The Preventive Medicine Podcast

A board certified Physiatrist and the current medical director of PM&R at Rush University, Dr. Dugan is not just a physician but a huge advocate for many causes including healthcare disparities and women’s health. She currently serves as the chair of the Rush Women’s Leadership Council and is on both the Americans with Disabilities Act and Diversity Leadership committees. Through her work on projects such as the WISHFIT and SWAN projects among other research initiatives, Dr. Dugan has made a tremendous impact on addressing disparities within healthcare. 

In this episode Dr. Dugan discusses her path into medicine from physical therapy, and how that path led to being a leader in the field of women’s health and her interest in healthcare disparities. We discuss common misconceptions within women’s health as well as how we can combat them with regards to preventive care. Dr. Dugan discusses her experiences working with underserved communities in Chicago and the barriers to preventive medicine that these communities encounter. Listen on to discover why not everyone can access or practice preventive medicine and how we don’t all live the same life experiences in this episode!

(1:00 – 6:30) – Introductions

Question 1: What part of your journey has been the most impactful thus far? Has there been a shining moment?

(6:30 – 14:00)

Question 2: What does preventive medicine mean to you?

Question 3: What made you go into physical therapy initially and why did you switch to medicine after that?

Question 4: Where does your interest and advocacy for women’s health come from?

(14:00 – 19:00)

Question 5: Have you noticed any specific biases against women within the current medical paradigm?

Question 6: Why is addressing women’s health so important?

Question 7: How do you prevent atherosclerosis in women given that it has a rapid onset and progression after menopause?

Question 8: Is there a specific age that women should start implementing preventive interventions?

(19:00 – 22:30)

Question 9: What are some of the biggest misconceptions regarding women’s health?

Question 10: Are there any large misconceptions for women going through menopause or during middle age?

(22:30 – 33:30)

Question 11: How does preventive medicine relate to issues of the pelvic floor that many women experience?

Question 12: How do you combat the many misconceptions about the pelvic floor such as the one-stop prescription of performing Kegels?

Question 13: What do you tell females at the various stages of life if they ask your for advice on how to be healthy? Young females? Middle-aged females? Older females?

(33:30 – 42:00)

Question 14: Where is the starting point for the many communities that don’t have access to the same resources as others and are under served?

Question 15: Can you talk specifically about what some of the barriers are that some of these communities face?

Question 16: Do you have any potential solutions other than what you have already done for addressing the healthcare barriers seen by communities in Chicago?

(42:00 – 45:00)

Question 17: What do you tell someone in two minutes that is asking you how to get healthy?

Dr. Azlan Tariq is the CCO of the largest physiatry group in the country, IRC, and also has his own practice in Naperville, IL. Physiatry is a lesser known, but very important field, focusing on helping patients get back to doing the things they love through rehabilitation. Dr. Tariq is known as an excellent clinician and huge advocate for preventive medicine. With nearly every patient Dr. Tariq not only provides excellent care but makes sure to discuss the various lifestyle factors that may impact the patient’s ability to rehabilitate and function.

This hour long podcast is an engaging conversation talking about the field of Physiatry, his approach to patient care, and the role of entrepreneurship to promote a preventive take to medicine. Check the show notes below for a summary of the episode!

(1:00 – 12:30) – Introductions

Question 1: Tell us a little bit about yourself and why you do what you do

(12:30 – 15:50) – Practical Advice for Practicing Preventive Medicine

Question 2: What tips do you have for people who are trying to become healthier but maybe have some sort of physical ailment or medical issue that bars them from doing so?

(15:50 – 25:40) – Navigating the Education and Expectations of Patients

Question 3: What is Physiatry?

Question 4: How do you walk a patient who may be in pain from point A to point B when all they know is that they are in pain with no other understanding of the situation?

Question 5: How do you get a patient to buy-in to the process of education and working towards achieving their goals rather than waiting for a quick fix?

(25:40 – 36:00) – Physiatry and Preventive Medicine

Question 6: What does Preventive Medicine mean to you?

Question 7: Physiatry is mostly a post-acute field taking care of stroke, brain injury, or other acute patients after the fact. What is the role of physiatry in preventive medicine?

(36:00 – 39:00) – A Personalized Approach to Patient Health

Question 8: We have talked about your post-acute care among the older population but you also own another practice which seems to have a different population. Why did you start that practice and what is the goal behind it?

(39:00 – 48:00) – Does Entrepreneurship Have a Place in Medicine?

Question 9: There is growing discontent within the current system of medicine in this country with a national discussion for a public system among other suggestions. The ideal entrepreneur is one who aims to solve problems and you are the CCO of one practice and have started your own as well. Do you think there is a role for entrepreneurship in fixing medicine?

Question 10: How do you balance being on the cutting edge of medicine, entrepreneurship, and evidence-based medicine seeing as many novel treatments and ideas are not heavily supported by literature if at all?

(48:00 – 56:36 ) – Does Placebo Work? What is Regenerative Medicine?

Question 11: With regenerative medicine you still work on the big rocks first such as exercise, nutrition, etc. How do you balance the placebo effect of regenerative therapies which seems to be more prevalent in physical medicine? Do you use positive placebo effects?

Question 12: How does regenerative medicine fit into preventive medicine?

(56:36 – 1:00:00) – Wrapping it Up

Question 12: You are in a coffee shop and someone asks you how to be healthier, what do you say to them in two minutes?

The world of evidence-based physical therapy is still evolving and at its forefront is Dr. Samuel Spinelli DPT. Dr. Spinelli, known as The Strength Therapist, is not only a physical therapist but a well-regarded strength and conditioning coach as well. A co-owner of Citizen Athletics and E3 rehab, Dr. Spinelli has trained professional and Olympic sport athletes in football, hockey, powerlifting, weightlifting, bobsleigh, and even ballet. Dr. Spinelli believes in bringing his clients and patients the utmost care to help them reach their goals, come back from injury, and stay healthy.

In this podcast we discuss several important topics such as back pain, the integration of strengthening and stretching into rehabilitation, and whether or not injuries are preventable. Dr. Spinelli brings many unique insights and perspectives to this podcast from a very informed position so don’t skip through this one!

(1:00 – 4:00) – Introductions

Question 1:  What got you into physical therapy and to starting and growing your Instagram?

(4:00 – 22:00)

Question 2: What does preventive medicine mean to you?

Question 3: What are your thoughts on lower back pain and what can we be doing better as clinicians to address this problem using an evidence-based approach?

Question 4: Is there anything an individual can do to prevent back pain?

Question 5: Can you talk a little bit about the nocebo effect and narratives that clinicians create for patients around back pain?

Question 6: Do you think that having the knowledge of our bodies being

(22:00 – 34:00)

Question 7: What is the role of stretching and strengthening when it comes to patients treating their back pain?

Question 8: How do you properly utilize stretching, if at all, within an evidence-based model for prevention and as a treatment modality?

(34:00 – 45:00)

Question 9: How did we get to the point of vague non-evidence based therapy for patients who receive physical therapy?

Question 10: Can you prevent injuries? If not, what can we do to reduce our risk of sustaining injuries?

(45:00 – 49:00)

Question 11: If you have 2 minutes and someone asks you “how do I get healthy,” what do you tell them?

We figured it was time to share the stories of The Preventive Medicine Podcast’s hosts and how the podcast came to be! In the conversation we discuss how we met despite attending medical schools in different states, how the podcast arose form ideas shot back and forth in the DMs, our personal stories, and where we see this podcast going.

Listening to this episode you will learn more about our backgrounds and the perspectives we bring to the table when interviewing our guests for other episodes. You’ll hear how at one point how Ragav resembled a bowling ball and how Jason’s impetus for changing his habits was a tight seat belt. You’ll learn about how our interests in medicine developed and where we see our careers going.

Most importantly, we discuss how we believe this podcast began, the process of producing content, and how we believe it has the potential to change the conversation regarding healthcare in a preventive direction.

Social Media Links:

1. Ragav’s Website: https://www.Ragavsharma.com

2. Ragav’s Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/_ragavsharma_/

3. Ragav’s Twitter: https://twitter.com/_RagavSharma_

4. Ragav’s YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/c/_ragavsharma_

5. Jason’s Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jgarrett041/

6. The Podcast Website: https://www.preventivemedicinepodcast.com

7. The Podcast Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/preventpodcast/

8. The Podcast Twitter: https://twitter.com/preventpodcast

Dr. Mitesh Patel is a psychiatric physician practicing in Indianapolis, Indiana who is a an advocate for the practice of preventive medicine with regards to mental health. Dr. Patel completed his medical school at the Ross School of medicine before completing his residency at the University of Louisville. During his time in medical school, Dr. Patel was introduced to the field of psychiatry and fell in love with the transformative nature of the field. Dr. Patel is passionate about helping others improve their mental health through practices such as finding your flow state, practicing mindfulness, and focusing on yourself rather than what you see on your phone.

This hour long podcast is an engaging conversation talking about the issues behind the growing mental health crisis of the USA and provides practical practices to enhance mental well-being. Find the podcast on your favorite podcast app or below on the web player! Want a summary of the podcast? Check the show notes below!

Dr. Patel practices what he preaches and doesn’t maintain any social media accounts and ultimately wishes to practice medicine from the comfort of a van as he travels the country. Instead of finding him on social media, he would like you to check your screen time and start practicing some preventive techniques for your mental well-being!

(1:00 – 4:00) – Introductions

Question 1 : Tell us a little bit about yourself and why you decided to go into medicine

(4:00 – 7:20) – Mental Health and Preventive Medicine

Question 2: When you think about prevention and medicine you think about the physical aspect such as nutrition, diet, exercise, and the other things that come along with that. So introducing psychiatry into the field of preventive medicine is very interesting which you can provide unique insight into this. What can you say about the role of psychiatry in preventive medicine?

Question 3: Evidence based medicine is becoming more important in every specialty but even moreso in psychiatry which has been more of a subjective specialty thus far. What do you think about the direction psychiatry is going in?

(7:20 – 12:40) – Evidence Based Techniques to Promote Mental Health

Question 4: Have there been any evidence based techniques for self-care in terms of preventing psychiatric issues?

Question 5: What kind of mindfulness techniques are you talking about here? Is it like sitting down and staring out a window or something more active?

(12:40 – 16:00) – The Roots of Anxiety

Question 6: In the Book of Joy, a conversation between Archbishop Tutu and the Dalai Lama, the Archbishop talks about how ambition is built into the fabric of our society which often fuels a lot of people’s anxiety. Is it ok to not be ambitious?

Question 7: Do you think we have lost connection with others and that also fuels our anxiety?

(16:00 – 18:20) – What Does Being Mentally Healthy mean?

Question 8: What does it mean to be mentally healthy?

(18:20 – 21:40 ) – Success and Happiness

Question 9: How do you limit yourself from pushing hard like the rest of the world to be successful if pushing that hard decreases from your happiness?

Question 10: Isn’t being successful being happy?

(21:40 – 27:00 ) The Flow State and Hobbies

(27:00 – 33:46) – The Role of Social Media in Anxiety and Depression

Question 11: It seems that social media has been pushing that you should be chasing your goals 24/7, is that an unhealthy mindset to have?

Question 12: Do you think parents should be limiting their kids screen time to be preventive of the situation that we are seeing with social media and anxiety/depression?

(33:46 – 39:27) The Integrative Approach to Health

Question 13: What is the role of gut health and nutrition in mental health?

Question 14: How do you approach mental health and health in general from the biopsychosocial model of health?

(39:27 – 45:25) – Beating the Stigma

Question 15: How do you get beyond the current stigma of seeking help, medical or not, for mental health issues and preventing more severe consequences of mental diseases?

(45:25 – 51:00) Mental Resiliency and Functional Outcomes

Question 16: How do we make sure not to over-diagnose mental diseases and help people recognize that it is OK to live with some level of anxiety or feeling down? How do we let people know what is normal and when they should be seeking help?

(51:00 – 58:30) Practical Advice to Practicing Preventive Mental Health

Question 17: Give us some practical takeaways that someone can practice in their lives to practice preventive medicine with regards to mental health?

(58:30 – 1:01:34) Closing Remarks

Question 18: Tell us a little bit about your dream of traveling the world and doing telepsych?