Your Family's Health

Some say addiction is a choice. Others say it's a disease. Today, we’re separating fact from fiction when it comes to addiction, mental health, recovery, and the challenges families face along the way.  Dr. Jeanine Cook-Garard and Pandora Groth talk with licensed marriage and family therapist Sonnet Daymont, who will offer a rare insight into relational trauma and dark personality traits - and its relationship to substance abuse disorders.

Have you ever lost a battle with a snorer in your life? Or are YOU the snorer? Is it just an annoying habit, or could it be a sign of something more serious?  Dr. Jeanine Cook-Garard and Pandora Groth talk with Dr. Chelsie Rohrscheib, a neuroscientist and sleep expert, who is the Head Sleep Researcher at Wesper, the first longitudinal and wireless clinical-grade sleep testing and management platform, designed to help the world sleep better.

They say you are what you eat... which is a little concerning if your lunch today came from a vending machine. But whether you're living on salads, sneaking cookies after dinner, or wondering why you crash every afternoon, the foods we eat can have a major impact on our blood sugar—even if you don't have diabetes. Today, we're talking about the surprising foods that can send blood sugar soaring, the ones that help keep it steady, and what everyday people should know before their next trip to the grocery store.  Dr. Jeanine Cook-Garard and Pandora Groth talk with Stephanie Crabtree, a Registered Dietician, and the CEO and Founder of Stephanie Crabtree Nutrition.

Northwell Health recently cut the ribbon on the new Cohen Children's Northwell Health Physician Partners Pediatric Orthopedic Surgery and Urology, opening a new hub for pediatric care for our area. Located at 1111 Marcus Avenue in New Hyde Park, the new location spans 17,000 square feet and features 26 exam rooms. To tell us more, Dr. Jeanine Cook-Garard and Pandora Groth talk with Dr. Jose Prince, the Senior Vice President of Children’s Surgery, and the Pediatric Surgeon in Chief, at Northwell Health.

As more Americans are using rapid weight-loss drugs like Ozempic, doctors are seeing a growing rise in hair thinning and accelerated hair loss — even among younger adults. How serious is this and what is the solution?  Dr. Jeanine Cook-Garard talks with Dr. Keith Kantor of Regen Therapeutics, who says that hair health is often directly connected to what is happening metabolically and hormonally throughout the body, and he claims that Ozempic is causing massive hair loss among users regardless of age.

Have you given any thought to who makes your medical decisions in an emergency? Today, we're talking about healthcare proxies, advance directives, and why these important conversations shouldn't wait until a crisis. Dr. Jeanine Cook-Garard talks with nurse practitioner, educator, and author Dr. Fern Baudo, whose book, If I Only Knew, helps families navigate some of life's toughest healthcare decisions.

Dr. Jeanine Cook-Garard learns about Colorectal Cancer, because a new study by the American Cancer Society shows that -- while overall cancer deaths in people younger than 50 in the United States has decreased since their last study -- only colorectal cancer mortality has increased, advancing it from the fifth most common cause of cancer death in the early 1990s to the first in 2023, seven years earlier than predicted. She speaks with Dr. Pascale M. White, a Fellow of the American College of Gastroenterology, and Associate Professor of Medicine at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai.

Dr. Jeanine Cook-Garard talks with Julie Stevens, who at 43 years old, was given a stage 4 colon cancer diagnosis—and only a 14% chance of survival.  She hosts the podcast MOJO Rising... How to Make Cancer Suck Less - and is the author of MOJO Healing... How to Build a Holistic Healing Strategy and Maximize Joy. Julie is also the founder of Vedalife, a health tech startup developing "Ginger," an AI-powered nutrition platform designed to help people optimize their health through comprehensive bio marker tracking and personalized insights.

One overlooked element of long-term success is proactive health planning, including fertility. Many people set goals for career, finances, and fitness, but rarely set goals for reproductive health until it becomes urgent. So why is fertility planning a success strategy, and what steps can you take RIGHT NOW to protect your fertility?  Dr. Jeanine Cook-Garard and Pandora Groth talk with Dr. Oluyemisi Famuyiwa, a National Institutes of Health–trained reproductive endocrinologist, and the author of The Quest for Fertility. She is also an Assistant Professor of Obstetrics and Gynecology at George Washington University, and host of the Fertile Talks podcast.

Dr. Jeanine Cook-Garard and Pandora Groth learn about bigorexia, also known as muscle dysmorphia. While many people think of eating disorders as wanting to be smaller, this condition flips that idea, with individuals believing they’re never muscular enough, no matter how strong they become. So how do you recognize it — and when does healthy fitness cross the line?  They speak once again with Kara Becker, a certified eating disorder therapist and the National Director of Eating Disorder Programs at Newport Healthcare, which provides nationwide treatment for teens, young adults, and families struggling with primary mental health issues, eating disorders, and substance abuse.