Is it a cold? Flu? Covid? Allergies? Cleveland Clinic's Dr. Neha Vyas goes over what you need to know about cold and flu season in this edition of Rx for Life.

Monica Robins is not a medical doctor.  All content presented in this program is for informational purposes only. It is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice and should not be relied on as health or personal advice.  Always seek the guidance of your personal doctor or qualified healthcare professional with any questions regarding your health or medical condition.

This episode is personal. Since October of 2019 I’ve been sharing my experience battling a brain tumor. I have what’s known as a spheno orbital meningioma. Which means the tumor grew behind my left eye. Currently, it’s sitting on my carotid artery, my optic nerve, on the back of my left eye, in my left eye socket and it invaded my skull bone and is moving toward my cavernous sinus. While it’s a benign tumor, where it’s located is threatening my vision and my life.  Benign tumors can be deadly too. I’ve gone through two brain surgeries, in 2019, I had a craniotomy where they removed a significant part of my bone and replaced it with three titanium plates. They removed as much as they could, but couldn’t get it all because of the risk of making me blind, or killing me based on its location. Mine isn’t like a golf ball size tumor that could easily be removed, it’s more like throwing an egg against a brick wall and trying to clean out all the nooks and crannies. Between 2020 and 2021, my tumor decided to grow toward my cavernous sinus which is also where my carotid artery is located, again putting my life at risk. In December of 21, surgeons went into my brain through my eyelid and removed as much tumor as they could in and around my eye socket, but again, couldn’t get everything. That surgery bought me time. While meningiomas are common, the location of mine is not. The fact that it grew toward my cavernous sinus made it even more rare. I’m one of those people who believes that knowledge is power. I volunteered for clinical research to learn the genetic makeup of my tumor, and perhaps the best type of treatment to attack it. This episode is my meeting with my neuro oncologist, Dr. Mina Lobbous of Cleveland Clinic. He explains that my situation is not only rare, I’m pretty much a unicorn. 

Monica Robins is not a medical doctor.  All content presented in this program is for informational purposes only. It is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice and should not be relied on as health or personal advice.  Always seek the guidance of your personal doctor or qualified healthcare professional with any questions regarding your health or medical condition.

This episode is part 2/2 of a series looking into the rise in allopathic use for psychedelic substances. Dr. Alan Davis is Director of The Ohio State University Center for Psychedelic Research and Education. His team is currently recruiting Veterans for a study into psilocybin, the compound found in magic mushrooms, to see if it may help those suffering with PTSD. Dr. Davis goes over the history of the research and what the future may hold with this emerging science. Learn more at https://www.cpdre.org/

Monica Robins is not a medical doctor.  All content presented in this program is for informational purposes only. It is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice and should not be relied on as health or personal advice.  Always seek the guidance of your personal doctor or qualified healthcare professional with any questions regarding your health or medical condition.

This episode is part one of a two part series looking into the increasing research of psychedelic substances to help people with mental health disorders. Research trials are currently underway at Cleveland Clinic investigating whether LSD can help those with generalized anxiety disorder and Ohio State University’s new Center for Psychedelic Drug Research and Education, which is investigating whether psilocybin, from magic mushrooms, can help veterans dealing with PTSD. In this episode, I talk to Dr. Deepak Sarma, a religious studies professor at Case Western Reserve University. Dr. Sarma teaches a class relating to psychedelics and spirituality. He gives insight into the history of these substances and the importance of pastoral care for people undergoing psychedelic treatment, because often people have experiences that border on the divine with their God.  

Monica Robins is not a medical doctor.  All content presented in this program is for informational purposes only. It is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice and should not be relied on as health or personal advice.  Always seek the guidance of your personal doctor or qualified healthcare professional with any questions regarding your health or medical condition.

This episode is dedicated to what we need to know about dementia and Alzheimer's disease. I spoke with Dr. Charles Duffy, M.D., Ph.D. Director of the Brain Health & Memory Center within the University Hospitals Neurological Institute and Professor at Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine. We cover a range of topics from music saving your brain to what risk a COVID infection may have on your brain. 

Monica Robins is not a medical doctor.  All content presented in this program is for informational purposes only. It is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice and should not be relied on as health or personal advice.  Always seek the guidance of your personal doctor or qualified healthcare professional with any questions regarding your health or medical condition.

Of the 62,000 people diagnosed with pancreatic cancer this year, it's estimated nearly 50,000 will die. It's long been known as a death sentence diagnosis. But there is hope in medical advances. In this episode I talk with Jordan M. Winter, MD. A nationally recognized, board-certified surgeon with a special interest in the medical and surgical management of pancreatic and related cancers, pancreatic cysts, chronic pancreatitis, bile duct strictures, biliary, gastric and liver cancers and abdominal tumors.

In addition to being a highly skilled clinician, Dr. Winter is a leader in translational and basic research. As director of the Winter Lab, which is funded by the American Cancer Society and the NIH, he is at the forefront of investigational efforts to find alternative treatments for pancreatic cancer. The lab seeks to understand how pancreatic cancer cells survive in their microenvironment and identify their metabolic weaknesses to ultimately discover new and effective therapies. A clinical study will soon be underway to study the use of a novel metabolic inhibitor.

His titles include:

Member, GI Cancer Genetics Program, Case Comprehensive Cancer Center

Monica Robins is not a medical doctor.  All content presented in this program is for informational purposes only. It is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice and should not be relied on as health or personal advice.  Always seek the guidance of your personal doctor or qualified healthcare professional with any questions regarding your health or medical condition.

The CDC says H3N2, a A strain influenza, is the one circulating the U.S. right now. And it's a nasty one. We've seen it before and typically when it shows up we have a deadlier flu season. The other issue is that flu season arrived earlier than usual and people are already getting hospitalized and we've had one pediatric death in Northeast Ohio. Health experts are urging us to get the flu shot and COVID booster, because with RSV cases on the rise, flu and COVID, we're in for a triple whammy this season. In this episode I talk to Richard Stacklin, Cuyahoga County Board of Health · Epidemiology, Surveillance, & Informatics about what we need to do to protect ourselves.

Monica Robins is not a medical doctor.  All content presented in this program is for informational purposes only. It is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice and should not be relied on as health or personal advice.  Always seek the guidance of your personal doctor or qualified healthcare professional with any questions regarding your health or medical condition.

Anyone who is owned by a pet knows the positive impact they have on our lives.

You may have noticed that your pet wastes no time noticing and springing into action when you are upset or sad. Their intuition is what makes them great companions. Then there’s the practical work that comes with caring for a pet. This means making sure their individual needs are met. Developing a daily routine of walks and feeding times can help pet parents with mental health conditions feel a sense of purpose that affects other areas of their lives.

Physical benefits too, from daily walks, to reducing high blood pressure and heart rate and alleviating stress. But if you lack the financial resources to care for your pet, that stress can be overwhelming. One Health Organization may be able to help. Dr. Anna van Heeckeren is the founder, CEO and President of One Health Organization and joins me on Health Yeah to discuss how we can help both our pets and people together.

Their mission is to keep the dogs and cats of Northeast Ohio healthy with their humans at home.

Their programs help struggling pet parents with vet bills. This financial assistance means the pets get quality care — and the animals get to stay healthy at home with their families.

One Health Organization Giving Day is November 10th. This is an opportunity for people to make all the difference in the lives of people living with dogs and cats who love and need them most. When you donate to help people keep their pets healthy, you’re helping to address a range of problems affecting low-income people.

Visit onehealth.org to learn more or head to the One Health Giving Day Page to make a direct positive impact.

Monica Robins is not a medical doctor.  All content presented in this program is for informational purposes only. It is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice and should not be relied on as health or personal advice.  Always seek the guidance of your personal doctor or qualified healthcare professional with any questions regarding your health or medical condition.

Call it urine, pee, wee, tinkle, wizz, water whatever, we all do it. But how often do you pay attention to it? Chances are you've noticed that foul smell if you've ever eaten asparagus, but when is your pee smell and/or appearance a warning sign of a bigger health problem? In this episode, Cleveland Clinic Urologist, Petar Bajic, M.D. answers those questions and more.

Monica Robins is not a medical doctor.  All content presented in this program is for informational purposes only. It is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice and should not be relied on as health or personal advice.  Always seek the guidance of your personal doctor or qualified healthcare professional with any questions regarding your health or medical condition.

This episode is with Dr. Paul Hinchey, President, University Hospitals Community Delivery Network on why the system chose to close the emergency departments and inpatient care at UH Richmond and UH Bedford Medical Centers on August 12th.

Those services will be consolidated into the expanding Ahuja Medical Center, six miles from Bedford, and UH Lake West, six miles from Richmond.

Nearly 600 employees will be impacted, including 337 at Richmond and 280 at Bedford, but there will be no layoffs and all employees will be absorbed into other UH facilities.

Monica Robins is not a medical doctor.  All content presented in this program is for informational purposes only. It is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice and should not be relied on as health or personal advice.  Always seek the guidance of your personal doctor or qualified healthcare professional with any questions regarding your health or medical condition.