The State of Health Care Podcast

If you aren't familiar with chiropractors, or want to learn more about what someone in this profession provides, tune in to today's episode! In a deeply insightful conversation, I'm speaking today with Dr. Jason Kaufman who has created the Kaufman method for his patients - a noninvasive method and based on the fundamentals of anatomy and physiology. It is focused on three areas within the muscle system, including tension/spasm, trigger points, and the fascial system. A huge proponent of both getting to the root of the problem and not seeing patients weekly, Dr. Kaufman is challenging traditional medicine that tends to see more value in the volume of patients, rather than true treatment and care. 

We discuss the decision to move to a cash-based and no insurance practice, which truly means being able to care for patients in a way that is best for them - not utilizing a normalized, generalized "flow-chart" of how to offer treatment. Rather, it's recognizing that every individual is unique and deserves a customized plan of care. Prevention, and healthcare, over "sickcare", knowledge that lives within the patient, and providing folks with the courage to speak up when something isn't working with their practitioner - all are topics covered in today's episode!

Join us and continue to broaden your toolkit of knowledge regarding your health!

Disclaimer: The information shared on this podcast is not a substitute for any form of professional physical health care or medical care. Listening does not constitute a doctor-patient relationship with Tracy Karas, DPT. The information provided is for inspirational and educational purposes only.

Connect with Dr. Kaufman: https://kaufmanmethod.com/ 

We are back with Episode 6! With one of my dearest friends and nutrition coach, Dusty Ferrarese, we dive into what it means to age well, busting societal myths, and how living a healthy lifestyle sets the foundation - so you can do whatever you want as you head into your golden chapters! 

In a wide-ranging conversation, we discuss setting the foundation of building healthy habits that will last you a lifetime. Forget about perfection, forget about what society is telling you is right or wrong or good or bad, and forget about the hunt for the ideal body weight and "look." What is mission critical for aging well, and living well, is starting to stack healthy habits throughout your day that don't feel like a punishment or restriction. Exercise is not meant to be a punishment for what you did or didn't eat on a day. It's about moving your body, breathing oxygen into your lungs, and doing it in a way that you enjoy. It's knowing that there is always room for what you love in your life, as you consider the impact of everything you do towards your longer term goals!

If you are looking for inspiration about reaching 100 years of age, or how best to start stacking small and manageable habits into your lifestyle, this is the episode for you!

Connect with Dusty: @prettyfitforafoodie

Disclaimer: The information shared on this podcast is not a substitute for any form of professional physical health care or medical care. Listening does not constitute a doctor-patient relationship with Tracy Karas, DPT. The information provided is for inspirational and educational purposes only.

Episode 5 of the State of Health Care Podcast is now live and today we are diving into the topic of Lifestyle Medicine! I have an amazing and robust discussion with Dr. Steve Feyrer-Melk, Ph.D., M.Ed., and the founder of The Body Lab at Optimal Heart Center in Scottsdale, AZ. Dr. Steve is passionate about helping people better help themselves, to live a lifestyle that fuels health and wellness in a positive and long-lasting way.

Today we are chatting about the every day activities you can do to optimize your state of wellbeing. The key to this is to fit these activities into your individual behaviors, and actions, that make sense for you and work for you. Dr. Steve believes the foundation of this is set in movement, which is the beginning of living a truly healthy lifestyle. We also speak to the importance of giving yourself time on the health journey, throwing away the scale, arming yourself with knowledge of preventative care, setting realistic goals, and truly believing that our bodies are unique to us. Get to know them, trust them, and don't believe the saying that when things start to change, "it's just due to your age." 

This is a juicy episode filled with so many golden nuggets of information! Listen and please share, rate, review, and subscribe, and thanks for being here!

Disclaimer: The information shared on this podcast is not a substitute for any form of professional physical health care or medical care. Listening does not constitute a doctor-patient relationship with Tracy Karas, DPT. The information provided is for inspirational and educational purposes only.

https://optimalheartcenter.com/

TRIGGER WARNING: In this episode, there is mention of suicidal ideation, please listen with care.

Dreaming of becoming a physical therapist? Interested in the

variety of roads one might take to get there? Or are you already a PT, envisioning a dream clinic? Then today's episode is for you! In our conversation, I'm chatting with Tasha, a recent Doctor of Physical Therapy graduate, who started out in personal training and body building, then spent time as a vet tech, in office employment, and then hospitals, before settling into the world of physical therapy. 

Tasha's view on the state of healthcare is unique. She went through her schooling during the pandemic and is working to find the balance between the critical 1:1 care that her patients need, while also managing the never-ending documentation, insurance, and technology challenges that PT's face every day. 

Today we talk about her path to becoming a PT during COVID, how to sneak in PT exercises in new ways (dance class, anyone!?), what a dream clinic looks like for both of us, and how western medicine has become entirely reactive to illness and disease, not preventative. Listen in for a passionate discussion about advocating for yourself by knowing your healthcare risks and family history, being preventative with your health, and looking at what is your state of whole-body wellness. 

Tune in for another amazing episode! Please don't forget to rate, review, and subscribe!

Tasha's Bio: Tasha graduated as a Doctor of Physical Therapy in 2022 from Midwestern University after a long winding path trying many different aspects of the medical field, including working with 4 legged patients. As a new(er) graduate and coming from various medical backgrounds and industries, she is excited to share her outlook on the state of healthcare today! 

Disclaimer: The information shared on this podcast is not a

substitute for any form of professional physical health care or medical care. Listening does not constitute a doctor-patient relationship with Tracy Karas, DPT or any of her guests. The information provided is for inspirational and educational purposes only.

On today's episode, I'm excited to introduce you to Julie Hoffman! Julie has a long history in healthcare as a registered nurse, specifically starting out in Labor and Delivery, moving into Leadership, and eventually rounding our her career in Hospice. While working in hospice, she was certified as a yoga instructor and has been teaching yoga for over 20 years, in addition to being an astrologer and tarot reader!

In our conversation, Julie provides amazing insight from her long time career in healthcare, and how she moved into alternative therapies and modalities, helping people live well, and longer, while looking at their overall health and wellbeing. Today, we dive into what straddling the two worlds of western and eastern medicine has felt like, learning new skills as an adult, and the crisis in healthcare both before, during, and after the pandemic.  

In addition, Julie speaks to thought-provoking topics about the "treat to street" mentality of western medicine, and how most things in life can be improved upon with good diet, exercise, and balance. As a person living with Rheumatoid arthritis, Julie is someone who passionately believes in finding what works for you, and following those things that bring you joy and peace. 

Tune in for another amazing episode! Please don't forget to rate, review, and subscribe!

Disclaimer: The information shared on this podcast is not a substitute for any form of professional physical health care or medical care. Listening does not constitute a doctor-patient relationship with Tracy Karas, DPT or any of her guests. The information provided is for inspirational and educational purposes only.

Julie's Bio:
Julie began studying yoga in 2002. Her teaching style is playful and inclusive. In
addition to aerial yoga Julie has experience teaching prenatal, chair, yin, nidra,
restorative and flow classes. She has completed 700-hours of yoga teacher training
and will complete a yoga therapy program in 2023. Julie is passionate about making
yoga accessible to persons of all ages and abilities. She believes that her purpose on
this planet is to help others to heal. In her 200 hour YTT when asked where she
planned on teaching Julie stated that she would be teaching yoga in prison. When
asked what drove her to teach yoga in prison, she honestly answers that she has no
recollection of making that conscious decision and that most likely the universe
chose it for her.

Welcome back! For Episode 2 of The State of Health Care Pocast, I'm delighted to be speaking with Dr. Lianne Rogers. Dr. Rogers specializes in helping older adults move with confidence and stay physically active through all stages of life. She is passionate about educating patients in the areas of fall awareness and prevention. She enjoys leading people to adopt a healthy and active lifestyle. Lianne received her Bachelor of Science degree in Exercise & Sport Science from Oregon State University in Corvallis, Oregon. She went on to receive her Doctorate of Physical Therapy in 2007 from A.T. Still University located in Mesa, Arizona.

In today's episode, we immediately plunge into what it's like to run your own physical therapy (PT) business, outside of the traditional clinic setting, and the pros and cons to both! From the pressures of being a PT, maintaining a work-life balance, managing how care has changed over the years, and working to create understanding about what PT's actually do and provide, it's a great episode to see what life is like as a mobile health care practitioner. In addition, Dr. Rogers speaks to the impact of COVID and how that really opened up the mobile practitioner side of health care, moving it along more quickly than most anticipated. We also touch on a core value for both of us: the community and support that PT's provide, which involves taking the time to speak with our patients, checking in on both their physical and mental well being.

Tune in and if you enjoy the episode, please don't forget to rate, review, and subscribe!

Disclaimer: The information shared on this podcast is not a substitute for any form of professional physical health care or medical care. Listening does not constitute a doctor-patient relationship with Tracy Karas, DPT or any of her guests. The information provided is for inspirational and educational purposes only.

Welcome to the very first episode of the State of Health Care Podcast! I'm Tracy Karas, DPT, and I'm honored you are here and listening to the show! As a health care professional of over 20 years, this topic is very close to my heart. I am always curious about what is happening, what challenges are cropping up, how are we solving them, and how do we provide the best care possible for clients and patients. The US is the forerunner world-wide in how much money we spend on health care, but usually with less than expected or desired results. On this podcast, I am speaking with other professionals in the health care industry, wellness advocates, alternative healthcare providers, clinicians, clients, and more. And no topic is off limits! Thank you for being here, as we attempt to pull back the veil and see what's truly happening in our world of health and wellness.

Our first guest on the podcast is Trista, who is a licensed nurse practitioner, and we cover a lot of topics. From her journey to becoming a nurse, what she likes/dislikes about her job, the mental health challenges she faces, the PTSD that a lot of nurses experience for themselves, and life during the pandemic, Trista openly shares what it's like to be a nurse practitioner in these current times. Check our her bio below!

If you've ever wondered what a day in the life of a nurse looks like, the impact of so many traveling nurses, how hospitals are doing "silent hirings", what magnet status means for hospitals, and generally, Trista's hope for her job and health care, this is the episode for you! Tune in and let us know what you think!

You can follow me on social media: @betterfittherapy

Trista Apostoles is a registered nurse who has been working in the healthcare industry for over a decade. As she chipped away at her degree, Trista worked as a caregiver and became a certified nurse assistant (CNA). She first got hired into acute care as a unit coordinator on a busy neuro telemetry floor until a CNA position became available. This unit specialized in stroke cases and mostly consisted of a geriatric population based on location. After graduating nursing school with a bachelor’s degree, Trista spent her first year as a new grad there before transferring to an inner-city level one trauma center within the same company. She has been on the same telemetry surgical unit ever since which specializes in cardiac procedures including coronary bypasses, heart transplants, ventricular-assist devices, and more. Furthermore, Trista spent most of 2020 caring for critical covid patients during the height of the pandemic as surgeries were cancelled and the hospital was converted into isolated areas. In total, Trista has been a registered nurse for almost five years now, with eight of those years spent in the hospital. She has precepted many new grad nurses and has served as charge nurse during her journey.

Disclaimer: The information shared on this podcast is not a substitute for any form of professional physical health care or medical care. Listening does not constitute a doctor-patient relationship with Tracy Karas, DPT. The information provided is for inspirational and educational purposes only.