
HealthU
By Health U The Hackensack Meridian Health Podcast

HealthUAug 08, 2023

Housecall: What Your Doctor Wants You to Know About THC Gummies and Edibles
With the growing popularity of marijuana edibles, also known as THC gummies or weed gummies, there is a lot of confusion about how to safely consume them. We brought in psychiatrist and medical director for Hackensack Meridian Behavioral Health, Eric Alcera, M.D. to provide a doctor's perspective on marijuana edibles, focusing on their safety, potential health benefits, and responsible usage.

Housecall: Exploring the Psychological Effects of Social Media on Teens
A recent study found up to 95% of teens reported using at least one social media platform, while more than one-third said they used social media “almost constantly.” While social media use is on the rise, so are cases of anxiety, depression and mental health conditions among teens. We connected with child psychiatrist Juan Jose Villar, M.D., to answer our questions about how we can keep teens safe and how social media is impacting them.

Pop Culture RX: Staying Sharp with Alzheimer's: Musical Legend Tony Bennett
Bennett's passing in July 2023 marked the end of a musical era. Diagnosed with Alzheimer's seven years prior, Tony still lived The Good Life, and defied the odds by continuing to perform and connect with his music. Unlike many Alzheimer's patients who lose their abilities, Tony remained special, recognizing friends and family and even recalling lyrics for his performances. We sat down with Rehan Aziz, M.D., a geriatric psychiatrist, to explore Alzheimer's disease, discussing the typical cognitive challenges patients and caregivers face.

Housecall: What Does a Brain Tumor Feel Like?
There may be no scarier news than hearing, "you have a brain tumor." It not only affects your physical well-being but also has a deep emotional and psychological impact. Thomas Steineke, M.D., neurosurgeon and chair of Neurosurgery at JFK University Medical Center, joins the podcast to explain the early warning signs of a brain tumor and what treatments are available.

Housecall: New Hope for Cancer Patients: The Potential of Vaccines for Cancer Treatment
A vaccine for cancer treatment? Join us as we sit down with Andrew Pecora, M.D., a renowned hematologist, oncologist, and expert researcher, as he shares groundbreaking news about new cancer research for an mRNA vaccine, specifically designed to assist patients with recurrent melanoma.

Pop Culture RX: What is Frontotemporal Dementia?
After retiring from acting, Bruce Willis has since been diagnosed with frontotemporal dementia. We chat with Reena Gottesman, M.D., to understand his latest diagnosis and learn about the resources available to patients and their families.

Pop Culture RX: Are Exoskeleton's the Future?
Ozzy Osbourne announced that he is retiring from touring due to ongoing health issues related to a spinal injury that he re-aggravated. After many operations, stem cell treatments, endless physical therapy sessions, and most recently exoskeleton treatment, his body is still too weak to deal with the travel required for touring. We spoke with Florian P. Thomas, M.D., to understand spinal injuries and how these new treatments work.

Housecall: How Does Pollution & Air Quality Affect Your Health?
Air pollution is a global challenge affecting millions of people, from smog-filled cities to air quality concerns from mass forest fires. It poses a severe threat to our well-being, worsening respiratory conditions, increasing the risk of heart disease, and even impacting cognitive function. To “clear the air” pulmonologist, Ahmad Abu Homoud, M.D. shares his expertise, the truth about air quality and how to protect your lungs and breathe easier.

Housecall: Game On, or Game Over? Understanding Video Game Addiction
Join James Sherer, M.D. addiction psychiatrist and avid gamer, as he shares the multifaceted challenges faced by gamers grappling with internet gaming disorder, offering a unique perspective that combines professional expertise, personal anecdotes, and practical solutions for a healthier relationship with gaming.

Pop Culture RX: Uncovering MS: From Misdiagnoses to Advocacy
In a recent interview with British Vogue, actress Selma Blair disclosed that she was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis in 2018 after experiencing symptoms that had been misdiagnosed or neglected for over four decades. She now advocates for accessibility and awareness, and she even encouraged her friend Christina Applegate to seek medical attention, which eventually led to her own MS diagnosis. Neurologist Anuradha Singh, DO, highlights some common misconceptions and early signs that individuals may overlook when it comes to multiple sclerosis, emphasizing the significance of consulting a physician if any concerns arise.

Housecall: Celebrating Nurse's Week: The Stories of Nurses and What Inspires Them to Serve
On this week’s special edition of Housecall, three nurses from across Hackensack Meridian Health join us to share their stories and advice for nurses everywhere. We talk about impactful memories, career journeys and what drives our nurses to come back every day with a renewed sense of purpose.

Pop Culture RX: Unpacking Amanda Bynes' Recent Struggles: A Discussion on Mental Health Awareness
Former child star Amanda Bynes was admitted to an inpatient facility after being found wandering the streets in a state of psychosis. She was later placed on a psychiatric hold and underwent evaluation. We sat down with Clinical psychiatrist, Guenevere Rosenthal, M.D., and discussed Amanda's struggles and the importance of mental health awareness.

Housecall: My Story Finding Hope & Navigating Having a Child Who is Sick
When your child is sick the emotional, physical and mental toll can weigh heavy on families. Our podcast host, Katie, shares her journey of having a child with birth defects, and discusses with Alissa Sandler, manager of social work at Joseph M. Sanzari’s Children’s Hospital, how parents and families can find hope and support when their child is sick.

Pop Culture RX: Keeping Your Mental Health In Check
Jane Fonda’s passion for exercise is only getting stronger as she gets older: The 85-year-old actor and climate activist is constantly encouraging her millions of Instagram followers to stay active. And at a recent event, she shared how it keeps her mental health in check and how exercise has really helped her combat depression in her older years. We spoke with Gary Small, M.D., to learn ways to keep our own mental health in check.

Pop Culture RX: Understanding the Weight Loss Journey
Celebrities including Randy Jackson, Jonah Hill, Mindy Kaling, and more have shown off their wellness journeys on social media and fans are loving their new transformations. Some have even attributed their journeys to weight loss surgery and rethinking how they thought about food. We talked with Jonathan Reich, M.D., to learn more about what we can do to achieve our own weight loss goals.

Housecall: Understanding Jaw Pain & TMJ Disorders
Clicks, cracks, and stiffness in the jaw can make eating and speaking difficult or even painful. Temporomandibular joint and muscle disorders or TMDs, are the most common causes of jaw pain, affecting over 11 million Americans. Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeon Dr .Shahid Aziz explains TMJ disorders and how they can be treated.

Housecall: What to Expect During an IUD Placement
Intrauterine devices, known as IUDs, have become pretty popular for their convenience and long term usage. But there’s some confusion online about how an IUD is placed. Our expert, OB/GYN Neeti Misra, M.D., breaks it down and shares what to expect during insertion.

Pop Culture RX: Damar Hamlin
Buffalo Bills safety Damar Hamlin suffered a cardiac arrest on the field after making what appeared to be a routine tackle against the Bengals. This caused a frightening scene: Hamlin was administered CPR on the field as players from both teams watched in horror. Hamlin survived and is reportedly making "remarkable" progress in his recovery. We connected with interventional cardiologist, Daniel Kiss, M.D., to discuss his take on what happened and the importance of knowing CPR.

Pop Culture RX: Living with Pain?
Did you know about 50 million Americans live with some form of chronic pain? And not surprisingly celebrities including Paula Abdul, George Clooney, and Lady Gaga are among them. We sit down with Patrick Roth, M.D., chairman of Neurosurgery at Hackensack University Medical Center, who offers insight on some of the common questions about chronic pain.

Housecall: Tridemic: COVID, Flu & RSV
The triple threat from the COVID-19 virus, RSV and the flu simultaneously are spreading this winter. Hitting health care systems hard and overwhelming pediatric hospitals, these viruses are affecting families everywhere. on our first podcast of the new year, we sit down with Pediatrician, Melissa Wallach, M.D., who shares predictions for the season and how to stay safe.

Housecall: How to Talk to Your Child About Traumatic Events
From school shootings, acts of hate, war, to pandemics, kids are more exposed than ever to traumatic events. Our child and adolescent psychiatrist, Ulrick Vieux, D.O. shares how to approach these difficult conversations and help your child feel safe.

Housecall: COVID Boosters, Do I Need One?
COVID fatigue is real; do we really need another booster? Chief physician executive, Daniel Varga, M.D., explains who should get an updated booster and how to stay safe through the "tridemic" season.

Pop Culture RX: I Feel It In My Bones
Bone marrow transplants have been a miracle to many, and have been used for years to treat conditions affecting blood cells, including leukemias, lymphomas, solid tumor cancers, anemia and immune deficiency disorders. Pediatric hematologist-oncologist, Christine Camacho-Bydume, M.D., shared with us the ins and outs of bone marrow transplants.

Pop Culture RX: Is Napping Bad for You?
You may love to nap, but a recent study suggests that your heart doesn’t. A study from the American Heart Association found that people who nap often may have a greater risk of high blood pressure and stroke. Chief of Cardiology, Brett Sealove, M.D., FACC, RPVI, shares what you need to know about napping and sleep habits.

Pop Culture RX: How Much of Our Brains Are We Really Using?
Actress Emilia Clarke suffered two severe brain aneurysms and often mentions seeing her brain scans and wondering, "how am I even functioning?" This made us wonder - how much of our brains are we really using? We spoke with Nancy Gadallah, D.O., a vascular neurologist, to explain what happened to Emilia and how our brains operate.

Pop Culture RX: Keep a Lid on it
Did you know that biking lands more than a quarter-million children a year in US Emergency departments? Critical Care surgeon and Chief Of Trauma, Stephanie Bonne, M.D. shares why sharing the road and wearing a helmet are so important when it comes to bike safety.

Pop Culture RX: The Rise in Polio
The Americas were declared polio-free in 1994. That was until recently. Pediatric hematologist-oncologist, Bruce Terrin, M.D., shared with us why polio is on the rise again after 28 years and what we can do to avoid it.
![Pop Culture RX: ‘I Can't Feel [See] My Face When I'm With You’](https://d3t3ozftmdmh3i.cloudfront.net/staging/podcast_uploaded_nologo/14259561/acd58c50b54103eb.jpeg)
Pop Culture RX: ‘I Can't Feel [See] My Face When I'm With You’
Recently actor Brad Pitt shared his struggles with undiagnosed prosopagnosia, also known as “face blindness”. Although it is widely assumed to be rare, doctors have started to move toward the conclusion that it is more common than generally realized. Neuropsychologist, Olga Nikelshpur, PhD., shares with us just how fascinating this condition really is.

Pop Culture RX: Ashton Kutcher vs. Vasculitis
Earlier this month actor, Ashton Kutcher revealed that he has vasculitis, a disease that left the actor unable to see, hear or walk for a period of time. Rheumatology specialist, Anna Broder, M.D., sat down and talked us through this very complex autoimmune disease.

Housecall: Do You Really Have to Worry about Monkeypox?
Rising cases of monkeypox may have you wondering, what is it and should I be worried? Infectious disease expert, Edward Liu, M.D., shares what you need to know about monkeypox, how it spreads and how to stay safe.

Housecall: What Causes the Baby Blues? How to Reset Your Brain
The term the "baby blues" describes the emotional and hormonal changes that follow the birth of a child. With up to 80% of mothers experiencing this postpartum mental shift, maternal fetal medicine expert, Antonia Francis Kim, M.D., shares how parents can get through this growth period.
https://doctors.hackensackmeridianhealth.org/provider/Antonia+Francis+Kim/1499953

Pop Culture RX: Understanding Endometriosis
A number of celebrities have been very candid about their endometriosis diagnosis and most recently Fantastic Beasts actress Jessica Williams shared her personal journey about living with the painful disease. We sat down with Kathleen Walsh, M.D., to talk through this diagnosis and the many treatments available.

Pop Culture RX: Men Would Rather Do WHAT Than Go to The Doctors?!
We sat down with Michael Stifelman, M.D., to talk about all things men's health and why men sometimes are the biggest obstacle to their own health.

Housecall: Chronic Stress & Coping
From one world crisis to another, we are living through some remarkably stressful times. David Leopold, M.D., network medical director for Hackensack Meridian Integrative Health & Medicine, discusses the mind-body connection to stress and tips for coping with chronic stress.

Pop Culture RX: Hailey Bieber suffers a stroke? But she's so young!?
Model Hailey Bieber suffered a mini-stroke due to a hole in her heart. Is this common? Is it dangerous? Find out the answers and so much more as we sit down with Martin Gizzi, M.D. to learn all about strokes.

Pop Culture RX: Dealing With a Bit of Diabetes?
Since 2005, Nick Jonas has been an advocate for type 1 diabetes and diabetes management. He has even teamed up with 'The Global Movement for Time in Range', to help others understand that they are deserving of adequate care and education to help manage their condition. We sat down with Colette Knight, M.D. to talk about this diagnosis and how treatable of a condition diabetes is.

Housecall: Massage Guns
At-home massage guns have been growing in popularity, but are they good for you? Courtney Powell, a physical therapist at JFK Johnson Rehabilitation Institute, talks us through how to use them, who should and shouldn’t use them and best qualities to look for when making that purchase.

Pop Culture RX: Pandemic PTSD
It has been well over two years since COVID-19 was declared a pandemic and with that brought a year of loss, separation, anxiety, and uncertainty. Eventually, the physical stress of the infection might end, but for some, the emotional scars from the pandemic can last for months and years, often in the form of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). We sit down with Dr. Gary Small, a behavioral health physician and chief and psychiatrist with Hackensack University Medical Center to talk through what this might mean for our community’s mental health in the future.

Pop Culture RX: Don't Become a Statistic - Get Your Colonoscopy
Will Smith shared his colonoscopy with the world via a vlog to help promote colorectal cancer screenings. We brought in Rosario Ligresti, M.D. a gastroenterologist from Hackensack University Medical Center to talk us through this important screening.

Pop Culture RX: Dopesick
Hulu's 'Dopesick' brings attention to the opioid crisis in rural Appalachia and highlights the efforts that community took to fight addiction and hold those responsible accountable. We spoke with Rachel Wallace, the director of substance abuse counseling services at the Retreat & Recovery at Ramapo Valley, to talk through the reality of the crisis here in our own community.

Pop Culture RX: Be Still My Heart
A racing heart can make anyone nervous, including actress La La Anthony. We brought in Taya Glotzer, M.D. an Electrophysiologist from Hackensack University Medical Center to help us understand what a healthy heart rate looks like and how many beats are one too many.

Pop Culture RX: Run That Marathon!
For those who have running a marathon (or maybe just running in general) as a 2022 goal, we brought in Stephen Silver, M.D., Chief of Sports Medicine and Board-Certified Orthopedic Surgeon from Hackensack University Medical Center, to talk us through making that goal a reality.

Pop Culture RX: How To Achieve Your Weight Loss Goals This Year
Hans Schmidt, M.D., a bariatric surgeon from Hackensack University Medical Center, helps us understand how we can achieve our own personal weight loss goals this year.

Pop Culture RX: What You Can Do While Waiting For Help To Arrive
Daniel Yu, M.D., an emergency medicine physician from Bayshore Medical Center walks us through a couple of scenarios and what we can do while help is on the way. To view classes, please visit https://events.hackensackmeridianhealth.org/c/calendar/5add99e2-c1d9-462e-b53b-40d71d775290?_ga=2.166276412.320529785.1642432709-952710805.1615215176&hgcrm_agency=client&hgcrm_campaignid=5593&hgcrm_channel=email&hgcrm_source=healthgrades&hgcrm_tacticid=13297&hgcrm_trackingsetid=18927

Pop Culture RX: Managing MS
Actress and star of Netflix’s ‘Dead to Me’, Christina Applegate revealed that she was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis, calling her experience thus far a “strange journey” and “a tough road.” We sat down with Krupa Pandey, M.D., director of the MS Comprehensive Care Center in the Neuroscience Institute at Hackensack University Medical Center, to talk through what this diagnosis means for Christina moving forward.

Pop Culture RX: COVID Vaccine & Kids: What You Should Know
The CDC has officially given the green light for emergency use of the COVID-19 vaccine in children ages 5 to 15. While this may be a welcome piece of news, many parents are still hesitant to schedule their children for an appointment. We sat down with Katherine Clouser M.D., to help us navigate through some of the top questions about the vaccine for younger children.

Housecall Quicks: New Advice for Aspirin and Heart Attack Prevention
Adults ages 60 and older are no longer advised to take aspirin for heart disease and stroke prevention.
Brett Sealove, M.D., chief of cardiology at Jersey Shore University Medical Center, weighs in on the guideline changes.

Housecall Quicks: COVID-19, the Vaccine & Myocarditis
Learn more about the risk of heart inflammation from COVID-19 and the vaccine. Brett Sealove, M.D., chief of cardiology at Jersey Shore University Medical Center, explains the risks of each.

Pop Culture RX: Relationship Red Flags
With what feels like the whole world wondering what happened to Gabby Petito, it’s hard not to notice some of the red flags in her relationship with her boyfriend Brian Laundrie. We sit down with Dr. Gary Small, a behavioral health physician and chief and psychiatrist with Hackensack University Medical Center to talk through red flags in a relationship and how to handle them both personally and mentally.

Pop Culture RX: When Vertigo Strikes
Real Housewives of Beverly Hills alum Teddi Mellencamp experienced an episode of vertigo in the middle of the night, which resulted in her taking a scary tumble and suffering some minor injuries to her face. We sat down with Virginia Toth, the Manager of Audiology, Tinnitus and Balance Programs at JFK Johnson Rehabilitation Institute, to talk through what vertigo is and how we can treat it.