Young athletes need special attention and care when participating in sports. According to the American Academy of Pediatrics, up to 45 million children and teens participate in some type of organized sport. With these astounding numbers, injuries become par for the course and game-time pressures rise.

Besides minor sprains and strains, ACL injuries, elbow overuse and Achilles injuries occur frequently with young athletes.  

Is it okay for a growing child to train year round? How can parents determine when their child needs medical attention versus treating an injury with rest and ice? And how do you help a child cope if an injury forces them to stop playing?

Sports are a large part of a kid’s identity and teammates often become close friends. They’re also an escape — an activity kids (and adults) use to balance their mental health. When an injury derails that activity, it can cause more than just physical pain.

Listen as Dr. G and his guests, sports medicine specialist Zahab Ahsan, MD and Doctor of Occupational Therapy Keagan Hadley discuss the best ways to keep young athletes balanced, healthy and injury free.

Guest

Zahab Ahsan, MD – Fellowship-trained orthopedic surgeon and sports medicine specialist, Edward-Elmhurst Health.

Keagan Hadley, OTD – Doctor of Occupational Therapy and author of the Amazon bestseller, Torn: Overcoming the Psychological Challenges Post-ACL Injury.

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Summer is the season most of us look forward to the most—long days, warm weather and outdoor fun!

Unfortunately, it’s well documented that emergency room (ER) visits spike in the summer. Why? 

Summertime should be fun and carefree—but some carefree actions can lead to traumatic injuries. Taking three seconds to think before diving into a potentially reckless activity can help prevent a lot of problems. 

For example, riding vehicles like a bike or a skateboard, or driving an ATV without wearing a helmet is one of those potentially reckless activities that people should rethink, says Daryl Wilson, MD, an emergency medicine physician at Edward-Elmhurst Health and Dr. G’s expert guest for Episode 45.

Listen as Dr. Wilson and Dr. G share the summer safety tips you need to know so you and your family can skip the trip to the ER.

 

Guest

Daryl Wilson, MD – Board-certified emergency medicine physician, Edward-Elmhurst Health.

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The field of pathology is often a mystery. In this episode, we’re pulling back the curtain. Society’s perception of pathology as an enigma will be no more!

Pathologists often study human tissue, blood and fluids under microscopes in labs to figure out what went wrong. They also study gene therapy and ways to improve genetic diseases.

The information they collect helps physicians treat their patients.

They study diseases that seem to have no effective cures. They do research and try to understand what changes in the body when things go wrong and what changes when healing begins.

Get insider details in Episode 44 as Dr. G and his guest, pathologist Michael Lawler, M.D., Ph.D., discuss the secrets of pathology.

Guest

Michael W. Lawlor, MD, PhD – Double board-certified anatomic pathologist and neuropathologist; CEO, Diverge Translational Sciences Laboratory; Tenured professor of pathology, Medical College of Wisconsin. 

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We’ve come a long way from the time when humans hunted and grew their own food. 

Today, most of our food is provided through complex food processing and distribution systems. This begs the question: What’s really in your food and how do we make food better?

Processed food has carbohydrates, fats, protein and vitamins we need — along with preservatives, flavor and color additives, and other things you may not realize. For instance, what keeps M&M’s from melting in your hands? Is there something in instant pudding that makes it thicken without any heat?

Listen in on the conversation in Episode 43 as Dr. G and his guest, Food Scientist David Allen, discuss the science behind what we eat.

 

Guest

David Allen – Food scientist who is trying to make a difference.

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Determining what’s myth and fact about opioid pain medication can be tough. Every community in America has been affected by the opioid crisis. 

An opioid is medicine that is prescribed for pain that attaches to opioid receptors in the brain to block pain signaling. They can be used when the pain is particularly aggressive. There are situations where opioid medication can be helpful, but it’s not the only way to control pain. The problem: opioids can have a euphoric effect and are habit forming.

When people introduce opioids to their bodies, they can develop a tolerance that requires higher doses to experience the same effects. When they stop taking the medication, they feel terrible. That said, some patients need a daily dose to manage chronic pain. It’s a balancing act, and a plan for use should be developed and monitored by a physician.

Drug overdose deaths have reached all-time highs and it’s largely due to the synthetic opioid fentanyl. Physicians have drastically cut opioid prescriptions, yet the numbers continue to rise. People who are addicted to opioids seek the drug elsewhere, mainly on the street. 

More troubling is the fact that the synthetic opioid overdose rate among teens age 14-18 has doubled in the last three years.

What’s driving this dramatic increase and what can be done about it? How do you know if a family member or friend is addicted to opioids?

Catch the conversation in Episode 42, as Dr. G and his guests, John K. Hong, MD and Aaron Weiner, PhD, ABPP, discuss the opioid overdose epidemic, opioid addiction and safer options for pain relief.

 

Guests

John K. Hong, MD – Double board-certified in pain management and anesthesiology, founder and president of Gateway Spine & Pain Physicians.

Aaron Weiner, PhD, ABPP – Licensed clinical psychologist, board-certified in counseling psychology, master addiction counselor; owner and founder of Bridge Forward Group, LLC; president-elect, Society of Addiction Psychology; host of the “Let’s Talk with Dr. Aaron Weiner” webcast series available now on your favorite podcasting apps.

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Skin is one of the most important organs in the human body, and it needs attention and care to stay healthy.

When it comes to skincare, less is more. Everyone’s basic skincare routine should include cleanser, moisturizer and sunscreen.

What sunscreen works best when you’re sweating outside playing summer sports? Would the same one work for a day in the office? And can that stuff get expensive?

Besides a basic skincare routine, it’s important to notice changes in your skin. But what are normal skin changes versus something a doctor should see?

Skin cancer is the most common cancer worldwide, and anyone who spends time in the sun is at risk. So how far should you go to protect your skin from the sun? Is tanning OK? What SPF should you use?

Get answers in Episode 41, as Dr. G and his guest, Ryan Freeland, MD, get into more detail on skincare and skin cancer prevention.

 

Guest

Ryan Freeland, MD, FAAD – Board-certified dermatologist; Founder and owner at Wolverine Dermatology.

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Medical cannabis is still illegal under federal law in the U.S. However, this federal law hasn’t deterred 37 states from legalizing marijuana for medical purposes. It’s critical that healthcare leaders and physicians remain guided by medicine and science to provide accurate, honest info so they can make the best decisions for their patients.

Cannabis, a plant used as medicine and for recreational purposes, has positives and negatives. Medical experts say they need more research to determine the most appropriate, safest ways to use medicinal cannabis.

Is cannabis safe to use for medical purposes? How do you get it? Do you have to smoke it? What conditions can it potentially help?

In Episode 40, Dr. G and his guests, Leslie Mendoza Temple, MD and Shalu Gugnani, MD, discuss what medical cannabis can do, how it works and the pros and cons everyone should know.

 

Guest

Leslie Mendoza Temple, MD, ABOIM – Double board-certified integrative medicine and family medicine physician; Owen L. Coon Chair of Integrative Medicine and Medical Director, Integrative Medicine Program at Northshore University Health System; Clinical Associate Professor of Family Medicine at University of Chicago Pritzker School of Medicine.

Shalu Gugnani, MD, FASAM – Double board-certified addiction medicine and family medicine physician; Medical Director of Addiction Medicine at Northwest Community Healthcare. 

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Aging is a fact of life. Despite the inevitable, we all strive to maintain good health, strong muscles, an efficient immune system, a sharp mind and a healthy brain. 

Hormones obviously work at peak capacity in our younger years. How awesome would it be if we could retain that biological efficiency throughout our lives?

Regenerative medicine has the potential to improve our mood, lessen pain and improve our sex drives as we age.

Long-term ailments such as tennis elbow, arthritis, ACL tears—even hair loss, facial collagen loss and diminishing sexual performance—can potentially benefit from regenerative medicine. Even dentists use platelet-rich plasma (PRP) to treat dental issues and help patients recover from surgery. It’s important to note that, if you have a chronic illness, PRP treatments won’t be a cure. They are used in addition to other, higher-priority treatments such as physical therapy and medication recommended by your physician.

Episode 39 is the second part of our two-part series on regenerative medicine, with a focus on anti-aging and hormone replacement. Listen in and hear details on the fascinating world of anti-aging regenerative medicine from Dr. G and his guest, board-certified emergency medicine physician Scott Yilk, MD.

 

Guest

Scott Yilk, MD – Board-certified emergency medicine physician, Edward-Elmhurst Health; Medical director at IVme.

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Regenerative medicine has the potential to fully heal damaged tissues, offering hope and solutions for people who are looking for a non-surgical or non-medicated approach to recovery.

Stem cells and platelet-rich plasma (PRP) can help promote healing and play an important role in tissue repair mechanisms. 

Long-term ailments such as tennis elbow, arthritis, ACL tears—even hair loss, facial collagen loss and diminishing sexual performance—can potentially benefit from regenerative medicine.

Even dentists use PRP to treat dental issues and help patients recover from surgery. It’s important to note that, if you have a chronic illness, PRP treatments won’t be a cure. They are used in addition to other, higher-priority treatments such as physical therapy and medication recommended by your physician.

Over the next two episodes of the podcast, you’ll hear from expert physicians who are leading the next frontier of medical innovation while promoting reversative and anti-aging therapeutics. 

In Episode 38, you’ll get details on these fascinating therapeutics from Dr. G and his guest, family medicine physician and sports medicine specialist Moises Irizarry-Roman, MD.

Guest

Moises Irizarry-Román, M.D. – Board-certified family medicine physician and fellowship-trained sports medicine specialist, Chief Medical Officer for Ultimate Medical Group, and founder and owner of No Mercy Sports Medicine. 

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While you may be familiar with the term acupuncture, you may still have some questions about what it is, why people do it and whether it could help you.

Acupuncture is a Chinese medicine practice that uses fine, sterile needles inserted into the skin to stimulate the body’s various systems. It traces its roots back more than 3,000 years, but in the last 40 years this ancient healing practice has experienced increased popularity in the United States.

Its goal is the same as traditional medicine: to restore a state of optimal health. But the methods are a bit different.

As more Americans try acupuncture, its popularity in the United States has gradually grown. People who have experienced acupuncture have helped spread the word about its benefits. Many people have tried acupuncture because they were seeking a more natural treatment for certain diseases or when recommended as a complementary therapy by their doctor.

Acupuncture isn’t a replacement for medical care or regular physicals with a primary care physician. But it could be helpful as a supplemental therapy.

Ever wonder what an acupuncture session is like? In Episode 37, you’ll get details on acupuncture, how it’s used and how it can help people from Dr. G and his guest, acupuncturist Alejandro Fernandez, NMD, L.Ac.

 

Guest

Alejandro Fernandez, NMD, L.Ac – Health and wellness coach, licensed acupuncturist, naturopathic medicine doctor.

 

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