brain & spine care

Statements such as – "I’m so empty, I can’t even cry” ... “It’s like hell.” – are just some of the ways sufferers of depression have described their conditions. However, now patients are sharing these: "For the first time in years, I am off all anti-depression medications" ... "My family and friends say it’s great to have ‘me’ back.” Many patients have shared very similar experiences due to Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation, or TMS. TMS is a painless, non-invasive treatment that uses electromagnetic waves to deliver small bursts of energy to targeted areas known to be involved in mood regulation.

Host:

 Jonathan Fialkow, M.D., Chief Medical Executive at Baptist Health who oversees Population Health, Primary Care, Cardiology, Endocrinology and other Medical Specialties

Guest:

 Rachel Rohaidy, M.D., Psychiatrist at Baptist Health, specializing in adult and addiction care.

Have you ever heard of someone being hit with a sudden headache -- but not just any headache -- one of an explosive and unexpected nature that is likened to a "clap of thunder?" When followed by vomiting and blurry vision, the odds are high that it's a brain aneurysm. And the individual should seek medical care immediately.

A brain aneurysm is a weak or thin spot on an artery in the brain that balloons or bulges out and fills with blood. A ruptured aneurysm can cause very serious health emergencies such as stroke, brain damage, coma, or even death. 

Guests:

Jonathan Fialkow, M.D., Chief of Cardiology at Baptist Hospital and Chief Population Health Officer at Baptist Health. 

Robert Wicks, M.D., Neurosurgeon and Co-Director of Cerebrovascular Surgery at Baptist Health.

Did you forget where you put your keys again? Forget to get eggs at the grocery store? These are common memory lapses. They happen with age. Absent-mindedness is one common and often unavoidable downfall of getting old. But, when you have noticeable memory difficulties like experiencing confusion about where you are, then your loved ones start questioning your lucidity. And then Alzheimer’s or other forms of dementia become part of the discussion.

Host:

Jonathan Fialkow, M.D., Chief of Cardiology at Baptist Hospital and Chief Population Health Officer at Baptist Health. 

Guest:

Raphael Wald, Psy.D., Neuropsychologist, Marcus Neuroscience Institute, at Boca Raton Regional Hospital part of Baptist Health

More than 20% of American adults suffer from chronic pain, defined as persistent pain that lasts at least six months.  Back pain, arthritis, nerve pain and headaches are common causes. What can be done when long-term pain is ruining your quality of life?

Host, Jonathan Fialkow, M.D., explored this complex and frustrating syndrome with a panel of experts in a recent episode of Baptist Health's Resource Live program. 

Guests:

• Seif Elbualy, M.D., director of interventional pain management at Baptist Health's Marcus Neuroscience Institute
• Lijo Jose, M.D., a family medicine physician with Baptist Health Primary Care
• Francisco Garcia, a physician assistant at the arthritis clinic at Baptist Health Orthopedic Care

Aneurysm, or ballooning of an artery, is often called a silent killer because it develops without any symptoms.  Most aneurysms are discovered by accident during imaging scans that are performed for unrelated reasons.

Treatment and management of aneurysm has advanced rapidly in past decades, thanks in part to innovations pioneered by Barry T. Katzen, M.D., founder of the Miami Cardiac & Vascular Institute at Baptist Health South Florida.  Dr. Katzen joins host, Jonathan Fialkow, M.D., for a discussion about state-of-the-art care and ongoing research at the Institute.

You may think only older people need to worry about having a stroke, but it can happen to anyone, anywhere, at any time.  Stroke is the fifth leading cause of death in the U.S. and the number-one cause of long-term disability.

Stroke deaths are preventable. The most important factor is time.

Stroke Prevention Awareness Month in May brought a panel of experts to the podcast, hosted by Jonathan Fialkow, M.D., chief population health office at Baptist Health South Florida. Their discussion ranged from stroke symptoms and risk factors to what to do if you see someone who is experiencing a stroke.

Panel guests were:

• Leo Huynh, D.O., chief of Emergency Medicine at Baptist Health's Baptist Hospital
• Felipe De Los Rios, M.D., director of the Stroke Program at Baptist Health's Miami Neuroscience Institute
• Brian Snelling, M.D., chief of cerebrovascular and endovascular neurosurgery and director of the Stroke Program at Marcus Neuroscience Institute

There's a lot of fear surrounding the topic of brain tumors - much of it due to widespread myths and misinformation linking brain tumors to everything from cell phones to sweeteners. May is Brain Tumor Awareness Month, and a good time to separate facts from myths.

Host, Jonathan Fialkow, M.D., chief population health officer with Baptist Health, welcomes Michael McDermott, M.D. to the podcast to offer his substantial expertise on the topic.  Dr. McDermott is a neurosurgeon and chief medical executive at Baptist Health's Miami Neuroscience Institute and is considered the number-one expert in the world on meningiomas, the most common primary brain tumors in adults.

In our culture, alcohol is everywhere.  We may have a drink or two at a family dinner or social occasion without even thinking about it. But studies have linked drinking with cancer, even when done in moderation.  Long-term use can cause serious health complications, and you don't have to suffer from the disease of alcoholism to experience the consequences.

In honor of Alcohol Awareness Month in April, host, Jonathan Fialkow, M.D., deputy medical director and chief of cardiology at Baptist Health’s Miami Cardiac & Vascular Institute, welcomed a panel of experts to look into the effects of alcohol, the nature of alcoholism and how to help someone who is battling an alcohol addiction.

Guests:
Thomas Hammond, M.D.; neurologist with Marcus Neuroscience Institute
Kaitlin Elsbeth Ross, M.D.; family medicine physician with Baptist Health Primary Care
Kevin Wandler, M.D.; Chief Medical Officer with Advanced Recovery Systems

When the pandemic began, companies across the U.S. abruptly closed their offices, asking employees to work from home. One year later, millions of people are still working remotely, many facing the additional challenges of juggling child care and remote schooling.

The boundary between our work lives and personal lives has become blurred, leading many to ask: "Am I working from home, or living at work?"

 Host, Jonathan Fialkow, M.D. welcomed a panel of experts for a discussion about the physical and mental effects of working from home, and what we can do to keep ourselves healthy in this new paradigm.

 Guests on this episode are: 

·       Justin Thottam, D.O., back and neck pain physician at Baptist Health’s Miami Neuroscience Institute
·       Maria Ordonez, M.D., family medicine physician with Baptist Health Primary Care. 
·       Amy Exum, LMHC, psychotherapist with Baptist Health’s Community Health & Wellness

Essential Tremor is a movement disorder, most commonly affecting the hands, that makes  daily tasks like eating, writing or shaving incredibly challenging for an estimated 10-million Americans. 

Now, a new, non-invasive treatment called high-intensity focused ultrasound, or HiFu, is delivering life-changing results.

Dr. Justin Sporrer, director of functional neurosurgery at Miami Neuroscience Institute, joins  Dr. Jonathan Fialkow to explain why HiFu is a game changer in the treatment of patients with essential tremor.

(See dramatic before and after video of a patient who received HiFu treatment at Miami Neuroscience Institute.)

 The holiday season is known for celebrations and cheer. It’s also recognized as a peak time of year for strokes and heart attacks -- and not just for older people. What’s behind this potentially deadly phenomenon and how can we reduce our risk?  

 Host, Jonathan Fialkow, M,D., chief population health office at Baptist Health looks into this “holiday phenomenon” with guest experts Felipe De Los Rios, M.D., medical director of the stroke program at Miami Neuroscience Institute and Leo Huynh, D.O., chief of emergency medicine at Baptist Hospital.

 This podcast contains excerpts from a recent episode of Baptist Health’s Resource Live program, which also focused on the importance of never delaying care for symptoms of a heart attack or stroke. Emergency rooms are open and safe, with strict protocols in place to protect patients, staff and visitors from exposure to the novel coronavirus.

For more information about COVID-19 please visit BaptistHealth-coronavirus.com

Migraine is a neurological disorder affecting one out of ten Americans of all ages. This debilitating condition is responsible for an estimated 157-million lost workdays each year. What is migraine and how is it different from other kinds of headaches? On this episode of Baptist Healthtalk, host Dr. Jonathan Fialkow welcomes neurologist Brad Herskowitz, M.D., of Miami Neuroscience Institute to discuss diagnosing headache disorders and the latest treatments available to provide relief to those who suffer with them.

It turns out that working from home during this pandemic can be a big pain in the neck …and the back …and the wrists. Your aching body may be telling you that your work-from-home situation isn’t working.  What can be done to ease those aches and pains -- or better yet, prevent them? Host Jonathan Fialkow M.D. explores practical solutions with his guest, Justin Thottam, D.O., a physiatrist with the Baptist Health Center for Spine Care, part of Miami Neuroscience Institute.

Suggested Resources:

Exercises for Relieving Text Neck

https://baptisthealth.net/baptist-health-news/exercises-relieving-text-neck-video/

#BaptistHealthy In Motion: Prevent Back Pain

https://studio.youtube.com/video/oajEk3YzcBU/edit

Back Pain: Prevention, Causes and Treatment

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wx-H-jtZehE

For more information about COVID-19 please visit BaptistHealth-coronavirus.com

795-thousand people in the United States will experience a stroke this year. Not all the victims are part of the Social Security set. Researchers have noticed a startling increase in the rate of strokes among younger people in their mid-thirties through mid-forties.  Strokes can affect people of all ages, even teenagers and kids.

Host Jonathan Fialkow. M.D. and his guest, neurologist Felipe De Los Rios, M.D., medical director of the stroke program at Miami Neuroscience Center, explore this troubling trend, talk about symptoms and risk factors, and look into whether there is any connection to the novel Coronavirus, on this episode of Baptist HealthTalk.

OH MY ACHING BACK! It’s one of the most searched medical terms on the web—back pain. Learn what you can do right now to battle this debilitating condition. Dr. Jonathan Fialkow gets the facts on backs from Dr. Ronald Tolchin, Medical Director of the Spine Center at Miami Neuroscience Institute, on this week's episode of Baptist HealthTalk.