Medical Myths and Why We Fall for Them

Listen now to the show on 11/30/20, KPFA radio, 94.1FM, About Health

https://kpfa.org/player/?audio=346379

 

It’s often difficult to separate health information from health misinformation. What are reliable sources? Are you more likely to believe a dramatic story about a disease rather than a recent study in a medical journal? Is what you are reading about the Covid-19 pandemic based on science or are social media sites spreading news that is even more contagious than the virus?

My guest, Dr. Seema Yasmin, has written a book called Viral BS: Medical Myths and Why We Fall for Them, where she dispels common myths and casts a critical eye on the cultural misconceptions, disinformation, and conspiracy theories surrounding health.

Dr. Seema Yasmin is a Stanford professor, medical analyst for CNN, and science correspondent for Conde Nast Entertainment. She is an Emmy Award-winning journalist, medical doctor, disease detective and author, known for her reporting on Ebola and Zika. Her new book is Viral BS: Medical Myths and Why We Fall for Them. Dr. Yasmin was a disease detective in the Epidemic Intelligence Service at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention where she chased outbreaks in maximum-security prisons, American Indian reservations, border towns, and hospitals. You can find our more about her at seemayasmin.com, or connect on Twitter @DoctorYasmin and Instagram: @drseemayasmin.

 

Understanding Depression

Listen now at to the show from 11/23/20 on KPFA.org—94.1FM

https://kpfa.org/player/?audio=345836

I was in conversation with Monique Thompson, PhD, about her new book, Cognitive Behavioral Therapy for Depression

During these stressful times many people are feeling anxious and depressed, and some people are struggling with grief from the loss of a loved one. Feeling stress, grief, or having the blues, is not the same as suffering from depression. Depression is one of the most common mood disorders, and is highly treatable, although no two people are affected the same way by depression and there is no “one-size-fits-all” for treatment.

1-800-273-8255  is the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline. If you or someone you know is considering suicide, call this number. The Lifeline provides 24/7 free and confidential support for people in distress, and resources for you and your loved ones.

Guest:

Monique Thompson is a licensed clinical psychologist. She received a doctoral degree in clinical psychology from California School of Professional Psychology. She is a certified cognitive therapist and Diplomate of the Academy of Cognitive Therapy. Dr. Thompson is trained in Cognitive Behavior Therapy for Insomnia (CBT-I), an empirically supported treatment for insomnia and other sleep disorders. Dr. Thompson has extensive experience providing individualized cognitive therapy to adults and teens. She treats depression, anxiety disorders, sleep disorders, executive functioning deficits, and challenging life transitions. She has practiced in a variety of settings, including Kaiser Permanente in Walnut Creek and Pleasanton, UC Berkeley, and private practice. She spent several years at the Golden Bear Mood and Sleep Research Center at UC Berkeley as a member of a treatment development team, and has published research on memory mechanisms and interventions to improve individual therapy outcomes. She is adjunct faculty at UC Berkeley Extension. She recently co-authored a book on Teen Insomnia with Dr. Michael Tompkins, The Teen Insomnia Workbook. Her second book, Cognitive Behavioral Therapy for Depression: Strategies to Challenge Negative Thinking and Start Living Your Life was released on November 13, 2020. You can reach her at Monique Thompson, PsyD.
(510) 652-4455, ext. 1.

Healthy Habits and Hormonal Balance

Listen to the show on 12/31/18 with  Dr. Amy Day, on KPFA 94.1FM

https://kpfa.org/player/?audio=301230

As the year comes to an end we can all reflect on our level of stress, fatigue, mood, and overall health. Do you make your good health a priority, or do you find it gets put on the back burner because of all the other things you have to do? Join us to discover some simple ways to replenish your energy and reduce your stress.

Dr. Amy Day is a doctor of Naturopathic Medicine. She is the founder of The Women’s Vitality Center in Berkeley, CA and specializes in helping busy professional women with stress, fatigue, and hormonal issues. After helping 1,000s of women in her private practice, Dr. Amy now also offers online group programs and virtual health coaching to support women outside of the Bay Area. She currently serves on the Board of Directors for the Endometriosis Association and is a past board member of the California Naturopathic Doctors Association.While in medical school, struggles with her own women’s health issues fueled Dr. Amy’s passion to work with and empower other women. She now provides experienced and compassionate care to help get to the bottom of complex hormone issues including adrenal/thyroid health, perimenopause/menopause, PMS, PCOS and endometriosis. She uses an integrated approach combining diet, exercise, lifestyle counseling, stress management, nutritional supplements, botanical medicines and bioidentical hormones as she guides women on the journey to optimal wellness.

Learn more at www.DrAmyDay.com. You can download a free copy of her e-book—

4 Steps to Replenish Your Energy.

Cancer as a Wake-Up Call

Listen to today’s show (11/19/18) on KPFA, 94.1FM

 https://kpfa.org/player/?audio=298363

Dr. M. Laura Nasi joins me for an in-depth conversation about an integrative approach to what you can do to become whole again when you have a diagnosis of cancer. Dr. Nasi presents a new way of looking at how we view and treat cancer. Integrative medicine encourages chemo and radiation when necessary, while also focusing on a patient’s internal balance to help halt the disease.

Guest:

M. Laura Nasi, MD, is an integrative oncologist in private practice in Buenos Aires, Argentina. She specialized in Internal Medicine at Temple University and in Clinical Oncology at the Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center in NY, was Clinical Research Coordinator for the International Breast Cancer Study Group in Bern, and Research Director for a Swiss pharmaceutical company. She lives with her partner alongside a lake on the outskirts of Buenos Aires, where she grows her own vegetables.

Prescribing Nature For Health

People experience therapeutic benefits when immersed in nature. Research shows that spending significant time in nature can lead to better immunity, reduced anger, better mood, good sleep, and increased energy. Spending time in nature also reduces blood pressure, heart rate, muscle tension, and the production of stress hormones. In partnership with the East Bay Regional Park District, the Primary Care Clinic at UCSF Benioff Children’s Hospital Oakland became one of the first in the nation to refer patients to the outdoors for health. The program is called Stay Healthy In Nature Everyday (SHINE).

There are now many doctors prescribing Nature for its health benefits. Ask your doctor about it!


(Picture from Outdoor Afro)

Listen to todays show on KPFA 94.1FM (10/22)

https://archives.kpfa.org/data/20181022-Mon1400.mp3 

Guests:

Nooshin Razani, MD, MPH, is a pediatric clinical scientist and Nature Champion. She serves as director of the Center for Nature and Health at UCSF Benioff Children’s Hospital Oakland, and she founded the Stay Healthy In Nature Everyday (SHINE) program. She is leading a team of clinicians conducting a randomized clinical trial to examine how to operationalize a park prescription program in a low-income setting. Since 2014, Dr. Razani has prescribed time outdoors to her pediatric patients and their families as preventive medicine. The results of the first study showed reduced stress in the parents of pediatric patients at a clinic serving low-income families. The randomized clinical trial is the first of its kind. It compared the effect of supported park outings versus independent park prescriptions with the goal of learning how to operationalize a park prescription program in a low-income setting. She was trained as a Nature Champion by the National Environmental Education Fund and Bureau of Fish and Wildlife in 2010. Dr. Razani is an attending physician UCSF Benioff Oakland’s Ambulatory Department and Assistant Clinical Scientist at Children’s Hospital Oakland Research Institute (CHORI).She attended medical school at University of California San Francisco, completed a pediatric residency at UCSF Benioff Children’s Hospital Oakland, and has a Masters in Public Health from the Harvard School of Public Health.

Daphne Miller, MD founded WholeFamily MD, San Francisco’s first integrative primary care medical practice. Her mission was to reclaim the heart of medicine by focusing on her patients rather than on the business and red tape of medical practice. Dr. Miller welcomes the challenge of medical mysteries and enjoys helping patients tackle complex health problems. She feels her most important role is to help patients discover their “inner doctor,” so that they may develop the skills they need to manage their health. Dr. Miller is a graduate of Brown University and Harvard Medical School and completed her family medicine residency and an NIH-funded primary care research fellowship at UCSF. She is also a Bravewell Fellow with the University of Arizona Program in Integrative Medicine. Dr. Miller is an Associate Professor at UCSF where she teaches nutrition and integrative medicine.  When she is not seeing patients or teaching, Dr. Miller writes books and articles related to food, farming, the environment, and health. She has authored two best-selling books: The Jungle Effect: The Healthiest Diets from Around the WorldWhy They Work and How to Make Them Work for You and Farmacology: Total Health from the Ground Up.