Our bodies changed during the quarantine, in so many different ways. For those who are experiencing poor body image after a year of less activity, this show is for you. Whether you just want to get into the right mindset to view yourself with more care and compassion or whether you want tangible tips to overcome post-quarantine weight gain, our guest Haley Stein covers it all! Tune in to figure out the RIGHT ways to feel good in your skin as we open the world back up!

Haley is a registered dietitian who works to teach her clients the fundamentals of nutrition and creating an individualized plan for all lifestyles.  She did her dietetic internship and masters in clinical nutrition at LIU Post. After her first clinical experience, she realized that her passion was helping people develop a healthy relationship with food. By focusing on both nutrition intake and lifestyle habits, she’s had the pleasure of seeing her clients get results while keeping their quality of life at its highest potential. 

Every person who wishes to birth a human into this world needs to tune in to this episode. If you want to know all the facts straight from the specialists who integrate evidence-based research, bust myths, and reshape the way we see preconception, pregnancy, and postpartum, search no further!

Today I am joined by the authors of “Wise Woman’s Guide to Your Healthiest Pregnancy & Birth” - Dr. Patricia Ladis & Dr. Anita Sadaty. We have a lively conversation on topics such as how epigenetics is involved in preconception, what to look for in your blood work prenatally to optimize your health, how and when to exercise during pregnancy, what sort of weight changes are appropriate each trimester, and gems of knowledge on how to push for a vaginal birth. 

You can get the book anywhere online. I encourage everyone to read it and become empowered instead of fearful of modern day birthing practices. 

Dr. Anita Sadaty is a Board-certified Obstetrician-Gynecologist and founder of Redefining Health Medical, a women’s health medical practice in Roslyn, NY. She is an Attending Physician at the Northwell Health System and an Assistant Clinical Professor at Hofstra Medical School. She attended medical school at Cornell University Medical College. 

Patricia Ladis, PT, CBBA is a licensed physical therapist and founder of WiseBody Physical Therapy. Patricia previously co-founded the KIMA Center for Physiotherapy & Wellness. She is also co-founder of The First 1000 Days of Wellness, a global educational platform for practitioners, spas and consumers to promote perinatal wellness and prevent non-communicable diseases in future generations. 

Have you ever been told that you have a herniated disc on an MRI? Are you a clinician and heard a patient tell you they have a disc problem from an image X number of years ago in their history? This show is for both health care professionals AND patients who want to learn more about how we should think about our joint and disc health through evidence-based information. 

Our guest today is Vicente Mauri, Senior Physical Therapist at Advanced Physical Therapy in Anchorage, AK. He covers the anatomy of the joint, what happens during injury, and how to manage pain. He discusses the first line of defense when you experience pain from an injury and gives golden advice on how to prevent this in the first place. 

Vicente represents the International Academy of Orthopedic Medicine (IAOM). He is the former Co-Director of the IAOM-LA, and current Content Manager for the IAOM-US, he continues to deliver courses and lectures related to orthopedic manual therapy and differential diagnosis around the world. Vicente has co-authored book chapters, peer-reviewed documents, numerous international conferences’ platform and poster presentations. Currently, he is finishing his Fellow in the American Academy of Orthopedic Manual Physical Therapists (FAAOMPT), while continuing to develop research through mentoring program at TTU-HSC to earn his post-doctoral degree.

Chances are you know someone who knows someone who has a substance abuse disorder. When I learned about the statistics behind the perception of drugs and the use of drugs in the States, I was shocked! Richard Capriola, the author of “The Addicted Child: A Parent’s Guide to Adolescent Substance Abuse” speaks to us today after over two decades of experience working with children and their families as a mental health and substance abuse counselor. 

In the show, Richard delves into the many issues surrounding drugs for Gen Z. He explains how a substance abuse disorder can be classified based on how it impacts the child’s life, how the term “addiction” has a negative connotation, and the latest craze for vaping that has overwhelmed children over the last 3 years. He explains why vaping became popular, but how it is much more harmful in some cases. 

Richard has treated both adults and adolescents diagnosed with mental health and substance use disorders. He recently retired from Menninger Clinic in Houston where for over a decade he worked as an addictions counselor. Visit www.helptheaddictedchild.com to get a copy of this very easy read. You might be helping your child or someone around you by learning the warning signs for substance abuse and how you can address it. 

Welcome to Season 4, Episode 1 on Fit As A Fiddle!

As we wrap up Asian American Pacific Islander Heritage Month this May 2021, I dive into another interesting and enlightening conversation with Dr. Tade Ayeni. In this episode, Dr. Ayeni discusses some of the historical implications that have contributed to the Asian American and Pacific Islander lived experiences in the United States. He touches on 19th century laws, the story of Bhagat Singh Thind, the internment of Japanese Americans, and the award-winning controversy for the movie Minari. The goal of these episodes is to open up difficult conversation surrounding race so that we can see the world around is in a slightly different light. Dr. Ayeni and I hope that listeners, and client-facing professionals especially, are able to gain more empathy and understanding of people who don’t look or sound like themselves.

Dr. Tadé Ayeni is the Director of Diversity and Equity at Hackensack Meridian School of Medicine and Assistant Professor in the Human Dimension program. Dr. Ayeni enjoys creating meaningful connections with people from various backgrounds within and outside of the medical school with the aim of working toward a more genuinely equitable educational system for all students, which is a key piece in the fight to produce more equitable health outcomes in society. 

Listen to Dr. Ayeni’s other episodes on Fit As A Fiddle:

Issues of Race in Healthcare: Seeing Others As Humans

Race As A Social Construct

What is cycling syncing you ask? Ladies, and anyone with female anatomy, this is THE episode that you need to take out your pen and paper! The female reproductive cycle, while complex, can be very predictable. Today, our lovely guest, Leisha Drews, brings clarity to WHY we feel what we feel during each week of our hormonal month, and drops her top tips on optimizing our body during those phases. She also dives into advice she gives to her clients who are thinking about pregnancy when considering hormonal health, nutrition, mental health, and overall wellness.

10% off Discount for podcast listeners for Leisha’s “Decode Your Cycle” course! Code: Fiddle10

Leisha Drews, RN, FDN-P is a holistic hormone coach, women’s health educator, & founder of Abundant Life Wellness. Her mission is to empower women to step out of the frustrating cycle of imbalanced hormones, painful periods, and feeling at war with their bodies and into feeling empowered and clear about what their bodies need. She is certified as a functional diagnostic nutrition practitioner, and coaches women personally, as well as in her Decode Your Cycle course. 

Connect with her: www.abundant-lifewellness.com

Empowered Fertility Guide: https://view.flodesk.com/pages/5eb9b93848b5a70026dc7c56

Decode Your Cycle Course: https://abundant-wellness-academy.teachable.com/p/decode-your-cycle

60 minute Health Strategy Call: https://p.bttr.to/2xMoKH5 

After several months of data, we now have a slight understanding of the virus. We know the general trajectory of what to do when someone tests positive and begins to exhibit symptoms. But back in Summer 2020, we had no clue. Doctors, nurses, and other hospital staff were on their toes everyday trying to figure it out. In New York Presbyterian-Weill Cornell, one particular doctor, Dr. Leroy Lindsay, served as Co-Medical Director of the groundbreaking COVID Recovery Unit.

Dr. Lindsay refers to himself as “air traffic control” in the hospital. Although it is already a tough job, when the pandemic hit, it only became more complicated. He discusses the many repercussions that people can face after surviving the virus, including lingering disruptions to the cardiopulmonary system and mental health. Tune in to this episode to hear straight from someone on the front lines about what this experience was like and about the COVID Recovery Unit at NYP.

Dr. Leroy Lindsay obtained his medical degree from the University of Rochester. He completed his residency training in Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation at Rutgers-NJMS/Kessler Institute for Rehabilitation, finishing his training in 2014. After his residency, he completed a fellowship in Brain Injury Medicine and Neurorehabilitation at Georgetown University/MedStar National Rehabilitation Hospital. He has been an Assistant Professor of Clinical Rehabilitation Medicine at Weill Cornell Medical College. He currently serves the Medical Director of Rehabilitation Consultative Services.

We’re having more raw fireside-style chats here on race. Dr. Tade Ayeni joins us once again on Fit As A Fiddle to discuss what a social construct is, how it is applied in the world, how it can be harmful when used to categorize humans, and some of these implications within healthcare. I encourage everyone to listen to this episode and the previous episode linked below whether you are in healthcare or not. As an educator and earning several doctorates on the subject, Dr. Ayeni has a wonderful way of helping people understand their own implicit biases and overcoming them through consciously becoming aware of them. Without gaining equality in healthcare, we will always have a broken system.

Dr. Tadé Ayeni is the Director of Diversity and Equity at Hackensack Meridian School of Medicine and Assistant Professor in the Human Dimension program. Dr. Ayeni enjoys creating meaningful connections with people from various backgrounds within and outside of the medical school with the aim of working toward a more genuinely equitable educational system for all students, which is a key piece in the fight to produce more equitable health outcomes in society. 

Listen to: Issues of Race in Healthcare: Seeing Others As Humans on Spotify.

What do you do and who do you see when you feel like you have a UTI… but you don’t? You might feel like you have to pee all the time and it might even cause you a burning pain. You’ve been given antibiotics, dose after dose. You’ve been told to do a million kegels… but you are back to square one. 

Today we sit down with the brilliant Dr. Allyson Shrikhande, a board certified Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation specialist and the Chief Medical Officer of Pelvic Rehabilitation Medicine. We discuss bladder pain syndrome, often called Interstitial Cystitis, it’s symptoms, diagnosis, and treatment plan. Dr. Shrikhande advocates for a holistic approach to medicine where the patient is evaluated for more than just the single organ that seems to be an issues. Especially when it comes to pelvic-related problems, there can be multiple components that might be causing pain. 

Dr. Shrikhande is also the Chair of the Medical Education Committee for the International Pelvic Pain Society. She is working with other experts in the field of chronic pelvic pain to develop training modules for residents and physicians interested in learning about the diagnosis, treatment, and management of chronic pelvic pain. A leading expert on pelvic health and a respected researcher, author and lecturer, Dr. Shrikhande is a recognized authority on male and female pelvic pain diagnosis and treatment.

She recently collaborated with Sneha Physical Therapy and Talking Back Pictures in our 5-part digital series “A Girl’s Gotta Know” to educate people in dyspareunia (pain with intercourse). Connect with Pelvic Rehabilitation Medicine at www.pelvicrehabilitation.com.

Boy did I learn a lot on this show! First thing that came to my mind when I thought “Palliative Care” was hospice and the end-stage of life. Today, Ramya Sampath, physician-in-training at The University Rochester School of Medicine and Dentistry, taught me that it is so much more than that! Palliative care is a comprehensive model of patient-centered medicine that takes into consideration many factors of a patient’s well being such as their overall health, socioeconomic status, access to medications, cultural background, and more. It’s not just keeping someone comfortable at the end of their life, but improving their quality of life. Ramya speaks to us today about her personal story of how she got into this field of medicine and how important it is to incorporate aspects of palliative care within many disciplines and throughout the lifespan. 

Ramya is a former Fulbright-Nehru Fellow at Pallium India from 2017-2018, where she conducted ethnographic fieldwork exploring Kerala's unique approach to palliative care delivery. She became interested in palliative care after seeing her father's quality of life decline from several chronic medical conditions and witnessing the incredible work that palliative care practitioners do to improve patients' and families' lives across a wide variety of diseases and settings. 

Read about her experiences with palliative care as a researcher and family caregiver here: https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jama/article-abstract/2773566

Read the piece that inspired this interview: “Always More To Be Done” by Ramya Sampath.