Your Doctor Friends

Are My Affairs in Order? End-of-Life Decisions (with Matthew Tyler, MD)

What does it mean to “have your affairs in order”? Usually, this concept comes up after someone has died or diagnosed with a serious illness. “Did they/do they have their affairs in order?” 

What "affairs" are they referring to? Financial allocations? Healthcare power of attorney? Living will? The “legacy contact” for your iPhone??

It’s human to want to put off these decisions/plans since it forces us to confront our own mortality. It's not uncommon to have the occasional existential crisis, and certainly those feelings are less than pleasant...

How can we make these things less scary and daunting?

What if you had a “doctor friend” to help explain end-of-life planning? Do you think you’d be willing to take action if you understood your options better?

Well, in today’s episode, we did just that! We have a wonderful expert in the field of Palliative Care to help us understand how to navigate end-of-life care, both for ourselves and for the loved ones in our lives.

Welcome, Matthew Tyler, MD!

• Dr. Tyler was a fellowship-trained in Hospice and Palliative Medicine at Northwestern University.
• He is the Section Chief of Hospice and Palliative care at Ascension Healthcare.
• He has been providing care for patients in their homes, in the clinic, and in the hospital for over a decade. 
• He also has a BIG social media presence, with the Instagram and YouTube handle of “How To Train Your Doctor”, where he provides meaningful, kind, information regarding palliative care, hospice, and general end-of-life questions for everyone.
• His website, howtotrainyourdoctor.com, provides support and resources for navigating serious illness, and is totally free, and so incredibly helpful!

Topics covered in today's episode include:

• What is "hospice"? How is it different than "palliative care"?
• How does someone qualify for hospice care? Is it covered by insurance?
• Where is hospice care provided? In a hospital? Nursing home? At home?
• What is a "healthcare power of attorney"?
• What is a "living will"? How can you create one? Does "advance directive" mean the same thing?
• What does "DNR" mean? Are there other options other than "do everything" and "DNR"?
• What is "respite care"?

Dr. Tyler recommends the following resources:

PREPARE for your care- a free online resources to navigate end-of-life care.

Five Wishes- tools to guide decision-making for end-of-life care options.

The Medicare website "find hospice providers near me".

Thanks for tuning in, folks! and please sign up for our "PULSE CHECK" monthly newsletter! Signup is easy, right on our website page, and we PROMISE we will not spam you! We just want to send you cool articles, videos and thoughts :)

For more episodes, limited edition merch, or to become a Friend of Your Doctor Friends (and more), follow this link!

• This includes the famous "Advice from the last generation of doctors that inhaled lead" shirt :)

Also, CHECK OUT AMAZING HEALTH PODCASTS on The Health Podcast Network

 

Find us at:

Website: yourdoctorfriendspodcast.com 

Email: yourdoctorfriendspodcast@gmail.com 

Connect with us:

@your_doctor_friends (IG) Send/DM us a voice memo/question and we might play it on the show!

@yourdoctorfriendspodcast1013 (YouTube)

@JeremyAllandMD (IG, FB, Twitter)

@JuliaBrueneMD (IG)

@HealthPodNet (IG)

Are Supergreens Powders Really Super? (with Christine Blank, MS, RD)

GREEN DRINKS! Let's dive in to the murky green waters of the "supergreens" beverages currently sweeping the market! Are they as "super" as they claim? Do our bodies need to supplement all of these substances in the "proprietary blends", presented on the back of the packaging, in barely-pronounceable, long lists?

How do we know what's in these powders? Who regulates them? What's the nutritional science behind their main ingredients?

Thankfully we have an expert with us today, Christine Blank, MS, RD! Christine is both a chef and registered dietician, and serves as the Team Dietician for the Chicago Bulls. She is a fantastic resource for today's episode, and presents the dietary science behind green superfood beverages, and supplements in general.

Topics covered in today's episode include:

Do we "need" supplements?

What's the best way to meet our dietary needs?

How are these supplements tested/verified? Does the FDA get involved?

What does "third party tested" mean?

What are "adptogens"? What is the science behind ashwagandha? What about rhodiola rosea?

What are "phytonutrients"?

Which vitamins and minerals are vital for our health? Do we need pills or powders to supplement them?

What are pre- and probiotics? What do they do?

Do we need to supplement "digestive enzymes"? Which ones?

Resources for today's episode:

Link to examine.com pages on ashwagandha and rhodiola rosea.

A Chinese Medicine journal article re: adaptogens.

An article from Nutrients titled "Clinical Evidence of the Benefits of Phytonutrients in Human Healthcare."

A 2019 article published in Foods re: prebiotics.

The NIH fact sheet on probiotics for health professionals.

A 2020 Heliyon article titled "Global analysis of clinical trials with probiotics."

A 2017 article in Gut Microbes reviewing meta-analyses re: using probiotics in clinical practice.

A 2023 VeryWell article titled "What Are Digestive Enzymes?"

A Johns Hopkins Medicine article reviewing digestive enzymes.

The YouTube clip from Andrew Huberman re: Athletic Greens.

The AG1 commercial Jeremy references in the cold open.

Thanks for tuning in, folks! and please sign up for our "PULSE CHECK" monthly newsletter! Signup is easy, right on our website page, and we PROMISE we will not spam you! We just want to send you cool articles, videos and thoughts :)

For more episodes, limited edition merch, or to become a Friend of Your Doctor Friends (and more), follow this link!

• This includes the famous "Advice from the last generation of doctors that inhaled lead" shirt :)

Also, CHECK OUT AMAZING HEALTH PODCASTS on The Health Podcast Network

 

Find us at:

Website: yourdoctorfriendspodcast.com 

Email: yourdoctorfriendspodcast@gmail.com 

Connect with us:

@your_doctor_friends (IG) Send/DM us a voice memo/question and we might play it on the show!

@yourdoctorfriendspodcast1013 (YouTube)

@JeremyAllandMD (IG, FB, Twitter)

@JuliaBrueneMD (IG)

@HealthPodNet (IG)

How Important is the Gut Microbiome? (with Alessio Fasano, MD)

Prebiotics! Probiotics! Symbiotics! Postbiotics! WHAT DOES IT ALL MEAN? Where are all of these "biotics" all living??

Well, the short answer is- they're living inside YOU!

Talk about the human gut microbiome is everywhere. We thought it would be helpful to have our expert in gut health, Alessio Fasano, MD to give us insights on the microbiome, and how important it is to our health. You may remember Dr. Fasano from Episode 40- "Is Gluten Bad For Me?"!

Dr. Alessio Fasano is a pediatric gastroenterologist, research scientist, and entrepreneur. He is the Chief of Pediatric Gastroenterology and Nutrition at Mass General Hospital for Children.

Learn more about Dr. Fasano and his research about celiac disease, gluten sensitivity, and the microbiome here.

Link to information on Dr. Fasano's book (with co-author Susie Flaherty) "Gut Feelings: The Microbiome and Our Health".

Topics covered in this episode include:

• What is the gut microbiome? Why is it important?
• How does the gut microbiome work?
• What factors influence the composition of the gut microbiome?
• How can I improve my gut microbiome?
• What is the connection between the gut microbiome and digestion?
• Can the gut microbiome affect my mental health?
• Are there links between the gut microbiome and certain diseases?
• How can I measure or analyze my gut microbiome?
• Can I restore my gut microbiome after taking antibiotics?
• Is the gut microbiome different in individuals of different ages?
• Can I customize my diet for a healthier gut microbiome?
• What is the difference between prebiotics/probiotics/symbiotics and postbiotics?

Thanks for tuning in, folks! and please sign up for our "PULSE CHECK" monthly newsletter! Signup is easy, right on our website page, and we PROMISE we will not spam you! We just want to send you cool articles, videos and thoughts :)

For more episodes, limited edition merch, or to become a Friend of Your Doctor Friends (and more), follow this link!

• This includes the famous "Advice from the last generation of doctors that inhaled lead" shirt :)

Also, CHECK OUT AMAZING HEALTH PODCASTS on The Health Podcast Network

 

Find us at:

Website: yourdoctorfriendspodcast.com 

Email: yourdoctorfriendspodcast@gmail.com 

Connect with us:

@your_doctor_friends (IG) Send/DM us a voice memo/question and we might play it on the show!

@yourdoctorfriendspodcast1013 (YouTube)

@JeremyAllandMD (IG, FB, Twitter)

@JuliaBrueneMD (IG)

@HealthPodNet (IG)

Do Shorter Days Affect My Mental Health?

Do you feel like "hibernating" in the winter months? Does the loss of daylight affect your mood?

Regardless of whether you tough it out in the northern US in cold winter conditions, or you escape to warmer temperatures down south, none of us are immune to seasonal changes in the amount of daylight hours. The winter solstice comes for us all, whether you’re in Fargo or Fort Lauderdale.

Have you ever wondered if you had “seasonal affective disorder”? (As an aside, it's either genius, or a giant bummer that the acronym for this condition is “SAD”). 

Today's episode talks all about seasonal affective disorder! Who gets it? Why? How can we treat and/or prevent it?

Does staring into a light box actually work? Are medications helpful for SAD? What about behavioral therapy? What does the research show?

Bonus topic at the end, Jeremy dives into the recent rise in measles cases in the US, and gives some context as to why that trend may be occurring. We give a brief overview of measles, and clarify the "controversy" over the MMR vaccine (Andrew Wakefield, cough, cough...)

Resources for this episode include:

The National Institute of Health website for Seasonal Affective Disorder.

A 2007 article from Dialogues in Clinical Neuroscience titled "The phase shift hypothesis for the circadian component of winter depression".

The American Family Physician article from 2012 titled "Seasonal Affective Disorder".

The Mayo Clinic website re: choosing a lightbox for SAD.

A link to the Rohan et al study published in the American Journal of Psychiatry comparing light therapy to cognitive behavioral therapy for treatment of SAD.

AND YOU CAN'T MISS this clip of the wonderful Meteorologist (Chicago's Very Own) Tom Skilling feeling overcome with emotion watching a total solar eclipse in 2017 :) Tom Skilling is so pure, we do not deserve him!

Thanks for tuning in, folks! and please sign up for our "PULSE CHECK" monthly newsletter! Signup is easy, right on our website page, and we PROMISE we will not spam you! We just want to send you cool articles and thoughts :)

For more episodes, limited edition merch, or to become a Friend of Your Doctor Friends (and more), follow this link!

• This includes the famous "Advice from the last generation of doctors that inhaled lead" shirt :)

Also, CHECK OUT AMAZING HEALTH PODCASTS on The Health Podcast Network

 

Find us at:

Website: yourdoctorfriendspodcast.com 

Email: yourdoctorfriendspodcast@gmail.com 

Connect with us:

@your_doctor_friends (IG) Send/DM us a voice memo/question and we might play it on the show!

@yourdoctorfriendspodcast1013 (YouTube)

@JeremyAllandMD (IG, FB, Twitter)

@JuliaBrueneMD (IG)

@HealthPodNet (IG)

How Does Ozempic Affect My Metabolism? (with Naomi Parrella, MD)

Discussion about Ozempic (semaglutide and other GLP-1 agonist medications) is EVERYWHERE. So many opinions! Your Doctor Friends know that sifting through mountains of information on a subject is HARD. Sometimes it helps to "ask a friendly expert", so that's exactly what we did for this episode.

Quick plug/required pre-listening for this episode- Your Doctor Friends HIGHLY recommend you listen to the episode of Maintenance Phase on Ozempic- link to the podcast here!

We welcome back our friend, and former guest of YDF, Naomi Parrella, MD.

• Dr. Parrella is a double board-certified physician in family medicine and obesity medicine.
• She is the Chief of Lifestyle Medicine at Rush University, the Medical Director for Rush University's Center for Weight Loss and Lifestyle Medicine, the Director of Strategic Planning and Implementation within the Department of Surgery and Associate Professor in both the Department of Family Medicine and the Department of Surgery.
• She was also our esteemed guest on EPISODE 3! (Back when we were still called "What The Health?!?" podcast!

In this episode, Dr. Parrella helps us navigate the tough questions when it comes to new medications like Ozempic/Wegovy. We discuss some hot topics, including:

• What is insulin resistance?
• Can you be fat and metabolically healthy?
• Does having a "normal BMI"/being thin automatically make you metabolically healthy?
• What do the STEP trials and the SELECT trial really show us? What does that data mean?
• Can you take a medication like Ozempic for a short time "just to lose a little weight" and then stop? Should you expect to maintain that weight loss?
• What are the potential side effects/downsides of medications like Ozempic (GLP-1 agonists)?
• Why are these meds so damn expensive? Is it like that all over the world?

Dr. Parrella recommends the following resources:

"Why We Get Sick" by Benjamin Bikman, PhD.

"Metabolical" by Robert Lustig, MD.

"Brain Energy" by Christopher Palmer, MD.

For more episodes, limited edition merch, or to become a Friend of Your Doctor Friends (and more), follow this link!

• This includes the famous "Advice from the last generation of doctors that inhaled lead" shirt :)

Also, CHECK OUT AMAZING HEALTH PODCASTS on The Health Podcast Network

 

Find us at:

Website: yourdoctorfriendspodcast.com 

Email: yourdoctorfriendspodcast@gmail.com 

Connect with us:

@your_doctor_friends (IG) Send/DM us a voice memo/question and we might play it on the show!

@yourdoctorfriendspodcast1013 (YouTube)

@JeremyAllandMD (IG, FB, Twitter)

@JuliaBrueneMD (IG)

@HealthPodNet (IG)

Is Late-Night Eating Bad For Me?

Are you a late-night snacker? Do you sometimes get home late and push dinner back to 8 or 9 PM? Perhaps you've heard somewhere that eating right before bed is "bad for you"? Is this true? Does the timing of our eating have any impact on our health? How can we know??

RELAX! Your Doctor Friends have got you covered. To start off the new year (and following our trend of starting January episodes with "resolution-adjacent" topics), Jeremy did a deep dive into the data behind "chrono-nutrition". CHRONO= time, and NUTRITION= well... nutrition. Put them together and you've got the concept of following your body's circadian rhythm to time out your eating habits!

What happens when we eat late? Does it affect our sleep? What about our metabolism? Is there benefit to changing up our eating times? Your Doctor Friends have scoured the evidence and would love to present you with a little "book report" to help you decide what works best for YOU.

Listen to the end for our "dessert" topic, where Julie discusses the new FDA-approved home testing for sexually-transmitted infections!

HAPPY NEW YEAR, FRIENDS! It's great to be back :) - J&J

Resources for this episode include:

An October 2023 article from Clinical Nutrition about chrononutrition using NHANES data.

A NYT article titled "Is It Bad to Eat Late at Night?".

The CDC website for the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES).

A January 2023 article from Verywell Health about chrononutrition.

A May 2023 article from Verywell Health titled "Is Eating Before Bed Bad For You?".

The NIH webpage discussing circadian rhythms.

An NBC News article from November 2023 titled "Will first FDA-approved at-home test for gonorrhea, chlamydia ease the epidemic?".

The FDA news release regarding its approval of the "Simple 2" gonorrhea and chlamydia home test.

Link to the "Let's Get Checked" website for the "Simple 2" at-home gonorrhea and chlamydia home test.

For more episodes, limited edition merch, or to become a Friend of Your Doctor Friends (and more), follow this link!

• This includes the famous "Advice from the last generation of doctors that inhaled lead" shirt :)

Also, CHECK OUT AMAZING HEALTH PODCASTS on The Health Podcast Network

 

Find us at:

Website: yourdoctorfriendspodcast.com 

Email: yourdoctorfriendspodcast@gmail.com 

Connect with us:

@your_doctor_friends (IG) Send/DM us a voice memo/question and we might play it on the show!

@yourdoctorfriendspodcast1013 (YouTube)

@JeremyAllandMD (IG, FB, Twitter)

@JuliaBrueneMD (IG)

@HealthPodNet (IG)

YDF Greatest Hit: How Much Alcohol Is Too Much? (with Gail Basch, MD)

Should I try Dry January? How about Damp January?? Many folks who choose to imbibe alcohol may have considered curbing consumption on occasion, and a fair amount of people choose January to give it a go.

On the theme of "New Year's Resolutions", in this episode we tackle some hard truths about hard drinks, and we have a wonderful expert guest to guide us.

Dr. Gail Basch is a Psychiatrist and Addiction Medicine specialist and director of the Outpatient Addiction Clinic at Rush University Medical Center and fellowship director for the Addiction Medicine fellowship at Rush.

Dr. Basch helps us tackle our tough alcohol-related questions and aids us in being introspective in our relationship with drinking.

Topics covered include:

What amount of drinking is "healthy" according to the WHO?

Is "abstinence only" the only treatment for alcohol use disorder?

What is "California Dry"?

Are low/no alcohol beers and spirits a good alternative?

Dr. Basch recommends these resources for folks seeking more information about alcohol use, cutting down, and quitting:

Rethinking Drinking NIAAA site

SAMHSA

Dr. Basch's professional profile

For more episodes, limited edition merch, or to become a Friend of Your Doctor Friends (and more), follow this link!

• This includes the famous "Advice from the last generation of doctors that inhaled lead" shirt :)

Also, CHECK OUT AMAZING HEALTH PODCASTS on The Health Podcast Network

 

Find us at:

Website: yourdoctorfriendspodcast.com 

Email: yourdoctorfriendspodcast@gmail.com 

Connect with us:

@your_doctor_friends (IG) Send/DM us a voice memo/question and we might play it on the show!

@yourdoctorfriendspodcast1013 (YouTube)

@JeremyAllandMD (IG, FB, Twitter)

@JuliaBrueneMD (IG)

@HealthPodNet (IG)

YDF Greatest Hit: Is Cold Plunging Really Good For Me? (with Mike Tipton, PhD)

Have you ever TAKEN THE PLUNGE?? Cold water immersion is one of hottest trends in the health and wellness world. 

A number of theories exist re: the benefits of cold water immersion. Generally we think of recovery from exercise, muscle soreness, injuries, etc. But the recent “craze” has been due to the potential to improve depression and anxiety, boost immunity, and perhaps even extend our longevity.

But does it work? Is there data to support it??

LET'S ASK AN EXPERT!

Our expert today is Mike Tipton, PhD, FTPS!

• Dr. Tipton is a Professor of Human & Applied Physiology, Extreme Environments Laboratory, School of Sport Health & Exercise Science, University of Portsmouth, UK.
• He has published over 750 scientific papers, reports, chapters, abstracts and books in his research areas of drowning, thermoregulation, environmental and occupational physiology, and survival in the sea. 
• He has been a consultant in survival and thermal medicine to the Royal Air Force, UKSport and the English Institute of Sport (EIS). 
• Prof Tipton is a Fellow of the Royal Society of Medicine and The Physiological Society. 
• He was awarded his MBE for services to physiological research in extreme environments; the Ireland Medal for saving lives from drowning worldwide; and the H&L Swiftwater rescue lifetime achievement award from the USA.

LET'S DIVE IN, SHALL WE??

Key highlights in this episode include:

What's the basic physiology behind cold water immersion?

What happens to our bodies when we make ourselves cold? Does it differ in full submersion vs a shower? Does it change if we put our faces in the cold water as opposed to just our bodies?

What temperature is most appropriate for a cold plunge?

How long should we stay submerged?

What are the potential short and long term benefits? What does the research suggest?

What are the risks/potential downsides?

Who should NOT be doing this?

What about cryochambers? Do they work?

Who is Wim Hof? Should we do as the Iceman does??

Dr. Tipton recommends the following resources to learn about cold water immersion:

The University of Portsmouth webpage- including Dr. Tipton's profile.

2022 British Medical Journal article "Cold Water Therapies: Minimising Risks".

Beth Francis' video "100 Days of Vitamin Sea", chronicling her journey treating her intractable migraines with open water swimming.

Check out Prof Tipton on Twitter, @ProfMikeTipton!

For more episodes, limited edition merch, or to become a Friend of Your Doctor Friends (and more), follow this link!

• This includes the famous "Advice from the last generation of doctors that inhaled lead" shirt :)

Also, CHECK OUT AMAZING HEALTH PODCASTS on The Health Podcast Network

 

Find us at:

Website: yourdoctorfriendspodcast.com 

Email: yourdoctorfriendspodcast@gmail.com 

Connect with us:

@your_doctor_friends (IG) Send/DM us a voice memo/question and we might play it on the show!

@yourdoctorfriendspodcast1013 (YouTube)

@JeremyAllandMD (IG, FB, Twitter)

@JuliaBrueneMD (IG)

@HealthPodNet (IG)