steve poizner

Listen in to this minicast as “Fight Back” covers the critically important topic of advanced healthcare directives, a legal document that addresses such end-of-life issues as “do not resuscitate” orders, treatment options, healthcare proxies, and more.
 
Our guest is Ashton Ellis, an expert on advanced directives and an attorney who creates advanced directives for families. Ashton is currently working to develop a curriculum that trains doctors and lawyers on how to apply the appropriate standard of care when complying with end-of-life care laws. Our conversation will briefly examine why a healthcare directive is so important for yourself and your loved ones.

In this Library Release of Fight Back, we talk extensively about chiropractic care. Chiropractic is a healthcare discipline that emphasizes the body’s inherent recuperative power to heal itself without using drugs or surgery. The chiropractic practice focuses on the relationship between structure (primarily the spine) and function (as coordinated by the nervous system) and how that relationship affects the preservation and restoration of health.

We welcome our special guest, Dr. Steven Barham. After suffering a severe back injury playing college football, Steven faced major surgery but chose to try chiropractic care. The treatment he received provided quick and lasting results, and he decided to enter the chiropractic profession. For the last 30 years, he has been helping patients of all ages seek relief and healing from their health problems.

Dr. Barham will discuss the origins and evolution of chiropractic care, what patients should do to find the right chiropractor for their needs, what patients can expect at their first visit, and much more.

In today's Fight Back! minicast we get a quick Pharmacy 101 with special guest Debby Johnson, a third-generation pharmacist and former President of the California Pharmacist Association. We'll take a quick look into several topics related to the world of pharmacy, including the importance of having your prescriptions at one pharmacy, the differences between brand name and generic medicines, and some advice for consumers interacting with pharmacists. 

In this Minicast release, Fight Back revisits a conversation we had during the early days of the COVID-19 vaccine. We talked about how the vaccine was developed, how the clinical trial process works, and how herd immunity and vaccines work together.
 
We were joined by vaccine expert Dr. Mike Ybarra, an Emergency Room physician and Vice President of Medical Affairs and Strategic Alliances at the Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers Association. Dr. Ybarra has over ten years of advocacy, health policy, and direct patient care experience. His background and knowledge help us take a closer look into the development of the COVID vaccine, its technology, and its implications for the public.

In part two of our Minicast on Autism, we talk with special guest Kristin Jacobson. Kristin is the Founder and Executive Director of the Autism Deserves Equal Coverage Foundation, which advocates for health policy and legal enforcement for autism and other mental health conditions. 

Kristin will help our listeners understand the laws and regulations that provide ASD patients with the rights to treatments, requirements for health insurance companies to cover such treatments, what you can do to fight back when facing coverage denials, and much more.

In this Minincast Release of Fight Back, we welcome our special guest, Dr. Cari Spencer. Dr. Cari is a California-licensed naturopathic doctor and physical therapist. Dr. Cari believes in getting to the cause of the problem, personalizing treatments, and using the least force necessary to heal and treat the whole person.

Dr. Cari joins us to discuss the medical practice of naturopathy, an area of medical treatment of which most consumers are unaware. She talks about what naturopathy really is, what types of treatment are available, and how a Doctor of Naturopathy could help you improve your health. Join us today as we discuss Naturopathy 101!

Today's Library release, Lifestyle Medicine, focuses on educating and motivating patients to change personal habits and behaviors by using a whole food, plant-predominant diet, regular physical activity, restorative sleep, stress management, avoidance of risky substances, and positive social connection.

We discuss this topic with lifestyle medicine expert Dr. Cate Collings, Director of Lifestyle Medicine at El Camino Hospital and President of the American College of Lifestyle Medicine. Join us as we explore Lifestyle Medicine and how this approach can change things for patients and doctors alike. 

In this Library episode of Fight Back, we talk about the holiday blues. Feeling a bit "blue" or downcast during the holidays is common. This year, many people will continue to feel added stress and anxiety of dealing with the effects of COVID, RSV, and a more severe flu season on family gatherings.

Our special guest is Dr. Richard Sherman, a licensed psychologist in private practice. He has been active in organizations that serve both the profession of psychology and the consumer. Dr. Sherman served as President of the CA Psychological Association and the Los Angeles County Psychological Association. He was also a gubernatorial appointee to the CA Board of Psychology, where he served for five years. He earned his doctorate in psychology from the University of Georgia.
 
Dr. Sherman explains the holiday blues and offers tips regarding coping with COVID challenges, staying mentally healthy through it all, and much more.

In this Library Release of Fight Back!, we talk with Peter Lee, Executive Director for California’s health insurance marketplace, Covered California. Here in California, the open enrollment period ends at the end of the year. Join us as we talk about the key things you need to know about enrolling in healthcare. 

In our conversation, Peter provides valuable insight into the many facets of the Covered California program, including what options consumers have for obtaining affordable health insurance even if they lose their employment, how middle and low-income families can access subsidies for premiums and co-pays, how the open and special enrollment windows operate, the value of shopping around for the best possible plan, the status of the COVID-19 vaccination program, and much more.

In this Fight Back Minicast, we welcome Dr. Howard Zucker, former New York State Public Health Commissioner who led New York through the initial impact of COVID-19. 

Dr. Zucker shares New York’s experience as the first hot spot for COVID-19, dealing with shutdowns, masks, vaccines, and overrun emergency rooms. Join us as we take a quick look back at the start of COVID-19 in New York. Listen to the full episode, The NY COVID Health Experience, here.

Join us on this Library Release of Fight Back, as we talk with special guest Dr. Alan Sanders, a specialist in infectious diseases. Dr. Sanders previously served as Chief of Medicine at St Peter’s Hospital in Albany, NY, and currently is the Chief Medical Officer of St. Peter’s Health Partners. He will soon be assuming the role of Chief of the Division of Infectious Diseases at Albany Medical Center Hospital. Among many other responsibilities, he will spearhead establishing a telemedicine program to deliver clinical care—including the diagnosis and treatment of infectious diseases—to underserved areas.

Dr. Sanders gives us a behind-the-scenes look at telemedicine, from the implementation and use of the technology to what consumers should do to educate themselves on how telemedicine can work for them, and more. We will also discuss the current state of the pandemic and the significant role the vaccines are playing in defeating the virus.

In this Fight Back episode we welcome Linda Garvin, a Health Advocate. Linda graduated from the University of Massachusetts, earning her Master of Science in Nursing (MSN) and Adult Nurse Practitioner training with honors. She has a Public Health Certificate in California. After an extensive medical career, Linda founded Patient Advocate Bay Area, where she serves as President. She has spent the last 20 years as a health advocate in California and nationwide.

Health Advocates support and advocate on behalf of patients and their families when a third party’s expertise and knowledge can improve treatments and navigate a complicated health situation. Could a health advocate help you or your loved one? What specific kind of services do health advocates provide? Join us as Linda answers these and other questions.

In this Fight Back minicast, we talk with Gary Cohen, Vice President of Government Affairs at Blue Shield of California, about bringing healthcare into the digital age. We discuss what needs to happen to make electronic records work, hurdles to overcome regarding privacy concerns, and what consumers can do during the “digital transition.”

In this Fight Back episode, we welcome Dr. Howard Zucker, former New York State Public Health Commissioner who led New York through the initial impact of COVID-19. He has held public health positions at the state, federal, and international levels and academic appointments at the Yale, Columbia, and Albert Einstein medical schools. He served as head of the Pediatric ICU at New York Presbyterian Hospital and was a research affiliate at MIT.

Dr. Zucker shares New York’s experience as the first hot spot for COVID-19, dealing with shutdowns, masks, vaccines, and overrun emergency rooms. Join us as we look back at the start of COVID-19 in New York and how local, state, and federal governments interfaced with the healthcare system.

Service animals—especially canines—have proven to be able helpers to those in need. In this Fight Back Minicast episode, Michelle Williams, Public Relations and Marketing Coordinator for Canine Companions, and Stefanie Lund, a volunteer breeder of service canines, discuss the difference between service, therapy, and emotional support dogs and how they can improve their owner’s health, especially veterans.

In this Fight Back episode, Dr. Ted Mazer discusses various ear, nose, and throat conditions and disorders. From ringing in the ears, the causes and treatment for hearing loss to the loss of smell, we will cover it and get real-world answers for you.

Dr. Mazer specializes in treating ear, nose, head, throat, and neck disorders. He was named one of the “Top Doctors” in the 2015 San Diego Magazine “Physicians of Exceptional Excellence” and is a former President of the California Medical Association. 

On this special Fight Back minicast, we hear a clip from our very first LIVE Telephone Town Hall where we discussed the latest Covid-19 outbreak and the endemic with University of California COVID-19 expert, Dr. Brad Pollock. Hundreds of listeners interacted and asked questions of Dr. Pollack and Healthcare Consumer Rights Executive Director and the host of the Fight Back podcast, Steve Poizner.

In this unique Fight Back podcast, we hosted our first LIVE telephone “Town Hall.” Hundreds of Fight Back podcast listeners called in to hear the latest news about the COVID-19 endemic, ask questions and interact with our two moderators: Dr. Brad Pollock and Steve Poizner.

Dr. Brad Pollock hosts a monthly “COVIDCast” on the Fight Back podcast, where he discusses the latest news and information about COVID-19, its variants, treatments, how to stay healthy, and other topics. Dr. Pollock is Chairman of the Department of Public Health Sciences at the University of California Davis School of Medicine.

Steve Poizner, Director of the Healthcare Consumer Rights Foundation, is the host of Fight Back.

Lifestyle Medicine focuses on educating and motivating patients to change personal habits and behaviors by focusing on whole food, plant-predominant diet, regular physical activity, restorative sleep, stress management, avoidance of risky substances, and positive social connections.

We discuss this topic with lifestyle medicine expert Dr. Cate Collings, Director of Lifestyle Medicine at El Camino Hospital and President of the American College of Lifestyle Medicine.