The Healing Podcast - Brought to you by MarinHealth

According to the National Council on Aging, an older adult dies from a fall-related injury every 19 minutes.1 What’s more, over 70%of Emergency Department visits among those 65 years and older were related to falls.2 The fear of falling can limit independence and have a negative impact on an older adult’s quality of life.In this podcast, Meaghan Carroll, MSN, RN, CEN, CNL, TCRN, Trauma Program Manager at Marin General Hospital, and Beverly Winsor, Fall Prevention Coordinator at MarinHealth Medical Center, discuss fall prevention and education. From putting away the throw rugs to tossing the backless slippers, there are many simple things people can do to reduce their risk of falling. Beverly Winsor also provides information about a collaboration between MMarinHealth Medical Center and A Matter of Balance: Managing Concerns About Falls, the award-winning fall prevention program for older adults.1.      National Council on Aging website.2.      Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality

11,300,413 opioid pills were prescribed in Marin County last year alone. That’s roughly 44 pills for every man, woman, and child in Marin. It’s clear that even here, in one of the nation’s healthiest counties, we are not immune to the opioid epidemic. This interview with Dr. Mathew Willis, Public Health Officer for Marin County, provides a clear-eyed perspective on Marin’s opioid problem.

Dr. Willis also talks about RX Safe Marin, an innovative community wide coalition to address the epidemic at the local level. RX Safe Marin provides an infrastructure for educators, law enforcement, healthcare providers, pharmacists, elected officials, and others to collaborate across systems in combatting the opioid crisis in our community.

As an award-winning stroke center certified by the Joint Commission, MarinHealth Medical Center has the expert team and advanced technologies to aggressively treat stroke. But the longer a stroke victim waits to go to the emergency room, the lower their chance of a satisfactory recovery. That’s why it’s so important to know and understand the warning signs of stroke. In this podcast, Maureen Stull, RN, and Stroke Program Coordinator at MarinHealth Medical Center, explains the six components of BE FAST: Balance, Eyes, Face, Arm, Speech, and Time. So be informed, be vigilant, and if you think you or someone else might be having a stroke, BE FAST! Your quick response could save a life.

You can quit smoking today, but it takes years to quit worrying about lung cancer. That’s why smokers and ex-smokers are increasingly getting proactively screened, to catch tumors while they are still small and easier to treat.MarinHealth Medical Center oncologist Dr. Alex Metzger is a strong supporter of early screening for lung cancer. In this podcast, he discusses the reasons for screening, who is eligible, environmental causes of lung cancer, and lung health in general.

Are you the “Family Health Officer”? Beyond managing your ownhealth do you watch over your children’s health, urge your spouse to go to the doctor, or make sure your parents get their flu and shingles shots? If this sounds like you, then the Wildflower Family Health Organizer App is just the mobile health management tool you need. In this podcast, Wildflower Health CEO and founder, Leah Sparks, provides an overview of the Wildflower app’s uses, benefits and impressive capabilities. Unlike other health monitoring apps, Wildflower has a local focus, partnering with MarinHealth Medical Center and Marin-based healthcare providers and resources. Create appointment reminders, record immunizations, log information from doctor visits, monitor your children’s growth, discover local health resources, and access valuable, vetted health information – all from your mobile device.

Some urologists call erectile dysfunction (ED) the "canary in a coal mine" of men's health. ED is often the harbinger of cardiovascular health issues due to diabetes, high blood pressure, and high cholesterol.Urologist Patrick Bennett, MD discusses the link between sexual health and overall health, including risk factors, important screenings, and prevention. Dr. Bennett explains how, depending on the individual patient, treating ED may require collaboration between an urologist and specialists in cardiology or endocrinology.

In the movies, heart attacks are easy to diagnose. The patient clutches their chest and falls over. In real life, heart attack symptoms may not be so clear-cut – especially in women. Symptoms such as nausea, vomiting, or light-headedness are sometimes misdiagnosed, or even dismissed, with potentially severe consequences.Hear Electrophysiologist Sujoya Dey, MD discuss heart health for women and how natural life stages like pregnancy or menopause can increase a woman's risk of developing cardiovascular issues.Dr. Dey also talks about managing arrhythmia and protecting yourself against heart attack and stroke.

Most of us associate arthritic hip pain with age and wear and tear. The truth is hip pain is often the result of minor skeletal abnormalities such as excess bone, or shallow hip sockets. Over time, these anatomical differences can cause damage to soft tissues, arthritis pain, and impaired mobility. Dr. Michael Hellman explains the prevention philosophy behind "hip preservation." The idea is to diagnose future hip problems through imaging, before they start. Learn why a bit of prevention now could spare you a hip replacement in the future.

Urogynecology is a growing medical specialty that deals with pelvic floor disorders such as prolapse, incontinence, or pelvic pain. Roughly 50% of adult women experience one or more of these problems to some degree, yet too many accept these conditions as simply “part of aging”. The truth is, pelvic problems can be treated and resolved. Why suffer in silence when you can enjoy a better quality of life?In this podcast, MarinHealth Medical Center urogynecologist Dr. Suji Pathi talks about the pelvic floor and the risk factors for the most common pelvic disorders. She also provides an overview of the latest treatments, from Botox injections for overactive bladder, to prescription medications, to a variety of surgical procedures.

New parents often get teased about sleep deprivation, but it's no joke when you're the one stumbling around in a fog. Not getting enough sleep can make you short tempered and affect your cognition and short term memory. There's no getting around the fact that newborns cycle in and out of sleep faster than older children and adults. And when they wake up, they want to be fed. So what's a tired parent to do?In this segment, OBGYN Jennifer Voss shares a few tips to help new moms and their partners get some much needed shut-eye.