Ask Why Medicine

In this episode, the hosts are joined again by Ellie Campbell, DO. Ellie Campbell is a Double Board-Certified Physician who specializes in family medicine and holistic care. For more on Dr. Campbell’s, tune in to episode 27 of the Ask Why Podcast, where she was recently featured.

Dr. Campbell discusses her new book “The Blood Pressure Blueprint,” and the dangers of accepting a “common” blood pressure reading as a “normal” reading. She describes tips for clinicians on how to properly check blood pressure, as well as some root causes of blood pressure. Dr. Campbell details her blood pressure care plan, and five simple tips to quickly lower ones blood pressure. The team also discuss the importance of patients empowering themselves to take care of their own health.

“Sudden death is something terrible to happen to someone that you love. But having a stroke where you’re paralyzed on one side of the body is a preventable condition in most cases.” -Ellie Campbell, DO

References:
Book: “The Blood Pressure Blueprint”

Social Media:
Instagram: @campbellfamilymedicine

In this episode, the hosts are joined by Ellie Campbell, DO. Ellie Campbell is a Double Board-Certified Physician who specializes in family medicine and holistic care.

Dr. Campbell delves into her history as a family medicine doctor, and details the event that led her to come across the BaleDoneen method. The team discuss microvascular disease, and how that relates to COVID and long COVID. Dr. Campbell describes some signs and symptoms of long COVID, and steps that one can take if they notice these symptoms in themself or a loved one. Finally, she explains the best method for hugging to cause a positive chemical reaction in the brain.

“Our number one most important strategy in treating long COVID is our lifestyle measures. Therapeutic lifestyle changes- sleep, food, movement, water, and emotions all play a role.” - Ellie Campbell, DO

References:
Blood tests mentioned:
- Myeloperoxidase & Lp-PLA2
- ADMA & SDMA
- NT-proBNP
- High Sensitivity C-Reactive Protein
- Galectin-3
- High Sensitivity Troponin T
- Microalbumin Creatinine Ratio
- Cystatin C
- EGFR
- Oral Pathogen Screen
- Testing for Cytokines
- Glutathione Level
- Epstein Barr Virus Titer
- Autoimmune Antibodies

Social Media:
Instagram: @campbellfamilymedicine

In this episode, the team is joined by Michelle Strange, MSDH, RDH. Michelle is the founder of “The Tale of Two Hygienists” podcast, and Level Up Infection Prevention. She has over 21 years experience in dentistry.

The team discusses bringing awareness to the Infection Control Coordinator role (ICC) in a dental office, and creating a culture around safety for both clinicians and patients. Michelle also speaks on the safety measures that are being put in place in dental offices to make them more safe against airborne viruses, and the strong benefits of telemedicine.

“There’s a lot of factors in standard precautions that we should be practicing without question every single day, every single patient, every single minute as we step into a dental practice.” - Michelle Strange, MSDH, RDH

References:
“A Tale of Two Hygienist” podcast
    ataleoftwohygienists.com
Level Up Infection Prevention
    levelupip.com

Social Media:
@ataleoftwohygienists
@level_up_infection_prevention

In this episode, the hosts discusses the importance of practicing integrative healthcare. They speak on the Integrative Dental Medicine Scholar Society, an organization started by our own Witt Wilkerson, DMD, whose mission is to bring together and educate practitioners of all types through workshops, seminars, and conferences.

The hosts discuss the difference between “sick care” and “health care,” and the importance of practicing preventative care. They go into past frustrations of learning about the mouth’s impact on the rest of the body, but not receiving any guidance on how to incorporate that information into their daily practice. They discuss the purpose of the Scholar Society, and how crucial it is to facilitate communication between those practicing dentistry and those practicing medicine.

Do you want to get involved? Sign up for the first Integrative Dental Medicine Foundations Course on March 31-April 2, 2022 in St. Petersburg, FL. Use promo code SAVE200 for $200 off of the registration fee.

“We need to work together. They can’t treat what we treat and we can’t treat what they treat, but when we work together we will absolutely make better healthcare in our country as a team.” -Patti DeMatteis, ASDH, RDH

References:
idmscholarsociety.com

Episode 24: Why should I pursue a collaborative care practice?

This week, the hosts are joined by Bobbie DelSasso, RDH, BS. Bobbie DelSasso is the Executive Director of The American Academy for Oral Systemic Health (AAOSH). AAOSH is a non-profit organization which focuses on expanding awareness about the oral systemic connection.

Bobbie DelSasso tells the hosts stories of shocking and life changing interactions with patients that caused her to begin incorporating looking at her patients’ health history into her practice as a dental hygienist, and  later led her to become Executive Director of AAOSH. She discusses the power of collaborative care between physicians and dentists, and adds that every time she has seen a physician leave an AAOSH event, they’ve been in awe of the new information that had been provided.

The team discuss the importance of finding the root cause of a disease rather than suppressing symptoms, and the simple tests that all practitioners can do that can not only improve, but save a patient’s life.

“If we could coordinate and work together more, there are so many peoples lives that we can change and make better just by small little things we can do.” - Bobbie DelSasso

References:
AAOSH.org

Social Media:
Instagram: @aaoshconnect
Twitter: @aaoshconnect
Facebook: American Academy of Oral Systemic Health
LinkedIn: American Academy of Oral Systemic Health (AAOSH)

In this episode, the hosts are joined by Charissa Wood, RDH and Brittany Simon, CRDH, BASDH. Charissa and Brittany are the creators of Bulletproof Hygiene, a business whose mission is to help hygienists find fulfillment in their profession, and provide community. The two are co-authors of the book “Bulletproof Hygiene,” and are co-hosts of a podcast with the same name.

Charissa and Brittany explain what to look for in a Bulletproof Hygienist, including giving patients the proper assessments, and making the patient feel like they’re a part of a partnership. The group also discusses the normalization of bleeding gums, and what practitioners can do to inform patients that it is a much larger problem than they may think, as well as what they can do about it.

The guests share advice for both practitioners and patients, and how crucial it is to communicate with one another. They express the importance of patients being their own advocates, asking for the next level of care, and most importantly asking “Why?”

“For patients, just be your own advocate. Ask. Ask for the next level of care. If you’re not certain on something, ask. Look for providers that will spend the time really talking to you and helping you understand." - Charissa Wood, RDH

References:
bulletproofhygiene.com
“Bulletproof Hygiene” available on Amazon
“Bulletproof Hygiene” Podcast
Annual Summit June 3 & 4 in Nashville
“Bulletproof Hygiene” Mighty Network group

Social Media:
@bulletproofhygiene

In this episode, the hosts are joined by David Korsunsky, founder of Heads Up Health. Heads Up Health is an online platform where individuals and practitioners can track data based on their health, and use that information to improve their overall health and quality of life.

The team goes into the simple, affordable, and powerful ways that individuals can monitor their health at home. David Korsunsky goes on to explain the benefits of tracking one’s health, and what it can yield for patients and practitioners alike. They discuss the “truth serum” effect of tracking health, and how continuous tracking can keep a patient accountable. Korsunsky additionally shares some of his favorite health tracking devices, such as an Apple Watch or a continuous glucose monitor.

“Just looking at some very very simple numbers could lead to some very profound changes in behavior.” - David Korsunsky

References:
headsuphealth.com

Social Media:
Instagram: @heads_up_health
Facebook: @headsuphealth
Twitter: @headsuphealth
LinkedIn: Heads Up

This week, the hosts are again joined by Barb McClatchie, DDS and Eric Goulder, MD, FACC in discussing the motto of the Heart Attack and Stroke Prevention Center of Central Ohio and Complete Health Dentistry of Central Ohio, which is “On a good day we save a smile, on a great day we save a life.”

The two doctors detail different stories of patients whose lives were saved through whole body care. The stories are inspiring as well as heart breaking, each individually exemplifying the importance of taking a patient’s oral care seriously. Dr. McClatchie states that patients must be their own advocates and chase their own health, even when it means seeking out an opinion from a separate specialist.

“We watched the transformation of this gentleman in four months go from this crippled, sad, emaciated man to a vibrant, happy patient almost skipping down the hall, and the only thing we changed was his dental care.” - Barb McClatchie, DDS

References:
Haspcofcentralohio.com
mcclatchiedds.com 
@haspcofcentralohio
@chdcolumbus

Social Media
Instagram: @askwhymedicine
Facebook: @askwhyme

In this episode, the Ask Why team is joined by Barb McClatchie, DDS and Eric Goulder, MD, FACC, of The Heart Attack and Stroke Prevention Center of Central Ohio, and Complete Health Dentistry of Columbus.

Dr. McClatchie and Dr. Goulder share with the hosts how they became interested in the oral systemic connection, and what led them to create their revolutionary collaborative practice. The two discuss signs of inflammation that can be too easily missed if a physician or a dentist is only focused on one part of the patient’s body, as opposed to looking at the system as a whole. 

Drs. McClatchie and Goulder additionally detail what they keep track of in order to make sure that a patient’s inflammation is kept in check, and share inspiring stories of having been able to save patients lives due to the nature of their shared practice.

“There’s probably 15 things that we know of for sure that help drive inflammation, and 3 of those things are dental issues. I can get everything else under control, but if those things aren’t under control, I’m not going to be successful in stopping the arterial disease process.” Eric Goulder, MD, FACC

“We’ve learned that 50% of heart attacks and strokes are driven by oral bacteria so where is that bacteria coming from? It’s either coming from infected teeth or infected gums.” Barb McClatchie, DDS

References:
Haspcofcentralohio.com
mcclatchiedds.com 
@haspcofcentralohio
@chdcolumbus

Social Media
Instagram: @askwhymedicine
Facebook: @askwhymedicine

In this episode, the hosts are joined by Sydney Avis and her father, Victor Avis, DDS, creators of The Airway Revolution Foundation. “The Airway Revolution Foundation is a non profit organization with a team of medical professionals and advocates who seek to save millions of lives by revolutionizing the current thinking, diagnosis, and treatment of airway related challenges.”

Sydney and Dr. Avis tell the compelling story of Sydney’s journey from experiencing chronic exhaustion all her life despite being young and healthy, to finally breaking through and finding the underlying issue, then being able to have life-changing surgery based on her diagnosis. The two describe their reasoning behind creating the powerful film Airway: The Battle to Breathe, and their mission to get more information about airway blockage out to the public. This documentary is still in production, but you can get a first look at airwaydocumentary.com.

Dr. Avis also details that although someone may be diagnosed with “mild” sleep apnea, the health consequences could be severe. Sydney and Dr. Avis dive into the importance of a patient educating themself and being their own advocate. No solution would have been found if the two of them hadn’t asked “Why?”

“The reality is that, as a young person, I was coping okay. I was exhausted and I didn’t feel good, but I wasn’t deathly ill, and people would look at me and say ‘You’re fine, you’re okay,” but the reality is that with airway issues, you cope, but each day it’s going to get worse.” - Sydney Avis

Keep asking "why?"!

References:
Airwaydocumentary.com
Airwayrevolution.org

Social Media:
Instagram: @askwhymedicine
Facebook: @askwhymedicine