.
Listen now to About Health 11/6/23, KPFA radio—94.1FM
Kaley Beins is a Senior Scientist at the Environmental Working Group (EWG). She focuses on the intersection of public health and toxicology, specifically improving human health by reducing chemical exposures. Before joining EWG, she worked for the Board on Environmental Studies and Toxicology at the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine, where she contributed to consensus studies and organized federally funded workshops. Prior to her work at the National Academies, she helped develop toxicological profiles for the Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry, and supported green chemistry and product labeling programs for the Environmental Protection Agency. She has also contributed to community health and environmental justice initiatives at nonprofits and local health departments. Kaley is active in the Washington, D.C., chapter of the Sigma Xi Scientific Research Honor Society as vice president, was a Fulbright Research Fellow, and co-hosts a medical education podcast. She is an associate member of the Society of Toxicology.
There has been a lot of talk about the Vagus Nerve these days, so I decided to do a show to learn more about how it functions, and how it can help us during times of stress or illness. The vagus nerve is one of the longest and most important of 12 cranial nerves in our bodies, and it connects our brain to our gut, and affects our mood, digestion, heart rate, immune response, and much more.
Join me and my guest Amelia Barili to learn about the Vagus Nerve and ways it can help us respond instead of react and calm ourselves in these challenging times.
Guest
AMELIA BARILI PhD, travelled the world studying ancient traditions on how to develop good health from the inside out. She received her diploma in Yoga Therapy and Philosophy, in 1972, at Kaivalyadhama Yoga Institute, India. Having also studied the Medical Qigong system with old Chinese masters, Amelia is a pioneer at integrating both wisdom traditions. She has brought these ancient contemplative practices into the academic environment and teaches meditative techniques as tools to overcome stress and foster deep learning. She is an award-winning faculty at UC Berkeley and the Osher LifeLong Learning Institute, where she teaches youth and older adults a systematic embodied mind approach for personal and community transformation. Since March 2020 she has been offering, and continues to offer, free Saturday online classes. The classes integrate Yoga, Qigong, and Neuroscience to teach participants how to work with their nervous system to maintain good health, resilience, and inner strength. She just finished teaching a nine weeks course with Dr. Stephen Porges, at the Polyvagal Institute, on “Embodying Safety: Integrating Yoga, Qigong and Polyvagal Theory.” For more information about Dr. Barili’s work and to join her Saturday classes visit ameliabarili.com and her YouTube channel thenewparadigms.
One of the many health impacts the climate crisis has had in recent years is an increase is vector-borne diseases, including diseases caused by ticks, such as Lyme and Babesiosis. Lyme has been a challenge regarding diagnosis and treatment for a long time, leaving many patients with inadequate testing, high medical bills, and doctors who dismiss the varied, debilitating, and inconsistent symptoms of Lyme.
A young women, Olivia Goodreau, has made it her mission to raise awareness, support research efforts, and create a user-friendly app to identify tick populations, which are seen worldwide. She has suffered from the chronic effects of tick-borne illness on a daily basis. After seeing over 50 doctors to find out what was wrong with her, she met Dr. Richard Horowitz, who gave her the attention and care she had been hoping and praying for. Olivia Goodreau and Dr Horowitz will join me to discuss Lyme disease, including some of the new efforts and treatments on the horizon.
Guests:
Olivia Goodreau’s recently published memoir is, “But She Looks Fine – From Illness to Advocacy”.This is the story of how she turned the physical challenges and emotional hardships she has faced since she was a little girl into an engaged life of advocacy for others. She is the founder (at age 12) of LivLyme Foundation, a nonprofit that provides financial assistance to children and their families struggling with Lyme and other tick-borne diseases. LivLyme also supports the work of researchers and scientists who are dedicated to finding effective treatments and cures for tick-borne diseases. Olivia is also the inventor of the free global TickTracker App, the Tickmojis App, and her latest free app, LongHaulTracker.
Olivia has testified twice in front of the U.S. Department of Health & Human Services, Tick-Borne Disease Working Group, and both the House and Senate in Maryland. She helped pass the Kay Hagan Tick Act at the request of Senator Susan Collins of Maine, which appropriated $150 million dollars for tick-borne diseases. Olivia lobbied with the Center for Lyme Action and spoke at their inaugural “fly in” helping to increase the tick-borne diseases congressional budget by $91 million.
So many young people are faced with life-changing hardships from illness and disease. What Olivia discovers through her journey with chronic Lyme, is that inside of every predicament is also a possibility. Olivia will be attending UCLA in the fall of 2023, majoring in political science with a double minor in public health and international business.
Dr. Richard Horowitz is a board-certified internist and medical director of the Hudson Valley Healing Arts Center, an integrative medical center specializing in the treatment of Lyme and other tick-borne diseases. He has treated over 13,000 Lyme and TBD patients in the last 30 years and is one of the founding members and past president elect of The International Lyme and Associated Diseases Society (ILADS). Dr Horowitz has published multiple peer-reviewed articles on effective diagnostic and treatment options for Lyme and co-infections and served as a member of the Health and Human Services (HHS) Tick-borne Disease Working Group in 2017-2018. He was also co-chair of the HHS Tick-borne Co-infection subcommittee which gave recommendations to Congress on the prevention, diagnosis, and treatment of tick-borne illness, and he was recently elected to the NYS Department of Health Tick-borne Disease Working Group. For dedicating his life to helping those stricken with this devastating illness, he has been awarded the Humanitarian of the Year award by the Turn the Corner Foundation and awards from Project Lyme.
Dr Horowitz also published the first peer reviewed article in the world literature on the role of glutathione deficiency in COVID-19, which has now been cited over 200 times. He is the author of two best-selling books on Lyme disease, Why Can’t I Get Better? and How Can I Get Better?He also recently released his first science fiction/climate change novel, Starseed R/evolution, The Awakening, which contains innovative scientific solutions for our climate crisis.
Rebecca E. Williams, PhD is a psychologist, wellness expert, and award-winning author. She received her master’s degree from Harvard University, and her doctorate with a specialization in clinical psychology from the University of California, Santa Barbara. Rebecca enjoyed a twenty year career as a clinic director with the San Diego VA Healthcare System; was associate clinical professor in the School of Medicine at the University of California, San Diego; and maintained an active private practice. She is co-author of two popular books bridging addiction recovery with the power of mindfulness. The Gift of Recovery: 52 Mindful Ways to Live Joyfully Beyond Addiction and The Mindfulness Workbook for Addiction: A Guide to Coping with the Grief, Stress, and Anger that Trigger Addictive Behaviors. The workbook is now in its second edition and has been translated into multiple languages. Rebecca is excited to introduce her latest book Simple Ways to Unwind without Alcohol: 50 Tips to Drink Less and Enjoy More designed for those who want to change their relationship with alcohol and embrace a healthy lifestyle. Find out more by visiting her website 
Olivia has testified twice in front of the U.S. Department of Health & Human Services, Tick-Borne Disease Working Group, and both the House and Senate in Maryland. She helped pass the Kay Hagan Tick Act at the request of Senator Susan Collins of Maine, which appropriated $150 million dollars for tick-borne diseases. Olivia lobbied with the Center for Lyme Action and spoke at their inaugural “fly in” helping to increase the tick-borne diseases congressional budget by $91 million.
