My Body Odyssey

Long COVID can feel like a lifetime sentence — yet scientists are developing more effective treatments for these deeply debilitating cases. Dr. David Putrino, Director of Rehabilitation Innovation for the Mount Sinai Health System, is a major contributor to this effort. He joins Long COVID patient and journalist Kaelyn Lynch and My Body Odyssey co-host Brittany Thomas for a report from the front lines of Long COVID. 

Putrino and Lynch discuss innovative approaches to Long COVID, including Autonomic Rehabilitation, where clinicians help patients retrain their nervous systems to improve breathing and blood pressure. They also delve into the reasons that Long COVID patients need that retraining, the syndromes that COVID can trigger, and how damaged nerves may cause whole-body symptoms post-COVID.

Join My Body Odyssey for a fascinating journey into the complex, challenging, yet guardedly hopeful state of COVID research and rehabilitation today.

My Body Odyssey is a Fluent Knowledge production.

Original music by Ryan Adair Rooney.

Show Notes:

Experts:

David Putrino, PhD

Resources:

“Who am I with Long COVID?” When Kaelyn Lynch caught COVID-19, she was a multimedia journalist, filmmaker, mountain climber, weightlifter, and roller derby enthusiast. That changed when Long COVID crashed into her life.

After two back-to-back COVID infections, she had frightening symptoms – numbness, a racing pulse, and crushing fatigue so severe that sometimes she couldn’t even feed herself or speak. And if she tried her old exercise routines, her symptoms got worse.

How does an athlete destress when she can’t exercise? And how does a young professional survive without work? We talk with Kaelyn about her experience, and hear from Dr. David Putrino, Director of Rehabilitation Innovation for the Mount Sinai Health System, about how he diagnoses and treats Long COVID. 

Putrino comments, “You don't fix that [Long COVID] by putting them on a treadmill and saying, no pain, no gain. You in fact run the risk of making them much, much worse if you try and fix an energy production problem, a cellular energy production problem, by smashing them up against the wall and hoping for the best.”

“One of the hardest parts for me,” Kaelyn said, “and I think for a lot of people, is I have always been someone that very much defines myself by the things that I do … I had to really try- and I'm still trying- to answer the question of, who am I when I can't do any of the things that I enjoy.”

How is Kaelyn figuring out who she is with Long COVID? And what can medical science tell us about how exercise interacts with Long COVID as well as postural orthostatic tachycardia syndrome (POTS), chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS), and post exertional malaise (PEM)? Tune in to learn more about Kaelyn and how Long COVID affects health, wealth, and identity.

My Body Odyssey is a Fluent Knowledge production. 

Original music by Ryan Adair Rooney.

Show Notes:

Experts:

David Putrino, PhD

Resources

Organizations:

You find a bull’s-eye rash around a tick bite. If you get to the doctor quickly, get a Lyme disease diagnosis, and take the standard antibiotics, everything will be fine, right? 

Not for a sizable percentage of Lyme patients. And not for our protagonist in this episode, Siri. She’s a seventeen-year-old Nordic ski racer from Vermont who’s suffered repeated bouts of pediatric Lyme disease.

Siri trains for cross-country ski racing at the Craftsbury Outdoor Center in Vermont, boosting her mood and stamina. But when she has deep fatigue, brain fog, and poor balance, training is often impossible. “There were many days,” says Siri, “that I just sat on the couch with my head between my legs.”

Siri’s second major onset of Lyme symptoms occurred at age 11. Perhaps due to previous infection and treatment, she does not test positive for Lyme then, so her doctors would not prescribe antibiotics. Yet her symptoms persisted, setting Siri and her mother, Kara, on a research and treatment odyssey.

Our expert commentator for this episode, Dr. Steven Phillips, finds this is often the case for people with chronic Lyme and Lyme related symptoms. “[In] most cases of Lyme, the subjective features vastly outweigh the objective features. Subjective means what the patient feels, what the doctor can't see versus what the doctor can see,” says Dr. Phillips. He’s a Yale-trained physician and author of the book, Chronic, about his personal struggle with Lyme and professional efforts to better understand the disease. 

“What is very well recognized,” says Phillips, “is that a large percentage of patients develop chronic symptoms after acute Lyme disease.”

In Siri’s case, that meant trying a wide range of alternative therapies, some of which she’d rather forget. 

Will Siri escape the physical and emotional depths of chronic Lyme? Can aerobic exercise like Nordic skiing help people with Lyme and other chronic conditions?

Tune in to learn more about Lyme disease and the rewards and challenges of cross-country skiing on this first episode of season two. And meet exceptionally resilient Siri, her devoted mother Kara, and a Nordic skiing family on an odyssey of twists, turns, and steep uphill climbs.

My Body Odyssey is a Fluent Knowledge production.

Original music by Ryan Adair Rooney.

Show Notes:

Experts:

Steven Phillips, MD

Resources

Organizations:

Further Readings: 

More at www.mybodyodyssey.com

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In this second of two holiday bonus episodes, MBO gets personal with four expert guests whose experiences inform their professional pursuits.

As a kid in Canada, Dr. Mark Stoutenberg (Temple University) dreamed of becoming an American football coach but changed course after discovering exercise physiology and the need for greater public accessibility to exercise programs. 

Dr. Michael Riddell’s path to becoming a world-renowned authority on diabetes and exercise at York University (Toronto) began as a 15-year old with type one whose basketball teammates didn’t worry about blood sugar levels.

Dr. Shosh Bennett began a groundbreaking career in maternal behavioral health after two severe cases of postpartum depression.

And Dr. Kathryn Schmitz (University of Pittsburgh) had the all too personal experience of implementing exercise oncology with her own life partner. 

Tune in for the personal sagas of My Body Odyssey (MBO) medical experts in these holiday bonus episodes. MBO is a Fluent Knowledge production; original music by Ryan Adair Rooney.

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In this first of two Season 1 bonus episodes, we get a bit more personal with the expert guests whose own experiences motivate and inform their professional endeavors.  

Dr. Jacob Meyer, Director of the Wellbeing & Exercise Lab at Iowa State, confides that, “My own personal struggles with depression coincided with periods when I was much less active.”

Diabetes ran in the family of Dr. Sheri Colberg, diagnosed with Type 1 at age four. The author of a dozen books on diabetes and exercise, she recounts encouraging her Type 1 grandmother on laps around the backyard from an early age.

And DPT Lisa Lowe, former able-bodied competitor now para rowing athlete and coach, describes re-adopting the sport she loved after a horrific car accident did significant damage to her legs. 

Listen in for the personal sagas of My Body Odyssey experts in these special bonus episodes. 

My Body Odyssey is a Fluent Knowledge production. Original music by Ryan Adair Rooney.

Be sure to Follow/Subscribe to the show so you don’t miss an episode!

SHOW NOTES

Experts:

Resources

More at www.mybodyodyssey.com

Hear the full episodes featuring these experts:

Josie & Joe in Tandem vs. Multiple Sclerosis 

Generational Gene: Cycling for Diabetes Prevention

Rowing Through Cancer, Injury, & Trauma: Three Body Odysseys at 2022 Head of the Charles 

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Twitter: @mybodyodyssey

Facebook: @mybodyodysseypod

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“I plan to row till my last breath” is a strong endorsement for any sport. Yet we heard this sentiment numerous times at the 2022 Head of the Charles Regatta (HOCR), the rowing world’s premier event. 

The resulting episode features three remarkable protagonists: 

Jules from Portland, Oregon, was introduced to rowing twenty years ago as she battled a recurrence of cancer. 

Ping, a traditional Chinese medical doctor, overcame acute knee injuries to return to this year’s event. 

And Ron, paralyzed from a car accident while cycling, was initially anxious to get on the water while tightly strapped into a rowing seat. (Sure enough, Ron’s boat did capsize his first time out.)

Tune in for three odysseys on the rewards and challenges of rowing and learn more about this sport of a lifetime that instills many more thousands of rowers around the world with the goal of participating at the Head of the Charles – the sport’s annual celebration of competition, teamwork, and community. 

Original music by Ryan Adair Rooney

SHOW NOTES

Experts:

Dr. Kristine Karlson, MD: Dartmouth Hitchcock Medical Center

Dr. Lisa Russell Lowe, DPT

Resources:

More at www.mybodyodyssey.com

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Generational Gene may seem a special case; a middle-aged school superintendent with a father and grandfather who’ve contracted Type 2 diabetes, Gene is at high risk to develop the condition.  

But Gene is like a huge percentage of North Americans over the age of 40 who, because of elevated blood sugar, are at risk for diabetes and cancer. In this episode, we learn how he’s taken on this challenge. 

“I really do see the relationship between exercise and prolonging my life as a parent,” Gene confides, having become an avid cyclist. 

Expert commentary here comes from two respected authorities, Drs. Michael Riddell of York University and Sheri Colberg, author of a dozen books on the subject, both of whom have Type 1 diabetes. 

Gene credits his Dad for instilling an early love of cycling that he hopes to pass onto his own daughter. Tune in to find out how Gene’s working to avoid one other family tendency - the development of Type 2 diabetes. 

SHOW NOTES

Experts:

Dr. Sheri Colberg, PhD: Website, Google Scholar, Twitter, Books

Dr. Michael Riddell, PhD: Faculty Page, Twitter, Google Scholar

Resources:

More at www.mybodyodyssey.com

Original music by Ryan Adair Rooney

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We all know we should be more active. But life does have a way of getting in the way. 

My Body Odyssey chronicles the rewards and challenges of individuals pursuing active lifestyles despite chronic illness, recurrent injury, behavioral issues and more. 

We follow our “protagonists” over months and seasons and years as they pursue their favorite sports and activities against considerable odds. 

And we feature expert commentary from respected MDs, nurses, researchers, psychologists, physical therapists, and others experienced in the study and practice of exercise as medicine. Such as the Neurosurgeon Dr. Mohamad Bydon of The Mayo Clinic and Exercise Oncologist Dr. Kathryn Schmitz of the University of Pittsburgh.

Striving to reap the rewards of a more active lifestyle but colliding with some serious challenges? Tune in for some inspiration and information toward better overall health and wellness. 

My Body Odyssey is a Fluent Knowledge production. 

Original music by Ryan Adair Rooney.

Be sure to Follow/Subscribe so you don’t miss an episode!

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Howie has been an avid cyclist most of his adult life, with mileage equivalent to a few laps around the planet. But more remarkable is that he has done a good bit of that cycling with cancer – in fact, through six cases of lymphoma. 

Howie credits cancer therapies for surviving this odyssey but is quick to add that cycling has contributed, too. “Because of all the riding I do,” he says, “they’re able to hit me harder with chemo, with radiation, when they have to.”

Exercise oncologist Dr. Katie Schmitz (University of Pittsburgh) concurs. 

“Think about a little old lady, 85 years old, weighs 90 pounds soaking wet,” says Dr. Schmitz. “Then think about a regular cyclist – you are able to hit the one who has more muscle harder, which is treating the tumor better. “

Need to change gears on your commitment to exercise? Listen in for some inspiration from Cyclist for Life Howie. 

Original music by Ryan Adair Rooney

SHOW NOTES

Expert Guests:

Kathryn Schmitz, PhD, MPH:

 UPMC Hillman Cancer Center, Moving Through Cancer

Formerly: Penn State Cancer Institute

Articles of Interest:

Resources:

More at www.mybodyodyssey.com

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Six months ago, Josie was bedridden with a flare-up of the Multiple Sclerosis (MS) she's been battling for the past decade, alongside her husband, Joe, and some help from their much loved custom tandem bike. Over that same period, Josie and Joe have logged over 10,000 miles and raised $100,000 for research into MS, a disorder where the immune system attacks the nervous system.  

But would her latest flare-up permanently sideline this avid cycling couple?

“When this happened, I could not move a muscle,” recalls Josie. 

“And when you were flat on your back and said you wanted to bike again,” recalls Joe, “I was skeptical… but hopeful.”

Six months later, we cycled next to their tandem bike and heard about that uphill journey back from her flare-up, along with the ups and downs since our first interview at the National MS Society Bike Maine Getaway in 2019. 

Expert commentary is provided from Dr. Mary A. O’Neal, Director of the Women’s Neurology Program at Brigham & Women’s Hospital (Boston), and Dr. Jacob Meyer of Iowa State, both suggesting we broaden our understanding of the benefits of physical activity to include improved mood and motivation.  

Listen in for an informative, inspiring story of perseverance and teamwork against the steep challenge of MS. 

My Body Odyssey is a Fluent Knowledge production. Original music by Ryan Adair Rooney.

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SHOW NOTES

Expert Guests:

Resources

More at www.mybodyodyssey.com

Subscribe to the show so you don’t miss an episode!

And follow us on:

Twitter: @mybodyodyssey

Facebook: @mybodyodysseypod

Instagram: @mybodyodysseypodcast