Baptist HealthTalk

Healing involves more than undergoing a medical procedure or taking a pill.  Increasingly, health care systems like Baptist Health South Florida are offering integrative therapies such as acupuncture, meditation, healthy foods, art therapy and pet therapy to meet the physical, emotional and spiritual needs of their patients.
In this episode, host Jonathan Fialkow, M.D., explores the impacts integrative medicine can bring to patients' well being with expert guests from across Baptist Health.

Guests:
·      Beatriz Currier, M.D, medical director of the Cancer Patient Support Center at Miami Cancer Institute.
·      Thi Squire, community garden manager with the Grow to Heal Program at Homestead Hospital
·      Wally Majors, dog therapy volunteer at Bethesda Hospital East.

Learn more about Miami Cancer Institute's Arts in Medicine program and the Grow2Heal initiative.

Confused about the Delta variant? Get the facts from host, Jonathan Fialkow, M.D., and his guest, Sergio Segarra, M.D., chief medical officer at Baptist Hospital. Their conversation covers frequently asked questions including: 

• What is a virus variant?
• How is the Delta variant different from the original strain of COVID-19?
• Who is being most affected by the Delta variant?
• Why are COVID-19 hospitalizations surging?
• Are current vaccines effective against the Delta variant?
• What worries healthcare providers about this variant?

Join our Baptist Health South Florida experts for an easy-to-understand discussion based on medical evidence.

COVID-19 is again dominating the headlines and challenging the health care system, with a sharp increase in new infections. Nearly 20% of these new cases are in the state of Florida. What are the factors behind the numbers and what can be done to reverse this trend? 

Host, Jonathan Fialkow, M.D. posed those questions to a panel of experts from Baptist Health hospitals to get to the facts behind the latest COVID-19 wave.

 The panelists were: 

·      Samer Fahmy, M.D., chief medical officer at Boca Raton Regional Hospital, 

·      Zulma Berrios, M.D., chief medical officer at West Kendall Baptist Hospital

·      Yvonne Johnson, M.D., chief medical officer at South Miami Hospital. 

Cardiometabolic disease is the number one cause of death in the world – so why haven’t you heard about it?  Maybe because its components, (including hypertension, high triglycerides, insulin resistance, obesity, and low LDL cholesterol), have traditionally been treated individually, instead of as a related cluster of conditions that, when combined, significantly increase a person’s risk of heart disease, diabetes and stroke.

Medical providers are assembling multidisciplinary teams of experts to address the disease with a combination of lifestyle changes and medical therapies. 

Guest Theodore Feldman, M.D.,  medical director of community health at Baptist Health's Miami Cardiac & Vascular Institute (MCVI), joins host, Jonathan Fialkow, M.D., to explore what a diagnosis of cardiometabolic disease entails, and how it can be prevented and treated.

From radio and TV ads to social media posts, there's a lot of buzz about testosterone and something called "Low T."  What are the facts behind all the hype?  We clear up the confusion with guest expert  Michael Swartzon, M.D., a primary care sports medicine physician at Miami Orthopedics and Sports Medicine Institute, a part of Baptist Health South Florida.

Host, Jonathan Fialkow, M.D., leads a lively conversation about how testosterone levels affect both men and women, how exercise plays a role, and how to separate science from marketing pitches in ads promoting testosterone therapies.

Our bodies are not ours alone. We share them with trillions of bacteria, fungi and other microbes. Most of these live in our large intestine and are known collectively as the gut microbiome.  The health of your gut can influence a surprising range of conditions, from obesity and diabetes to cancer.

Seth Rosen, M.D.,  a gastroenterologist affiliated with Baptist Health, illuminates the fascinating world of the gut microbiome with host Jonathan Fialkow, M.D., deputy medical director and chief of cardiology at Miami Cardiac & Vascular Institute. 

Drowning can happen in an instant, in as little as an inch or two of water. It is the leading cause of injury death in children between one and four years of age, and Florida has the most child drownings each year.  With vigilance and preparation, child drowning tragedies can be prevented. The information in this podcast is essential for every parent, grandparent, babysitter, camp counselor or anyone else responsible for a child's safety. 

Host, Jonathan Fialkow, M.D. and his expert guests outline the necessary steps to keep kids safe around water; from pool barriers and flotation devices to swimming lessons and the critical need for constant supervision and CPR training.

Guests:

• Fernando Mendoza, M.D., medical director of Baptist Hospital Pediatric Emergency Care
  
  
• Zulma Berrios, M.D., chief medical officer at West Kendall Baptist Hospital
  
  
• Karina Nania, owner of Little Swimmers swimming school

Swollen ankles, puffy legs - we've all experienced them at some point.  There are dozens of possible causes. Most aren't serious, but some, like blood clots, are dangerous  conditions that require immediate medical care.  How can you tell the difference? 

This week's guest expert is Ian Del Conde, M.D., a board-certified cardiologist and vascular medicine specialist with Baptist Health's Miami Cardiac & Vascular Institute. Dr. Del Conde joins host, Jonathan Fialkow, M.D., to explain what different swelling symptoms indicate and when swelling is concerning enough to seek immediate medical attention.

Men are much less likely than women to seek medical attention when they’re not feeling well. The question is: why? Why are men more prone to skipping the screenings and check-ups that could potentially add years to their lives?

During Men's Health Month in June, host, Jonathan Fialkow, M.D. brought together a panel of Baptist Health experts to answer some frequently asked questions about men's health - from heart and prostate issues to misconceptions about testosterone treatments.

His guests were:
·       Michael Swartzon, M.D., a primary care sports medicine physician at Miami Orthopedics and Sports Medicine Institute

·       Ahmed Eldefrawy, M.D., a urologic oncologist at Miami Cancer Institute

·       Elliott Elias, M.D., medical director of structural imaging at Miami Cardiac and Vascular Institute. 

Who tends to wake up earlier?  Who is more prone to sleep apnea?  What role do hormones play?  And how can you keep your partner's sleep issues from keeping you awake?

Those questions and more are explored in this episode as host, Jonathan Fialkow, M.D. welcomes Harneet Walia, M.D., medical director of sleep medicine and continuous improvement at Baptist Health's Miami Cardiac & Vascular Institute.