Fight Back

In this episode of Fight Back, we discuss the latest innovations in treating all types of cardiovascular disease.

We welcome our special guest Dr. Laith Alshawabkeh. Dr. Laith is a board-certified cardiologist specializing in caring for adults with congenital heart disease, an abnormality in the heart present at birth. He leads the Adult Congenital Heart Disease Program at UC San Diego.  An assistant professor in the Department of Medicine at UC San Diego School of Medicine, Dr. Laith is the lead investigator on multiple studies that impact the care of adults with congenital heart disease. The top medical journals, including the Journal of the American Medical Association, Journal of the American College of Cardiology, and Journal of the American Heart Association, have featured his work.

Dr. Laith covers in-depth a variety of topics surrounding cardiovascular disease, including the advancements in the treatment of heart disease—valve replacements, stents, pacemakers, heart transplants—the long-term effects of COVID, how to live a heart-healthy lifestyle, and more.

In this episode of Fight Back, we talk about the benefits of using a personal trainer. 

We welcome our special guest, Nicholas Andrus. A gifted athlete, Nick was selected for the junior Olympic soccer team and attended the University of California, Santa Barbara, on a soccer scholarship. He also has won numerous bodybuilding competitions. With this background, he entered the personal trainer profession. As a certified personal trainer, he works with clients virtually and in-person across the country and world.

Nick will share with us his insights and experiences into how to find a personal trainer best suited for your desired outcomes, the importance of a collaborative trainer-client relationship, the positive mental and physical health benefits of a training program, and more. 

In this episode of Fight Back, we talk about the holiday blues. 

Our special guest is Dr. Richard Sherman, a licensed psychologist in private practice. He has been active in organizations that serve both the profession of psychology and that of the consumer. Dr. Sherman served as President of the CA Psychological Association and President of the Los Angeles County Psychological Association and was also a gubernatorial appointee to the CA Board of Psychology, where he served for five years. He earned his doctorate in psychology from the University of Georgia. 

Feeling a bit “blue” or downcast during the holidays is common. But this year, many will have to face the added stress and anxiety of dealing with the effects of COVID on family gatherings. Dr. Sherman explains the holiday blues and offers tips regarding coping with COVID challenges, how to stay mentally healthy through it all, and much more. 

In this episode of Fight Back, Adriana Contreras joins us to discuss the health and safety of student-athletes in high school and collegiate sports. Adriana is a voluntary Assistant Coach on the swim team at UC Davis, a Senior Group Coach for the DART swimming team, a former Assistant Swimming Coach at the University of the Pacific, Head Swimming Coach at St. Francis High School, and a certified professional and collegiate Division I soccer referee.

Adriana talks about how parents should communicate with their children’s coaches and doctors to create a healthy sporting experience, the mental health challenges brought on by high-pressure athletics—including the lessons learned from Simone Biles’ Olympic experiences—what student-athletes should know about the rules and regulations around performance-enhancing drugs, and much more. 

In this episode of Fight Back! we explore the topic of hospice care with Kendra Micka, a Medical Social Worker in the Department of Hospice at Kaiser Permanente, Sacramento. 

Kendra received her Master’s Degree from California State University of Sacramento. She later earned her clinical license to provide therapeutic support and counseling. In addition to her work with terminally ill patients, Kendra is regularly asked to speak on caregiving, grief, community resources, dementia, and palliative care. She spent the last ten years working as a clinical social worker in the Department of Palliative Medicine at Kaiser and, before that, as a Family Consultant for a local non-profit where she provided clinical support to family caregivers. 

Kendra discusses what hospice care means and what it encompasses, the choices families can make for their loved ones nearing the end of their lives, how it is covered by insurance or Medicare, and much more.

Do adults with developmental and intellectual disabilities get the same healthcare and benefits as everyone else? Join us as we welcome back Ken Barnes to explore the surprising answers to this question. Mr. Barnes is President and Chief Executive Officer of Options for All, an organization that serves, supports, and educates adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities. 

Ken also discusses practical COVID policies that have been implemented to protect this community during the pandemic, new California legislation that potentially impacts employment and income for those with developmental disabilities, and much more. 

On this episode of Fight Back, we are going to dive right into the topic of quitting smoking and nicotine addiction. Smoking is a leading cause of death from lung cancer, and a major contributor to heart disease in the U.S. While huge progress has been made in recent decades to combat this addiction, there is still much more to be done. 

We welcome our special guest, Erica Costa. Erica is the Director of Advocacy for tobacco control in California for the American Lung Association. In her work at the American Lung Association, Erica advocates for support programs and methods to help people quit tobacco use and kick their nicotine addiction. 

Erica brings to our listeners a wealth of information of the best ways to tackle a smoking and nicotine addiction.  From providing us with the dangers of smoking cigarettes and vaping, to the health benefits that can immediately be seen when quitting, Erica will discuss with us how best to create a plan to quit that encompasses counseling, nicotine replacement therapy, medication, friend and family support networks, and more. 

Many states in recent years have legalized the use of cannabis as a treatment for various medical conditions, including pain mitigation, combatting the side effects of chemotherapy or AIDs treatments, and more.

We welcome our special guest, Sally Brammell. Sally is an attorney who has practiced at two international law firms, the Securities and Exchange Commission, two biotech companies, and is currently the Head of Legal Affairs at PAX Labs, a cannabis vaporizer company. She is also the parent of a young adult son who is developmentally disabled by a rare pediatric epilepsy syndrome. His seizures are resistant to most medications but have been well-controlled for the past seven years with the application of medical cannabis.  

We will discuss with Sally what consumers should know about the science behind medical marijuana, the differences between CBD and THC, how to tell whether their cannabis has been tested for quality and safety, how to talk with their physicians about cannabis as a medicine, and much more. She also shares her family’s experiences with medical marijuana and their journey to find an effective treatment for her son.

We welcome our special guest, Gary Cohen, Vice President of Government Affairs at Blue Shield of California. Gary has worked on healthcare issues for many years, including the original implementation of the Affordable Care Act, which he helped to direct in several federal and state roles. Gary was also a Deputy Commissioner and General Counsel at the California Department of Insurance for several years.  

In this episode of Fight Back, we have a conversation about Alzheimer's disease. Alzheimer's is the most common cause of dementia, a general term for memory loss and other cognitive problems severe enough to interfere with daily life. Alzheimer's disease accounts for 60-80% of all dementia cases, with most people afflicted over the age of 65. Alzheimer's is a progressive disease, where dementia symptoms gradually worsen over a number of years. It is the sixth-leading cause of death in the United States. 

We welcome our special guest, Claire Day, to talk about Alzheimer's. Claire has been on the staff of the Alzheimer's Association since 2001. She is currently the Chief Program Officer at the Northern California and Northern Nevada Chapter and oversees all clinical operations and service delivery throughout the Chapter's territory. She and her highly trained staff deliver community social services in the form of education, support, advocacy, and care management to people with Alzheimer's and their families, as well as to professional caregivers.

Claire discusses what Alzheimer's is, how it is diagnosed, what families should look for and do when early symptoms arise, the newly FDA approved treatment for Alzheimer's, and much more.