Lunch and Learn with Dr. Berry

💬 "Willpower is finite. Your environment is infinite."

⚡ In this episode, I break down why healthy habits don't fail because you're lazy or undisciplined—they fail because the system around you is working against you. From gym memberships and diet companies that profit when you quit to the science behind your brain's reward system, I'll show you why motivation isn't enough and what actually helps healthy habits stick for the long term.

🎧 Stay tuned to find out:

➡ Why your environment matters more than willpower when building healthy habits
➡ How your brain's dopamine system can either work for you or against you
➡ The biggest myths about discipline, motivation, and making lasting lifestyle changes
➡ My five-step framework for building habits that actually last
➡ A simple 30-day challenge to help healthy behaviors become automatic

🚨NOW AVAILABLE: ORDER MY NEW BOOK!

The wait is over. My new book, Your Health, Your Choice, Your Future, is officially here!

It's written for people who want to understand their health, ask better questions, and feel confident making decisions instead of feeling talked at or left out of the process.

No fear tactics. No medical jargon for the sake of it. Just clarity, context, and real guidance.

If you care about your health and your future, this book was written with you in mind.

👉 Order your copy now: drberrypierre.com/yourhealthandyourchoice

🔥 Sponsors & Featured Links

Lunch and Learn Community Store Grab your favorite merch + use code EMPOWER10 for 10% off: https://shop.drberrypierre.com

Pierre Medical Consulting Ready to expand your social reach and automate your message? Learn more: https://www.pierremedicalconsulting.com

Dr. Pierre's Tools & Resources Explore my go-to tools for content creation and success: https://www.drberrypierre.com/resources

Amazon Book Picks Find every book I've mentioned on the show: https://www.drberrypierre.com/amazon

🔗 Stay Connected

Join the Lunch and Learn Community: https://www.drberrypierre.com/newsletter Tag us or use #LunchLearnPod to join the conversation! More Episodes & Show Notes: https://www.drberrypierre.com/podcast

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💬 "40,000 Americans die every year from diseases that a simple checkup could have caught."

⚡ In this episode, I want to challenge the way we think about annual checkups. Too many people wait until they're having a heart attack, stroke, or another medical emergency before they take their health seriously. The truth is, many of the most dangerous conditions—including high blood pressure, high cholesterol, and type 2 diabetes—can quietly damage your body for years without causing symptoms. So today, we're talking about why skipping your checkups could cost you your life, the biggest reasons people avoid preventive care, and the three simple screenings that will save your life.

🎧 Stay tuned to find out:

➡ Why feeling "fine" doesn't mean you're healthy
➡ The real reasons millions of people skip their checkups
➡ The three health screenings that will save your life
➡ The importance of knowing your health numbers and understanding what they mean
➡ A simple 90-day action plan to take control of your health before it's too late

🚨NOW AVAILABLE: ORDER MY NEW BOOK!

The wait is over. My new book, Your Health, Your Choice, Your Future, is officially here!

It's written for people who want to understand their health, ask better questions, and feel confident making decisions instead of feeling talked at or left out of the process.

No fear tactics. No medical jargon for the sake of it. Just clarity, context, and real guidance.

If you care about your health and your future, this book was written with you in mind.

👉 Order your copy now: drberrypierre.com/yourhealthandyourchoice

🔥 Sponsors & Featured Links

Lunch and Learn Community Store Grab your favorite merch + use code EMPOWER10 for 10% off: https://shop.drberrypierre.com

Pierre Medical Consulting Ready to expand your social reach and automate your message? Learn more: https://www.pierremedicalconsulting.com

Dr. Pierre's Tools & Resources Explore my go-to tools for content creation and success: https://www.drberrypierre.com/resources

Amazon Book Picks Find every book I've mentioned on the show: https://www.drberrypierre.com/amazon

🔗 Stay Connected

🙌 Help Us Grow

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💬 "Diet don't mean nothing if you ain't sleeping right. Exercising ain't mean nothing if you're not sleeping right. You've got to get your sleep. It's extremely, extremely important."

⚡ In this episode, I'm breaking down why poor sleep isn't just leaving you tired—it's quietly affecting your hormones, your heart, your brain, your immune system, and your long-term health. If you've convinced yourself that sleeping less is normal, that you can catch up on weekends, or that coffee is enough to power through the day, it's time to reset that mindset. I'm sharing the science behind what sleep deprivation is really doing to your body and a practical sleep reset protocol to help you start sleeping better tonight.

🎧 Stay tuned to find out:

➡ Why poor sleep increases your risk of depression, heart disease, weight gain, and cognitive decline
➡ Why simply sleeping longer on the weekends won't erase your sleep debt
➡ The biggest mistakes that are secretly keeping you awake every night
➡ How poor sleep disrupts your hormones, metabolism, appetite, and immune system
➡ My simple five-step sleep reset protocol to help you start sleeping better tonight

🚨NOW AVAILABLE: ORDER MY NEW BOOK!

The wait is over. My new book, Your Health, Your Choice, Your Future, is officially here!

It's written for people who want to understand their health, ask better questions, and feel confident making decisions instead of feeling talked at or left out of the process.

No fear tactics. No medical jargon for the sake of it. Just clarity, context, and real guidance.

If you care about your health and your future, this book was written with you in mind.

👉 Order your copy now: drberrypierre.com/yourhealthandyourchoice

🔥 Sponsors & Featured Links

Lunch and Learn Community Store Grab your favorite merch + use code EMPOWER10 for 10% off: https://shop.drberrypierre.com

Pierre Medical Consulting Ready to expand your social reach and automate your message? Learn more: https://www.pierremedicalconsulting.com

Dr. Pierre's Tools & Resources Explore my go-to tools for content creation and success: https://www.drberrypierre.com/resources

Amazon Book Picks Find every book I've mentioned on the show: https://www.drberrypierre.com/amazon

🔗 Stay Connected

🙌 Help Us Grow

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💬 "The fitness industry makes more money when you're confused, injured, or chasing the trends."

⚡ In this episode, I discuss how common workout culture is quietly increasing injury risk, why so many people are ending up in the ER from preventable training mistakes, and how misinformation like "no pain, no gain" continues to shape unsafe habits. I also explain what actually works to build a safe, effective, and sustainable fitness routine without falling into industry-driven confusion. If you've ever felt frustrated by routines that don't seem to deliver lasting results, this episode will help you separate what's helpful from what's harmful and focus on strategies that actually move you forward towards a healthier you.

🎧 Stay tuned to find out:

➡ Why overtraining is stopping your progress instead of building it
➡ How poor form silently destroys joints over time
➡ Why ignoring pain leads to long-term injury and burnout
➡ What recovery actually does for muscle adaptation and results
➡ How to build a sustainable routine without falling into fitness industry traps

🚨NOW AVAILABLE: ORDER MY NEW BOOK!

The wait is over. My new book, Your Health, Your Choice, Your Future, is officially here!

It's written for people who want to understand their health, ask better questions, and feel confident making decisions instead of feeling talked at or left out of the process.

No fear tactics. No medical jargon for the sake of it. Just clarity, context, and real guidance.

If you care about your health and your future, this book was written with you in mind.

👉 Order your copy now: drberrypierre.com/yourhealthandyourchoice

🔥 Sponsors & Featured Links

Lunch and Learn Community Store Grab your favorite merch + use code EMPOWER10 for 10% off: https://shop.drberrypierre.com

Pierre Medical Consulting Ready to expand your social reach and automate your message? Learn more: https://www.pierremedicalconsulting.com

Dr. Pierre's Tools & Resources Explore my go-to tools for content creation and success: https://www.drberrypierre.com/resources

Amazon Book Picks Find every book I've mentioned on the show: https://www.drberrypierre.com/amazon

🔗 Stay Connected

🙌 Help Us Grow

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💬 "It's not that all carbs are bad. It's just that a lot of us are eating the wrong carbs."

⚡ In this episode, I break down some of the most common healthy eating myths that continue to confuse people trying to lose weight and improve their health. From fears around carbohydrates and fat-free foods to misconceptions about meal timing and "clean eating," I explain what the science actually shows and why so much nutrition advice seems to contradict itself. If you've ever felt overwhelmed by conflicting nutrition advice or frustrated by diets that don't seem to last, this episode will help you cut through the noise and focus on what actually works.

🎧 Stay tuned to find out:

➡ Why some of the most popular healthy eating rules aren't supported by science
➡ The truth about carbohydrates, healthy fats, and processed foods
➡ Whether meal timing really matters for weight loss and overall health
➡ Why extreme diets often produce short-term results but long-term setbacks
➡ The practical habits that support sustainable weight loss and healthier eating

🚨NOW AVAILABLE: ORDER MY NEW BOOK!

The wait is over. My new book, Your Health, Your Choice, Your Future, is officially here!

It's written for people who want to understand their health, ask better questions, and feel confident making decisions instead of feeling talked at or left out of the process.

No fear tactics. No medical jargon for the sake of it. Just clarity, context, and real guidance.

If you care about your health and your future, this book was written with you in mind.

👉 Order your copy now: drberrypierre.com/yourhealthandyourchoice

🔥 Sponsors & Featured Links

Lunch and Learn Community Store Grab your favorite merch + use code EMPOWER10 for 10% off: https://shop.drberrypierre.com

Pierre Medical Consulting Ready to expand your social reach and automate your message? Learn more: https://www.pierremedicalconsulting.com

Dr. Pierre's Tools & Resources Explore my go-to tools for content creation and success: https://www.drberrypierre.com/resources

Amazon Book Picks Find every book I've mentioned on the show: https://www.drberrypierre.com/amazon

🔗 Stay Connected

🙌 Help Us Grow

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💬 "Men are a weird bunch when it comes to their health… A lot of y'all have not been wronged by the system—you're just Superman and don't want to address what's going on."

⚡ In this episode, I discuss why men's energy levels are sitting at 30-year lows, and why so many of the warning signs get missed or ignored in both the clinic and everyday life. I also break down how the system itself contributes to this gap, as well as the missed conversations around hormones like testosterone that are actually driving a lot of what men are feeling but not saying out loud. If you constantly feel "off" but also brush it aside because you're still pushing through, this one is going to hit close to home.

🎧 Stay tuned to find out:

➡ Why low energy is often dismissed until it becomes a bigger health issue
➡ How rushed medical visits lead to missed hormone-related concerns
➡ The key symptoms that may point toward hormone imbalance
➡ Which labs actually matter when evaluating hormonal health
➡ What men need to change before their next doctor's visit to get better answers

🚨NOW AVAILABLE: ORDER MY NEW BOOK!

The wait is over. My new book, Your Health, Your Choice, Your Future, is officially here!

It's written for people who want to understand their health, ask better questions, and feel confident making decisions instead of feeling talked at or left out of the process.

No fear tactics. No medical jargon for the sake of it. Just clarity, context, and real guidance.

If you care about your health and your future, this book was written with you in mind.

👉 Order your copy now: drberrypierre.com/yourhealthandyourchoice

🔥 Sponsors & Featured Links

Lunch and Learn Community Store Grab your favorite merch + use code EMPOWER10 for 10% off: https://shop.drberrypierre.com

Pierre Medical Consulting Ready to expand your social reach and automate your message? Learn more: https://www.pierremedicalconsulting.com

Dr. Pierre's Tools & Resources Explore my go-to tools for content creation and success: https://www.drberrypierre.com/resources

Amazon Book Picks Find every book I've mentioned on the show: https://www.drberrypierre.com/amazon

🔗 Stay Connected

🙌 Help Us Grow

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💬 "You can be strong while also being healthy. Being strong doesn't mean that you can't ask for help."

⚡ In this episode, I'm talking about why so many healthy, hardworking men are breaking down without realizing it. We unpack the beliefs that keep men from asking for help, the hidden health problems that can develop without symptoms, and why waiting until something feels wrong may already be too late.

🎧 Stay tuned to find out:

➡ Why feeling healthy doesn't always mean you're healthy
➡ How waiting until the last minute can limit your healthcare options
➡ How "man up" culture influences the way men approach healthcare
➡ Why mental health deserves the same attention as physical health
➡ Easy-to-follow strategies men can do for better health and wellness

🚨NOW AVAILABLE: ORDER MY NEW BOOK!

The wait is over. My new book, Your Health, Your Choice, Your Future, is officially here!

It's written for people who want to understand their health, ask better questions, and feel confident making decisions instead of feeling talked at or left out of the process.

No fear tactics. No medical jargon for the sake of it. Just clarity, context, and real guidance.

If you care about your health and your future, this book was written with you in mind.

👉 Order your copy now: drberrypierre.com/yourhealthandyourchoice

🔥 Sponsors & Featured Links

Lunch and Learn Community Store Grab your favorite merch + use code EMPOWER10 for 10% off: https://shop.drberrypierre.com

Pierre Medical Consulting Ready to expand your social reach and automate your message? Learn more: https://www.pierremedicalconsulting.com

Dr. Pierre's Tools & Resources Explore my go-to tools for content creation and success: https://www.drberrypierre.com/resources

Amazon Book Picks Find every book I've mentioned on the show: https://www.drberrypierre.com/amazon

🔗 Stay Connected

🙌 Help Us Grow

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💬 "This is how we end up dying younger than women, because we just ignore the significant health issues that are affecting us. Be as diligent in your health maintenance as you are in your car maintenance."

⚡ In this episode, I talk about the health problems men ignore until life forces them to finally take action. Because a lot of the most dangerous things happening inside the body don't start with aches and pains; they build quietly in the background while men convince themselves they're "fine." That's why this conversation is about why so many men avoid prevention, how that mindset is costing lives, and what needs to change before it becomes too late to turn things around.

🎧 Stay tuned to find out:

➡ Why "feeling fine" does not necessarily mean your body is healthy
➡ The five silent killers men continue to ignore
➡ How family history quietly increases your risk for heart disease, diabetes, and cancer
➡ The importance of knowing your blood pressure, cholesterol, and A1C
➡ Why prevention matters more than waiting for symptoms
➡ Why men's mental health deserves the same attention as physical health

🚨NOW AVAILABLE: ORDER MY NEW BOOK!

The wait is over. My new book, Your Health, Your Choice, Your Future, is officially here!

It's written for people who want to understand their health, ask better questions, and feel confident making decisions instead of feeling talked at or left out of the process.

No fear tactics. No medical jargon for the sake of it. Just clarity, context, and real guidance.

If you care about your health and your future, this book was written with you in mind.

👉 Order your copy now: drberrypierre.com/yourhealthandyourchoice

🔥 Sponsors & Featured Links

Lunch and Learn Community Store Grab your favorite merch + use code EMPOWER10 for 10% off: https://shop.drberrypierre.com

Pierre Medical Consulting Ready to expand your social reach and automate your message? Learn more: https://www.pierremedicalconsulting.com

Dr. Pierre's Tools & Resources Explore my go-to tools for content creation and success: https://www.drberrypierre.com/resources

Amazon Book Picks Find every book I've mentioned on the show: https://www.drberrypierre.com/amazon

🔗 Stay Connected

🙌 Help Us Grow

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💬 "We keep dying earlier… and the numbers don't lie. Be aggressive with your healthcare."

⚡ In this episode, I talk about the hard truth that men are dying younger than women by roughly 5 to 6 years on average—and it's not just biology. It's behavior, culture, and a system that rewards waiting until things are already bad before taking action. I also cover why so many men avoid preventive care, how silent issues like blood pressure, mood, stress, and cardiovascular risk build up over time, and what actually needs to change if we want to close that gap. Because at the end of the day, the goal is not just living longer—it's living healthier too.

🎧 Stay tuned to find out:

➡ Why men are dying 5 to 6 years earlier on average than women
➡ How avoiding preventive care becomes just as dangerous as risky behavior
➡ The simple 5-minute monthly check-in every man should be doing
➡ Why you need a "health wingman" to hold you accountable
➡ The two questions every man should ask at every doctor's appointment

🚨NOW AVAILABLE: ORDER MY NEW BOOK!

The wait is over. My new book, Your Health, Your Choice, Your Future, is officially here!

It's written for people who want to understand their health, ask better questions, and feel confident making decisions instead of feeling talked at or left out of the process.

No fear tactics. No medical jargon for the sake of it. Just clarity, context, and real guidance.

If you care about your health and your future, this book was written with you in mind.

👉 Order your copy now: drberrypierre.com/yourhealthandyourchoice

🔥 Sponsors & Featured Links

Lunch and Learn Community Store Grab your favorite merch + use code EMPOWER10 for 10% off: https://shop.drberrypierre.com

Pierre Medical Consulting Ready to expand your social reach and automate your message? Learn more: https://www.pierremedicalconsulting.com

Dr. Pierre's Tools & Resources Explore my go-to tools for content creation and success: https://www.drberrypierre.com/resources

Amazon Book Picks Find every book I've mentioned on the show: https://www.drberrypierre.com/amazon

🔗 Stay Connected

🙌 Help Us Grow

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💬 "We want to be here as long as we can—as healthy as we can. And to do that, we have to be aggressive with the prevention, not the treatment."

⚡ In this episode, I discuss why so many men delay routine healthcare until it's too late—and how that mindset is quietly leading to preventable strokes, heart attacks, diabetes complications, and late-stage disease. From screenings, labs, to health checkups, I cover what men should actually be getting in their 20s, 30s, 40s, and 50s, while explaining why prevention has to become more aggressive long before treatment is ever needed.

🎧 Stay tuned to find out:

➡ The routine screenings men should prioritize from their 20s to 50s
➡ Why "I feel fine" is one of the most dangerous mindsets in men's health
➡ The real reason men are often diagnosed after problems have already progressed
➡ How family history changes when you should start getting tested
➡ Why prevention gives you more options than treatment ever will

🚨NOW AVAILABLE: ORDER MY NEW BOOK!

The wait is over. My new book, Your Health, Your Choice, Your Future, is officially here!

It's written for people who want to understand their health, ask better questions, and feel confident making decisions instead of feeling talked at or left out of the process.

No fear tactics. No medical jargon for the sake of it. Just clarity, context, and real guidance.

If you care about your health and your future, this book was written with you in mind.

👉 Order your copy now: drberrypierre.com/yourhealthandyourchoice

🔥 Sponsors & Featured Links

Lunch and Learn Community Store Grab your favorite merch + use code EMPOWER10 for 10% off: https://shop.drberrypierre.com

Pierre Medical Consulting Ready to expand your social reach and automate your message? Learn more: https://www.pierremedicalconsulting.com

Dr. Pierre's Tools & Resources Explore my go-to tools for content creation and success: https://www.drberrypierre.com/resources

Amazon Book Picks Find every book I've mentioned on the show: https://www.drberrypierre.com/amazon

🔗 Stay Connected

🙌 Help Us Grow

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💬 "Some people need to fix their sleep. Some need to manage their stress. Others need to assess the rest of their body. And some need all three."

⚡ In this episode, I break down why fixing your diet alone isn't enough—and why your health won't fully turn around until you address the other factors we keep overlooking. I know you've been doing the work—you cut the sugar, you meal prepped, you followed the plan. But your labs still aren't improving, your body still hurts, and the weight isn't moving. So what's going on? Watch the full episode to understand what's actually keeping you stuck and what you need to focus on moving forward.

🎧 Stay tuned to find out:

➡ Why food is medicine—but not the full prescription
➡ The real reason 55% of people don't feel better after changing their diet
➡ How poor sleep quietly disrupts your metabolism and recovery
➡ Why unmanaged stress can cancel out even the "perfect" diet
➡ The role of underlying conditions in keeping you stuck
➡ Simple strategies you can do to start taking control of your health

🚨NOW AVAILABLE: ORDER MY NEW BOOK!

The wait is over. My new book, Your Health, Your Choice, Your Future, is officially here!

It's written for people who want to understand their health, ask better questions, and feel confident making decisions instead of feeling talked at or left out of the process.

No fear tactics. No medical jargon for the sake of it. Just clarity, context, and real guidance.

If you care about your health and your future, this book was written with you in mind.

👉 Order your copy now: drberrypierre.com/yourhealthandyourchoice

🔥 Sponsors & Featured Links

Lunch and Learn Community Store Grab your favorite merch + use code EMPOWER10 for 10% off: https://shop.drberrypierre.com

Pierre Medical Consulting Ready to expand your social reach and automate your message? Learn more: https://www.pierremedicalconsulting.com

Dr. Pierre's Tools & Resources Explore my go-to tools for content creation and success: https://www.drberrypierre.com/resources

Amazon Book Picks Find every book I've mentioned on the show: https://www.drberrypierre.com/amazon

🔗 Stay Connected

🙌 Help Us Grow

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💬 "Your willpower is not the reason why you can't control your diabetes or your hypertension—it's your diet."

⚡ In this episode, I explain how your diet is directly driving the chronic diseases we keep seeing—diabetes, hypertension, high cholesterol—and why it feels so hard to change. We talk about how processed foods are engineered to be addictive, how cost and convenience keep you stuck in the cycle, and why the healthcare system doesn't spend enough time addressing nutrition. Most importantly, I walk you through practical ways to start taking control—from reading labels, to navigating the grocery store, to making small, realistic changes that actually stick.

🎧 Stay tuned to find out:

➡ Why processed and "convenient" foods are designed to keep you hooked
➡ How your diet directly drives inflammation, diabetes, hypertension, and more
➡ Simple, realistic strategies you can do to start fixing your diet and effectively lower your disease risk
➡ How to navigate the grocery store to avoid hidden health traps
➡ Why meal prep—not willpower—is the real game changer

🚨NOW AVAILABLE: ORDER MY NEW BOOK!

The wait is over. My new book, Your Health, Your Choice, Your Future, is officially here!

It's written for people who want to understand their health, ask better questions, and feel confident making decisions instead of feeling talked at or left out of the process.

No fear tactics. No medical jargon for the sake of it. Just clarity, context, and real guidance.

If you care about your health and your future, this book was written with you in mind.

👉 Order your copy now: drberrypierre.com/yourhealthandyourchoice

🔥 Sponsors & Featured Links

Lunch and Learn Community Store Grab your favorite merch + use code EMPOWER10 for 10% off: https://shop.drberrypierre.com

Pierre Medical Consulting Ready to expand your social reach and automate your message? Learn more: https://www.pierremedicalconsulting.com

Dr. Pierre's Tools & Resources Explore my go-to tools for content creation and success: https://www.drberrypierre.com/resources

Amazon Book Picks Find every book I've mentioned on the show: https://www.drberrypierre.com/amazon

🔗 Stay Connected

🙌 Help Us Grow

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💬 "Stress will lead to inflammation. Inflammation leads to disease. Disease leads to death."

⚡ In this episode, I'll explain to you why stress isn't just something "in your head." In fact, it's one of the most overlooked drivers of chronic disease. And if you don't learn how to manage stress now, I'm telling you—you're going to feel it later. So if you want to understand what stress is really doing to your body, make sure to check out this episode and learn what you can actually do to prepare for what's to come and save your health.

🎧 Stay tuned to find out:

➡ Why chronic stress is a major precursor to inflammation and long-term disease
➡ How stress silently impacts your body (even when your labs look "normal")
➡ The real reason the healthcare system often overlooks stress
➡ Why supplements alone won't fix your stress
➡ Practical ways to manage stress before it turns into serious health problems

🚨NOW AVAILABLE: ORDER MY NEW BOOK!

The wait is over. My new book, Your Health, Your Choice, Your Future, is officially here!

It's written for people who want to understand their health, ask better questions, and feel confident making decisions instead of feeling talked at or left out of the process.

No fear tactics. No medical jargon for the sake of it. Just clarity, context, and real guidance.

If you care about your health and your future, this book was written with you in mind.

👉 Order your copy now: drberrypierre.com/yourhealthandyourchoice

🔥 Sponsors & Featured Links

Lunch and Learn Community Store Grab your favorite merch + use code EMPOWER10 for 10% off: https://shop.drberrypierre.com

Pierre Medical Consulting Ready to expand your social reach and automate your message? Learn more: https://www.pierremedicalconsulting.com

Dr. Pierre's Tools & Resources Explore my go-to tools for content creation and success: https://www.drberrypierre.com/resources

Amazon Book Picks Find every book I've mentioned on the show: https://www.drberrypierre.com/amazon

🔗 Stay Connected

🙌 Help Us Grow

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💬 "Chronic inflammation is the silent killer behind the silent killer."

⚡ In this episode, I talk about chronic inflammation, a major driver of disease that most people overlook because we're too focused on the diagnoses we hear every day—like hypertension, diabetes, and heart disease. I walk you through what's actually happening beneath the surface, why it's so easy for us to ignore it, and how your everyday habits may be pushing you closer to risk without you even realizing it.

🎧 Stay tuned to find out:

➡ Why chronic inflammation is responsible for 3 out of 5 deaths worldwide
➡ The reason you won't "feel" inflammation until it's already a problem
➡ How your daily habits (like diet, movement, and sleep) are quietly fueling or fighting inflammation
➡ How social media can either make or break your health
➡ The exact strategies I recommend to start lowering your inflammation risk today

🔥 Sponsors & Featured Links

Lunch and Learn Community Store Grab your favorite merch + use code EMPOWER10 for 10% off: https://shop.drberrypierre.com

Pierre Medical Consulting Ready to expand your social reach and automate your message? Learn more: https://www.pierremedicalconsulting.com

Dr. Pierre's Tools & Resources Explore my go-to tools for content creation and success: https://www.drberrypierre.com/resources

Amazon Book Picks Find every book I've mentioned on the show: https://www.drberrypierre.com/amazon

🔗 Stay Connected

🙌 Help Us Grow

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💬 "You don't get sick overnight… Your body will do a good enough job until it can't do that good enough job anymore."

⚡ In this episode, I explain why diabetes, high blood pressure, and high cholesterol don't just "come out of nowhere" and how your body has actually been fighting for you the entire time. The problem is, we ignore the story while it's being written. So now we've got to talk about what's really happening, how leaning less toward prevention affects you, and what you can start doing today before your body checks out.

🎧 Stay tuned to find out:

➡ The real reason so many people have cardiometabolic risk factors without knowing it
➡ How your body adapts to unhealthy numbers (and why that can backfire)
➡ What "know your numbers" actually means and why it can change your outcome
➡ The early, subtle signs your body gives before a major diagnosis
➡ What you need to start and stop doing in order to protect your health

🔥 Sponsors & Featured Links

Lunch and Learn Community Store Grab your favorite merch + use code EMPOWER10 for 10% off: https://shop.drberrypierre.com

Pierre Medical Consulting Ready to expand your social reach and automate your message? Learn more: https://www.pierremedicalconsulting.com

Dr. Pierre's Tools & Resources Explore my go-to tools for content creation and success: https://www.drberrypierre.com/resources

Amazon Book Picks Find every book I've mentioned on the show: https://www.drberrypierre.com/amazon

🔗 Stay Connected

🙌 Help Us Grow

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💬 "Being able to catch these things in the beginning is much easier to deal with than when they're at the end."

⚡ In this episode, I'm breaking down a growing health issue that most people aren't connecting the dots on. We're talking about the numbers you've probably heard about before—but not in the way you've been thinking about them. Because if you're only looking at them one at a time, you might be missing the bigger picture… and what that could mean for your future health.

🎧 Stay tuned to find out:

➡ How cardiometabolic syndrome is forming "like the Avengers" and why that matters for your long-term health
➡ Why your numbers (blood pressure, sugar, cholesterol, weight) tell a bigger story than you think
➡ The real reason quick doctor visits feel rushed (and what your doctor is actually trying to prevent)
➡ Simple, realistic steps you can start today to lower your risk before it's too late
➡ The biggest myths online that are distracting you from real progress

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💬 "If we just let the system do what the system does, there are going to be much more sicker people than healthier people. That's just the reality at hand."

⚡ In this episode, we discuss what preventive care really means as we break down the uncomfortable truth about our healthcare system—it's not built for prevention; it's built for reaction. I explain why just going to your yearly checkup isn't enough, how patients continue to fall through the cracks, and what you actually need to do if you want to stay ahead of a disease instead of chasing it.

🎧 Stay tuned to find out:

➡ Why our system favors treating illness over preventing it
➡ The real definition of preventive care (and why most people get it wrong)
➡ The critical screenings and habits you can't afford to miss
➡ How being passive about your health leads to late-stage disease
➡ What it actually takes to stay proactive in a "sick care" system

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💬 "You know what the real crisis in American healthcare is? It's not the rising costs, which is bad; nor is it all this administrative hoopla and paperwork, which is also bad. It is one problem that a lot of people don't name, but it costs a lot of people lives."

⚡ In this episode, I'm breaking down why healthcare feels so frustrating, and why it seems like no matter what you do, things just don't come together. Clue: There's one hidden challenge in the system that affects nearly every patient and doctor, yet hardly anyone talks about it. If you've ever left a visit feeling rushed, confused, or like something didn't quite add up, this episode will make you see why—and what's at stake.

🎧 Stay tuned to find out:

➡ Why 13-minute doctor visits are driving physician burnout and affecting your care
➡ What I mean when I say healthcare is "fragmented" and why that's dangerous
➡ How seeing multiple specialists can actually create more confusion, not clarity
➡ Why you need to be diligent in documentation and treat your primary care doctor as your quarterback
➡ The simple strategies you can use to actively protect your health

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💬 "It's a life-or-death situation if you don't understand what's going on during your appointment. So don't be afraid to ask why. If you asked 'why' and you understood your 'why', everything else becomes simple."

⚡ In this episode, I explain why so many people walk out of doctors' appointments confused—and why that confusion is actually dangerous for your health. From rushed visits to insurance barriers and administrative overload, I disclose what's really happening behind the scenes and how it's affecting your care more than you think.

🎧 Stay tuned to find out:

➡ How a 13-minute appointment is setting you up for confusion
➡ The real reason people skip treatments, tests, and follow-ups
➡ How confusion in healthcare can turn into a life-or-death situation
➡ The role of technology and AI in shaping modern healthcare
➡ Practical steps you can take to avoid being part of the confused majority and take control of your healthcare

🔥 Sponsors & Featured Links

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💬 "A lot of y'all are trying to cleanse or detox yourselves from things, but I can assure you that there's not a supplement out there that's going to detox and remove metabolites out of your bloodstream better than your kidneys."

⚡ In this episode, I break down the real factors that put you at risk for kidney failure and dialysis. A lot of people worry about detoxes, supplements, or protein shakes, but the real drivers of kidney disease are often the simple things we ignore every day. From diabetes and hypertension to over-the-counter medications and dehydration, I walk you through the biggest risks and the simple steps you can take now to protect your kidneys before it's too late.

🎧 Stay tuned to find out:

➡ The shocking statistics of kidney disease among adults and its two leading causes
➡ Why good blood sugar control still doesn't eliminate kidney disease risk
➡ The simple habits that help protect your kidneys and reduce your risk of needing dialysis
➡ How common over-the-counter medications quietly damage your kidneys
➡ Why "kidney cleanses" and detox supplements are misleading and unnecessary
➡ Why protein shakes and Red Bulls should not replace your water intake

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💬 "Medicine is a journey, and it's a two-person journey—your doctor and yourself. And y'all got to walk it together, especially if you want to be healthy."

⚡ In this episode, I break down why even the best doctors miss diagnoses sometimes. From the reasons why this happens, to the mistakes you need to avoid, I'll cover it all and explain what you need to do to advocate for yourself and protect your health. Because remember, medicine isn't perfect, but missing doesn't mean your doctor's not trying. Healthcare is a two-person journey. It works best when you and your doctor walk it together as a team.

🎧 Stay tuned to find out:

➡ Why even experienced doctors sometimes miss diagnoses
➡ How cognitive overload, time pressure, and confirmation bias affect decision-making and lead to missed details
➡ Things every patient must do and avoid to reduce the chances of a missed diagnosis
➡ How working hand-in-hand with your doctor can help you protect your health

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💬 "ER will always treat the sickest patients first, so if you get mad because it took so long to see you, that should tell you you're not sick enough to be sitting in the ER, and you should have went to your primary care doctor or urgent care instead."

⚡ In this episode, I talk about one of the biggest areas of confusion in healthcare: when should you go to your primary care doctor, and when should you go to the emergency room? There's a massive lack of education on where to go, and it's costing you time, money, health, and sanity. So today, we'll answer your biggest question, explore how fear, frustration, and confusion push people to the wrong place, and most importantly—break down the difference, so that by the end of the day, you can make smarter care decisions and save time, money, and possibly your life.

🎧 Stay tuned to find out:

➡ Why ER wait times are long and what that says about your condition
➡ The importance of recognizing routine versus emergent medical needs
➡ The financial and health risks of inappropriate ER utilization
➡ What your primary care can actually handle (Hint: way more than you think)
➡ When chest pain, stroke symptoms, or shortness of breath mean go now
➡ The after-hours secret most patients don't know exists

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💬 "The absence of symptoms does not mean that everything is good. Divorce yourself from that reality of, 'Oh, I don't feel any symptoms, so everything's okay.' It's not the case."

⚡ In this episode, I break down one of the biggest mistakes patients make when it comes to their health: using symptoms as the main way to decide if something—or nothing—is wrong. From heart attacks to high blood pressure, your body stays silent until it's too late. But we don't want it to be too late for y'all, so today, we're pulling back the curtain on why "feeling fine" might be the most dangerous phrase in healthcare, and revealing what you need to do to stay ahead of the game.

🎧 Stay tuned to find out:

➡ Why having no symptoms does not mean there's no problem
➡ How your body quietly works overtime until it hits a breaking point
➡ Why regular annual visits and preventative measures matter even when you think you're healthy
➡ The "silent numbers" you need to start tracking NOW
➡ Why building a good relationship with your doctor matters beyond emergencies

🔥 Sponsors & Featured Links

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💬 "Just because we say we're just going to watch it doesn't mean that we're going to close our eyes and act like it's not there… Understand—watching is a plan."

⚡ In this episode, I break down what it really means when your doctor drops the phrase "let's just watch and see," and why it's not always a red flag. If you've ever felt confused, dismissed, or anxious after hearing those words, this episode is definitely for you. Here, I explain why doctors choose active monitoring, how risk versus benefit guides these decisions, and what patients must do to stay engaged and protect their health.

🎧 Stay tuned to find out:

➡ How risk-versus-benefit drives medical decision making
➡ The importance of active monitoring and educating patients and nurses about clinical significance
➡ Why abnormal results don't always scream for immediate action
➡ How good communication reduces confusion and self-diagnosed cancer fears
➡ The most common myths that trip patients up
➡ How you can still advocate for yourself and stay on top of things for better health

🔥 Sponsors & Featured Links

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💬 "If you're asking the right questions, guess what? You are going to get the right answer."

⚡ In this episode, I break down why your annual physical exam might be missing 40% of critical health conditions, and reveal the 4 things you need to do to advocate for yourself and live longer, healthier lives. From doctors defaulting to basics to the biggest mistake you're making, we'll cover it all to make sure you get prepared now before it's too late. Because remember, health means wealth. You don't get to live longer if you're not prepared.

🎧 Stay tuned to find out:

➡ The importance of an annual physical exam and why 40% of conditions get missed
➡ How family history can save your life but gets overlooked
➡ The biggest mistake patients make that leads to missed screenings
➡ Four things you need to do before your annual physical
➡ Why you should be prepared and empower yourself for better health

🔥 Sponsors & Featured Links

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💬 "No one could take care of you better than you, but you can't take care of you better than you unless you know the right question."

⚡ In this episode, I break down the three important questions you should ask your doctor before leaving that appointment. Some doctors might not want you asking because it slows them down, but today, I'm spotlighting why this is crucial and how asking these questions can literally save your life. One in three people walk out unclear on what to do next, and half of medication errors happen from unexplained instructions. Let's make sure you don't become part of that population and that you live longer, healthier lives.

🎧 Stay tuned to find out:

➡ The three important questions every patient should ask their doctor
➡ The most common roadblocks and why you should have a personal medical journal
➡ How asking the right questions leads to clarity and less confusion in your health journey
➡ How to ensure your doctor explains your main problem, the pros and cons of your treatment options, and your exact next steps to avoid regrets later
➡ The importance of a welcoming environment to build trust and encourage questions

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💬 "If you're asking the right questions, guess what? You are going to get the right answer."

🎧 Stay tuned to find out:

➡ The importance of an annual physical exam and why 40% of conditions get missed
➡ How family history can save your life but gets overlooked
➡ The biggest mistake patients make that leads to missed screenings
➡ Four things you need to do before your annual physical
➡ Why you should be prepared and empower yourself for better health

🔥 Sponsors & Featured Links

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💬 "If I could have just gotten to you a little bit early, I probably wouldn't be giving you this cancer diagnosis… You probably wouldn't have a stroke that has now affected the whole left side of your body… That heart attack, you would have survived, and I wouldn't have to tell your family you didn't survive. We know that there was a window that could have prevented all of this. And that's what hurts us more than anything else."

⚡ In this episode, I break down what happens to your body if you skip the doctor for 10 years—from the silent dangers that creep up early, to the way diseases take hold without you knowing, and the urgent crises that hit you hard by the end. Because remember this, y'all—feeling 'fine' doesn't mean everything's fine. A lot can happen in ten years.

🎧 Stay tuned to find out:

➡ How silent issues like rising blood pressure and blood sugar start in the first couple of years
➡ Why diseases like high cholesterol and kidney problems worsen between years three and five
➡ The compensation mode your body enters in years six to eight, leading to organ fatigue
➡ What major health events like strokes, heart attacks, and cancer diagnoses look like in years nine and ten
➡ Why early and regular checkups could have saved you from all this trouble

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💬 "Having normal labs doesn't necessarily mean you're healthy. It just means at that point in time, whatever we were looking for, we maybe didn't find."

⚡ In this episode, I explain why those "normal" lab results might be giving you a false sense of security, and how leaning on them alone could let serious issues slip by. Trust me, it's a common trap in medicine that can have real consequences for your long-term health. Because yes—maybe your labs are fine, but that doesn't mean you're out of the woods yet.

🎧 Stay tuned to find out:

➡ Why you shouldn't be complacent and dismiss your symptoms just because the numbers on your labs look "normal" and "fine"
➡ How a time gap in testing can miss brewing problems, making "normal" feel like a ticking clock
➡ The dangers of assuming "normal" means the same for everyone, especially when race or trends aren't considered
➡ Why the doctor-patient relationship is one of the most important relationships you need to have
➡ How complacency with good labs can hide underlying risks like family history or lifestyle factors
➡ Why trusting your body and pushing for more detective work is key when doctors hit a wall

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💬 "They've made it seem like the ACA is something that benefits the insurance companies; that insurance companies are making money. No, no, no—it's benefiting the patients. It's here, and it's always been here to benefit the patients and protect them from the scrupulous practices of these insurance companies that have been around for decades and whose main goal is 'How do we make the most money, and how do we pay out less? "

⚡ In this episode, I break down why the Affordable Care Act isn't just some policy debate—it's a lifesaver that stopped insurance bullies from denying care and bankrupting families. And with today's politics threatening to double premiums, guess what? We either fight to keep it alive… or risk letting all of its benefits slip away.

🎧 Stay tuned to find out:

➡ Why it's important to have conversations about our anger over denied care
➡ How insurance companies deny lots of claims to save themselves billions per year
➡ How the ACA removed barriers like pre-existing conditions for better patient care
➡ The real-life survival stories of families depending on this plan
➡ The games politics plays that could kick people off their plans or out of nursing homes

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💬 "Looking healthy is not the same as being healthy. Fitness does not cancel out your health."

⚡ In this episode, I dive into why so many folks who look "healthy" and fit are breaking down in their 40s. We talk about the biases we have around fitness versus real health, how high performers push through warning signs, and why ignoring family history, sleep, and stress can lead to heart attacks, strokes, and more. Don't run away now—younger people are getting sicker, and we can't keep attributing these issues to just old age.

🎧 Stay tuned to find out:

➡ What you can do to prevent falling off the cliff in your 40s
➡ Why high performers are at risk of not being as healthy as others
➡ How family history and genetics set you up for issues like heart attacks and strokes if ignored
➡ The silent damage accumulating in your organs and blood vessels while you feel fine
➡ Why doctors sometimes overlook fit patients because of biases, and how that can be dangerous

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💬 "You have to be very vocal and active in your healthcare plan, because so many of you guys recognize that one bad medical bill could be extremely detrimental to your family, and one expense that doubles or triples from December to January could be life-threatening—and that's not hyperbole."

⚡ In this episode, I rewind the clock to show you what life was like before the Affordable Care Act, where 48 million people were uninsured, insurance companies denied folks left and right for pre-existing conditions, and medical debt was the top reason for bankruptcy—right as we're facing the expiration of subsidies and politicians playing games with our health.

🎧 Stay tuned to find out:

➡ How the Affordable Care Act (ACA) reduced uninsured patients and saved millions of lives
➡ How insurance companies denied coverage for pre-existing conditions
➡ The real impact of the expiration of subsidies and medical debt on families and hospitals
➡ How politics and state decisions affect your healthcare costs
➡ What you can do to protect yourself and your family financially and medically

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💬 "Being an adult means numero uno, you got to take care of yourself."

⚡ In this episode, I talk about those sneaky health issues that start creeping up in our 30s and 40s—the ones we ignore, downplay, or tough out until they hit us hard later on. If you want to avoid chronic pain, prevent life-altering diseases, and keep living your best life for years to come, this is the episode you don't want to miss. After all, we're all going to hit 30, 40, 50, 60, and beyond. The question is: how do you want to live when you get there?

🎧 Stay tuned to find out:

➡ The silent threats and killers you may be ignoring but really can't afford to ignore
➡ Why I do my best to stay diligent with my checkups
➡ The importance of taking care of yourself and being aware of your medical needs
➡ Common symptoms like fatigue, weight gain, and aches that signal bigger issues
➡ Myths about health checks that you should avoid

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💬 "A lot of people's New Year's resolution is going to be about losing weight for 2026. Let's not take away an option from them because you are upset in one way, shape, or form that you think it's not the 'right way'. Because there is no right way—there's only THE WAY to lose weight."

⚡ In this episode, I break down the wild controversy surrounding GLP-1 medications like Ozempic and why folks are getting so mad that people are finally losing weight after struggling for years. Uncover the real reasons behind the hate and learn how this backlash could be stopping you from getting the help you desperately need.

🎧 Stay tuned to find out:

➡ The weight stigma that blames people for being obese and denies them help
➡ Why obesity isn't just about the scale but also ties into serious health risks like diabetes and heart issues
➡ How GLP medications slow gut absorption to help with weight loss
➡ Why celebrity access to Ozempic sparked jealousy and outrage
➡ How misinformation on Ozempic's side effects—such as "frozen stomach"—fuels hate and stigma against weight loss meds
➡ Why we got to give grace and recognize that not everyone's journey is going to be the same when it comes to weight loss

🔥 Sponsors & Featured Links

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💬 "We are not into trends — we are into transformations. Following a trend when you're trying to make a transformation will never succeed."

⚡ In this episode, I break down why 80% of people fall off their New Year's resolutions by February, and what you can do differently to make 2026 the year you actually transform. I talk about SMART goals, tiny habits, accountability, environment design, and the mindset shifts that separate short-term trends from real long-term change. No more vague goals or trend-chasing—just intentional steps that help you get past March and keep going.

🎧 Stay tuned to find out:

Things you can do to ensure 2026 is going to be a good year
Why SMART goals beat vague resolutions every single time
The power of small steps in building big transformations
Why your environment and support system matter more than your willpower (and should be set up for success)
The Big 3 myths that destroy progress by February and how you can avoid them

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💬 "Can you actually boost your immune system? That is a 30-billion—yes, I said billion—dollar question that year after year, people keep finding a solution for… And I am here to tell you whether that is something that's possible—or whether we are doing it the right way."

⚡ In this episode, I'm diving into that massive 30 billion dollar immune-boosting industry. We're talking about whether you can really boost your immune system, if we're doing it the right way, and why so many folks still keep getting sick despite all the hype. Spoiler—it's not just about popping pills, y'all.

🎧 Stay tuned to find out:

The answer to the underlying question of whether your immune system actually needs boosting—and can you actually do it
Three of the most common myths that trip people up when it comes to boosting the immune system—and why we need to debunk them
Why managing stress and ditching cigarettes are crucial if you want to avoid being a harbinger for infections
How prioritizing sleep, eating the right foods, and staying active helps you boost your immune system

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💬 "Black skin needs three to six times more sunlight to produce the same amount of vitamin D than lighter skin… So understand that yes, you can be even one of those sun warriors and still get vitamin D deficient just because of your skin."

⚡ Did you know that about 80% of Black Americans are walking around vitamin D deficient with no obvious symptoms whatsoever? In this episode, I break down why this sneaky issue is affecting four out of five of us, messing with our energy, bones, and immune system, as I share simple ways to boost your levels safely—especially if you're avoiding the sun like I do in sunny South Florida.

🎧 Stay tuned to find out:

How melanin in our skin blocks vitamin D production from sunlight
How lifestyle and diet add up to this widespread deficiency in Black communities
The vague symptoms like fatigue and recurrent infections that sneak up on you
Myths like "being outside guarantees enough vitamin D" that keep us in the dark
Simple strategies to get tested and supplement safely without overdoing it

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💬 "Yes, you can end up in the hospital if you've got the flu. Yes, it can be that bad."

⚡ In this episode, I'm diving back into the flu's deadly potential, just like that brutal 2017-2018 season that claimed 80,000 lives, and I'm warning you about how this winter could be a recipe for disaster with less vaccinations, more travel, and COVID still lurking. Do not downplay it—I've seen it hit my own kids and patients hard, and we can't let it overwhelm our healthcare system again.

🎧 Stay tuned to find out:

Why the flu can tag-team with bacterial infections and lead to serious complications like rhabdomyolysis and pneumonia
How getting vaccinated early can slash your risk of severe illness by up to 60%
The myths that trip people up (like thinking you're too healthy for a flu shot or that antibiotics cure the flu)
What to pack in your sick day kit to stay ahead of the game
How to spot warning signs and protect your at-risk loved ones before it's too late

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💬 "Understand that during this holiday, it's as important for you to be checking in on your mental health than acting like it's not even an issue."

⚡ Did you know that 2 out of 3 people go through a lot of stress, anxiety, and sadness during the holidays? In this episode, I break down why the holidays can feel like a total drag for so many of us as I share tips on how you can recharge your mental battery before you crash into another failed New Year's resolution. Because let's be real—it's not all doom-and-gloom, but the holidays ain't going anywhere. Tackling this head-on is key to flipping the script and reclaiming your joy.

🎧 Stay tuned to find out:

Why mental health check-ins are crucial during the holidays
Why two out of three people feel bad during the holidays and how we can change that
How family dynamics or grief play a huge role in people's stress, anxiety, and despair during the holidays
How acknowledging your emotions and stressors can help you recharge and avoid seasonal despair
Things you can do to recharge your mental battery and avoid mental burnout during the holidays

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💬 "Just because it might have happened good for one person does not mean it's going to happen good for you."

⚡ Did you know that 60% of Americans—yes, that's more than half of y'all—have fallen for some type of these sneaky health myths online? In this episode, I break it down like I always do, talking about how these lies waste your money, make you skip doctor visits, and leave you drowning in confusion. I'll also show you how to dodge the social media traps so you can stay out of trouble and avoid the mistruths like I do.

🎧 Stay tuned to find out:

Why the recent claims about Tylenol and autism are baseless
What research really says about Tylenol (acetaminophen) use in pregnancy
The misleading recommendation to take leucovorin and what it actually means
The truth about autism diagnosis and increased prevalence
The impact of misinformation on families and communities and why we should combat it

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💬 "No, Tylenol does not cause autism. No, you cannot trust our health and human services director. And you probably can't trust the president either if he's telling you not to take any Tylenol."

⚡ In this episode, I debunk false claims linking Tylenol to autism—disinformation spread by RFK Jr. and the government, who are also promoting Leucovorin for prevention without an actual and solid scientific basis. Here, we'll separate fact from fear as I clarify the truth behind these claims and explain what this means for families navigating autism today.

🎧 Stay tuned to find out:

Why the recent claims about Tylenol and autism are baseless
What research really says about Tylenol (acetaminophen) use in pregnancy
The misleading recommendation to take leucovorin and what it actually means
The truth about autism diagnosis and increased prevalence
The impact of misinformation on families and communities and why we should combat it

🔥 Sponsors & Featured Links

Lunch and Learn Community Store Grab your favorite merch + use code EMPOWER10 for 10% off: https://shop.drberrypierre.com

Pierre Medical Consulting Ready to expand your social reach and automate your message? Learn more: https://www.pierremedicalconsulting.com

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💬 "Do you know that 80% of people with sleep apnea don't even know it? It almost sounds like one of those hypertension stats, but it's true."

⚡ In this episode, I debunk the common myths and misconceptions about sleep apnea that keep so many people undiagnosed and untreated. From the myth that only overweight men get sleep apnea to the surprising fact that many people with sleep apnea don't even snore, I break down what you really need to know to protect your health and improve your sleep.

🎧 Stay tuned to find out:

Why sleep apnea often goes unnoticed, especially if you live alone
The truth about who can get sleep apnea and why not snoring doesn't mean you're in the clear
The different treatment options beyond just CPAP machines
How sleep apnea affects children and why it's important to recognize symptoms
Why it's crucial for your overall health that you get to treat and control your sleep apnea

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💬 "The trust in the CDC has not just dipped—it has absolutely cratered. And we have nothing to blame but the chaos that's happening at the top."

⚡ In this episode, I discuss how political meddling is destroying trust in the CDC, dismantling vaccine advisory committees, stalling vaccine campaigns, and threatening decades of public health progress — all of which could cost lives if we don't act now.

🎧 Stay tuned to find out:

How political interference is weaponizing public health
The political missteps that led to the current situation of cratered trust in the CDC
How to protect yourself when trust in public health institutions is low
The dangers of mixing politics with healthcare decisions: How misinformation can end lives
Why changing guidelines means evolving science, not hiding the truth

🔥 Sponsors & Featured Links

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💬 "Men sometimes think that it's wrong if they don't climax every time. They avoid asking for help because they don't want to tell no one that it's broken."

⚡ In this episode, I discuss and debunk the myths and misinformation around male orgasm that over 70% of men believe — myths that affect their mental health, their relationship with their partners, and overall sexual wellbeing. Here, I break down why men feel pressured to perform, where false ideas about orgasm come from, and what you can do when things don’t feel right.

🎧 Stay tuned to find out:

The biggest myths and traps men typically fall into when it comes to orgasm
How myths about orgasm affect your and your partner’s mental health
How media, porn, and social circles spread misinformation
When to seek medical advice and how healthcare providers can help
Why sexual desire varies and what that means for relationships

🔥 Sponsors & Featured Links

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If you loved this episode, here’s how you can support the show: 🎧 Leave a 5-star review on Apple Podcasts — your ratings help us reach more listeners! 📸 Share a screenshot of the episode and tag me or use #LunchLearnPod on social media

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💬 “Just relax. Just take it easy.’—That’s the worst advice ever. If that’s all the person could do and needed to do, they would have already done it.”

⚡ In this episode, I reveal why so many stress management tips fall short and don’t actually work, and share what you can do differently to truly reduce your stress and create lasting change. No wishful thinking or empty promises—just clear, practical steps you can start using today to regain control over your stress.

🎧 Stay tuned to find out:

The four science-based stress management techniques
Why “just relax” is the worst advice for stress relief
How naming your stress and a 10-minute walk can lower your stress hormones
The power of scheduling “worry time” to manage anxious thoughts
Common myths about stress and positivity (and why they should be debunked)

🔥 Sponsors & Featured Links

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💬 "Our body does a great job dealing with the abnormal till you can’t handle it anymore. You’re able to deal with it until you can’t. And once you can’t, guess what happens? You have a stroke. You have a heart attack. You go into kidney failure. You end up on dialysis. That’s the problem—and that is why we call it the silent killer.”

⚡ In this episode, I talk about the silent threat of high blood pressure—why nearly half of adults have it, why so many aren’t even aware of it, and why it’s the number one cause of cardiovascular death in the US. I share real patient stories, bust common myths, and explain why feeling fine doesn’t mean you’re safe. So if you have not had your blood pressure checked in a while, tune in to learn why you should be putting your arm in one of those blood pressure cuff machines ASAP.

🎧 Stay tuned to find out:

Why high blood pressure is called the silent killer
The real risks high blood pressure poses to your heart, brain, kidneys, and more
Common misconceptions that keep people from getting treated
How lifestyle factors like salt intake, smoking, and stress impact blood pressure
How to monitor your blood pressure effectively and take control

🔥 Sponsors & Featured Links

Lunch and Learn Community Store Grab your favorite merch + use code EMPOWER10 for 10% off: https://shop.drberrypierre.com

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💬 "Who would have thought that the president of the United States—President Trump—would be the leading driver for people to want to look up the signs and symptoms of heart failure?”

⚡ In this episode, I talk about the recent public speculation on President Trump’s health, sparked by the visible discoloration on his hand and swollen ankles. Could these signs indicate heart failure? Or are they caused by something else? Check out this episode and see how understanding these signs can save lives—whether you’re a president or an ordinary civilian.

🎧 Stay tuned to find out:

The science behind heart failure and why you should never ignore signs like swollen ankles or shortness of breath
How heart failure symptoms present and why they can be dangerous
Possible reasons behind the president’s bruising and swelling
Other common causes of ankle swelling and bruising besides heart failure
What you should do if you notice similar symptoms in yourself or loved ones

🔥 Sponsors & Featured Links

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💬 “Just like there’s no stupid question, there’s no embarrassing question that you should allow your health to be affected by.”

⚡In this episode, I talk about the 10 most common questions patients find embarrassing to ask their doctors. From fatigue and bowel movements to mental health and skin issues, I discuss why it’s essential to overcome the fear of embarrassment and why you should communicate openly with your healthcare provider. Ignoring these questions can lead to serious health consequences, and I’m here to help you understand why asking them is vital for your health.

🎧 Stay tuned to find out:

➡ Why you should never hesitate to ask about fatigue, even after a full night's sleep
➡ The significance of discussing bowel movements and what’s considered normal
➡ How excessive sweating can be a sign of underlying health issues
➡ The importance of addressing changes in urination patterns with your doctor
➡ Why mental health concerns should be openly discussed, even if you don’t want medication
➡ What persistent bad breath might be saying about your overall health
➡ Why recurring yeast infections shouldn’t be ignored
➡ When to take skin changes seriously and why no concern is too small
➡ Why you should always ask your doctor first before taking multiple supplements or medications
➡ Why weight is a complex topic and how your doctor can help without judgment

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💬 "When you are on the same plane as your doctor, you can tell your doctor things and your doctor can tell you things… But if there’s a misalignment going on, your doctor says one thing and you’ll say another thing, and you guys never meet in the middle. And that's how that doctor becomes the villain."

⚡ In this episode, I’m addressing the misconceptions surrounding the doctor-patient relationship and why doctors are often unfairly labeled as the villains in patients’ stories. I’ll explain how systemic issues and other external factors lead to misunderstandings and misalignments in health care. This isn’t just about individual experiences—it’s a broader issue that affects the quality of care for everyone. It’s time we uncover the factors influencing healthcare and how we can work together to improve outcomes for all.

🎧 Stay tuned to find out:

➡ The crucial role of the doctor-patient relationship in having effective communication
➡ How systemic issues impact the quality of care
➡ The importance of patient responsibility in alignment and healthcare outcomes
➡ Why not all blame should fall on the doctors, and why sometimes, patients need to look at themselves
➡ The role of external factors in shaping healthcare experiences

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💬 “Little did you know, there are some things that your doctor does not want to tell you—and that’s why you left that doctor’s appointment without getting that key question answered.”

⚡In this episode, I highlight the critical questions you often forget to ask during your doctor visit and reveal what information your healthcare provider “accidentally or likely purposely” does not tell you. 66% of adults walk out of their doctor's appointments without asking a key question, but this isn’t just a statistic—it’s a missed opportunity for vital information that could impact your health. So make sure you don’t miss out on this episode. Tune in and learn how you can get the answers you need for better and improved health.

🎧 Stay tuned to find out:

➡ Why many patients forget what they discussed with their doctor
➡ How to effectively communicate your symptoms and have a better conversation with your doctor
➡ The importance of using all forms of communication with your healthcare provider
➡ Five things doctors commonly skip and what to ask to make sure you're fully informed
➡ Common pitfalls to avoid during your doctor’s appointments

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💬 “If for five seconds, you were able to open your eyes but couldn't move the rest of your body, you'd be scared. That would probably be the longest five seconds of your life, if that’s what you were waking up to unexpectedly.”

⚡In this episode, I talk about the terrifying experience of sleep paralysis—a condition that affects 8-10% of the population and can leave you feeling helpless and frightened. I also uncover the science behind why it happens, the common triggers that can lead to these episodes, and the profound impact it can have on your sleep quality and mental health. This isn’t just a fleeting moment of fear; it can disrupt your entire sleep cycle and lead to chronic anxiety about going to bed. That’s why we need to discuss the importance of sleep hygiene, how stress plays a role, and what practical steps you can take to reclaim your good night’s rest.

🎧 Stay tuned to find out:

➡ The science behind sleep paralysis and its common triggers
➡ How sleep hygiene impacts your risk of experiencing sleep paralysis
➡ The role of stress and anxiety in sleep disturbances
➡ Practical tips to improve your sleep environment and habits
➡ Why it's important to discuss sleep paralysis with your healthcare provider

🔥 Sponsors & Featured Links

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💬 “Health technology is going to be one of the biggest disruptors in the next decade… If you think you are too smart to be replaced by AI, you’re already in trouble.”

⚡In this episode, I discuss the transformative impact of digital health technology on the medical field. I also explore how advancements like AI and blockchain are set to disrupt traditional practices, improve patient care, and reduce administrative waste. With the global digital health market projected to reach $660 billion by 2030, the urgency to adapt is clear.

🎧 Stay tuned to find out:

➡ How AI is poised to change the role of healthcare providers
➡ The potential of blockchain technology in streamlining patient records
➡ The staggering amount of healthcare spending wasted on administrative tasks
➡ The evolution of telehealth and its benefits for patients
➡ Why healthcare professionals must prepare to adjust for the inevitable technological shift

🔥 Sponsors & Featured Links

Lunch and Learn Community Store Grab your favorite merch + use code EMPOWER10 for 10% off: https://shop.drberrypierre.com

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💬 “Just being Black in this medical field, in this medical system, puts you at a detriment. Medical racism isn’t in the past—it’s in our protocols.”

⚡In this episode, I talk about the long-standing issue of medical racism. Despite advancements in technology and medicine, race-specific assumptions continue to influence treatment decisions and outcomes for Black patients. So, join me as I explore the statistics, share personal experiences, and discuss actionable steps to combat this pressing issue.

🎧 Stay tuned to find out:

➡ The shocking statistics on medical treatment disparities for Black patients
➡ How race-based assumptions lead to suboptimal healthcare outcomes
➡ The importance of critically evaluating medical studies and protocols
➡ What healthcare providers and patients can do to advocate for equitable treatment
➡ The role of policy advocacy in addressing systemic racism in healthcare

🔥 Sponsors & Featured Links

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💬 “Nearly one in five black adults in this country has a mental health illness, but only 1/3 of them are actually receiving any type of treatment for it.”

⚡In this episode, I talk about the mental health crisis affecting Black America. With alarming statistics revealing that nearly one in five Black adults experience mental health issues, yet only a fraction receives adequate care, I cover why mental health struggles are overlooked, underdiagnosed, and undertreated in the Black community—and what we can do to change it.

🎧 Stay tuned to find out:

➡ How cultural stigma and the lack of Black providers create barriers to Black people’s access to care
➡ Practical steps you can take to improve mental health awareness and access to care
➡ Why conversations about mental health must extend beyond awareness months
➡ The importance of finding culturally competent mental health providers
➡ Harmful myths to AVOID and STOP believing about mental health

🔥 Sponsors & Featured Links

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💬 “Out of the 22 million people in this country who have sleep apnea, 80% of them don’t even know it.”

⚡In this episode, I talk about the often-overlooked condition of sleep apnea as I reveal how many people are living with it unknowingly and discuss practical ways you can identify potential symptoms without undergoing a sleep study test. So if you or someone you know suspects you have it, then this episode is for you.

🎧 Stay tuned to find out:

➡ How to recognize signs of sleep apnea in yourself and others
➡ The surprising statistics about sleep apnea prevalence
➡ Practical tips for monitoring your sleep at home
➡ The importance of sleep health in managing other medical conditions
➡ Why seeking professional help is crucial for diagnosis and treatment

🔥 Sponsors & Featured Links

Lunch and Learn Community Store Grab your favorite merch + use code EMPOWER10 for 10% off: https://shop.drberrypierre.com

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💬 “I'm not here to prove whether vaccines work or not. The proof is in the pudding. At this point, you've got to show me the data that says it didn't work. And I can assure you, don't waste your time. You're not going to show me any data—because nothing's there.”

⚡In this episode, I’m diving into the resurgence of COVID-19 with a focus on the NB1.8.1 variant. As summer approaches and travel increases, it’s crucial to understand the implications of this variant, its symptoms, and the importance of vaccination. Don’t let misinformation keep you in the dark!

🎧 Stay tuned to find out:

➡ What the NB1.8.1 variant is and why it’s concerning
➡ The symptoms to watch for and how they compare to previous variants
➡ Why vaccination is still essential, even with new variants
➡ The potential for a summer surge and what you can do to prepare
➡ What you can do to protect yourself, your loved ones, and your community

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🎧 Stay tuned to find out:

➡ What the NB1.8.1 variant is and why it’s concerning
➡ The symptoms to watch for and how they compare to previous variants
➡ Why vaccination is still essential, even with new variants
➡ The potential for a summer surge and what you can do to prepare
➡ What you can do to protect yourself, your loved ones, and your community

🔥 Sponsors & Featured Links

Lunch and Learn Community Store Grab your favorite merch + use code EMPOWER10 for 10% off: https://shop.drberrypierre.com

Pierre Medical Consulting Ready to expand your social reach and automate your message? Learn more: https://www.pierremedicalconsulting.com

Dr. Pierre’s Tools & Resources Explore my go-to tools for content creation and success: https://www.drberrypierre.com/resources

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💬 “People are going to die when they lose their healthcare. People are going to die when they can’t see the doctor. People are going to die when they lose the protections that were a benefit to them—maternal care, mental health… they’re going to die.”

⚡ In this episode of Medicine Mondays, I dive into the devastating realities of the new legislation that threatens to gut Medicaid, chip away at the Affordable Care Act, and cut vital public health programs—all under the guise of economic responsibility. This isn’t just a political decision—it’s a death sentence for millions, especially Black communities who are already disproportionately impacted. From cancer screenings to maternal care and environmental protections, this bill puts lives at risk. We need to talk about what’s happening, what’s coming, and what we can do to prepare.

🎧 STAY TUNED TO FIND OUT: ➡ Why this bill is about to cause millions to lose Medicaid coverage ➡ The impact on Black adults, children, and those with chronic conditions ➡ How this legislation guts the Affordable Care Act and removes key protections ➡ What public health programs like CHIP, Planned Parenthood, and community clinics will lose ➡ How environmental rollbacks worsen health outcomes in underserved communities ➡ Why this bill isn’t just flawed policy—it’s dangerous and deadly

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💬 “I don’t think the system is broken. The system is working exactly how it was built. It was built to be biased against Black folks. It was built to be biased against women… So, what do you think that system is going to be doing to people who happen to be Black women who fall into both groups?”

⚡In this episode, I address how detrimental this healthcare system has been for Black women, highlighting the systemic biases that lead to their disproportionately high mortality rates and emphasizing the critical need for change. Join me in this episode as we dive into these atrocities and talk about the role of healthcare professionals in the advocacy for better care. Remember, we have the power to bring these conversations to the forefront. Let’s advocate for the improvements that Black women deserve in healthcare.

🎧 Stay tuned to find out:

➡ The shocking statistics on Black women's health disparities
➡ How racial and gender biases affect diagnosis and treatment
➡ Practical steps you can follow to advocate effectively during appointments
➡ The importance of preparation and advocacy in healthcare
➡ Why we should stop accepting inadequate care and start advocating for change

🔥 Sponsors & Featured Links

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💬 “I know that you are doing the best that you can, but for our patients out there, it is not enough and we have to do more.”

⚡In this episode, I talk about the alarming statistics surrounding patient mistrust in doctors as I explore the reasons behind this crisis and discuss actionable steps we can do as physicians to rebuild that trust. With over half of Americans expressing skepticism towards their healthcare providers, it’s time to address the root causes and find solutions now.

🎧 Stay tuned to find out:

➡ The shocking statistics on patient mistrust in doctors
➡ How the healthcare system's structure contributes to mistrust
➡ The impact of discrimination and misinformation on patient perceptions
➡ Strategies for physicians to improve transparency and communication
➡ The importance of shared decision-making in healthcare

🔥 Sponsors & Featured Links

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💬 “AI is coming… It’s going to be sooner rather than later that this becomes commonplace. And if you are a doctor, nurse practitioner, physician assistant, somewhere in healthcare where your job is getting a little robotic in nature, you better decide if you’re okay with AI replacing you. And if you are, start thinking about retirement destination. But if you aren’t, start thinking about what you can do to maximize your potential in this AI world.”

⚡In this episode, I dive into the potential impact of AI on the healthcare industry, exploring whether AI could replace doctors and what that means for the future of patient care. Could AI address the frustrations patients face today, such as long wait times and medical errors? Would it replace the value of human connection in healthcare? If you’re curious about the answers, join me in this week’s episode to understand the evolving landscape of medicine in the age of modern technology.

🎧 Stay tuned to find out:

➡ The current pain points in healthcare that AI could address
➡ Why trust in human doctors remains a significant barrier to AI adoption
➡ The potential for AI to streamline repetitive tasks in medical practice
➡ How healthcare professionals can prepare for an AI-driven future
➡ The importance of enhancing human value in the face of advancing technology

🔥 Sponsors & Featured Links

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💬 “Make sure that your politicians are taking care of you—that your politicians have you in mind when they’re making their decisions and when they’re doing their votes. Because it takes the right person to have an Affordable Care Act and the wrong person to have no insurance.”

⚡In this episode, I talk about the surprising ways politics influences your healthcare decisions, from medication availability to insurance coverage, and why understanding this connection is crucial for your health advocacy. So, if you’ve ever felt frustrated by high medical costs or wondered why your doctor can’t prescribe you the best treatment, this episode is a must-listen for you.

🎧 Stay tuned to find out:

➡ How political decisions shape the medications your doctor can prescribe
➡ The impact of insurance companies on your healthcare options
➡ Why patients should also blame politicians, not just doctors, for systemic issues
➡ Practical steps you can take to advocate for your healthcare needs
➡ The importance of being politically aware in healthcare decisions

🔥 Sponsors & Featured Links

Lunch and Learn Community Store Grab your favorite merch + use code EMPOWER10 for 10% off: https://shop.drberrypierre.com

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💬 “I used to be there. I dealt with chronic stress-related issues and didn’t really have the best morning routine. And it wasn’t until I had a morning routine and I had almost like a ritual process of how I do things that I see that, wow, when I do things and have more energy in the morning, I just have a better day throughout the day.”

⚡In this episode, I talk about the 10 simple morning habits that can transform your day by helping you have increased productivity, reduced stress, and a happier mindset. After all, statistics show that people who tend to have some type of morning routine tend to have a 20% higher productivity throughout their day than those who don’t. So, if you want to learn practical tips to kickstart your day with energy and positivity, sit back and relax as we dive into this week’s episode.

🎧 Stay tuned to find out:

➡ The importance of hydration and a nutritious breakfast on metabolism and energy regulation
➡ How stretching and mindful breathing can reduce your stress and anxiety while also improving your flexibility
➡ The significance of setting daily intentions for improved task performance
➡ Why you should delay phone use and expose yourself to natural light in the morning
➡ How a personal hygiene routine and gratitude journaling help you enhance mental well-being and productivity

🔥 Sponsors & Featured Links

Lunch and Learn Community Store Grab your favorite merch + use code EMPOWER10 for 10% off: https://shop.drberrypierre.com

Pierre Medical Consulting Ready to expand your social reach and automate your message? Learn more: https://www.pierremedicalconsulting.com

Dr. Pierre’s Tools & Resources Explore my go-to tools for content creation and success: https://www.drberrypierre.com/resources

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💬 “The greatest barrier to entry is the cost of healthcare in the U.S… but that should never be a barrier to safety, security, and medical provision... It should not ever be the case that because you can’t afford it, you can’t be kept well. A state of wellness should not come down to your income."

⚡In this episode, I sit with Adam Walker, a seasoned expert in clinical research and data collection, to explore the transformative role of AI and technology in clinical research. Here, we cover how advancements in data collection and analysis are reshaping patients’ and healthcare professionals’ experience, the importance of trust and consent in medical research, and the implications of these changes for diverse communities. So, if you’re curious about how AI is revolutionizing healthcare and what it means for patients, physicians, and researchers alike, this episode is for you!

🎧 Stay tuned to find out:

➡ How AI is revolutionizing data processing in clinical research
➡ The impact of technology on patient participation in clinical studies
➡ The challenges and opportunities of integrating AI in healthcare
➡ The significance of trust, informed consent, and patient safety in research
➡ How historical context shapes current perceptions of big pharma and clinical trials

🤝 CONNECT WITH ADAM WALKER:

Website: https://adamwalkerltd.weebly.com/

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/%F0%9F%A7%AC%F0%9F%8E%99%EF%B8%8Fadam-walker-2327951/

🔥 Sponsors & Featured Links

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💬 “Our vaccine hesitancy has gotten so bad that it’s now considered a top 10 global health threat by the World Health Organization.”

⚡Do you know someone who is still unvaccinated or anti-vaxx in 2025? For some complex reasons, in 2024, so many people remain hesitant about vaccines despite the fact that there’s plenty of scientific evidence proving their safety and effectiveness. And no, it’s not just about COVID vaccines—we’re talking about all vaccines here. A very serious health concern, so much so that the World Health Organization has now classified it as one of the top 10 global health threats. That’s why in this episode, I’ll cover those reasons on why people still fear vaccines and talk about what needs to be done to reduce vaccine hesitancy.

🎧 Stay tuned to find out:

➡ The surprising extent of vaccine hesitancy and its impact on public health
➡ Why vaccine hesitancy has become such a dangerous global threat
➡ The role of mistrust and cultural beliefs in vaccine hesitancy, especially in marginalized communities
➡ How misinformation on social media spreads and entrenches false beliefs
➡ Why personalized, community-based approaches are key to rebuilding trust in vaccines

🔥 Sponsors & Featured Links

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💬 “As a scientist, as a physician, and as a public health professional, my job is to make sure that you don’t believe what’s not true.”

⚡ In this episode, I’ll talk about the ongoing debate surrounding fluoride in drinking water, because despite decades of research supporting its safety and effectiveness, the gap between what science says and what the public believes is getting wider and wider. To make matters worse, we now have politicians wanting to take fluoride out of our water. This should stop! That’s why in this week’s episode, I’ll address the misinformation fueling fear and skepticism, the potential consequences of removing fluoride from our water supply, and most importantly, the importance of fluoride in our oral health.

🎧 Stay tuned to find out:

➡ The significant impact of community water fluoridation on oral health
➡ The consequences of removing fluoride from water, especially for vulnerable populations
➡ Why the gap between scientific evidence and public perception is continuously growing
➡ How misinformation can lead to harmful health decisions
➡ Whether or not fluoride is the new lead

🔥 Sponsors & Featured Links

Lunch and Learn Community Store Grab your favorite merch + use code EMPOWER10 for 10% off: https://shop.drberrypierre.com

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💬 “You don’t have to be a hospital administrator or be a supplier to fight for your right. You do have the right to fight for the best prices.”

⚡ Have you ever wondered why your medical bills keep rising even for routine care? In this episode, I’ll help you understand the answer as I uncover how international trade policies and tariffs directly impact the cost of your healthcare. Not too many people realize this, but if you want to protect your wallet, make sure you listen, because today, I’ll share with you the hidden forces behind your medical expenses.

🎧 Stay tuned to find out:

How much healthcare spending is projected to reach in the U.S.
The surprising connection between hurricanes and medical supply shortages.
Why tariffs on medical imports can lead to higher costs for patients.
Practical steps you can take to advocate for yourself and reduce your healthcare expenses.

🔥 Sponsors & Featured Links

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💬 "That's why I give recording artists—hip-hop artists, especially—so much kudos, because I think people downplay just the emphasis of what they're doing, like, ‘Oh, it's just a rap song.’ But no; this is a therapy session going on here, as you can see.”

⚡ In this episode, I explore Meek Mill’s powerful verse on Fridayy’s “Proud of Me”, which I think is one of the best verses of the year. Here, I discuss how it serves as a powerful commentary on grief, loss, and the quest for acceptance from lost loved ones. With personal reflections and a deep dive into the lyrics, this episode highlights the therapeutic nature of music and how tricky navigating grief can be.

🎧 Stay tuned to find out:

How Meek Mill’s lyrics excellently reflect the complexities of loss and grief.
Societal pressures and challenges young men face in taking on adult responsibilities too early, especially in impoverished communities.
The intersection of music and medicine, and how hip-hop can serve as a form of therapy.
How grief and other external factors impact a child’s ability to focus and succeed in school.
Why people shouldn’t downplay the impact of recording artists, especially those in hip-hop.

🔥 Sponsors & Featured Links

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💬 "I knew right there and then, this is the direction we're going to have to go, especially if I want Autism in Black to be the greatest. If I want Autism in Black to go to the next level, I know that I'm not going to be able to do it with only focus being on women.”

⚡ In this episode, I share with you my awesome experience at the fifth annual Autism in Black Conference—our first in-person conference after years of doing it virtually. Here, I reflect on why Black fathers’ voices and experiences matter and why it should be talked about in the autism community.

🎧 Stay tuned to find out:

➡ The unique challenges and rewards of organizing a major conference.
➡ How the inclusion of men's perspectives has shifted the dynamics within the autism community.
➡ The emotional impact of the conference on attendees, speakers, and staff alike.
➡ A sneak peek into upcoming projects and events, including a couple's summit for parents and co-parents of individuals with autism.

👀 Join the Autism in Black Community NOW

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💬 "In a population where being a diabetic increases your risk of actually having an amputation of the leg by almost tenfold, I would hope just checking your foot would be something that would be at the top of your list.”

⚡ In this episode, I talk about the critically important yet often overlooked topic of diabetic foot care. Just recently, LaVar Ball shared in a SLAM interview how his leg had to be amputated due to diabetes complications. And you know me—even when you’re my worst enemy, that’s something I’d never wish to happen to you. So, if you want to learn what you can do to prevent having a part of your leg removed, join me in this episode as I help you save your foot.

🎧 Stay tuned to find out:

What happens when you have diabetes
How neglecting foot health can lead to severe consequences, such as amputation
Why doctors cut off a diabetic’s toes, foot, or leg
The critical steps for daily foot care that every diabetic should follow
The importance of regular checkups and proper footwear
The role of blood sugar management in foot health

🔥 Sponsors & Featured Links

Lunch and Learn Community Store Grab your favorite merch + use code EMPOWER10 for 10% off: https://shop.drberrypierre.com

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💬 "Being aware that someone is autistic is not the same as being accepting of them. Awareness sees the diagnosis. Acceptance sees the person."

⚡ In this episode, I’ll talk about the importance of transitioning from Autism Awareness Month to Autism Acceptance Month. For too long, discussions around autism have stopped at mere awareness, but truth be told—that’s not enough. We should also advocate for acceptance—for inclusive spaces in education, workplaces, and beyond. So, if you’re ready to do that, join me as I discuss how we can create a more inclusive society from this day onward. After all, acceptance isn’t just kindness—it’s justice. So together, let’s accept autism as a diagnosis rather than a disease.

🎧 Stay tuned to find out:

The difference between autism awareness and autism acceptance
Why "awareness" alone isn’t enough for real change
What you can do now to help you transition from awareness to acceptance
Why you have to talk with “autistic voices” and learn about their personal experiences
How to educate yourself beyond the diagnosis
The importance of advocating for inclusion in all environments
Common pitfalls to avoid when discussing autism

🔥 Sponsors & Featured Links

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So, let's talk about the vaccine-autism debate—because it’s time to put this myth to an end. Are vaccines really linked to autism diagnosis? Tune in to this episode to find out!

Are you still hearing claims that vaccines cause autism? Are you wondering why, in 2025, this debate is still making headlines? With measles outbreaks on the rise and public figures reigniting vaccine fears, it's time to set the record straight once and for all.

Because here’s the truth—the connection between vaccines and autism was debunked decades ago, yet misinformation continues to spread. A dangerous situation we’re in right now—the more people buy into the myth, the more lives unnecessarily put at risk.

Science is clear—vaccines do NOT cause autism, but misinformation continues to do real harm. That's why in this episode, we’re breaking down the origins of the vaccine-autism myth and how a single fraudulent study in 1998 fueled decades of fear.

Why you need to check this episode:

Learn the origins of the vaccine-autism myth and how it continues to mislead people today;
Understand the truth about vaccines, and why people who believe vaccines are linked to autism are standing in dog poop; and
Recognize the dangers of misinformation along with the importance of getting vaccinated

“The thing is: I love truth. And because I love truth, I love you, I love my Lunch and Learn community, I’m not going here to tell you a lie just so I can be 10x more popular. That’s crazy to me. That is silly to me. I don’t want to sit in dog poop. I don’t want to stand in dog poop. My goal is to take everyone and help everyone get their foot out of the dog poop. If you don’t get nothing else—get your foot out of the dog poop.” – Dr. Berry Pierre

Notable Quotes:

“As a physician, as a healthcare content creator, my job is to keep on talking, because I know, eventually, I may just reach you. Eventually, I may reach that one person needed to hear someone say, ‘Hey, get out of the dog poop. You are standing in dog poop. Please get out. Your foundation is faulty. It’s based on lies. Please get out. Red pill [or] blue pill—please, take the one that’s going to help you seek the truth because if you actually want to seek the truth.” – Dr. Berry Pierre

“It’s up to content creators like myself, and physicians like myself, and educators like myself, and the epidemiologists, infectious disease, and whoever will listen. It’s up to us to continue to scream from the rooftops when we see something like ‘RFK and the CDC want to do more vaccine research on autism’. We got to say, ‘Guys, that is a waste of time. Don’t put no credence to that whatsoever… Here are your answers. Keep it moving. Let’s focus on something else. Let’s try to cure some cancer or something.” – Dr. Berry Pierre

“There is no relation between vaccines and autism. We have multiple studies already showing that… There are multiple reasons why the increased prevalence of autism has occurred… What you need to do is just protect yourself and get vaccinated. What you need to do is take your foot out of the dog poop. Your foundation is shaky. Your foundation was based on lies—lies that have occurred 27 years ago… And if you don’t listen to anyone, listen to some healthcare provider near you that can actually speak some sense.” – Dr. Berry Pierre

Remember to subscribe to the podcast and share the episode with a friend or family member.

Listen on Apple Podcast, Google Play, Stitcher, Soundcloud, iHeartRadio, and Spotify

Resources:

Last week’s episode (Measles Outbreaks in Texas & New Mexico – Are We Prepared?)
My TikTok video (“President Disinformation ready to send RFK Jr. out on another dummy mission over a question we have already answered about Autism Rates”)
Vaccines and Autism” by Paul A. Offit, MD
A population-based study of measles, mumps, and rubella vaccination and autism” by Madsen, K.M. et. al.:

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So, let’s talk about the reasons why measles is back and why we’re blaming misinformation and disinformation for it… Should we be concerned? Do we need to get vaccinated ASAP? Tune in to this episode to find out!

A disease we’ve eradicated in this country in the year 2000 has now come back, and it’s definitely worse than before. Yes, I’m talking about the measles disease and its recent outbreaks here in the United States.

In this year alone, with just three months in, it has already claimed its first two deaths—both of whom are kids. Innocent children who never had a choice; just kids who had to go through the consequences of their parents’ decisions.

And with no treatment for it still and a lot of anti-vaxxers spreading false claims, what happens next? More outbreaks, more travel bans, more ER visits, and more preventable deaths.

It’s devastating, but it’s the truth. But then again, it’s preventable. Lives could be saved and people could prevent being sick—BUT if and only if we start acting today.

So, if you want to know how you can protect yourself, your loved ones, and others, join me in this podcast episode. Together, let’s fight to spread the truth and combat the killer—mis- and disinformation.

Why you need to check this episode:

Learn why measles outbreaks keep happening, and why they’re only getting worse;
Understand how misinformation and disinformation impact vaccine hesitancy, putting lives at risk and leading to avoidable deaths;
Recognize the real-life consequences of skipping vaccines—for yourself, your family, and your community; and
Discover a list of things you can do to protect yourself and those around you from getting sick and ultimately dying due to measles.

“You know what really works very well against people getting the measles [disease]? Getting vaccinated… Vaccination remains the cornerstone of preventing measles…not any supplement or mineral or any random thing you want to put in your body.” – Dr. Berry Pierre

Notable Quotes:

"A disease that we got rid of, essentially, in 2000, that we don’t necessarily have a treatment for in 2025, has now claimed its first two deaths in over a decade. And unfortunately, the only thing we have to blame is misinformation and disinformation.” – Dr. Berry Pierre

“People always say this: The lie travels much faster than the truth.” – Dr. Berry Pierre

“My biggest issue with those who are very vocal with their stances [is] when sh*t hits the fan, those same people are silent, are absent. In fact…when you look across your timeline, no one’s championing being anti-vaxx. All of a sudden, it’s not cool to be anti-vaxx, because you have a current outbreak. [But] the second this outbreak dies down, you’ll see those same people start picking their cameras back up… But every time we have an outbreak like such, those people tend to run away and they’re silent.” – Dr. Berry Pierre

“You’re taking this [vaccine] not because the government wants to overpower you or inject you with some GPS-related medication—which is some of the craziest stuff I hear from these anti-vaxxers. It’s because, for the greater good, people need to be protected.” – Dr. Berry Pierre

“I want you guys to make your own informed decisions because this is what happens: when it hits the fan, those same people who told you ‘don’t do this’ ‘don’t do that’ are nowhere to be found, and the only people who are still around to be found are the ones who have to risk their selves, their family, to take care of you.” – Dr. Berry Pierre

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Listen on Apple Podcast, Google Play, Stitcher, Soundcloud, iHeartRadio, and Spotify

Resources:

CDC Health Advisory (“Expanding Measles Outbreak in the United States and Guidance for the Upcoming Travel Season")
News Article from the American Hospital Association (“CDC issues advisory on measles outbreak in Texas and New Mexico”)

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So, let’s talk about Autism in Black’s 5th Annual Conference and why this one is a little bit more special than the others… If you are a Black autistic individual, a parent, caregiver, or educator to one, or an ally looking to provide better support for Black autistic individuals, this episode—and conference—are FOR YOU.

For so long, the Black autism community has struggled with access to resources, culturally responsive care, and finding safe spaces to learn and grow. Imagine having to fight every step of the way to ensure your child receives the support they need—the struggle is real and it leaves families feeling isolated and unheard.

But that’s exactly why we made sure that this year’s conference will be more special than ever. From IEP advocacy to mental health and Black fatherhood, this conference will break barriers, empower families, build community, and push for actionable change.

So, if you’re ready to make that happen, join me and my wife, Maria Davis-Pierre, LMHC, as we take action towards transforming the future for the Black autism community.

🔗 REGISTER NOW FOR THE 5TH ANNUAL AUTISM IN BLACK CONFERENCE (April 11-13, 2024):

Why you need to check this episode:

Discover the reason why Autism in Black was created, its evolution, and how the conference bridges gaps in autism advocacy for Black families;
Have an overview of the conference’s topics along with the uniqueness of speakers you don’t want to miss;
Understand why culturally responsive care is essential and how to advocate for it;
Find out how the conference helps individuals, parents, educators, and professionals take action beyond the weekend; and
Learn about the 5th Annual Autism in Black Conference's details (when and where it's happening this year).

“Our conference is for any and everyone who wants to learn. If you are working with the Black autistic community, if you are a Black autistic individual yourself, if you're a parent to a Black autistic child, or if you are wanting to really know how to support the Black autistic community, this conference is for you...The resources that we do will always be centered on the Black autistic experience, but you don't have to Black to attend...[But] those who don't look like us, you really need to be in the building to know how to provide that intersectional care, that culturally responsive care." – Maria Davis-Pierre, LMHC

Notable Quotes:

"Especially with this conference, a lot of times, it's about getting people out of their comfort zone or putting people in a comfort zone because they've been so used to not being comfortable." – Dr. Berry Pierre

"Yes, we're there building community, but we know how that intersectionality of being Black with a disability is. And when we have to navigate society in a different way, we have to advocate in a different way. It's so important for us to teach actionable steps that you can start using immediately." – Maria Davis-Pierre, LMHC

"You don't have to be Black to be able to take care of the Black community." – Dr. Berry Pierre

Remember to subscribe to the podcast and share the episode with a friend or family member.

Listen on Apple Podcast, Google Play, Stitcher, Soundcloud, iHeartRadio, and Spotify

Resources:

🔗 REGISTER NOW FOR THE 5TH ANNUAL AUTISM IN BLACK CONFERENCE (April 11-13, 2024)

Connect with Maria Davis-Pierre and Autism in Black Inc.

Maria's Website

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So, let’s talk about HKU5—a coronavirus variant that’s just one mutation away from potentially infecting humans. Should we be worried? Could this be the next pandemic threat? Tune in to this episode to find out!

We’ve seen how fast viruses can spread once they make the jump to humans, and with scientists discovering HKU5, this topic has sparked significant concern in the scientific community and even spooked the financial markets—causing unnecessary panic, financial market fluctuations, and public uncertainty.

But should we really be alarmed? Or is this another case of fear outpacing the facts?

In this episode, we’ll answer all that as we discuss everything you need to know about HKU5. From its potential to mutate, why experts are concerned, to whether or not it could trigger another pandemic—we’ll cover all that in today’s podcast.

So, if you want to know whether or not this could be the next global health crisis, tune in to this episode as we separate fear from reality and prepare without the panic.

Why you need to check this episode:

Learn about the characteristics of the HKU5 virus and how it compares to other coronaviruses like MERS-CoV;
Discover why HKU5 has the scientists' attention and why financial markets have reacted to this news;
Understand the role of mutations in virus transmission and know whether this strain poses a real threat to humans; and
Differentiate scientific caution from media-driven panic, and learn what we can do to stay prepared and informed of HKU5’s risks.

“So, there are some things we know and some things we don’t know about this HKU5 variant. What I can tell you right now [is] no, we’re not headed to a new pandemic, [and] yes, I do think it was an overreaction, especially from these financial markets to sell off and almost mini-crash just because they hear of a new coronavirus—a very big overreaction [that] did not need to occur, especially when you’re inclined to actually read the data…So again, should you be worried? No, but definitely be prepared for any news to come.” – Dr. Berry Pierre

Notable Quotes:

“This hasn’t happened yet, [but] theoretically, from a lab perspective…these mutations are possible that can now make this HKU5 variant that primarily affects bats, cattle, and sheep to now jump to human cells…It has not happened yet, but there is a concern there.” – Dr. Berry Pierre

“No one wants to be caught off-guard to a new variant, to a new virus—because we saw what happened when we were caught off-guard with the first one.” – Dr. Berry Pierre

“We’re still dealing with the coronavirus now, we’re still dealing with variants now, [and] people are still dying now, even though you’re not seeing it on your TV. It’s off the TV—they made sure of that…So, you’re not going to get the necessary fanfare…but trust me, we’re still seeing these patients in the hospital [and] people are still dying in the hospital from it.”– Dr. Berry Pierre

“As we continue to move in this post-pandemic world, understand that we can do some things better than what we did the first go around. We can educate better. We can learn better. We can try to break down any misconceptions better. We can do a lot of things better, especially for those who are fortunate enough to still be alive after the pandemic.” – Dr. Berry Pierre

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Listen on Apple Podcast, Google Play, Stitcher, Soundcloud, iHeartRadio, and Spotify

Resources:

The Article that Dr. Berry Read

Watch Our Previous Episodes Discussing the Coronavirus Below:

Answering YouTube's Pressing Covid-19 Questions
Why Covid-19 and the Flu are NOT the Same Thing
Are COVID Cases Rising Again
What is Long COVID
Doctor Reacts to Monkeypox Vs Covid-19 Debate
Doctor Reacts to Covid-19, Omicron Variant, & School Shutdowns
What is the Covid-19 Omicron BA.5 variant
4 Million Cases Later with COVID-19 (coronavirus update)

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So, let’s talk about the common causes of low libido and what you can do to reignite your passion and improve your sex life…

Are you or your partner struggling with low libido, wondering why your sex drive isn’t what it used to be? You're not alone. In fact, 70% of adults will experience low libido at some point in their lives. However, despite how common it is, this topic remains taboo, leaving many to struggle in silence and confusion.

But it doesn’t have to be this way. Low libido doesn’t have to be a lifelong struggle, and it’s not something that’s just “in your head”.

That’s why in this episode, we’re going to talk about low libido—the common causes, and more importantly, what you can do about it. So, if you want to say goodbye to a low sex drive, make sure you tune in to this episode and learn how you can reignite your passion and improve your sex life.

Why you need to check this episode:

Discover the emotional and relationship impact of a decreased sex drive;
Understand the key factors/common causes that contribute to low libido;

Recognize the importance of a great doctor-patient relationship and how it leads to open communication; and
Learn what you can do to address low libido and improve your sexual health.

“Yes, low libido is real. No, it doesn’t have to only be due to [your] partner. No, it’s not [your] fault. And yes, there are things that we can do to try to help get you on that journey of improving your status.” – Dr. Berry Pierre

Notable Quotes:

“It (low libido) is not your fault. It’s not your partner’s fault. It just kind of happens.” – Dr. Berry Pierre

“You need professional help [to] get that back in line because there is no solution to your low libido if we don’t treat the [underlying] problem. I don’t want to tell you that there’s a magical pill that you can take and then your libido’s great, especially when I think about my men…There isn’t a magical pill that I can give you and boom—your low libido is up…It’s a matter of identifying what’s the problem when dealing with this low libido—what’s the real issue and then hitting it on head first.” – Dr. Berry Pierre

“This (low libido) used to be an old person thing. This used to be a thing that we would expect some years to go by before you start experiencing it. But that’s no longer the case. A lot of young people—my 20s and my 30s—are experiencing these same issues [and] these same effects.” – Dr. Berry Pierre

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Listen on Apple Podcast, Google Play, Stitcher, Soundcloud, iHeartRadio, and Spotify

Resources:

Blog Post: https://www.drberrypierre.com/unveiling-the-hidden-causes-of-low-libido-and-discovering-effective-solutions/

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So, let’s talk about why The Black Boys, Men, and Fathers Summit is a must-attend summit this 2025…

Imagine discovering that resources for you or your child are scarce, conversations about your lived experiences are nearly non-existent, and no one is talking about the challenges you face daily—let alone solutions on how to overcome them.

For many Black autistic men and fathers, this isn’t just a challenge—it’s their daily reality. And as you know, my wife and I have been working to change that narrative by starting Autism in Black Inc.

Following the success of the Black Autistic Girls and Women’s Summit, we knew it was time to center the discussion on Black boys, their fathers, and men. That’s why in this episode, I’ll let you in on the details of the first-ever Black Boys, Men, and Fathers Summit happening on March 8th.

A free, one-day virtual event—this summit is designed to empower, educate, and connect. So, if you’re a Black autistic man or a father to a Black autistic boy, make sure to tune in to learn about the summit, its purpose, and how you can be part of this groundbreaking movement for change.

Why you need to check this episode:

Understand the challenges Black boys, men, and fathers face in autism diagnosis and support, and how such disparities impact their life;
Recognize the importance of amplifying Black boys, men, and fathers' voices in autism advocacy, creating spaces where they are seen, heard, and supported; and
Discover how the Black Boys, Men, and Fathers Summit is creating change, and how you can be part of it.

“We just talked to the women; we just talked to the girls. [Now], let’s talk to the fathers…to the men out here, and let them know that they are seen, they are heard, and that there’s an avenue to have a conversation.” – Dr. Berry Pierre

Notable Quotes:

“I wanted to see different vantage points, different conversations, that don’t typically get had, or if they do, it’s maybe one out of 20 sessions.” – Dr. Berry Pierre

“Whenever I’m doing an event like this…I’m always thinking about the next…So, while I live in the moment and I can understand the excitement…I’m trying to figure out how to take the idea of this type of summit and make sure we extend it to grow in four to five years. For me, it’s all about the long game…It’s been so long that the conversation hasn’t been centered around the Black autistic community…We don’t sign up for these things just to do it one year, and then try something different next year.” – Dr. Berry Pierre

“As an organization, the Autism in Black, we’re excited to be the ones who are willing to put our necks out there and say, ‘You know what? This conversation isn’t happening enough and we’re about to do something about it.” – Dr. Berry Pierre

Remember to subscribe to the podcast and share the episode with a friend or family member.

Listen on Apple Podcast, Google Play, Stitcher, Soundcloud, iHeartRadio, and Spotify

Resources:

Join Us In This Groundbreaking Event Dedicated To Addressing The Unique Needs And Experiences Of Black Boys, Men, and Their Fathers! Get Your FREE Tickets For “The 2025 Black Boys, Men, And Fathers Summit” NOW: http://www.autisminblack.org/menssummit2025

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So, let’s talk about microplastics—what they are, where they’re found, and whether they actually pose a health risk…

Microplastics are everywhere—from the air we breathe, the water we drink, to the food we eat. To add to this, they have also been detected in human bodies, raising questions about their prevalence and potential impact on our health.

With growing concerns flooding timelines and news cycles, are microplastics really as harmful as what the news and articles are trying to say?

If you want to learn the answers, join me in this episode as I separate fear from reality and equip you with easy-to-do steps to reduce your exposure without unnecessary panic.

Whether you’re concerned about your health or just trying to cut through the noise, this is episode will tell you what microplastics are, where they come from, and if they’re really as dangerous as the headlines claim them to be.

Why you need to check this episode:

Learn where microplastics come from and how they enter our bodies;
Understand the current research on microplastics’ potential health risks; and
Recognize why completely avoiding microplastics might be impossible—but there are things you can do to reduce exposure.

“There are not too many things you can do to avoid these microplastics, but understand that we’re going to keep an eye on it. We’re going to make sure that it doesn’t become the problem that it possibly can be.” – Dr. Berry Pierre

Notable Quotes:

“You might be trying to figure out: ‘Can I avoid this?’ First of all, the answer is no, and I hate to say it…[But] I didn’t want the cliffhanger of people thinking that somehow, someway, they’re going to somehow avoid exposure to microplastics…It’s less than five (5) millimeters [and] it’s found in the air and water. How would you do that? It’s found in certain foods. How would you do that?” – Dr. Berry Pierre

“They [dangers] are perceived right now. There are no overt human-related known issues that are due specifically to microplastics...yet. There aren’t any human-related issues that we see at this time. Most of the discussion associated with microplastics are what they see in the lab that they extrapolate would happen if it happened to us in that severe degree.” – Dr. Berry Pierre

“I just want to get you guys off the ledge of fear of these microplastics. We’re not at that point yet, despite what all of these news and articles may try to act like it is. But always be concerned that if it is there, we’ll let you know about it—at least here in the Lunch and Learn Community.” – Dr. Berry Pierre

Remember to subscribe to the podcast and share the episode with a friend or family member.

Listen on Apple Podcast, Google Play, Stitcher, Soundcloud, iHeartRadio, and Spotify

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So, let’s talk about the importance of gut health and how a healthy gut is essential to a healthy and happy life…

Imagine having to plan your day around where the nearest bathroom is, just in case you got to go quickly…

With over a hundred trillion microbiota present in the human gut, our unique combination of these microorganisms plays a crucial role in our overall health. From nutrient absorption to immune response and hormone regulation, so many aspects of our lives are being affected by our gut health.

Unfortunately, though, many of us fail to recognize the signs of an unhealthy gut until they become severe. Even I was giving gut health a side-eye before—and gut health wasn't emphasized as much when I was still in medical school.

But now that I know better, I’m bringing you this episode to share why you should take your gut health seriously and be proactive on respecting it. Whether you're dealing with GI issues or simply want to enhance your wellness journey, this episode will help you learn why shouldn’t underestimate the power of a healthy gut.

So, if you want to take control of your health from the inside out, tune in now and learn how small changes can make a big impact—both on your gut and your overall life!

Why you need to check this episode:

Learn the importance of gut health and how it impacts various bodily functions;
Recognize the common signs of an unhealthy gut and their systemic implications;
Discover lifestyle factors that can impact gut health;
Get practical tips for maintaining a balanced gut along with recommendations on probiotics and dietary changes that can support gut health; and
Understand personal anecdotes and insights from patients who have struggled with chronic gastrointestinal issues, illustrating the profound impact that gut health can have on one’s life.

“I'm just here to let you know that yes, it [gut health] is important. It is not just a buzzword. It is not just a thing that people are doing to try to make some money. It can cause a lot of problems when it is out of whack.” – Dr. Berry Pierre

Notable Quotes:

“I don’t want y’all to play our digestive system like it’s on the back burner and that we don’t really need to focus on it. It is an important system that causes a lot of problems, a lot of stress and anxiety, depression—everything under the sun—for people when it is off the tract.” – Dr. Berry Pierre

“Don’t let [anyone] tell you that having a good GI system and having great, efficient gut health is not important…because that [only] means they’ve never experienced a bad GI system, especially for an extended period of time. Never let someone tell you that that’s not a factor when we’re thinking about the gut health.” – Dr. Berry Pierre

“If you don’t keep that balance, guess what? Not only is the GI tract affected; your cardiac issues are affected…your kidneys are affected, your sugars. All things can be a problem if the GI tract isn’t aligned.” – Dr. Berry Pierre

“If you don’t get nothing today on today’s episode, you are going to respect the GI tract; that’s what I want you to do. Respect the GI tract if you don’t get nothing from today’s episode.” – Dr. Berry Pierre

Remember to subscribe to the podcast and share the episode with a friend or family member.

Listen on Apple Podcast, Google Play, Stitcher, Soundcloud, iHeartRadio, and Spotify

Mentions:

Blog Post (A Guide to Nurturing Your Gut Health)
Dr. Berry Pierre’s Amazon Supplement Store
Physician’s Choice Probiotics

Probiotics 60 Billion CFU - Probiotics for Women, Probiotics for Men and Adults, Natural, Shelf Stable Probiotic Supplement with Organic Prebiotic, Acidophilus Probiotic

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So, let’s talk about burnout—its signs and stages, and how to cope when you can’t just leave work and quit…

Do you notice yourself detaching from work, procrastinating, and taking longer to complete tasks? Do you dread the fact that you have to go to work and struggle with chronic stress a lot?

If yes, you may be experiencing burnout—a serious issue affecting individuals across all professions. More than just feeling tired, it is a chronic phenomenon that affects not only you who is burnt out, but also those around you—your friends, your loved ones, and even your job.

Yes, if left unaddressed, not only can it ruin your relationships—it can also cause you to lose your job. As harsh as it may sound, people who aren’t burnt out don’t want to work with someone who is burnt out.

From the challenges of feeling stuck, the importance of taking action, and how having the right mindset can lead to meaningful change—this episode covers my writing journey and what I hope you’ll do after reading a self-help book like mine.

This is why it's crucial to recognize the signs that arise, take action, and seek help ASAP.

If you don’t know where to start, take the first step by joining me in this episode as I discuss the five stages of burnout, how to recognize the warning signs, and practical strategies to combat it before it takes over your life.

Why you need to check this episode:

Discover the signs and symptoms that usually indicate you're on the path to burnout;
Get to know the five stages of burnout and understand how it progresses and impacts your life;
Learn about effective prevention and management strategies you can start today to address burnout; and
Recognize the importance of seeking help and taking action when dealing with burnout.

“I can assure you—the people who aren’t burnt out don’t want to work with people who are burnt out…They’ll find a way to get rid of you; they’ll find a way to get you out of there if you allow it. So, understand that it is extremely important that if you get to stage five, you may need to seek some professional help; and whatever mental roadblocks you have of seeking professional help, you better get rid of it or the job will get rid of you.” – Dr. Berry Pierre

Notable Quotes:

“If we don’t do a great job—I don’t even say a good job—recognizing the symptoms [and] recognizing how it can affect not only the person who’s being burnt out but everyone around them, [like] their family members and their loved ones, we will continue to run into these problems.” – Dr. Berry Pierre

“[Burnout] is not just a mental thing; it’s not something that’s only in your head. Your body reacts to you being in an environment that you don’t really want to be in…The body will have physical reactions to a situation or to an environment that’s really causing harm to you—even if you think the only harm it’s causing you is from an emotional standpoint.” – Dr. Berry Pierre

“If we don’t recognize our signs and symptoms, if we don’t recognize we may be burnt out, we won’t recognize when it’s time to get some help.” – Dr. Berry Pierre

Remember to subscribe to the podcast and share the episode with a friend or family member.

Listen on Apple Podcast, Google Play, Stitcher, Soundcloud, iHeartRadio, and Spotify

Mentions:

Blog Post about Burnout
Assessment Tool

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So, let’s discuss how the right mindset and guidance can lead you towards reaching your full potential, and how that realization inspired me to write the book I’m releasing this 2025…

Have you ever felt like you're on autopilot, stuck in the trap of having a monotonous routine? You’re not alone; that’s a struggle a lot of people go through. In fact, statistics show that 80% of people never really reach their full potential in life.

But why is that? What’s holding you back from breaking free? Well, let me tell you: it’s the lack of the right guidance—and more crucially, the right mindset—to do so.

And as an internist with a passion for helping others, such realization has driven me to finally write the book I’ve always wanted to write. In this episode, we’ll talk about just that, along with the motivations behind the book I call a labor of love.

In an effort to help people like you transform your life, I’m putting it out there, and you’ll be able to read it by the end of the first quarter of 2025. But while you wait for its release, join us in this episode first and discover why it's essential to be an action-taker—not just a consumer of self-help materials like mine.

Why you need to check this episode:

Get a behind-the-scenes look at Dr. Pierre’s motivations for writing the book and the structure of its content;
Learn about the actionable steps and reflection exercises included in the book that’s designed to prompt readers to take initiative in their lives; and
Understand how the right mindset and guidance can lead you towards reaching your full potential in life.

“I don’t want you to just be consumers. I want you to be action-takers of the material or information that’s going to be provided for you.” – Dr. Berry Pierre

Notable Quotes:

“That’s one thing about me that you guys know—I’m all about the action. We have enough books, enough seminars, [and] enough courses. We have plenty of information out there, but we don’t have a lot of people taking action out there…There’s plenty of people giving information, but not plenty of people demanding action. So, anytime you consume any bit of my content…I want you to know that I want you to take this information that I’m giving you and apply it to your life almost immediately…so you can start seeing the results. Because once you start seeing the results, guess what? It becomes this positive feedback loop that you want to more action again.” – Dr. Berry Pierre

“You have so many different options and so many different scenarios and routes to get from point A to point B, but it's because you have so many different options, routes, and scenarios that you just end up not moving. So [through the book], we're going to make sure even those people who feel just confused and stuck—they have a route to go, and they have examples in the palm of their hands of people who have done it, or people who didn't do it and the consequences of it.” – Dr. Berry Pierre

Remember to subscribe to the podcast and share the episode with a friend or family member.

Listen on Apple Podcast, Google Play, Stitcher, Soundcloud, iHeartRadio, and Spotify

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So, let’s talk about why Robert F. Kennedy Jr. should not be the Secretary of Health and Human Services if we want to avoid another public health disaster…

Did you know that RFK Jr. was one of the twelve people dubbed the “Disinformation Dozen” responsible for over 50% of misinformation in the United States during the height of the pandemic?

A lot of people like RFK Jr. for his advocacies on artificial food and the environment, and I have nothing against that; I believe those things are important. But if we’re going to have a conversation about health-related initiatives, I will not just sit here quietly as if I’m okay with him being appointed as the Secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services.

Let me make this clear: I am not okay with this guy being the Secretary of Human and Health Services. There are people who are no longer here to listen to this episode because they passed away due to misinformation because of the likes of people like RFK Jr. But let’s be honest, despite his contribution to misinformation, some people might still not understand where I’m coming from.

That’s why in this episode of Medicine Mondays, I’ll be talking about some of the many reasons why RFK Jr. is not the man for the job, and more importantly, why an RFK Jr.-led Health and Human Services could lead to another public health disaster.

Why you need to check this episode:

-Discover five out of the many debunked claims that RFK Jr. perpetuated during the height of the pandemic; -Learn the roles and responsibilities of the Secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services, and why RFK Jr. is not qualified for the job; and -Find out why we should not ignore the lack of truthfulness in the health advocacies of Robert F. Kennedy Jr.

“Yes, I understand that there are some bridges that have been burnt down in regards to health information and communication and trust. But trust me, this person [Robert F. Kennedy Jr.] is not the guy who you want leading bridge-building festivities back again. That is not the case whatsoever. That is the problem.” – Dr. Berry Pierre

Notable Quotes:

“As a physician, you don’t have the leeway to be like, ‘Politics doesn’t matter, I’m only focused on medicine.’ Maybe 20-30 years ago, you could probably get away with that level of an excuse. But as we continue to see just how much politics affects how I practice on a day-to-day basis, the idea that you can just ignore it, act like it's not important, act like it doesn't affect you and your patients–it’s gone; that's out of here.” – Dr. Berry Pierre

“I can see why you can be a supporter of an RFK Jr.-led health department because you see some of the positives…[But] we also have to deal with the negatives–and those negatives will far outweigh any fight against artificial ingredients and whatever things he wants to do.” – Dr. Berry Pierre

“Just because you’re an advocate of things does not mean that what you’re advocating for is true, or more importantly, that you’re doing it with any level of foundation of expertise…Just because you’re vocal does not mean that you are truthful.” – Dr. Berry Pierre

Mentions:

20 Debunked Claims by Robert F. Kennedy Jr
How RFK Jr. Falsely Denied His Connection to a Deadly Measles Outbreak in Samoa
Doctor Reacts to Another Measles Outbreak in Philadelphia
US Foods That Are Banned in Other Countries

Remember to subscribe to the podcast and share the episode with a friend or family member.

Listen on Apple Podcast, Google Play, Stitcher, Soundcloud, iHeartRadio, and Spotify

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So, let’s talk about the journey of getting to 400 episodes—how it started, the lessons I’ve learned, and what the future holds for this platform…

What began as a small passion project of a medical student has now become an incredible milestone—we’re in our 400th episode!

This is such a remarkable feat for me, because 90% of the podcasts out there stop publishing after their first three episodes, and of the remaining 10% that get past it, 90% stop at 20. Yet, here we are, at our 400th—a milestone I couldn’t have reached without your unwavering support.

But in a world flooded with struggling podcasters and hundreds of thousands of podcasts, how have I stayed committed for nearly a decade, creating and sharing life-changing insights every single week?

In this episode, we’ll answer all that as we reflect on the journey that led us to this remarkable day. So, whether you’ve been with us since the beginning or just tuned in recently, join me as we celebrate this milestone and pursue our passions relentlessly.

Why you need to check this episode:

-Learn what’s made it possible for us to reach the incredible milestone of having 400 episodes; -Understand the importance of consistency and passion when doing something that you wish to stand out on; -Get to know the reason why I’m still doing podcasting even after reaching its 400th episode; and -Discover the plans we have for the future of the podcast as we continue with the mission to help you think like a doctor and empower yourself for better health.

“If you’re an aspiring podcaster or someone who wants to get out there, understand that those are probably going to be your two biggest driving forces in the beginning…The consistency has got to be there…The passion has got to be there. Because if you’re not a celebrity, there’s not a lot of people who are going to know who you are or what you’re talking about in the beginning…So yes, you’re going to be in the sea of podcasts that are out there, but what’s going to help differentiate you and help you stand out is that you’re going to keep on going.” – Dr. Berry Pierre

Notable Quotes:

“This is what makes the 400th episode so important—90% of podcasts don’t publish after three episodes…[and] of the remaining 10%, 90% quit after 20 episodes…So, think about the outlier that you would have to be just to make it to episodes 21, 31, 40, 100, 200, and where we’re at today—400. Think about what it takes to be consistent, especially from a podcast perspective.” – Dr. Berry Pierre

“I know that [the podcast] has saved lives, and that’s the beauty. I don’t know all of the lives I saved; I just know that I have a voice, and in this profession of medicine, you do things because you want to change and you want to help foster positive change—and I know I’ve done that over these…past decade of podcasting…There’s so much content out there because I know there’s so much lives that need to be changed.” – Dr. Berry Pierre

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So, let’s talk about whether New Year's resolutions are truly a scam or not…

Have you ever started a New Year’s resolution only to abandon it by March? Maybe you’ve felt like the whole concept was just a ploy for gyms, businesses, or apps to profit off your ambition, or in other words—a scam.

This very reason has repeatedly caused many people to lose motivation to achieve the goals they’ve set beforehand.

But here’s the truth—resolutions fail not because they’re a scam, but because of the approach many take while working on them. By focusing on vague goals or external pressures, most people set themselves up not to succeed but to fail.

That’s why in this episode, we’re debunking the “scam” myth as we share actionable strategies that will help you crush your goals for 2025 and set you up for success.

If you want to take control of your resolutions and make 2025 your best year yet, tune in to this episode and discover the mindset shifts and habits that will lead you to lasting success.

Why you need to check this episode:

-Learn why resolutions often fail by March (and how to avoid this common trap); -Understand the critical difference between intrinsic and extrinsic motivating factors, especially which among the two will truly drive you towards lasting success; and -Recognize how goal visualization, aligning your goals with your values, and creating systems—not just goals—set you up for long-term success

“Remember, New Year's resolutions are not a scam. Even though they sound like it, they are not a scam. It's the approach to your New Year's resolutions that is the scam. If you approach it in a scammy way…in a way that is only dictated on what it looks like on IG, what it looks like on TikTok, if you approach it in that fashion, then yeah, the scam is there—but you're the scammer. You're scamming yourself from being a better person…You are the scammer if you think New Year's resolutions are scams, because you are going to be able to try to tell yourself the lies that are available.” – Dr. Berry Pierre

Notable Quotes:

“In our journey of trying to figure out ‘is a New Year's resolution something that I should be doing?’, recognize [that] one factor is going to push you when all the outside world is blocked out and not paying you any mind, and one factor is going to maybe motivate you for the short run, but after a while, you're going to start making excuses…So, understand that there [are] two important drivers in your journey of trying to change for the better, trying to do something different. And depending on which route you go—[intrinsic] reasoning versus your extrinsic reasoning—is a good barometer of whether you'll be doing it come July, August, September and you'll be a different person come December.” – Dr. Berry Pierre

“Your brain does not want to fail; your brain is not trained to fail. It is trained to protect, but it’s not trained to fail.” – Dr. Berry Pierre

“It’s tough when we have to say, ‘I’m the reason why I failed’…So, I want you to be able to say, ‘I’m the reason why I lost the weight. I’m the reason why I go to the gym every day and I gained all this muscle. I’m the reason why I’m a better friend to all of my friends now, and I’m the best brother or sister.’ I want you to be able to say at the end of 2025, ‘I’m the reason why these things are occurring’, because we have to look inward. It has to be an inward-looking goal to say ‘this is why I want to do it’, because that is what’s going to carry you for the year 2025 and beyond; trust me.” – Dr. Berry Pierre

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So, let’s talk about long COVID and why it’s something we need to keep paying attention to even after the height of the pandemic…

Imagine dealing with a disease three months after it first hit…and once you go to your doctor, you leave without answers—no explanation for why it’s happening or guidance on how to heal. This is the reality a lot of people go through these days as they live with long COVID.

A condition with hundreds of possible symptoms, it’s a concern the medical community is still catching up to, which leaves many feeling isolated in their struggle. More often than not, people aren’t believed, and worse, they can’t find effective help.

That’s why in this episode, we’ll discuss long COVID, the hundreds of symptoms tied to it, who is most at risk, and the importance of physicians acknowledging and validating patients’ experiences.

Whether you’re living with long COVID, know someone who is, or are a healthcare provider looking to support your patients better, this episode will equip you with reasons why we need to listen, validate, and find solutions together—starting today. So, join us and discover how empathy, awareness, and better communication can be key to making a positive difference.

Why you need to check this episode:

Understand what dealing with long COVID means, especially with its extensive range of symptoms; - Discover the key risk factors that put you at higher risk of having long COVID; and - Recognize the importance of patient-physician communication, especially understanding and validating patient experiences, and why long COVID isn’t something that should be dismissed

“It’s just one of those things where we really have to have open eyes and ears for our patients because it is clear that your patients aren’t making it up. It is not ‘in their head’ just because they had COVID. This is real, and the numbers are starting to show it.” – Dr. Berry Pierre

Notable Quotes:

“Having a good conversation [and] a good rapport with your patients is going to be first in line to help diagnose a patient with this syndrome. Because again, there are no tests, and more importantly, because there are no tests, there really isn’t a one-stop treatment option either.” – Dr. Berry Pierre

“Make sure we are very understanding and listening to our patients…As a healthcare provider, you almost got to be like a coach…Understand them, reiterate what their issues are, and then try to kind of at least lead them to this aspect of ‘Hey, I think I know what's wrong’. Because if you tell the person ‘Hey, I don't know what's wrong with you, I'm not sure when this is going to be over, but take this medication here’, they're not going to have their trust in you that you're actually taking care of them.” – Dr. Berry Pierre

“My healthcare providers, I don’t know if you know this, [but] a lot of people—a lot of your own patients—are seeking help online because they don’t think you can give it to them.” – Dr. Berry Pierre

Mentions:

Understanding Long Covid: Causes, Symptoms, and Treatments
CDC’s Definition of Long COVID
Why Your Doctor Needs to be Your Health Coach

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So, let’s talk about polycystic ovarian syndrome (PCOS) and why understanding it is crucial for women’s fertility and health…

Did you know that 1 in 10 women of reproductive age are affected by polycystic ovarian syndrome?

Commonly known as PCOS, this condition that involves hormone imbalances disrupts ovulation, leads to insulin resistance, and can increase risks of miscarriage and pregnancy complications.

It affects a lot of women, and yet, many still don’t understand how and why it’s a problem that needs intervention.

That’s why in this episode, we’ll break down the facts about PCOS, debunk myths, and explore treatment options to help women take control.

Whether you’re dealing with irregular periods, weight gain, or fertility struggles, tune in and learn how you can help someone you care about on the path to better well-being and fertility.

Why you need to check this episode:

Understand how PCOS impacts 1 in 10 women of reproductive age, influencing hormone balance, ovulation, and overall fertility; - Discover the link between insulin resistance, chronic inflammation, and elevated androgen levels that exacerbate PCOS symptoms; - Recognize the importance of early diagnosis through lab work, hormone tracking, and ultrasounds to identify irregularities and improve outcomes; - Learn about lifestyle strategies like weight management, stress reduction, and avoiding environmental toxins to mitigate PCOS symptoms; and - Explore medical treatments, including ovulation-inducing medications like Clomid and Letrozole, to support fertility and symptom management.

“Definitely, [there’s] some options there. So, it is not a dead-end street when talking about PCOS, when talking about fertility. But the problem is that a lot of people don't know where the road is, and you won't know where the road is unless you're driving, right? So, what have you got to do? You got to drive to the doctor's office. You got to ask the appropriate questions and be able to be open with your doctor if they ask you, hopefully, appropriate questions, so you can give appropriate answers.” – Dr. Berry Pierre

Notable Quotes:

“One in 10 women of reproductive age are affected by PCOS…So, this isn't like a disease that very few people get. This disease affects a lot of women.” – Dr. Berry Pierre

“One of the things I do, especially when I was teaching my students, or with medical residents, I say, we don't order tests because we're hoping for an answer and then we'll kind of figure out our diagnosis. We're ordering a test…to confirm our diagnosis, which is a different ballgame. I'm not just willy-nilly ordering a test just to order it. I'm ordering that test because I assume you have this problem and I want to confirm if it's true with the results.” – Dr. Berry Pierre

Mentions:

The Myths of Fertility in Men

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So, let’s talk about myths surrounding male fertility and why it’s crucial to understand that fertility issues aren’t just a woman’s concern…

Have you ever heard of the phrases “real men don’t have fertility problems”, “age doesn’t matter for men”, or “fertility issues are a woman’s problem”?

These half-truths and misconceptions aren’t just wrong—they’re harmful. It’s a common belief, but it’s far from the truth.

In fact, 40-50% of all fertility challenges are due to male factors—and yet, myths and misinformation keep many men from understanding their role.

That’s why in this episode, we’re setting the record straight as we debunk myths, discuss how lifestyle impacts sperm health, and outline actionable steps men can take to support their fertility.

Whether you’re preparing for parenthood, supporting a partner, or just wanting to learn more, this episode will challenge what you think you know and guide you toward taking action. So, tune in now and take the first step towards informed and proactive fertility health.

Why you need to check this episode:

Understand why fertility is not a women’s issue alone but a shared responsibility between men and women;
Discover how age and lifestyle factors such as smoking, alcohol consumption, diet, and exercise play a crucial role in sperm health;
Recognize the importance of regular medical checkups to identify and address potential health issues that may affect fertility; and
Learn about interventions such as testosterone supplementation and assisted reproductive technologies (in vitro fertilization or IVF and intracytoplasmic sperm injection or ICSI) that can help address fertility challenges

“If you understand that fertility is a two-way street—that it could be a male issue or a female issue, guess what? You get to the problems and the problem-solving a lot quicker.” – Dr. Berry Pierre

Notable Quotes:

“As we age, not only can our sperm count decrease, but more importantly, we don’t have as healthy a sperm as we had when we were 18 or 20. So yeah, your body may still produce sperm…[but] it doesn’t mean that the sperm that you’re producing is actually good sperm.” – Dr. Berry Pierre

“Regular checkups need to be in your armamentarium if you want to make sure you don’t have to worry about fertility issues when you’re ready to fertilize.” – Dr. Berry Pierre

“One thing I always say in medicine—if you come to us early enough, we have some options to treat the issue…So, never fear. You just got to come and see us…The medical field is here for you, [and] your partner will be there for you as well. It’s kind of a team effort in working with fertility.” – Dr. Berry Pierre

Mentions:

Common Myths About Male Fertility
Understanding the Pros and Cons of Testosterone Replacement Therapy

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Sponsors:

Lunch and Learn Patreon Family
Lunch and Learn Community Online Store (code Empower10)
Pierre Medical Consulting (If you are looking to expand your social reach and make your process automated then Pierre Medical Consulting is for you)
Dr. Pierre's Resources – These are some of the tools I use to become successful using social media
My Amazon Store – Check out all of the book recommendations you heard in the episode

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So, let’s discuss why we should start working on our New Year's resolutions now rather than waiting until January 1st to act…

We have about five weeks left in the calendar now before the year 2024 ends. But before we start making New Year’s resolutions for 2025, I first want to ask: how did your resolutions for 2024 turn out?

Because what tends to happen when people have New Year’s resolutions is they say, “I got all of 2024 to do this thing”, but then Thanksgiving comes, and they realize, “I didn’t do that.” Thinking you have all year to work on the change you want to see happen is how the trap of failure sets into your life.

But I don’t want you to be a victim of that. That’s why in this episode, we’re gearing you up for an early start. In this week's podcast, we’ll discuss the value of planning and working on our resolutions in December, seeing the remaining weeks as an opportunity rather than a countdown.

These last five weeks are perfect for building momentum, so don’t wait for January 1st—let’s begin now. Tune into this episode, and together, let’s set ourselves up for a successful 2025.

Why you need to check this episode:

-Discover easy and simple steps to achieve success when working on your New Year’s Resolutions; -Understand why it’s a lot better that you start acting now and not wait until January 1st before working on reaching your goals; and -Recognize the importance and power of accountability in driving you toward the achievement of your goals

“Whatever that thing is, I want to make sure there is an improvement for the year 2025 [for you]. And I want you to get started now. We are not waiting until January to start this stuff. We are not waiting until January to start thinking about our New Year’s resolutions. We are not waiting until January to start thinking about the obstacles. We are not waiting until January to start holding ourselves accountable with solutions. We're not doing that, y'all. Not no more; because they don't work.” – Dr. Berry Pierre

Notable Quotes:

Quotes:

“This is a safe space. We are going to talk our way through it and then get to moving. And we're not waiting ‘til January 1st; we're not waiting for any type of ball drop to occur. No, we are going to get the game started right now. We are getting the transformation started right now. We're going to put plans into action right now.” – Dr. Berry Pierre

“When you get older, you start valuing some things a lot more, and you start realizing that you can't value them unless you're at the healthiest that you can be.” – Dr. Berry Pierre

“You have to tell someone because someone needs to hold you accountable... Accountability will push and pull and get you to the finish line like no other thing.” – Dr. Berry Pierre

Mentions:

10 Goals (TikTok): - https://www.tiktok.com/t/ZTFnpsQkt/ How Do You Cope with Grief: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c6LgkX3wbcs
Previous episodes about New Year’s resolutions: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sO4SbByW04o https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iUymIuSvBTI https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OhF8OK8SVKs https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IkgSe90_Q28 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PPM8oM1XYPQ

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So, let’s talk about the silent weight of grief—especially as it surfaces during the holiday season when everyone else seems to be celebrating…

Coping with grief is a deeply personal experience that’s often misunderstood by many. Contrary to others’ belief, there’s no one-size-fits-all approach to healing. It is a highly individualized process that for a lot of people, moving forward happens differently.

Unfortunately, this often goes unacknowledged, leading some individuals to feel pressured to move on quickly. This is because, as those around them may suggest, others seem to have already done so.

But regardless of intent, it shouldn’t be like that. There shouldn’t be a shot clock dictating how long one has to—or not to—grieve.

That’s why in this episode, we’ll cover how grief impacts each of us uniquely, why it's okay to still feel the weight of loss long after others have moved on, and why moving forward doesn’t mean leaving our memories or feelings behind.

Whether you find yourself navigating grief or supporting a loved one who is, this episode serves as a reminder that people should be allowed to cope with grief—at their own pace.

Why you need to check this episode:

Learn how grief impacts us differently and why there is no “one-size-fits-all” approach to processing loss;
Understand the complexities of grieving for someone with dementia, where the loss is emotional and mental rather than physical; and
Recognize the importance of allowing yourself to cope without pressure or a timeline, embracing grief as an evolving experience

“I want us to understand that coping with the grief isn't a death sentence. It is something that we are allowed to move forward with, it is something that we are allowed to have to live with us, and it is something that we're allowed to not have a shot clock. The shot clock can be turned off when it comes time to grief.” – Dr. Berry Pierre

Notable Quotes:

Quotes:

“There [are] no books out there that says what's the appropriate time that we should be getting over things. We have to understand that for a lot of people, getting over things is going to happen in different ways.” – Dr. Berry Pierre

“Whether it be talking with a good support system like a friend or family member, or if you have access to talk with a counselor, there's certain systems, certain processes, certain ways that we can kind of help people move through all of these stages…That way may not be a one size fits all…but understand that there is a route.” – Dr. Berry Pierre

“If you're coping with it and you're living with it and you're moving forward with it, we're going in the right direction. But if it's debilitating, if it's handicapping, [or] if it's making it so that you can't do the things you need to do, this is when I think you need some help.” – Dr. Berry Pierre

“I don't want the grief to succumb. I want us to be able to cope with it, live with it, and move forward with it.” – Dr. Berry Pierre

Mentions:

How to Deal with the Unexpected with Niesia Garza, LCSW
Grief and Dementia Together with Niesia Garza MSW, LCSW
Niesia Garza, LCSW

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So, let’s talk about having healthy eating habits without sacrificing fun during the holidays…

With 2025 just around the corner, many of us are now gearing up for travel and reconnecting with family and friends. For many, this time of the year is filled with joy and celebration. But more often than not, people experience a sense of "holiday blues"–they feel down and out–as the holiday season comes to a close.

But why do we typically “feel the blues”? One major reason is that we tend to neglect healthy eating habits as we approach the festive season.

Now, don’t get me wrong. I’m not telling you not to eat and have fun. I want you to fully enjoy the holidays with your loved ones. What I want to make sure is that we’re not “feeling the blues” come post-holiday season.

That’s why in this episode, I will be giving you important tips on how to enjoy the holidays while maintaining healthy eating habits throughout. So by the time January comes, you won’t have to worry about dealing with health issues brought on by the holidays.

Why you need to check this episode:

Get tips on how to prioritize healthy eating, especially during the holidays; - Learn how to stay active and manage stress during the holiday season; and - Find out how to enjoy the holiday celebrations while maintaining a healthy eating habit.

“I wish I could tell you that eating healthy is a passive process, but I can be a first-hand witness; it is not. We have to be very active in our approach to eating healthy, avoiding obstacles left and right.” – Dr. Berry Pierre

Notable Quotes:

Quotes:

"I want to make sure that [by] post-holiday season, we're not feeling the blues. Why do we typically feel the blues? Because we don't practice any healthy habits of eating right leading up to the holiday season." – Dr. Berry Pierre

“If you don’t want to end up in the hospital during the holidays, maybe you should probably avoid those foods that you know you shouldn’t be eating.” – Dr. Berry Pierre

“The holidays will be here, and then the holidays will be gone. The question you need to know is when these holidays leave, where do you want to see yourself come January?” – Dr. Berry Pierre

Mentions:

Surviving the Festive Season: Tips for a Balanced and Healthy Holiday

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So, let’s talk about sleep apnea—its seriousness and why we must stop overlooking it like it’s not a health issue that deserves our attention…

Ever wondered how something as common as snoring could be a sign of a serious health concern?

Contrary to what many people think, snoring—even when someone’s makes it so hard for you to sleep—is not merely a harmless annoyance. In some cases, it indicates sleep apnea—a condition that often gets brushed off but can have severe health implications if left untreated.

It can get as serious to the point that you’ll need a pacemaker, as the risk of sudden death is through the roof each time you go for some sleep.

However, unfortunately, many people still don’t recognize the gravity sleep apnea brings with it.

That’s why in this episode, we’ll discuss sleep apnea, some symptoms to watch for, and the profound impact it can have both on your life and health. I’ll share personal experiences and a patient’s story to highlight the importance of diagnosis and treatment. We’ll also talk about the types of sleep apnea and possible treatment options, such as the one I’m using—the CPAP machine.

So, whether you’re just curious about sleep apnea or you suspect it might be affecting you or a loved one, check out this episode, and together, let’s raise awareness about this often misunderstood disease.

Why you need to check this episode:

Get an overview of what sleep apnea is and how serious it can get; - Understand how sleep apnea can silently wreak havoc on your health and affect numerous systems of your body if left untreated; - Recognize the importance of seeing sleep apnea as a serious health concern, way beyond just snoring; and - Hear personal anecdotes and a patient’s story that could help convince you to take action for better health

“That's just an overview of what sleep apnea [is] and the importance of understanding [that] this is a serious disease. When we think about sleep apnea, you should be just as concerned if you're thinking about heart disease…[and] diabetes. I want us to kind of elevate the status of sleep apnea, because I think a lot of times it gets brushed to the side and felt as not as significant, especially clinically. And I want to tell you—that is 100% not the case. You need to get this taken care of, especially if you're concerned about it.” – Dr. Berry Pierre

Notable Quotes:

“It's been a conversation that needs to be talked about because it is one of these diseases that really gets overlooked because we're always thinking about high blood pressure…about diabetes…about obesity…[and] about all these other things here. But a lot of times, if you don't treat the central reason why you're having these problems, you can't deal with anything else.” – Dr. Berry Pierre

“Untreated sleep apnea will make it more difficult for you and your doctor to take care of your blood pressure…of your weight…of your diabetes, and a slew of other disease process that really can't get fixed if [we] don't deal with the sleep apnea. It’s not just [a] disease that's make you snore a lot; it's not a disease that makes it so that people can't sleep next to you, no. This disease has significant effects, especially when left untreated.” – Dr. Berry Pierre

Mentions:

Blog post about sleep apnea
Understanding Sleep Apnea: Health Risks of this Common Sleep Disorder
Some of our previous episodes about sleep apnea
Lunch and Learn with Dr. Berry Episode 15 Sleep Apnea
How many ways to spot sleep apnea with Dr. Berry Pierre
Questionnaires
STOP-BANG
Berlin

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So, let’s talk about the high-in-demand vitamins and supplements people are actively looking for nowadays…

At my recent doctor’s visit, I discovered that my vitamin D levels were low despite living in sunny Florida. So naturally, I was prescribed vitamin D supplements—which made me think about the lack of nutrition education we, healthcare professionals, receive during training.

This made me want to learn about the wide range of vitamins and supplements out there—and now, I’m excited to share what I’ve learned with you.

So to start things with, in today’s episode, we’ll talk about the most sought-after vitamins and supplements people are turning to these days. We’ll cover a bit of what they do, why they’re important and in demand, and how they can benefit your health.

So, if you’ve ever wondered about the supplements you hear everyone talking about, join us, because this episode—and the upcoming blogs about this—is for you.

Why you need to check this episode:

-Have a peek at Dr. Pierre’s health journey as he shares what happened on his recent doctor’s visit;

Discover what vitamins and supplements are high in demand among the public nowadays; and
Gain valuable knowledge on the use and benefits of various vitamins and supplements, such as Vitamin D, Vitamin C, and melatonin among many else.

“As a health care professional, especially as a physician, we don't get a lot of nutrition talk or supplement talk. They don't really do it [at medical school]. So, a lot of times, your primary care providers and just your physicians aren't usually the best people to talk to when it comes to nutrition and supplements, unless we go a little bit extra.” – Dr. Berry Pierre

Notable Quotes:

“Yes, doctors go to doctors to get appointments as well, like I got to get my checkup. Because imagine if I'm sitting here behind this camera telling you [to] go get your annual physical, go get this screening done, [but] I myself am not doing it. Now, I know doctors can be very hypocritical; you do not have to tell me how hypocritical doctors can be. [But] I try not to be one of them, at least on purpose. I try to practice what I preach.” – Dr. Berry Pierre

“Help me help you, and that’s why we’re here in the Lunch and Learn Community.” – Dr. Berry Pierre

Mentions:

Dr. Berry Pierre’s website
Sign Up to Our Weekly Newsletter
Dr. Pierre’s Recommended Supplements

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So, let’s talk about connecting breast cancer awareness efforts to the real people impacted by this disease…

More than just wearing pink, Breast Cancer Awareness Month is about the lives that can be saved through education, early detection, and compassionate care.

Because behind every pink ribbon is a story—a story of someone fighting for, advocating for, or in the most heartbreaking cases, grieving for those lost to the disease.

It’s about real people, real experiences, and real stories—with real struggles that continue even as the month ends.

However, unfortunately, this doesn’t get highlighted enough each time we hop into this month of the year.

That’s why in this episode, we’ll cover why those people should be the focus, as we connect the pinks to them—whether they are the patients, the family members, or the friends.

So, whether you know someone affected by breast cancer or simply want to understand it better, this episode will remind you why it’s important to act—every month of the year, and why we should highlight real-life experiences more than the marketing side of things.

Why you need to check this episode:

Learn about breast cancer this Breast Cancer Awareness Month; - Understand the importance of regular screenings and mammograms along with the consequences of late diagnosis and care; - Recognize the need to connect awareness efforts to the people affected by the disease and not just the marketing side of things.

“We got to enjoy life at all the stages. [We] want to enjoy [our] life as a young adult, as an adult, and as a senior citizen. And to do that, [we] have to build upon the foundation of good preventative care.” – Dr. Berry Pierre

Notable Quotes:

“We're not taking away from the onus of wearing pink and marketing…but I want us to connect that aspect of someone wearing pink to someone that they may be walking for, [to] someone that they may be raising money for.” – Dr. Berry Pierre

“I just want to make sure that we are bringing it back home and making it personable, so that we just don't see a person wearing pink. We see: this person is wearing pink because they have to look out for someone; this person is wearing pink because they may have lost someone.” – Dr. Berry Pierre

“Maybe you're one of the lucky people who don't know anyone who's been affected by breast cancer in one-way shape or form, [but] we at least want to be empathetic to those who do.” – Dr. Berry Pierre

Mentions:

Breast Cancer (Blog post)
Danielle Fishel's Breast Cancer Diagnosis: What We Can Learn

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So, let’s talk about what preventative care means for you based on your age…

Have you ever wondered how preventative care should change as you age?

Preventative care isn't a one-size-fits-all; it changes as we age. From routine exams for young adults to cancer screenings for adults, and chronic condition management for seniors, it’s a lifelong journey interconnected in many ways.

Unfortunately, many people either forget to adjust their care as they age or overlook its value when they’re younger—and this can significantly impact their health later in life.

But I don’t want you to suffer in your senior years. I don't want you to be unable to live life because you didn’t take care of your body the way you should have when you were in your younger years.

So, if your goal is not just to grow old, but to enjoy doing it, join me for another episode of Medicine Mondays as we discuss how preventative care varies and why it’s crucial to take it seriously from an early age.

Why you need to check this episode:

Discover age-specific preventative health care tips, whether you’re a young adult, an adult, or a senior citizen;
Understand how your lifestyle habits in your 20s and 30s can set the stage for a healthier life in your senior years; and
Recognize the importance of preventative health care and the need for tailored ones based on age

Notable Quotes:

“A confused soul [or] a confused person doesn't make a decision. So, if you're confused at what you should do, guess what? You don't even make the decision to go to the doctor, [and] you don't make the decision to ask for the test, because you're not even sure what you're supposed to be asking for.” – Dr. Berry Pierre

“If we take care of this age group here, it saves us a lot more money down the long run…When we don't take care of this age group here, when we start talking about our other age groups, we're having to play catch up, it’s more expensive because we’re playing catch up, and more people die because we're playing catch up.” – Dr. Berry Pierre

“Once you understand what that means for you, all of a sudden, you’re not a confused person anymore. You’ll have so much clarity when it comes to your health.” – Dr. Berry Pierre

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So, let’s talk about the FREE virtual summit happening on October 19th as organized by Autism in Black Inc…

Are you a Black autistic girl, woman, or female-presenting? Are you a parent or a caregiver who is raising or has raised a Black autistic girl? Are you a professional working with any of the said populations to help break the stigma and make their life better?

If your answer is yes to any of those three, then this episode—and summit—is for you.

Because in this episode, we’ll talk about The Black Girls and Women's Autism Summit, a FREE virtual event dedicated to addressing the unique needs and experiences of Black autistic girls and women.

A first to many more summits to be held annually, we’re doing this to educate, empower, and support the Black disability community—to drive home to the fact that our community needs to be observed, looked at, recognized, and more importantly, taken care of, because unfortunately, that's not happening.

So, together with my wife, Maria Davis-Pierre, join us as we take a step towards building a more inclusive and supportive future for our Black autistic girls and women.

Guest’s Bio:

Maria Davis-Pierre, the wife of Dr. Berry Pierre, is a Licensed Mental Health Counselor and the Co-Founder of Autism in Black Inc. Through Autism in Black Inc., she helps educate, empower, and support Black parents who are raising autistic children, while also working with organizations, hospitals, and schools—among many others—that are helping lessen the harm to the Black disability community. As part of the spectrum herself, and being a mother to an autistic child, Maria is dedicated to bringing awareness to autism and reducing the stigma in the Black community.

Why you need to check this episode:

Learn about the details of the upcoming Black Girls and Women's Autism Summit; - Discover how you can avail a ticket for free, and/or upgrade to other options with additional inclusions; and - Recognize the importance of having such summits and amplifying the voices of the Black community

“We’d rather have our children be prepared than unprepared, especially when we’re talking about children who have disabilities, who are neurodivergent. Because those conversations are different for them, and it just doesn't happen in the manner of ‘Now we're talking about it, [and] now you understand’. These are conversations that have to continue and continue and continue…And that’s why we’re having summits like these—to prepare you as a parent to be able to have these conversations.” – Maria Davis-Pierre, LMHC

Notable Quotes:

“Let's make sure that we are satisfying the needs of our community and giving them the opportunity, like even if they can't pay for a conference ticket, to maybe still enjoy the community that Autism in Black has really grown and empowered over these years, while also getting some learning and some education.” – Dr. Berry Pierre

“When you're looking at research that specifically talks about Black autistic girls and women, we are considered ‘intersectionally invisible’, and that means we are not in the research. And it actually really does matter because we're out here, we need specialized supports, [and] we need people to understand that our voices matter. So yes, we do need a summit that focuses on what it means to be a black autistic girl and woman. Intersectionality matters when we're talking about being black, being disabled, and being female…It matters because oftentimes, we are talking to the most oppressed communities in that aspect.” – Maria Davis-Pierre, LMHC

“This is something that we will do every single year, to keep driving home the fact that our community needs to be observed, looked at, recognized, and more importantly, taken care of. Because unfortunately, that's not happening.” – Dr. Berry Pierre

Mentions:

Autism in Black Inc.
Register here to get your FREE ticket for the 2024 Black Autistic Girls and Women’s Summit

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So, let’s talk about my experience at the ClickFunnels conference and the upcoming changes to keep an eye on in our content…

I’m very excited about this week’s podcast because I’m just coming back from a conference that I look forward to every single year. And if you've been following me long enough, you’ll know that I’m not talking about a medical conference here. Not that I hate medical conferences, but the ones that get me really hyped and energized are just so far from medicine.

And today, I’m going to share with you my experiences at that virtual ClickFunnels conference, along with my plans to provide more and more content.

This won’t be a technical discussion but more of an introduction—to where I'm going, to educate more people and expand our reach.

So, if you want to learn how we plan to grow and get bigger and better for you, guys, join us in this week’s episode as we discuss the role of marketing in empowering you to take control of your health one disease at a time.

Why you need to check this episode:

Recognize the importance of marketing in education, especially in the field of health and medicine; - Discover how the act of treating patients as customers can revolutionize healthcare and patient experience; - Learn about Dr. Berry Pierre’s plans for future content—plans aimed at helping grow, better, and empower the community

“I understood that as a physician, just being smart medically wasn't going to be enough if I wanted to educate the community I needed to educate at a bigger level. Like, yes, I can educate the person who comes into my office or the person who I see in a hospital. But then, there are hundreds and thousands or millions of people who won't get the education needed because of access reasons, trust reasons, [or] the fact that there's so much bad information that they have to sift through. So, I understood that I needed to not only put my medical thinking hat on but put a different hat on, which was the marketing and everything else kind of under the sun.” – Dr. Berry Pierre

Notable Quotes:

“I tell doctors all the time: If instead of calling patients ‘patients’, you call them ‘customers’, you would probably treat them a little better.” – Dr. Berry Pierre

“Like I said, we've been doing this for going on 15 years now, and I'm always excited that even in year 15 [or] 14—whatever time frame it is, we still have ways to grow and get bigger and better for you guys.” – Dr. Berry Pierre

“I think all of these things here are going to continue to be great drivers for us that again empower ourselves for better health.” – Dr. Berry Pierre

Mentions:

ClickFunnels
Lamar Tyler
Autism in Black Inc.
Dr. Berry Pierre’s Website
Dr. Berry Pierre’s YouTube channel
Marketing with Dr. Berry (Dr. Berry Pierre’s upcoming YouTube channel)

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So, let’s talk about the reasons why your doctor struggles to sell you the promise of better health…

Have you ever wondered why no matter what your doctor says, it doesn’t seem to stick and just goes in one ear and out the other? It’s not that they lack knowledge or expertise. For some reason, though, they really can’t seem to persuade you to do what they’re saying.

Truth is, while doctors are trained to diagnose and treat, we’re not taught how to motivate patients to take charge of their health—a concern that’s been overlooked for far too long; a problem that the system has yet to fix.

But if we don’t do something, it could lead to a growing disconnect, resulting in poorer health outcomes among many others.

That’s why in this episode, we’ll uncover the reasons for this struggle and discuss how salesmanship and coaching enhance doctor-patient relationships and pave the way for better outcomes in health.

Whether you’re a healthcare professional or a patient, join us in yet another episode of Medicine Mondays and learn how we can make a difference. After all, transforming healthcare starts with changing how we communicate and connect.

Why you need to check this episode:

Learn how training gaps affect a doctor’s skills in persuading patients to make healthy choices; - Understand why a patient needs a coach in their physician, hence the need for doctors to be great coaches as well; and - Discover tips you can use (if you’re a physician) to sell your patients on being healthy.

“Patients need a coach in their physician.” – Dr. Berry Pierre

Notable Quotes:

“After about a decade of experience, I’ve realized that the reason why some doctors are able to get results where others just aren’t is that some doctors are much better at selling the aspect of being healthy than you are at the need to buy being healthy.” – Dr. Berry Pierre

“You need to understand that your patients need a coach in their physician…because they need someone who will walk them down the path, explain [to] them what needs to be explained, [and] not necessarily be constrained by any time-related issues of why I can’t go into detail the way I need to go into detail.” – Dr. Berry Pierre

“Doctors could be great doctors, but if they’re not great coaches, guess what? They’re going to have a hard time selling you their service, they’re going to have a hard time selling you your health, [and] they’re going to have a hard time selling you your health outcomes.” – Dr. Berry Pierre

“Majority of doctors, especially the good ones, don’t really need 15 minutes to diagnose and treat. What they need is about 15 minutes to diagnose, treat, and then educate.” – Dr. Berry Pierre

“If they have zero questions and they have zero objections, then they’re going to follow what they need to follow.” – Dr. Berry Pierre

Mentions:

Should You Fire Your Doctor
Why Your Doctor Needs to be Your Health Coach
Dr. Berry Pierre’s website

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So, let's talk about the truth of penile enlargement—what men need to know and accept before considering it…

Does a penile enlargement procedure add inches to a man’s penis, making it longer? — This is among many other questions that we’ll answer in this episode as we discuss sexual health awareness with a focus on penile enlargement procedures.

From being an anesthesiologist to becoming a founder of a clinic specializing in penile enlargement, this week’s guest will shed light on the often-taboo topic of men’s sexual health.

Here, we’ll talk about his transition, how penile enlargements work, and the importance of patient education in this practice. Also, we’ll discuss the risks, the benefits, and the post-procedure rules, among many other things.

So, whether you’re just curious how a traditional anesthesiologist transitioned to running a specialized clinic for penile fillers or you want to learn about the nitty-gritty of penile enhancement, join us in this week’s episode of Medicine Mondays as we yet again discuss the importance of awareness and our sexual health.

Guest’s bio:

Dr. Joel Pash is an anesthesiologist by training who explored new fields outside traditional medicine when he founded The Upsize Clinic almost three years ago. Upsize is a series of clinics located across the United States and Europe dedicated to safe and effective male enhancement medical procedures. Dr. Pash is the medical director of their San Francisco location. Outside of work, Dr. Pash loves playing music and tennis while taking care of his child who is currently five years old.

Why you need to check this episode:

Learn the hard truth about penile enlargement and discover how it works; - Understand the penile enlargement procedure’s risks, benefits, and longevity of results; and - Recognize the importance of patient education, especially in the practice of penile enlargement procedures.

“You should definitely go to the emergency room if you have an erection that doesn’t go away. Otherwise, you can lose your penis, [and] losing penis is bad; I think we can all agree on that.” – Dr. Joel Pash

Notable Quotes:

“A lot of doctors, because they still work in the hospital and the operating room, are kind of set on the fact that they’re a doctor—that that’s what they’re trained how to do and that’s what they have to do. So, the thought of moving out of that never even crosses their mind, or if does cross their mind, it’s like, ‘Well, that’s impossible. I’m a surgeon; that’s what I have to do.’ It’s like they’re seeing a very narrow view of what is possible to do as a doctor.” – Dr. Joel Pash

“I don’t think you need any degree to run a business. You don’t need a business degree to run a business. It’s a skill.” – Dr. Joel Pash

“As long as people understand what it is that they’re going to get, they’re almost 100% happy.” – Dr. Joel Pash

“Sometimes, the textbook is not exact, and everyone’s anatomy is a little different.” – Dr. Joel Pash

Mentions:

Upsize
Urosculpt

Connect with Dr. Joel Pash:

Website (Upsize)
Website (Urosculpt)

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So, let’s talk about sexual health awareness and its importance in our overall well-being…

How comfortable are you talking about sexual health with your family or friends?

September is Sexual Health Awareness Month, and we’re back with yet another episode to encourage ongoing and inclusive discussions about this health concern.

In today’s podcast, we will discuss why this month is important, and when this month goes away, what do we do, moving forward. We’re going to highlight the importance of education, open conversations, and reducing stigma surrounding sexual health, and also cover why men often hesitate to discuss sexual health issues, and how sexual health isn’t just about avoiding diseases, but more about the physical and emotional well-being of oneself.

Although widely considered a taboo subject, join me as we foster healthy discussions, reduce stigma, and empower each other toward better sexual health. Together, let's break the silence, embrace the conversation, and prioritize our sexual health.

Why you need to check this episode:

Discover why sexual health awareness is important, as well as the Sexual Health Awareness Month;
Recognize the need for open conversations about sexual health, be that with children or adults;
Learn why men often hesitate to discuss sexual health issues; and
Understand the importance of advocating for accessible sexual health education for all demographics and utilizing Sexual Health Awareness Month for education and awareness beyond just September

“It’s so extremely important that we understand that the access to this information be available to as many people, and it doesn’t matter their age, their gender, and their orientation. Good sexual health education is important for everyone because everyone benefits from it. There’s no point to be gatekeeping this type of information.” – Dr. Berry Pierre

Notable Quotes:

“If you can’t have them [sexual health conversations] with the kids, you’re definitely not having them with the adults.” – Dr. Berry Pierre

“It does sound comical, and I say it, but I’m very serious on the amounts of relationships that suffer because just having the conversation doesn’t occur.” – Dr. Berry Pierre

Mentions:

American Sexual Health Association

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So, let's talk about career pivots and the value of continuous education and training with Dr. Sharon Smith...

Unlike many who enter medicine unsure of the path they’re going to take, today’s guest knew from the start that she wanted to be an obstetrician-gynecologist. Even when people around her tried to invite her to do something else, she didn’t falter and continued with what she wanted to do.

But then, the pandemic came, a.k.a. one of the toughest times in medicine. And with the extreme burnout and having to deal with the pain of losing her father, she knew she needed to make a change.

And so, she did. She pursued aesthetics and served in locum tenens of obstetrics and gynecology. This shift later changed her life for the better, helping her achieve work-life balance and better self-care.

So, if you’re curious about how she was able to take the leap, or if you just want to learn about aesthetic medicine and procedures associated with it, tune in and join us as we talk about her story.

Guest’s bio:

Dr. Sharon Smith is a board-certified obstetrician-gynecologist with over 15 years of experience and has always had a strong interest in the beauty industry. This later on led her to transition to aesthetic medicine after realizing the need to pivot, especially after the pandemic. She’s currently serving as a part-time obstetrician and gynecologist while working full-time on her aesthetic and obesity medicine practice.

Why you need to check this episode:

Discover the work obstetrician-gynecologists and aesthetic physicians do;
Recognize the importance of continuous education and training to achieve excellence in what you do;
Understand the significance of building strong and nurturing relationships with patients; and
Learn about aesthetic procedures while learning what the terms “OB Deserts”, “Platelet Rich Plasma” (PRP), and O-Shot mean

“For you to become proficient and skilled at what you do, you have to put training upfront, and you have to know that you’re going to train and train again and update yourself and learn new techniques and hone your craft. That’s the only way you’re going to get good and become excellent at what you do.” – Dr. Berry Pierre

Notable Quotes:

“Just the awareness itself of what can happen and how I’d have to handle it, to me, [it] gives me an edge.” – Dr. Sharon Smith

“It’s been good. Even transitioning to locums and growing my aesthetic practice, it’s been great. I sleep more now, I have more time for self-care, I’m not running on empty, I’m not missing out on much.” – Dr. Sharon Smith

Mentions:

Leading Ladies Lounge (Dr. Smith’s podcast)
The Medical Collective (podcast collaboration with other physicians)

Connect with Dr. Sharon Smith:

Website
Instagram
TikTok
Facebook

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In today’s episode of Real Physician Reacts, we’re discussing the alarming listeria outbreak linked to Boar’s Head deli meats. With nine reported deaths and over 50 illnesses across 18 states, this is a public health concern that demands attention. I’m Dr. Berry Pierre, and we’ll explore the details of the outbreak, the role of the CDC, and what you need to do to protect yourself.

Episode Summary:

This episode covers the serious listeria outbreak that has resulted in nine deaths and numerous illnesses across the United States. We discuss how the CDC has identified Boar’s Head deli meats as the source, leading to the recall of 7 million pounds of products. The discussion emphasizes the importance of taking food safety warnings seriously and the need to respect public health guidelines to prevent further incidents.

Key Takeaways:

Listeria Outbreak: The Boar’s Head listeria outbreak has caused nine deaths and affected 18 states, highlighting the severity of foodborne illnesses.
CDC’s Role: The CDC has played a critical role in identifying the source and ensuring that contaminated products are recalled.
Food Safety: It’s crucial to heed warnings about food contamination and take proactive steps to protect your health, including checking your fridge for recalled products.

Quotes:

“You can’t pick and choose when to follow the CDC. When they say don’t eat that salad, don’t eat that meat, people fall in line very quickly.” – Dr. Berry Pierre

“Listeria is one of those bugs that will stay around. It will stay around on those meat slices, it will stay around in your refrigerator.” – Dr. Berry Pierre

“If you bought any meats in the past month, month and a half, go all the way to July, check your refrigerator today.” – Dr. Berry Pierre

Links:

CDC: Listeria Outbreak Deli Meat Death Toll
CDC: Signs and Symptoms of Listeria

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So, let’s talk about the comments people left on our “Are COVID Cases Rising Again?” video…

I haven’t talked much about COVID-19 this year, because aside from the fact that there are other things we need to discuss, I also know people are trying to move on from talking about it.

However, in one of our recent episodes where we discussed the rise in cases once again, we received comments mostly about virus and vaccine fallacies.

I don’t know where they get their information, but it’s hilarious how those who seem to really disdain COVID-19 like following me and commenting on my content.

So today, we’re going to bring a little bit of comedic relief to our channel by giving a bit of shine on them.

We’re still going to talk about COVID-19, but we’re going to make it a little bit light, a little educational, but also kind of poking back.

So, join me as we give a shout-out and debunk misconceptions our anti-vax people have always had.

Why you need to check this episode:

Discover the most common misconceptions about COVID-19 and COVID-19 vaccines, as seen through comments people left on this channel;
Recognize the importance of preventive health measures, such as being vaccinated and wearing masks, especially for those who are in high-risk industries; and
Understand how humor can be used in health education

“I haven’t talked about COVID much this year, only because [there are] things to talk about and I know people are trying to move on. But what I found interesting with this video and with the comments is that we may have to add COVID [discussions] once a month or something, because we get comments like this which let us know that the education still needs to be had.” – Dr. Berry Pierre

Notable Quotes:

“You got to understand where their mindset is. They don’t believe COVID is real. They don’t believe COVID-19 is significant. So, they don’t even understand why a hairstylist would want to even protect themselves from it.” – Dr. Berry Pierre

“I know it may seem like I don’t like my anti-vaxxers, but again, education is education, right? So, if I got to educate someone, I’m educating them regardless of how they come at me.” – Dr. Berry Pierre

“COVID cases are rising. We need to protect ourselves and to do well protecting ourselves. We got to mask up. We got to social distance. We got to wash our hands [and] hit that hand sanitizer. And more importantly, you got to get the booster.” – Dr. Berry Pierre

Mentions:

Are COVID Cases Rising Again?
Dr. Berry Pierre’s TikTok account

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In this episode of Real Physician Reacts, we’re discussing the recent news about Danielle Fishel, known to many as Topanga from Boy Meets World, who has been diagnosed with stage zero breast cancer. I’m Dr. Berry Pierre, and today we’ll explore the significance of early detection, what stage zero breast cancer means, and why regular screenings are crucial for saving lives.

Episode Summary:

This episode covers the emotional and educational aspects of Danielle Fishel’s breast cancer diagnosis. We talk about the importance of routine mammograms, how early detection at stage zero can significantly impact treatment options and outcomes, and the broader implications of breast cancer awareness. This discussion also highlights the role of medical technology in early detection and the importance of advocating for your own health.

Key Takeaways:

Early Detection Saves Lives: Danielle Fishel’s diagnosis at stage zero underscores the importance of routine mammograms and catching cancer early.
Medical Technology: Advances in medical technology, such as mammograms, play a vital role in detecting breast cancer at its earliest and most treatable stages.
Health Advocacy: It’s crucial to stay on top of routine health screenings and advocate for yourself to ensure timely detection and treatment.

Quotes:

"When we hear the word cancer, we only think of the end result—dire, you know, the most bad result that we can think of." – Dr. Berry Pierre

"Shout out to medical technology—saves another life. We get a shout out to medical technology. I think a lot of times, especially with this day and age, where we got handheld devices that can send faxes and edit pictures and videos... A lot of times people don't think about the medical technological advances that are in medicine." – Dr. Berry Pierre

"The second your doctor says the C word—cancer—everything else after that don't really mean a hill of beans." – Dr. Berry Pierre

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So, let’s talk about why COVID-19 and the flu are NOT the same thing…

A couple of weeks ago, in our “Are COVID Cases Rising Again?” episode, we discussed the rise in COVID-19 cases amid the summertime surge.

Unfortunately, while it was well-received, a lot of the comments were very similar to what it was like in 2021 to 2022.

As cases rise again, some people still think that COVID-19 and the flu are the same thing.

But they are NOT, and a lot of numbers show that.

While they are both respiratory diseases with some similarities in transmission and symptoms, COVID-19 is significantly more contagious and deadly than the flu.

In a four-year stretch alone (2020-2024), more people have died from COVID-19 than the amount of people who have died from the flu since it first began (1800s-present).

So, join me in this episode as we discuss the similarities, but more importantly—the differences between the two. Together, let’s stop pressing on any discussion that tries to put COVID-19 in the same bucket as the flu.

Why you need to check this episode:

Learn about the similarities, but more importantly, the differences between COVID-19 and the flu;
Discover why people often think that COVID-19 and the flu are the same thing;
Find out why COVID-19 is considered more severe than the flu, especially considering the contagiousness and duration of the disease; and
Recognize the importance of educating oneself and not continuing to be uninformed when the information is just right here for you

“Is COVID-19 and the flu the same thing? Absolutely not. Are there some similarities? Yes. There are some similarities with how they’re transmitted; not the rate, but how they’re transmitted. There are some similarities with some of the symptoms you may develop when it first hits you. There are some similarities when we talk about some of the complications that can occur if you get COVID or flu. There are some similarities when we talk about how we prevent it. But after that, the detour occurs. The hospitalizations, the rate of transmissions, deaths, the types of viruses that cause it, some of the complications—the detour is there. Don’t let anyone tell you again that COVID-19 and the flu are the same thing and that we should act as if COVID-19 and the flu are the same thing.” – Dr. Berry Pierre

Notable Quotes:

“COVID has always been more transmissible than the flu…This is the reason why you can have a million cases in one week with COVID; whereas on the flu, on a bad year, may average about half a million or a little bit above that for the whole year…You can get a million cases in one week with COVID [but] you’re not getting a million cases in one week with the flu; it just doesn’t happen. And why is that? The rate of transmission is almost 10-100x more in COVID than it is in the flu.” – Dr. Berry Pierre

“The rate of deaths associated with COVID is 1% to 2%...[while] the flu can get—with the rate of contagion and everything else from a fatality perspective—0.1%... In fact, more people died from COVID in the three to four-year stretch that we started counting COVID than the amount of people who have died since the initiation of the flu.” – Dr. Berry Pierre

“When you hear people say COVID-19 and the flu are the same thing, they are not being truthful or they’re just not knowledgeable. It’s either or.” – Dr. Berry Pierre

Mentions:

Are COVID Cases Rising Again?
Noah Lyles Wins Bronze While Battling COVID-19

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In today’s episode of Real Physician Reacts, we’re diving into the recent resurgence of Monkeypox, specifically the first reported case of the new strain in Sweden. This development has prompted the World Health Organization (W.H.O.) to declare a global health emergency. I’m Dr. Berry Pierre, and we’ll explore why this disease is back in the spotlight, what makes this new strain more concerning, and what you need to know to stay informed.

Episode Summary:

This episode highlights the re-emergence of Monkeypox, focusing on the recent case in Sweden. The new strain, known as clade 1, is more transmissible and lethal than previous versions. With a higher fatality rate and the ability to spread more easily, this strain has raised significant concerns on a global scale. We discuss the importance of staying informed about these developments, particularly as the world continues to grapple with various health challenges.

Key Takeaways:

Monkeypox in Sweden: The first reported case of the clade 1 strain outside of Africa marks a significant global health concern.
Clade 1 Strain: This strain is more dangerous due to its higher transmission rate and increased fatality.
Global Vigilance: Staying informed about these developments is essential to understanding the potential risks and impacts.

Quotes:

"When W.H.O. declares this emergency, you best believe that we need to kind of keep an eye because, you know, remember where this is? Summertime, right? Where everyone's outside, everyone's traveling, everyone's doing them, and the world is a lot smaller than we may think." – Dr. Berry Pierre

"This strain that we're talking about now, clade 1, is more transmissible, which means more cases can be spread because of the disease. And it’s also more virulent, meaning the fatality rate is higher." – Dr. Berry Pierre

"We just need to say all right, especially if you're in the United States, we just have to think like, okay, we just need to keep an eye on this. We should keep an eye on this." – Dr. Berry Pierre

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So, let’s talk about the importance of doctors talking about politics with their patients…

If you’ve been following me, especially on social media, you’ll know that there’s typically no topic that I run away from, especially when I know that it affects my patients.

And you best believe that politics has always been one.

Because I know—and there’s so much history to show—that decisions made in politics affect the patients I’m taking care of right now, not only for today but for the decades to come.

That’s why it blows my mind when a physician says “Politics is not my thing”, especially while speaking to a patient.

As physicians, there's so much power in our expertise that can help empower people to make informed decisions that can curve the connection between politics and healthcare into a more positive path.

While I understand that some physicians avoid politics due to fear of conflict, in this episode, I'll discuss why it's important that doctors do not shy away from political discussions nor act apolitical in front of their patients.

Just like what the model says—empower yourself for better health. As the election period comes close, let us understand the possible implications of the choices we're going to make.

Why you need to check this episode:

Recognize the role physicians play in empowering people to make informed decisions, especially those concerning their health;
Discover why some doctors avoid political discussions;
Understand how politics affect patients and the overall system of healthcare; and
Find out why an open dialogue about politics is a discussion important for doctors and patients to have.

“I’m not asking you to learn every single bit of platform a candidate may have, but I am asking you to figure out from a health care perspective… ‘how does this help me?’ From a health care perspective, ‘how does this hurt me?’… ‘How does it help my patient?’… ‘How does it hurt my patient?’ You should know that. Like, if you don’t know anything else, you should know that.” – Dr. Berry Pierre

Notable Quotes:

“Politics has always been one that I know that I have to be aware of, because I know that decisions that are made outside of my walls can directly affect the patients I’m taking care of in front of me.” – Dr. Berry Pierre

“I believe if medical schools trained you for it, if medical schools said, ‘We need you guys to be a little bit more politically involved and understand how the politics around you can have direct and indirect effects on the patient you have to take care of, I’m pretty sure you’d have a new school of doctors who are okay doing it.” – Dr. Berry Pierre

“You can’t act apolitical.” – Dr. Berry Pierre

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So, let's talk about what happens when an elite athlete faces one of the most challenging situations imaginable—competing while battling COVID.

In this episode of Real Physician Reacts, we dive into the incredible story of Noah Lyles, the gold medalist in the 100 meters for the USA and the bronze medalist in the 200 meters. What makes this story even more remarkable is that Noah achieved this while battling COVID. This revelation sparked a lot of discussions online, with people divided over whether he should have competed or not.

For those of you new to this channel, I’m Dr. Berry Pierre, and today, we’re going to explore the impact of COVID on athletic performance, particularly in a high-stakes environment like the Olympics. We’ll discuss how Noah Lyles managed to compete, why the Olympics have changed their approach to COVID, and what this means for athletes going forward.

We’ll also address the broader implications of treating COVID like the flu—an approach that has raised many questions and concerns. So, if you're curious about how a top-tier athlete like Noah Lyles handles such a severe illness in the middle of the biggest competition of his life, stay tuned.

This episode will give you a deeper understanding of the intersection between sports and health, especially in the context of a pandemic that continues to evolve. So, join me as we dissect this situation and what it tells us about resilience, health protocols, and the spirit of competition.

Key Takeaways:

COVID in Sports: The Olympics have shifted to treating COVID similarly to the flu, allowing athletes to decide whether to compete if they test positive.
Noah Lyles' Challenge: Despite battling COVID and having a history of asthma, Noah Lyles managed to win a bronze medal, showcasing his resilience and determination.
Health and Performance: COVID significantly impacts athletic performance, particularly through its inflammatory effects on the lungs, which are crucial for a sprinter.
Future Implications: The relaxed approach to COVID in sports raises important questions about public health and the responsibilities of athletes and organizers.

Quotes:

"The vaccine is wildly successful. Anyone who argues in the year 2024 about whether the vaccine and booster is ineffective or was wrong or not going to take, just don't pay them any mind. They're just not making any factual sense and there's no numbers to back it up." – Dr. Berry Pierre

"Especially if you've been following me long enough, we've had a lot of discussions where I said, 'Hey, we are going to need to get to the point where we talk about COVID, and I was praying that we got to this point where we would talk about COVID like we would talk about the flu." – Dr. Berry Pierre

"This is during a time where I would expect COVID to cause respiratory issues. So, I'm not necessarily sure what prompted them to even test him in the beginning. I'm not sure if he said that yet, but I can just say from a clinical perspective, him having a history of asthma and then getting COVID and having to be a distance runner, he probably noticed some things." – Dr. Berry Pierre

"My mask-wearing is so that I don't give you COVID, but I can understand, especially over there, where if you just look on TV, there's not a lot of people wearing masks at the Olympics. It wouldn't shock me at all that people may find it weird because we've gotten to the point, especially in the year 2024, that people are just kind of comfortable with not wearing masks." – Dr. Berry Pierre

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So, let's address the questions on everyone's mind: Are COVID cases on the rise again? And if they are, should we be worried about it?

In this episode, I want to take you through the current situation regarding COVID cases. We all remember the initial chaos and fear when the pandemic first hit. It was a time of uncertainty, lockdowns, and relentless news updates. But now, we’re in a different phase. COVID isn't the new unknown enemy anymore; we’ve learned a lot about it, and we’ve developed ways to manage it.

If you’re new to this channel, welcome. I’m Dr. Berry Pierre, and in this community, we stay informed and proactive about our health. For my long-time listeners, you know that we’ve talked about COVID being a seasonal threat, much like the flu. However, unlike the flu, COVID has two peak seasons – winter and summer. As we find ourselves in the middle of another hot summer, it’s time to talk about why COVID cases are on the rise again.

But before you start stocking up on hand sanitizers and masks, let’s break down what’s really happening. Why are the cases rising now? Where are they rising the most? And importantly, how should we respond to this uptick?

That’s why in this episode, we’ll explore the reasons behind the seasonal spikes, the role of wastewater monitoring in tracking COVID, and the impact of vaccinations and boosters. We’ll also discuss practical steps you can take to stay safe during these times.

So, join me as we navigate through the latest COVID trends and empower ourselves with knowledge and actionable steps to stay healthy.

Why you need to check this episode:

COVID Cases Rising: COVID cases are rising again, especially in the southern and western parts of the United States, due to increased indoor gatherings and travel during the summer.
Wastewater Monitoring: Wastewater testing is now a key method for tracking COVID levels and identifying hotspots.
Vaccinations and Boosters: Staying up-to-date with vaccinations and boosters remains crucial in preventing severe outcomes.
Precautionary Measures: Wearing masks in high-risk areas, washing hands, and using hand sanitizers are essential steps to mitigate the spread of COVID.

Notable Quotes:

“Empower yourself for better health. If you don’t empower yourselves to be able to make these decisions, you allow yourself to stay in a relationship that will be detrimental to you, and you only.” – Dr. Berry Pierre

“The worst thing to do is to leave one doctor because of one set of problems, and then go to another doctor who has the same set of problems.” – Dr. Berry Pierre

“A bad doctor-patient relationship always hurts the patient, so you have to know when to fire that doctor, when to recognize that the communication, the respect, the trust level, the inaccessibility, is just too much for you to handle, and more importantly, when you’re not getting the adequate level of care to move forward.” – Dr. Berry Pierre

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Welcome to another episode of Real Physician Reacts with Dr. Berry Pierre. Tonight's episode is a casual, unscripted chat where we engaged with his audience, answered questions, and discussed various health topics.

Episode Summary:

In this episode, discusses;

The importance of staying politically informed, especially in the context of healthcare decisions.
The impact of the Affordable Care Act (ACA) and the potential consequences if it were repealed.
The relationship between Covid-19 and healthcare, emphasizing the importance of continued vigilance and vaccinations.
Insights into finding a good doctor, particularly an internist, and the significance of a strong doctor-patient relationship.
Updates on Covid-19 cases and hospitalizations, along with a reminder of the importance of getting tested and vaccinated.
Upcoming health topics that will be covered in future episodes, including blood pressure, diabetes, cholesterol, and breast cancer.

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Key Takeaways:

Stay Politically Informed: Understand how political decisions impact healthcare, and why it's crucial to vote with healthcare in mind.
Affordable Care Act: Recognize the benefits of the ACA and the dangers of its potential repeal without a suitable replacement.
Covid-19 Vigilance: Despite lower hospitalizations, Covid-19 remains a serious health threat, and vaccination and testing are essential.
Finding a Good Doctor: Tips on finding a good internist include word-of-mouth recommendations and understanding your own needs as a patient.
Future Topics: Look forward to upcoming discussions on critical health issues like blood pressure, diabetes, cholesterol, and breast cancer.

Quotes:

“The worst thing to do is to leave one doctor because of one set of problems, and then go to another doctor who has the same set of problems.” – Dr. Berry Pierre

Topics Covered:

00:00 – Introduction: Welcome and episode overview

03:05 – The importance of staying politically informed for healthcare

07:58 – Discussing the potential repeal of the Affordable Care Act

09:57 – Covid-19 updates and the importance of testing and vaccination

11:26 – Tips on finding a good internist and building a strong doctor-patient relationship

15:01 – Upcoming health topics and future episode previews

19:28 – Conclusion and closing remarks

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So, let's talk about the circumstances under which you should consider firing your doctor…

In this channel, I have always talked about the importance of having a good doctor-patient relationship, and more importantly, how a bad doctor-patient relationship only ever hurts the patient.

If you realize your current doctor is not properly taking care of you, you’ll need to make the difficult decision of firing your doctor and looking for a new one.

However, some might find that transition challenging, not knowing what to do and where to start.

That’s why in this episode, we’ll talk just about that as I educate you about the signs you should look for that will let you know it’s time. I’ll also share with you how you could make that smooth transition to your new doctor and ensure that it’s in the best interest of your health and life.

While this might be somewhat controversial, it’s your health that’s at risk, so this is a discussion that we definitely need to have.

So, join me in another episode of Medicine Mondays as we empower ourselves for better health and create a fulfilling life.

Why you need to check this episode:

Recognize the signs that you should be looking for if you think it’s time to fire your doctor;
Find out what you need to do after making the hard decision of changing your doctor and how you can transition smoothly to your new one; and
Learn why it is crucial to empower yourself for better health.

Notable Quotes:

“In this doctor-patient relationship, it’s a life-or-death situation if you got a good one and if you got a bad one.” – Dr. Berry Pierre

“The worst thing to do is to leave one doctor because of one set of problems, and then go to another doctor who has the same set of problems.” – Dr. Berry Pierre

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So, let's talk about making informed decisions when choosing your healthcare insurance plan…

How do you make sure that you’ve got the right health care insurance?

I think this is an important question to ask yourself, because typically, when people look for insurance coverage, they only focus on the premium, a.k.a. the payment.

But insurance isn’t just about the premium; there are a lot of free or made-affordable things you can do that come along with a plan.

However, as unfortunate as it is, even when 92% of this country’s people are insured, there are still people who fail to maximize their plan’s coverage because they just don’t know the entirety of its details.

That’s why in today’s episode, I’ll provide valuable insights on choosing the right plan, maximizing its coverage, and avoiding common pitfalls.

We’re going to continue the momentum of educating our community on making the right choices, because by staying informed, asking the right questions, and taking advantage of available resources, you can empower yourself for better health.

So, join me in this week’s episode as we all get ready to take advantage of every single thing our insurance plan has in store for the betterment of our lives and our health.

Why you need to check this episode:

Recognize the importance of understanding the different categories of health insurance and its plans;
Discover the common pitfalls people go through when choosing their health care insurance, and why you should consider factors like deductibles, co-payments, and network coverage;
Understand why you should take advantage of the preventative health services covered by insurance, and what you should do if your insurance company rejects a procedure

“You’d want to make sure that you got some power and leverage in this relationship of your health care, because it is—at the end of the day—your health care, your life.” – Dr. Berry Pierre

Notable Quotes:

“If you can understand those five pillars, things become a lot easier, and your health care and the way you interact with the health care system becomes a lot more of a fruitful relationship than an adversarial relationship.” – Dr. Berry Pierre

“I want you guys to make sure you’re taking advantage of everything your insurance plan has to offer. If you don’t know what your insurance plan has to offer, give them a call. You should not only be calling your insurance company when you have a problem.” – Dr. Berry Pierre

“My job, especially here in the Lunch and Learn Community, is to help you take advantage of the system for your own good. Empower Yourself for Better Health. If you want to think like a doctor, we have to make sure you are taking advantage of the system at hand. And you cannot do that if you’re not reviewing a plan; you cannot do that if you’re not taking advantage of your preventative health care measures…You got to do those things.” – Dr. Berry Pierre

Mentions:

Where Would You Be Without Obamacare
Take Advantage Of Your Preventative Health

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So, let’s talk about the importance of taking advantage of preventative health measures and services…

After discussing the Affordable Care Act in last week’s episode, today, we’ll talk about taking advantage of the preventative health services made available to us.

Statistics show that if we take advantage of these preventative health services, we live longer, healthier, and more fruitful lives.

But now that the election’s coming around, you can hear people making statements that they want to get rid of Obamacare a.k.a. the Affordable Care Act.

However, if they succeed, it’s important to note that all those preventative services you get and do for free or at extremely low cost will go with it.

And once those services disappear or become extremely expensive again, the ultimate consequence is death.

That’s why in this episode, I will explain to you why you should take advantage of the preventative health services available out there, and why you should take care of things while they’re small and cheaper, rather than deal with them once they’re huge, more expensive, and more importantly, more life-threatening.

Join me in this episode and find out why taking advantage of preventative health services is the backbone of having a longer, healthier, happier, and more fruitful life.

Why you need to check this episode:

Recognize the importance of taking advantage of preventative health services and not abolishing the Affordable Care Act a.k.a. Obamacare
Learn what preventative services are out there that are available for you, and which among those should be taken advantage of and when; and
Discover the ultimate consequence of not taking advantage of preventative health services made available for you

“Preventative health measures are the backbone, the foundation to live a happier and healthier life.” – Dr. Berry Pierre

Notable Quotes:

“When we talk about preventative health screenings, we’re not talking about all these fancy, million-dollar tests. These are simple things that we know if we can take advantage of it now, like if I just know what your blood pressure is now, I can do something about it now instead of having to deal with the complications later.” – Dr. Berry Pierre

“Dr. Berry Pierre is going to give you what you need to help think like a doctor and empower yourself for better health, because he wants to make sure your foundation is solid, so that when you’re 40, 45, 50, 55, 60, you’re just dancing around, going on vacations, doing all the things you want to do with yourself, with your loved ones, with your family, and not feel like you’re hindered by all of your medications and by all of your medical disorders and diseases.” – Dr. Berry Pierre

Mentions:

Why Your Doctor Needs to be Your Health Coach

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So, let’s talk about the Affordable Care Act a.k.a. Obamacare, and where we would be today without it…

This is a question that I have been asking a lot lately. Especially with the upcoming elections, and with all the politicians and Supreme Court justices trying to do everything they can to challenge the Affordable Care Act – or some parts of it – to make it completely unconstitutional.

This is why it’s important for us to remember that before Obamacare, there were 50 million Americans who were not insured. 50 million Americans were constantly at risk of having the trajectory of their whole life changed forever with just one medical accident.

That brings us to the question: why were they not insured? Well, that’s because before Obamacare, insurance was not really affordable for a lot of people. And even if you can afford it, insurance companies will deny you their services if you have a pre-existing condition.

That is why in this episode, we will discuss where we all would be without Obamacare, 14 years after it was passed.

So join me today as I give you an overview of what it was like before Obamacare, the impacts that it had since it was passed, and more importantly, an understanding of what’s really at stake as we get ready to participate in the upcoming elections.

Why you need to check this episode:

Recall the healthcare situation in America before we had the Affordable Care Act a.k.a. Obamacare;
Discover how the Affordable Care Act a.k.a. Obamacare actually benefited both patients and insurance companies; and
Find out why you need to be aware of everything that’s happening around you – especially in politics – if you really want to take care of your health.

If you really want to take care of your health to the best of its abilities, you have to be aware of all the things that could affect you yesterday, today, and more importantly, tomorrow.” – Dr. Berry Pierre

Notable Quotes:

“If you are in the practice of medicine, you are in the practice of politics; because what the politicians can do, will do, and have done affects your activities of daily living and affects your livelihood every single day.” – Dr. Berry Pierre

“As a healthcare provider, you can’t be like ‘I’m not into politics’ or ‘I’ll stay away from politics’… If you’re taking care of patients, you have to be aware of everything going on around us, especially from a political standpoint.” – Dr. Berry Pierre

“I just sometimes shake my head when I hear and see these news outlets talk about the “evilness” of the Affordable Care Act. Because it just tells me: 1) They are not in the healthcare system, or more importantly 2) They’re on the side where they can afford to go to a doctor privately or they can afford to pay for the medical bills and they don’t care nor do they have the empathy to take care of those who cannot.” – Dr Berry Pierre

“I am here as a physician letting you know that the Affordable Care Act plan saves lives tenfold.” – Dr. Berry Pierre

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So, let’s talk about the fundamental practice of thinking like a doctor and how you can do that even when you’re not so much of a health-inclined person…

Time’s been running so fast these days; we’re now past the first half of 2024. But before we move on to the second half of the year, I’ve got here a question for you to ponder:

In the past six months, have you been making decisions about your health, or have others been making them for you?

Because as ironic as it is, as humans, we like to be in control of almost everything, but when it comes to our health, we almost always let other people decide for ourselves.

But why do we let that happen? Why, when we can learn how to think like a doctor and empower ourselves for better health?

You do not have to go to medical school. You do not have to be an actual doctor. You simply need to learn to think like one.

And in this episode, whether you’re new to my platform or not, I’ll give you a refresher on how to actually do that. Today, I’ll give you the blueprint of what it means to think like a doctor so you can make the informed decisions that are important in shaping a healthier and happier life.

So, if you want to take control, join me and learn how to think like a doctor today. Because by doing so, you not only create a happier, healthier life for yourself, but you also do the same for your loved ones.

Why you need to check this episode:

Find out what key concepts and challenges are there when it comes to thinking like a doctor;
Understand why you have to make the decisions on your behalf as you empower yourself for better health; and
Recognize the importance of knowing how to think like a doctor and actually practicing it

““We are thinking like a doctor, we are doing the steps that are needed to proceed us in the best life, because we do not want others to make the decision and taking care of our health for us; that is not something we’d want to bring into 2025. In 2025, we want to be as deliberate when it comes to our health, as deliberate when it comes to recognizing where we can get the best information, as deliberate as solidifying those relationship that are around us that are going to just make us the best person that we can be…Our goal should always be just like Dr. Pierre’s model—empower yourself for better health; and to do so, we have to ask ourselves: ‘Am I ready to make the decision that I don’t want others to have to make for me?” – Dr. Berry Pierre

Notable Quotes:

“In medicine, there are so many different topics to touch on that you can’t possibly touch on all of them all at once and appease every single population whenever you’re doing something like this. But you can do a great job being consistent at the things that are extremely important, and not necessarily the most popular.” – Dr. Berry Pierre

“If we’re going to think like a doctor, it’s because we want to make the decision. We want to make the decisions on our behalf to live a happier, healthier life. And we cannot do that if we don’t recognize we have an issue, if we don’t recognize where to get accurate information on that issue, and if we don’t recognize when we’re going to get some help.” – Dr. Berry Pierre

Mentions:

Menopause Myth Buster with Dr. LaKeischa McMillan
Unlock the secrets to thinking like a doctor! Get your copy of the infographic here

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So, let's talk about the struggles of being neurodivergent and Black, and how advocacy can help make a world that’s truly accepting, loving, and just…

Have you ever wondered how couples navigate the unique journey of raising a child on the spectrum?

In previous episodes, we had Nick who talked about the experience from the Black fathers’ perspective, and Cheryl who talked about advocating when there are forces that make it harder to raise an autistic kid.

But what is it like as a couple? What are the dynamics in a relationship when raising an autistic child?

This is a conversation that’s not often had, especially as parents, we often forget that we also have a life and relationship outside just being moms and dads.

But in today’s episode, we’ll learn the importance of keeping the love burning as husband and wife, the importance of communication, understanding, and care, and the power of partnership in raising a thriving autistic child.

After all, as parents, we all just want what’s best for our children. Join us as we work towards the end goal and not let the fear of uncertainty stop us.

Why you need to check this episode:

Learn the importance of being present in your relationship as husband and wife and making time to nurture your connection outside of your responsibilities as parents;
Discover actionable tips you can try doing with your partner if you’re struggling and are at different points and speeds in your journey; and
Recognize the importance of communication and self-care, especially if you’re raising a child on the spectrum.

“Something else that we also had to learn is that we had to keep our love burning outside of children as well, making sure that we are not just thinking of ourselves as mom and dad. For us to be able to communicate effectively with one another, for us to be able to be around each other and do all these things, we have to have our own relationship outside of parenting; not being in mom-and-dad role, but being in husband-and-wife role as well for our relationship.” – Maria Davis-Pierre, LMHC

Notable Quotes:

“One of the lessons that you definitely taught me was that if I’m saying it in my head, you’re not a mind-reader and I have to verbalize it to you. I cannot have the expectation that you should know.” – Maria Davis-Pierre, LMHC

“Communicate with your partner; where you’re at, your fears, your concerns. Oftentimes, people are either afraid or have shame in what they’re feeling, so they don’t voice those concerns, but your co-parent, your partner, should be someone that you trust and can share those emotions with.” – Maria Davis-Pierre, LMHC

“Make sure you have a therapist that you can go to for couples, for family, [and] for individuals…You don’t have to have problems to be going to a therapist.” – Maria Davis-Pierre, LMHC

Connect with Maria Davis-Pierre and the Autism in Black Inc.:

Website
Instagram
Facebook

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In today's episode, we dive deep into a pressing issue highlighted by the Surgeon General—the proposal to place warning labels on social media platforms, particularly to shield our youth from potential harms. This discussion comes at a crucial time as we witness an unprecedented surge in social media usage among teens, raising significant mental health concerns.

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Key Discussion Points:

Surgeon General's Proposal: Unpacking the recent advocacy for warning labels on social media to alert users, especially young ones, about the potential psychological impacts.
Mental Health Implications: We explore how excessive engagement with social media platforms can lead to increased anxiety, depression, and other mental health issues among the youth.
Parental Responsibility and Control: Discussing the role of parents and guardians in managing their children's social media use, including practical tips on setting effective parental controls.
Broader Impact on Society: Reflecting on how these concerns are not just limited to the youth but affect adults and the wider community.

Join us as we unravel the complexities of social media's influence on our well-being and what it means for future regulations and personal responsibility.

Links:

Surgeon general wants tobacco-style warning applied to social media platforms

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So, let's talk about the struggles of being neurodivergent and Black, and how advocacy can help make a world that’s truly accepting, loving, and just…

As a mother to two neurodivergent Black sons and being neurodivergent herself, Cheryl Poe, MS, has gone through firsthand experiences of how cruel the world can get for disabled individuals.

Not to mention that it actually gets tougher when you also happen to be Black.

Quoting her words—it’s a struggle; it’s a fight—especially for our children whose schools promote microaggressions and racist acts.

But this has to stop. Change needs to happen. Work needs to be done.

So, join us today as we refuse to be victims of the system. Together, let us fight for our rights.

Why you need to check this episode:

Discover the cruel experiences and struggles neurodivergent people face in their day-to-day, especially kids, and when they also happen to be Black;
Recognize the true meaning of allyship, and why it’s important that we learn how to advocate for Black people the right way; and
Find out how you can join the “Breaking Barriers Together” conference, happening this August 23rd-25th through the Whoa app

“It’s a fight. It’s a struggle. But it has to be done. And there’s a way to do it to preserve yourself, [and] there’s definitely a way to do it to protect your child.” – Cheryl Poe, MS

Notable Quotes:

“In numbers, we can see change.” – Cheryl Poe, MS

“An allyship is being a white person and acknowledging that racism exists and that there are things that can be done and that you’re willing to do it.” – Cheryl Poe, MS

“We need to figure out what’s happening. What is the trigger? What is the cause? [And] how do we remove that barrier so that the child can continue to stay in this educational setting like his peers and learn and grow?” – Cheryl Poe, MS

“To me, that’s what our community does. Our community uplifts and supports each other.” – Cheryl Poe, MS

Connect with Cheryl Poe, MS:

Facebook
Website
Website (AWB Project)

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So, let's talk about the story and experience Black fathers go through in raising autism-diagnosed kids…

While autism discussions and advocacy are slowly coming to the forefront, unfortunately, not enough attention is given to the experiences of fathers – especially Black fathers – just yet.

That’s why we’re back with another episode from this two-part series with Nick Richardson, an author, a loving husband, and a Black father to a son who has a dual diagnosis of autism and ADHD.

Going through the experience of having to unlearn and relearn everything for his son's development, he believes in the power and importance of having support groups and/or communities.

Regardless of whether you’re a father who just got your kid’s diagnosis or a spouse trying to understand what your husband is thinking, this two-part series will try to serve as a helping hand in this time of need.

In this episode, Nick emphasizes the importance of creating a household full of love as he stresses how crucial it is that as parents, we also find people we trust to rely on so we can find balance and take a break. Because as beautiful and loving as it is that our love drives us to work for the betterment of our kids, we also need to recharge and take a breath.

Why you need to check this episode:

Understand the importance of parents having a trusted community to rely on for taking a break;
Recognize the significance of creating and having a positive and loving household, regardless of whether your kids are atypical, neurotypical, or neurodivergent; and
Learn how to find balance in life as a parent, especially if you have a child on the spectrum.

“I believe all households should be full of love. Every household is different, but when you’re definitely talking about having a child on the spectrum, creating the most positive atmosphere you can will help better your child in the development with this diagnosis.” – Nick Richardson

Notable Quotes:

“What I’m realizing is I know when I surround my son with the things he prefers, he has a better opportunity not only to learn academically but learn socially when there are positive environments around him.” – Nick Richardson

“It all depends on what your priorities are. That’s how you find out what you can handle and what gets done and what doesn’t get done.” – Nick Richardson

Mentions:

(Part 1) The Unique Journey of Black Fathers Raising Autistic Kids with Nick Richardson
AutisHim
Breaking Barriers: An Introductory Look at African American Fathers and Autism Advocacy

Connect with Nick Richardson:

Facebook
YouTube

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In today's episode, we delve into an essential and timely topic—Men's Health Month. This observance is not just a calendar event; it's a crucial reminder of the importance of personal responsibility in health management for men.

We'll explore why Men’s Health Month is celebrated, discuss the major diseases that disproportionately affect men, and provide actionable insights on how men can improve their health outcomes.

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Key Discussion Points:

Significance of Men's Health Month: An overview of why this month is dedicated to men's health and what it aims to achieve in terms of awareness and action.
Top 10 Diseases Affecting Men: We'll break down the most common health challenges faced by men today, from heart disease to mental health issues, and discuss the statistics and preventive measures.
Improving Health Outcomes: Practical advice on how men can take charge of their health, including lifestyle changes, regular check-ups, and being proactive about health screenings.

This episode is a call to action for all men to prioritize their health and for society to support and facilitate healthier lifestyles for men at every age.

Links:

Men's Health Month Official Website

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So, let's talk about the story and experience Black fathers go through in raising autism-diagnosed kids…

Nick Richardson is an author, a loving husband, and a Black father to a son who has a dual diagnosis of autism and ADHD. Going through the experience of having to unlearn and relearn everything for the development of his son, he believes in the power and importance of having support groups and/or communities.

Just like what he said in this episode, more often than not, people – especially men – tend to forget that while they’re going through the struggles, there are other people – or men – going through the same, too. Not to mention the lack of support for our brothers out there as well.

But while it is unfortunate that the stories of fathers – especially Black men – aren’t being talked about enough these days, we cannot let our voices be silenced, for like our autistic loved ones, we also need all the support that we can receive.

And that’s one of the reasons why he’s here today – to send the message out there that this is happening and there are people whose story mirrors yours as well, and that we can be of help to one another as we journey this life and experience of having autistic kids.

So, join us, and let’s talk about our story, because who knows? As Nick says, it can edify, help, or move somebody, and even teach people about autism and fatherhood as a parent whose child has special needs.

Why you need to check this episode:

Discover the story of Black fathers who have a child on the spectrum (with special needs);
Recognize the impact and importance of having a community or support group, especially within the African-American population; and
Find out the internal letdowns usually experienced by fathers whose family member/s got diagnosed, and understand how and why fathers also need support

“I believe African-Americans are communal people. I think we need each other in order for our children to grow and develop to be the most productive citizens possible.” – Nick Richardson

Notable Quotes:

“Everything that you knew about raising a child, nine times out of 10, came from you being that child being raised [by] your parents or grandparents or people who have poured into you. [But] none of that now matters. For the most part, you can’t do and raise your child in the manner that you were raised. So, what you think you know, you now have to unlearn, and relearn what is necessary for your child’s development.” – Nick Richardson

“When you’re going through all of this, the one thing you do not realize is that there are other men going through it, too.” – Nick Richardson

“It’s not just that brothers need brothers to understand that, but talking to other brothers helps you reflect on yourself. It kind of gives you a different perspective on what you can possibly do. In our support group, we don’t tell anybody how to do anything. We give our stories, we give our experiences, we give the things that we’ve tried, and if it works for you, take it; if it doesn’t work, see if another brother has a different experience that you can use to help you in your situation.” – Nick Richardson

“We do a lot of sacrificing for our family because we care about them. We want our children to be the best versions of themselves as possible.” – Nick Richardson

“The negative energy that I was giving, my son was just taking it and giving it back; it wasn’t helping him. So, I could not discipline him the way I was disciplined. I had to find another way, which is where some of these trainings are coming in and talking to ABA therapists.” – Nick Richardson

Mentions:

My Autism In Black Conference Recap
AutisHim
DSM-5
Autism in Black

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In today’s episode, we’re addressing a controversial statement made by known anti-vaxxer Dr. Mary Bowden regarding COVID-19 vaccines. Dr. Bowden recently tweeted claims that insurance companies are financially incentivizing COVID-19 vaccinations for their own gain. This episode will dissect her statements, explore the actual incentives insurance companies might have, and discuss the established benefits of the COVID-19 vaccine.

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Key Discussion Points:

Dr. Bowden’s Controversial Tweet: A detailed look at her recent claims and the motivations behind such statements.
Understanding Insurance Core Measures and Bonuses: We’ll clarify what core measures are, how they relate to insurance practices, and whether there’s any truth to the claim of financial incentives tied specifically to COVID-19 vaccines.
The Proven Benefits of the COVID-19 Vaccine: Despite the controversy, we’ll discuss the scientifically proven benefits of the vaccine, seen in reduced hospitalization and death rates among the vaccinated population.

This episode aims to provide a balanced view, separating fact from fiction in the ongoing debate about vaccine incentives and efficacy.

Links:

X.com (formerly Twitter): Dr. Bowden’s Tweet

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In today's episode, we delve into a pressing issue that has recently shaken the healthcare industry: the cyberattack on the Ascension Healthcare System. This significant breach has not only compromised data but also highlighted the vulnerability of healthcare systems to cyber threats, significantly impacting patient care as hospitals are forced to revert from electronic to paper charting.

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Key Discussion Points:

Overview of the Ascension Cyberattack: We'll explore the details of the recent cyberattacks on Ascension Healthcare System, examining how and why the breach occurred.
Cybersecurity Preparedness in Healthcare: Discussing the general readiness of healthcare systems to handle such cyber threats and what measures can be taken to enhance security.
Impact on Patient Care: A critical look at how switching from electronic to paper charting affects patient care, the risks involved, and the broader implications for healthcare service delivery.

Links:

NPR: How the Ascension Cyberattack Is Disrupting Care at Hospitals

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So, let’s talk about taking care of our mental health as we observe the Mental Health Awareness Month…

The month of May is Mental Health Awareness Month, and as Dr. Delphin-Rittmon of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services says, it is a time to promote the importance of mental health and its impact on our well-being as humans.

A lot of times, we focus on ailments, like “I’m getting a lot of weight”, “my back hurts”, and “my blood pressure is too high”, and push aside our mental health, not knowing it’s highly correlated to every aspect of our life.

Data shows that nearly 1 in 4 adults reported mental illness, almost 20% of adolescents ages 12 to 17 had a major depressive episode, and one death by suicide happens every 11 minutes here in the United States.

This is an unparalleled mental health crisis we’re going through right now, yet here we are, still asking and not understanding why people commit suicide.

But we don’t want that to continue; we want to help keep your mental health in check and on the right track. Just like what the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) said, with the right care, anyone affected by or at risk for a mental health condition can thrive, achieve well-being, and lead meaningful lives.

Join me in this week’s episode as we take a pause and realign our mental health to the path it needs to be at.

Why you need to check this episode:

Recognize the importance of checking in on yourself, especially your mental health;
Discover how your mental health correlates with other aspects of your life and your well-being as a whole; and
Understand why there are people who choose mental clarity over things like promotion, job opportunities, etc.

“Mental health is so key, because even if all of these other [health] – spiritual, financial, even the medical – even if all those things are aligned, if your mental health is not together, it will typically suffer and bring the others down with it.” – Dr. Berry Pierre

Notable Quotes:

“Regardless of what the resolution is, if mentally, we aren’t there to make sure that they succeed, it’s not going to succeed.” – Dr. Berry Pierre

“Life is still happening around us. We just have to figure out ‘How can I position myself so that life doesn’t continue to beat me up from a mental standpoint, because if it continues to beat me up from a mental standpoint, everything else falls.’” – Dr. Berry Pierre

This episode is sponsored by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration or SAMHSA.

To learn how to get support for mental health conditions, visit www.findsupport.gov.

If you’re looking for treatment services in your community, visit www.findtreatment.gov.

If you or someone you know is in crisis, call or text 988 or chat www.988lifeline.org for help 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

Remember to subscribe to the podcast and share the episode with a friend or family member.

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In today's Episode of Real Physician Reacts, we're tackling a hot topic (pun intended) today – the dangers of social media challenges gone wrong. Dr. Berry Pierre dives deep into the recent case of a teenager who tragically died after participating in the "one chip challenge."

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Key Discussion Points:

The Deadly Side of Social Media Challenges: We'll discuss the recent tragedy involving the "one chip challenge" and the hidden dangers of these online trends.
Spice Without Sacrifice: Can you enjoy the health benefits of spicy foods without risking your health? Let's explore safe ways to incorporate spice into your diet.
Beyond the Challenge Hype: Uncover the motivations behind participating in social media challenges and how to make informed decisions about online trends.

Stay informed and avoid unnecessary risks. Tune in!

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So, let's talk about viruses and learn about their good side with Dr. Richard White III…

After going through the doom and gloom that the COVID-19 pandemic has brought upon us, most of you guys probably don't see the good side of a virus.

I mean, that's understandable, given how millions of people have died worldwide and many have suffered from the fear of death. And unfortunately, it may not even end there, because there are a lot of different viral families out there that could cause the next pandemic.

This is why we mustn't sleep on these, but at the same time, educate ourselves about the different viruses' effects.

Because contrary to popular belief, there are actually a lot of positive attributes and applications that we can use viruses for.

We cannot deny that the “big C” has caused us severe suffering, fear, and pain, but in today's episode, we'll learn that NOT all viruses do harm and death. Some even do the work to protect us, our environment, and our planet!

So, sit back and relax as we blow your mind with amazing facts on viruses with Dr. Richard White III today.

Guest's bio:

Dr. Richard Allen White III is a computational molecular synthetic virologist whose interest, passion, and work revolve around understanding viruses. He is an Assistant Professor at the University of North Carolina at Charlotte, North Carolina, in the Department of Bioinformatics and Genomics.

Dr. White III is part of the CIPHER team, where he helps build infectious disease capabilities for both environmental and human health risks. Additionally, he has multiple projects in NASA, USCA, NIH, etc., and works at the North Carolina Research Campus, focusing on human nutrition and human health over the last four years.

Why you need to check this episode:

Discover the good side of viruses;
Understand that not all viruses are bad and harmful (there are those which protect us); and
Recognize the need for taking action, especially in preserving our ecosystems which at present are in a state of degradation

“Nature has provided the blueprint on how we can deal with these problems; we just have to understand it. It’s not all doom and gloom; we can change very subtle things in the way we understand and nurture the microbiome in our own body and how we nurture and feed our environment…By understanding the microbes, we can nurture and feed them, and then we’ll have these lush, resurrected ecosystems that are [currently] in a state of degradation.” – Dr. Richard White III

Notable Quotes:

“My conversation today [does] not reflect the University of North Carolina at Charlotte. It is my take on the current matters of science based on literature and the best of my knowledge.” – Dr. Richard White III

“Not all viruses are bad. They do so much for our planet. Obviously, there are ones that cause diseases and pandemics…but there are so many that protect us. I mean, there are more viruses in your mouth right now than there are stars in the Milky Way galaxy that are protecting you from disease and infection.” – Dr. Richard White III

“We drink trillions of them a day, we breathe them in, there’s billions of them in the soil, [and] they’re on your skin. They’re everywhere and they protect you. They’re more ‘friend’ than ‘foe’.” – Dr. Richard White III

“Our NASA work suggests that viruses are amplifiers of life.” – Dr. Richard White III

“That’s the mass of them. That’s how small of a mass they are; yet, they provide life and nutrients to the whole ecosystem.” – Dr. Richard White III

“We should remind people that there are ecosystems that are dying and we need to preserve them.” – Dr. Richard White III

Connect with Dr. Richard White III:

Website

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So, let's talk about this year's Autism in Black Conference with my favorite special guest, Maria Davis-Pierre…

In last week’s episode (I suggest that you watch it if you haven’t), I gave my recap of the fourth annual Autism in Black Conference. From being an organizer, a speaker, and a community member, we talked about my experience, especially highlighting the emotionally enriching panel for fathers that we had this year.

It was such an awe-inspiring place to be in, but of course, the recap wouldn’t be complete without hearing from the CEO and Founder of Autism in Black Inc. That’s why in this week’s podcast, I brought with me that very person, my favorite special guest, Maria Davis-Pierre, LMHC.

Here, we’ll talk about the conference from her experience, highlighting how without your support, all this wouldn’t even be in existence.

So, join us and don’t miss this week’s episode as we all look back to what transpired during the fourth annual conference of the Autism in Black.

Why you need to check this episode:

Get to know the experience and thoughts of the Autism in Black Inc.’s Founder and President throughout the fourth run of the conference;
Recognize the importance of providing support and focus to autistic adults; and
Find out what’s in store for you on the fifth run of the Autism in Black Conference next year (2025)

“We appreciate all of the Autism in Black community, because without your support, [and] without our speakers’ support, we wouldn’t be able to do it. So, thank you, all, truly.” – Maria Davis-Pierre, LMHC

Notable Quotes:

“Once the actual conference started, it was just like community and home, so all of the nerves went away and it was just, again, beautiful to be with our community for the weekend.” – Maria Davis-Pierre, LMHC

“I think there’s not a lot of focus on us as autistic adults. It’s something that people have been asking for [and] it’s something that I needed as an autistic adult – having that community. I think there is so much focus sometimes when organizations focus on the children and don’t realize we turn into autistic adults and there’s no support out there for us. So, it was very intentional this year to make sure that we really had a lot of content for autistic adults.” – Maria Davis-Pierre, LMHC

“I tell everybody every year: just as you all are learning, I’m learning too.” – Maria Davis-Pierre, LMHC

“Having a community of people who want to support you and support what you do because they think that it’s important as well and they get something out of it just as much as you do is just a beautiful sight to see. I think a lot of people are thinking ‘competition, competition, competition’, but what we really focus on is collaboration and being there, supporting one another. Having that community and knowing that we are doing that for one another is a wonderful aspect.” – Maria Davis-Pierre, LMHC

Remember to subscribe to the podcast and share the episode with a friend or family member.

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In today's episode, we explore a profound and impactful story from the music world—the recent passing of hip-hop pioneer DJ Mister Cee. Known for his influential role in the industry, his death highlights a critical health issue that affects millions worldwide: diabetes. We'll delve into how diabetes contributed to his complications, focusing on its effects on the heart and kidneys, and discuss the signs and symptoms everyone should be aware of.

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Key Discussion Points:

The Passing of DJ Mister Cee: Reflecting on his legacy and the circumstances of his recent passing due to complications related to diabetes.
Diabetes and Its Effects on the Body: Understanding how diabetes impacts vital organs, particularly the heart and kidneys, and what that means for overall health.
Recognizing Signs and Symptoms of Diabetes: A crucial discussion on how to identify diabetes early to manage and potentially mitigate its severe complications.

This episode serves as a reminder of the importance of health awareness and regular check-ups, especially for conditions like diabetes that can quietly affect major organs and lead to serious health issues.

Links:

People Magazine: DJ Mister Cee’s Cause of Death Revealed
WHO: Facts About Diabetes

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So, let's talk about the experience of being at this year's Autism in Black Conference…

When I first told my wife that we should do a conference on autism in Black, looking back, the first response that I got was “Why would we do a conference? Who would come to that?”

Believe it or not, about four years ago, that’s what our thoughts were like that we even doubted if people would come.

Then, fast forward to four years later, and we just realized that starting the annual conference had been the best decision of our lives.

Not only have we created a safe space for Black people to learn and empower each other; for us and the members, the conference has also become a source of love, appreciation, and emotional recharge.

It was such an awe-inspiring, moving, and really just an emotionally enriching environment to be at that I can’t help but do this episode to share a quick recap.

So, sit back and relax as we talk about the experience – as an organizer, a speaker, and a community member all in one.

Why you need to check this episode:

Understand the importance of highlighting the fact that autism in Black really does happen;
Get a quick recap of the events that transpired on this year’s Autism in Black Conference; and
Learn about the experience from the organizers’, speakers’, and community members’ standpoint

“We’re making sure that everyone is aware that autism in Black needs to be seen through a different lens, and we are the glasses that’s going to help you see it.” – Dr. Berry Pierre

Notable Quotes:

“The job that our speakers did this weekend, the love that they were able to pour out into the hearts of the community, whoo! If you’re an organization looking for phenomenal speakers, just check our speaker list from our agenda and start reaching out to them, because, I mean, beautiful.” – Dr. Berry Pierre

“You guys may think I’m biased, and I understand that; I’ll take that on the chin, if you think I’m a little biased when I’m talking about the Autism in Black Conference. But if you’ll talk to the community members, they’ll tell you that it was the best conference they’ve ever been in in their life. So, not my words; [it’s] their words. I’m just regurgitating what the community members said.” – Dr. Berry Pierre

“When we talk about Autism in Black, we are speaking from the Black perspective in autism journey. We want to make sure that does not get erased and we want to make sure that it’s highlighted that it is definitely different. Despite what they may say on the ads that I run, it’s definitely different to walk this journey as a Black family when you’re thinking about autism; regardless of the whole ‘there is no color in autism’, [because] that’s a lie.” – Dr. Berry Pierre

“I want to make sure that the fathers are continued to be represented in the light that they need to be represented in. I think and I know that it’s so important because the reception that I get every time fathers are highlighted, it just continues to amaze me and let’s me know that we got some work to do.” – Dr. Berry Pierre

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In today's episode, we delve into a topic that has recently sparked significant discussion in the community: the clarity surrounding autism diagnoses. Joining us is Maria Davis-Pierre, LMHC, a leading voice in the conversation about autism, especially within the Black community. We'll specifically address the recent controversy involving Amanda Seales and her statements regarding her autism diagnosis.

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Key Discussion Points:

Understanding Autism Diagnosis: We explore the importance of a formal diagnosis and how it can impact individuals and their families.
The Amanda Seales Controversy: A closer look at Amanda Seales' recent remarks about not being clinically diagnosed with autism by a doctor, which has stirred up widespread conversation about autism awareness and self-diagnosis.
Expert Insights with Maria Davis-Pierre: Maria will provide her professional insights into the diagnosis process, challenges within the Black community regarding autism, and the implications of public discussions like these.

This episode aims to shed light on the complexities of autism diagnosis and the broader implications of how these diagnoses are discussed publicly.

Links:

Baller Alert: Amanda Seales Clarifies Autism Diagnosis Statement
YouTube: Amanda Seales Discusses Autism Diagnosis

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So, let’s talk about our New Year’s resolutions and how we can keep them going throughout the year…

How many of you have told yourself in November or December, “I’m going to stop playing games and I’m going to do better for myself because I know there’s not as many years in front of me as there may be behind me”?

According to statistics, 80% of New Year’s resolutions fail by mid-February; they don’t even make it to the first quarter of the year.

And today, as your accountability partner, I want to ask you this: With the first quarter of the year coming gone, are your New Year’s resolutions coming gone with it?

I know it’s only April and that we have goals and aspirations – living healthier, losing weight, making a lot more money, etc. – that we’ll still have to work on in the remaining months of the year.

But when the clock strikes midnight for the year 2024, would you be able to say that you’ve kept your promise to yourself that you made right after Christmas last year – that this will be the year that you’ll change?

I want to help you get back on your path, so that when the year 2025 comes around, we can look back and say, “Man, I’m so glad I kept that promise to myself.”

Join me in this episode as we rehash these memories to ensure we get our happy selves back, especially when we’re on a road where we went off to detour a little bit.

Why you need to check this episode:

Discover some of the most common New Year’s resolutions people have;
Understand the different reasons why people’s New Year’s resolutions fail; and
Find out the importance of accountability and self-reflection in your journey to change

“Let’s get back on the train today. Let’s remember our ‘why’ today. More importantly, let’s remember what caused us to trip; let’s remember what caused us to stumble, because we need to avoid the stumbling, because the stumbling is going to happen again and again and again. It keeps happening, that’s why you’re at the point you’re at now. So, I have to ask, do you really want to live healthier Do you really want to do these things? Do you really want to do the things you said you wanted to do in November and December? And remember, if you don’t have that support system, if you don’t have the accountability, I’m here to help you out.” – Dr. Berry Pierre

Notable Quotes:

“We all have different stimuli. We all have different things that motivate us… We all have these reasons, and no initial stimulus is better than the other. I tell my patients all the time – you need to have some type of why to keep you going, but it doesn’t mean that my ‘why’ is so much better than your ‘why’; it doesn’t mean that my ‘why’ is so much stronger than your ‘why’. Everyone has their own personal ‘why’.” – Dr. Berry Pierre

“The second we forget our why, it’s over.” – Dr. Berry Pierre

“We don’t want tomorrow. We are not going to continue to put off things until tomorrow that we can do today.” – Dr. Berry Pierre

“Any type of change has to start with you.” – Dr. Berry Pierre

Remember to subscribe to the podcast and share the episode with a friend or family member.

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So, let’s talk about this year’s Autism Awareness Month…

Autism Awareness Month is not just a yearly celebration in April; it’s something that’s personally changed me and my family’s lives.

That’s why having an episode like this is special to me. It’s not just because it allows me to look back at the beginning of my journey of living with my spouse and raising two wonderful kids who have autism; it also allows us to celebrate the diversity of the human experience of dealing with autism or living with someone who has autism.

So join me in this episode as I share with you my personal experience of going through the hump of fear and unawareness of autism and how you can get to that next level of awareness as well with the help of Autism Awareness Month.

Why you need to check this episode:

Find out what Autism Awareness Month is all about and why it is such a special month to me;
Learn the importance of understanding that everyone has a different experience with autism; and
Discover the crucial role of awareness, how to get to that “next level” of awareness, and what to do with it once you get there

“This is where I want alarms to ring for anyone who is watching or listening to this. When you have something that is occurring to you that is different, that is now affecting the way you typically or normally live your life, you need to be ringing some bells and seeking professional help, even if you have a couple of people tell you that it’s normal.” – Dr. Berry Pierre

Notable Quotes:

“There’s a lot of people who, when that diagnosis first comes around, they don’t want to hear it. A lot of times, it’s out of fear; just like when I first heard the diagnosis… Thankfully, when you have help and a great support system, you grow out of that fear.” – Dr. Berry Pierre

“Once I was surrounded with a family who is autistic and recognized that, ‘Wow, that is what they experience when they go through that’, it allowed me to be able to open my eyes up to the experience that my patients were having.” – Dr. Berry Pierre

“Recognizing the signs and symptoms the earlier is always the better.” – Dr. Berry Pierrre

“Being Black, even when you’re autistic, there’s a different experience. Even in the world of autism, being black is a subset that causes a different level of experience that others who are autistic and not black don’t have to experience.” – Dr. Berry Pierre

“Diagnosis is just the first step, being aware of it is really just the first step; It’s now taking what you’re aware of, and applying it. Taking what you’re aware of, and recognizing, ‘Hey, you know what? I may need to do something about it.” – Dr. Berry Pierre

“The beauty of a month like this is that everyone is going to be at a different stage of their awareness, and it’s most important to get them to where they need to get to, to get them to that next step, and also to help them recognize that a community is there.”– Dr. Berry Pierre

Remember to subscribe to the podcast and share the episode with a friend or family member.

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In today's episode, we delve into a poignant story that has captured the nation's attention: O.J. Simpson's final battle with prostate cancer. The news of his passing at the age of 76 not only marks the end of a complex and controversial figure but also brings a critical health issue to the forefront.

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Key Discussion Points:

O.J. Simpson's Passing: We reflect on the life and legacy of O.J. Simpson, acknowledging the circumstances of his passing due to prostate cancer.
The Reality of Prostate Cancer: An exploration of prostate cancer, its impact, and the importance of early detection and screening, particularly for Black men who are disproportionately affected by this disease.
Prostate Cancer Screening: Discussing the significance of PSA tests and other screening methods in the early detection and management of prostate cancer, highlighting the need for awareness and proactive health measures.

This episode serves as a reminder of the human aspect behind public figures and the critical importance of health awareness and regular screenings in the fight against prostate cancer.

Links:

ABC News: O.J. Simpson Dies After Prostate Cancer Diagnosis
ZERO Cancer: Prostate Cancer Statistics in Black Men
MSKCC: Things Black Men Should Know About Prostate Cancer

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So, let’s talk about the marriage between nanotechnology and medicine, and how this can help revolutionize cancer treatment…

Have you ever wondered what the field of bioengineering entails?

At its core, bioengineering is a discipline that harnesses the principles of biology and engineering to develop innovative solutions for a variety of problems. It is a world filled with extraordinary, cutting-edge, and most importantly, profoundly impactful innovations. And with its revolutionary advancements in medicine, agriculture, and more, it is truly shaping our world in ways we could never have imagined before.

Unfortunately, this is a science that I know little to nothing about.

But worry no more, for in this week’s episode, I’ll be joined by a trailblazer in this field – Dr. Craig Richard, a Black doctor who not only pushes the limits of what nanotechnology and medicine can do but is also a staunch proponent for representation and mentorship of Black students in STEM fields.

If you feel like me, whose knowledge about this field is so limited but has been pondering upon the incredible possibilities that lie within this field, then get yourselves ready. Here, we’ll discover how the tiniest particles invisible to the naked eye might hold the key to medical advances for better health and life.

Why you need to check this episode:

Find out how nanotechnology and medicine go together;
Understand the importance of representation and mentorship in STEM fields; and
Learn about the advances of nanotechnology especially in the fight against cancer

“That’s the goal; it’s to develop treatments for these diseases that otherwise would have very few treatment options or would result in such drastic symptoms from the treatment that people don’t want to do them. We can make this process a lot easier or more targeted so there’s less off-target effects. It’s the best of both worlds.” – Dr. Craig Richard

Notable Quotes:

“Fundamental properties start to change when you start to nanostructure things.” – Dr. Craig Richard

“It’s really exciting because now, you could have systemic delivery. It doesn’t matter how you deliver it, but if you only deliver the on signal – the kill switch – to the site with the tumor, then you’re getting all the buildup that’s happening in that tumor and you’re only having the effect in that tumor; you can minimize the off-target effects of some of those really toxic chemotherapy drugs because they’re only being released inside the tumor or around the tumor.” – Dr. Craig Richard

“Obviously, there’s going to be pros and cons; there’s going to have to be some sacrifices, especially if you’re treating cancer. Like, the chemotherapy drugs you are using – they’re poison. There are no uncertain terms; it’s poison. But it’s a poison that affects the cancer cells more than it does the normal cells and you’re just taking advantage of cancer’s biology. So, if you can take it and put it in some type of delivery vehicle and have it specifically target that, the benefits kind of outweigh some of the risks.” – Dr. Craig Richard

“I don’t want people to have the same experiences that I’ve had, like going through college and high school where I’m the only person that looks like me in the room. I can count on one hand the number of people in my field, in my department, that looks like me, and that’s a problem. I don’t want that to be everyone’s experience, so I’m trying to do what I can to help with that and remedy that problem.” – Dr. Craig Richard

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So, let’s talk about the deadly effects of delayed care, misdiagnosis, and delayed diagnosis as seen in the story of the late “Compton Bohemian”, Jessica Pettway…

Have you ever brushed off a diagnosis even after experiencing signs and symptoms that aren’t normal to you?

Have you gone through delayed care or a diagnosis from a healthcare provider you thought would help treat you?

Just two weeks ago, famous YouTuber and beauty influencer Jessica Pettway died from stage 3 cervical cancer after having been misdiagnosed. Before her passing, Jessica disclosed that she had been misdiagnosed with fibroids in July 2022, only to be accurately diagnosed with cancer in February 2023.

This speaks a lot about the sad truth of how many people and healthcare providers brush off diagnosis on a day-to-day basis, thinking “I’ll get to it later”, although unfortunately, for many people, the time for “later” does not come.

And that’s exactly why I’m here in the system – to make sure that less people will do or go through that.

Jessica Pettway isn’t the first; won’t be the last. But if you’re listening to or watching this episode, I want to make sure that you’re not the next.

Because again, a delay in care or a delay in a decision for medical diagnosis can have deadly consequences.

How can we make sure that we’re empowering ourselves for better health?

Why you need to check this episode:

Recognize how bias in our healthcare system causes misdiagnosis, delayed care, and delayed diagnosis, and how these three can cause deadly effects on patients;
Discover the science behind vaginal bleeding along with some signs and symptoms to look out for; and
Find out what happened to popular YouTuber Jessica Pettway, and why it’s crucial to understand the “why” a.k.a. do history-taking

Notable Quotes:

“As a healthcare provider, I’m going to champion ourselves and understand that we’re not superhumans, we’re not robots, we’re not computers, we’re not machines, and yes, we can miss things. And that’s why as a patient, there’s a decision that the patient needs to make to make sure that you give all the evidence and you give all of whatever that healthcare provider needs to make the right decision for you.” – Dr. Berry Pierre

“A lot of people and healthcare providers are brushing off diagnosis on a day-to-day basis thinking ‘I’ll get to it later.’ But for a lot of people, ‘later’ does not come.” – Dr. Berry Pierre

“When we talk about vaginal bleeding, the first thing and one thing that my attendant used to always tell me – understand the ‘why’; and the ‘why’ always starts in a history taking. There’s plenty of lab and imaging tests that we’ll get into, but if you get a great history, the story tells itself.” – Dr. Berry Pierre

“We got to figure out the ‘why’. The ‘why’ is the most important question in medicine. If you understand the why, medicine is so easy…People who have difficulty in medicine typically don’t understand the ‘why’.” – Dr. Berry Pierre

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In today's episode, we delve into a recent tragedy that has gripped the nation: the collapse of the Francis Scott Key Bridge. This event is highlighted by the extraordinary efforts of the first responders and dispatchers who helped prevent a mass casualty to occur when a cargo ship lost power and within five minutes struck the bridge eventually killing 6 people.

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Key Discussion Points:

The Tragedy of the Francis Scott Key Bridge Collapse: We'll explore the details of the bridge collapse, examining the circumstances that led to this disaster and the impact it has had on the local community and beyond.
Heroes Among Us: First Responders' Brave Actions: Highlighting the heroic efforts of the first responders, we'll discuss their crucial role in the rescue operations and how their quick thinking and bravery saved countless lives.
Moving Forward: The Mindset for Recovery: In the wake of such a calamity, we'll reflect on how our collective mindset plays a pivotal role in overcoming the tragedy and rebuilding stronger and safer infrastructure for the future.

This episode is a tribute to the resilience of the human spirit in the face of adversity and a reminder of the importance of safety and vigilance in our daily lives.

Links:

Reuters: Why Did the Baltimore

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In today's episode, we delve into the critical issue of healthcare disparities affecting Black communities in the United States. We explore the deep-rooted connection between current health disparities and historical policies and events, shedding light on how systemic racism has played a significant role in shaping these inequalities.

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Key Discussion Points:

Historical Roots of Health Disparities: We'll discuss how historical policies and events, including segregation and discriminatory housing policies, have contributed to the health disparities faced by Black people today.
Impact of Systemic Racism on Health: Delving into the ways systemic racism has limited access to health care and contributed to poorer health outcomes for Black communities.
Addressing and Overcoming Disparities: We aim to highlight the importance of acknowledging these historical contexts and working towards health equity and racial justice in health care.

This episode is a crucial conversation about understanding and addressing the health care disparities that continue to impact Black communities, emphasizing the need for systemic change and equitable health care for all.

Links:

KFF: How Present-Day Health Disparities for Black People Are Linked to Past Policies and Events
KFF: How History Has Shaped Racial and Ethnic Health Disparities - A Timeline of Policies and Events

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So, let’s talk about the aspect of having a non-clinical career…

Attention physicians seeking a career change!

Are you tired of being confined to a hospital environment?

Do you yearn to explore a more diverse range of career options, but the uncertainty of what lies outside is holding you back?

Do you want to transition to a non-clinical career but you just don’t know where and how to start?

Well, worry no more, because on today’s podcast, we’ll have Leigh Ann Dooley MD, MPH, a board-certified psychiatrist who has more than a decade of clinical background, and just a year ago, has decided to transition into a non-clinical career.

She’s here to share her journey and valuable insights with those who aspire to transition and explore the incredible possibilities the world has in store for us.

So don’t miss out on this opportunity, because in this episode, not only will you get inspiration to take that shift; but you’ll also learn what career options are available for you out there as you explore the world beyond the clinical space.

Why you need to check this episode:

Understand why physicians are needed in every aspect of the system;
Recognize the importance of having a non-clinical resume and knowing how to write that well;
Learn the importance of having a mentor or a coach who can help you navigate the journey of transitioning to a non-clinical career; and
Find out what career options are available for you if you’re a physician who wants to transition to a non-clinical career

“As physicians, we are needed in every aspect of the healthcare system.” – Dr. Leigh Ann Dooley

Notable Quotes:

“As a person practicing there (the VA system), you have to understand the culture, you have to understand those generational differences, how the trauma was different at different times when you’re providing care, but then also, the political side of how things flow.” – Dr. Leigh Ann Dooley

“We, I think, do not appreciate how much our skill set, how much our knowledge, is valued.” – Dr. Leigh Ann Dooley

“We all are so driven for so long in patient care; we’re mission-oriented. I would say most physicians are going into it just generally wanting to make a difference. We want to help people, and we’re being taken advantage of because of that; because people know how dedicated we are…” – Dr. Leigh Ann Dooley

“When you’re a provider who is providing care at the standard, at a minimum, often above the standard, we do not realize how much inappropriate care is happening, how much dangerous things are happening, like lack of supervision.” – Dr. Leigh Ann Dooley

“There’s nothing wrong with real estate or investing; that’s fine, too. But if you can find a way to keep your expertise in one of these systems we interact with, to me, it’s just amazing. We need to be there.” – Dr. Leigh Ann Dooley

Remember to subscribe to the podcast and share the episode with a friend or family member.

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In today's episode, we delve into a significant shift in public health policy: the CDC's decision to end the 5-day isolation protocol for individuals recovering from COVID-19. This move marks a departure from previous guidelines and raises important questions about the future management of the pandemic.

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Key Discussion Points:

The End of the 5-Day Isolation Protocol: We'll explore the reasons behind the CDC's decision to discontinue the isolation period, examining the data and rationale that informed this change.
Understanding the Original Protocol: A review of the original 5-day isolation protocol, its objectives, and its impact on public health practices.
Personal Reflections on the Changes: I'll share my thoughts on the implications of this policy shift, considering its potential effects on public health, individual behavior, and the broader fight against COVID-19.

This episode is a critical look at how evolving scientific understanding and public health priorities shape our response to the ongoing pandemic.

Links:

ABC News: CDC Drops 5-Day Isolation Period for Recovering from COVID

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So, let’s talk about the challenging journey of grief and dementia with today’s guest, Niesia Garza…

Before we begin today’s episode, let me ask you for a quick favor…

Imagine yourself as an artist with an amazing and delicate base…with beautiful patterns and vibrant colors, each representing the memories and experiences of your loved one…

Now, continue to imagine that same base, but through time, see it starting to develop tiny cracks…the once vibrant colors and beautiful patterns now starting to fade away…

Did you do it? If yes, how did it make you feel?

Did it cause you emotional pain? Confusion? How about being anxious? Did it scare you?

Because that experience, in essence, is equivalent to the one that your loved ones undergo while dealing with dementia. More importantly, it's the experience of the family members who have to provide care to their loved ones whose deterioration of brain functions has already begun.

Yes, dementia doesn't just affect the person suffering from it, but also those around them. It is a debilitating experience that's as painful for the family members as it is for the patient.

Fortunately, we have America’s favorite Grief Counselor here with us today to help us navigate through the challenging journey of dealing with a family member who no longer remembers you or your name.

Niesia Garza, a licensed clinical social worker and registered play therapist, is the Founder and CEO of Daniel’s Harbor Therapy Center. Inspired by and in honor of her late son, whom she lost at two, it aims to be a beacon of compassion and support to those journeying through traumatic grief. She and her team are devoted to increasing empathy and understanding in a world where finding a safe space to grieve is rare.

Join me in taking a moment to pause and reflect as we gain valuable insights from our esteemed guest.

Why you need to check this episode:

Understand the changes that happen to people with dementia, and why you should not take their words and actions personally;
Recognize the importance of self-care and protecting your mental health when dealing with the challenge of taking care of a demented loved one; and
Discover how crucial it is for you to allow yourself to feel, to acknowledge your feelings, and learn how to walk with your grief

“You got to feel. You got to sit with those feelings. You got to [learn] to walk with your grief. Because again, there’s no [such thing as] time heals all wounds. There is no time. You’re learning to walk. There’s no destination with grief; there’s no healing. You’re learning to live without that loved one.” – Niesia Garza

Notable Quotes:

“Their feelings are valid, but [do] not take it out on that loved one because that loved one is not doing it intentionally.” – Niesia Garza

“Feel your feelings, journal whatever it is, [and] don’t suppress them; because the more we suppress, they’re going to eventually come out one way or the other.” – Niesia Garza

“You have to protect your mental health… That’s okay; it’s not a bad thing. [You’re] grieving, and everybody grieves differently. There’s no right or wrong way to grieve.” – Niesia Garza

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Connect with Neisia:

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LinkedIn
Instagram
Website

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So, let’s talk about the recent scandal concerning the Nepal USMLE cheating ring…

For those of you who might not know, USMLE is a three-step licensing exam for physicians, residents, and aspirants alike who want to practice medicine in the United States. Here, applicants aspire to have the highest score possible, especially residents who want to attract the attention of residency program directors and get themselves onboard.

And just recently, the National Board of Medical Examiners announced that they’re invalidating the USMLE scores of a group of residency applicants and current residents due to validity concerns.

When I first saw it, I hate to say this but I wasn’t really shocked. I have always felt that the opportunity for an organized effort has always been there; however, I always assumed it would be difficult to bring it out.

But then this recent USMLE scandal happened, and not only were there people who had an advantage; now, there’s a systemic advantage with such a coordinated effort to make it happen.

This is such a big scandal that could and has already affected lots of people out there, and it’s something that we cannot afford not to discuss. That’s why in today’s episode, we’ll be learning from Dr. Bryan Carmody himself, a pediatric nephrologist and a medical school educator. He is known as the Sheriff of Sodium on social media, where he does commentaries on residency selection and medical education.

Sit back and relax as we discuss the USMLE cheating scandal on this week’s podcast!

Why you need to check this episode:

Learn what the USMLE is, and what happened that led to this scandal;
Discover how the cheating happened, the numbers that support the occurrence, and what USMLE did to interpret the scores after receiving multiple reports of cheating; and
Understand why this is such a big deal, and why there’s a need for USMLE to change the format of the exam

“Cheating begets cheating. The more cheating there is, the more cheating there is going to be because people feel ‘I got to cheat because how am I going to get looked at if all these people who are cheating are so much higher than me?’ So, the more of it you tolerate, the more you’re going to have to tolerate it.” – Dr. Bryan Carmody

Notable Quotes:

“It’s got so many zeroes before the number that any reasonable person would say that this is not a valid score.” – Dr. Bryan Carmody

“If you don’t understand this, you need to take your fingers out of your ears. You need to listen and think about this, because it’s beyond what anybody could reasonably expect and there’s just not a good explanation for it other than cheating.” – Dr. Bryan Carmody

“I don’t think anybody who has the acumen to become a physician would really think that a licensing authority would judge someone’s ability to practice medicine by their ability to recall questions from a 1000-paged document hidden inside a Telegram group.” – Dr. Bryan Carmody

“There are people sitting on the sidelines who want to be a resident or work as a physician and they don’t get the opportunity. For every one of these people [who cheats] who gets in, someone else is being kept out.” – Dr. Bryan Carmody

“Some of these residents are done, but I think some of them will probably land on their feet if they play their cards right.” – Dr. Bryan Carmody

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Connect with Dr. Bryan Carmody:

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Links:

Sheriff of Sodium website
Sheriff of Sodium YouTube

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So, let’s talk about the intersection of professions and other passions professionals have in life…

In today's digital age, it is becoming more common for professionals to have an online presence. Whether it be through social media, podcasts, YouTube channels, or other platforms, professionals are finding ways to share knowledge, expertise, and passions with a wider audience. This online presence allows us to connect with people beyond our immediate circle and make a positive impact on a larger scale.

However, there are still those individuals who question whether professionals should be engaging in activities outside of our primary roles.

Others fail to realize it is not about compromising our career but rather expanding our reach and impact, leveraging on that power to make a positive difference in the lives of countless individuals. It also allows us to live a better and happier life, for we get to do and enjoy things that we love.

So, if you want to step out of your comfort zone and explore avenues beyond your primary professions, join me in this week’s episode as we explore the exciting possibilities that come with embracing new opportunities and sharing our expertise with the world.

Why you need to check this episode:

Learn how you can navigate the world of social media while maintaining your professional identity;
Understand why we have to be accepting of seeing professionals have and act on other passions aside from their professional duties; and
Discover why we got to be excited for the new norms, especially this 2024

“If not for anything else, make that leap because someone out there is waiting for the message you’re trying to deliver, and they can’t get the message you’re trying to deliver if you won’t press ‘record’. They would not get the message that you’re trying to deliver if you would keep it all to yourself. You cannot be your best-kept secret. Stop trying to be your best-kept secret; go out and do what you need to do.” – Dr. Berry Pierre

Notable Quotes:

“I actually like doing it. I actually enjoy getting online here, talking to you guys, educating you guys, [and] making it so that this complex system of medicine and healthcare and patient-doctor relationship – making sure that you understand it, like, this can be simplified, so you don’t have to be like a deer in headlights when you go to see your doctor. Because again, I’m not your doctor, but I want to make sure that when you go to see your doctor, you are as comfortable as possible.” – Dr. Berry Pierre

“Remember the model: Empower Yourself for Better Health. If I make it to a point that you are comfortable when you go to see your doctor, guess what? There’s just going to be no pride in the way; there’s just going to be no delay of care in the way; and in tune, I’m going to save a life.” – Dr. Berry Pierre

“I don’t need to have a fixed number of how many people it is. I just know the fact that because I press ‘record’ and upload it, that someone’s going to listen to it on the way to work, at home, [and] send it to a friend of theirs. They’re going to hear that and give it to who needs to hear it, because the message always finds who it needs to be delivered to; I just have to give the message.” – Dr. Berry Pierre

Remember to subscribe to the podcast and share the episode with a friend or family member.

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So, let’s talk about the leading cause of death globally – heart disease…

Heart disease is a pervasive health issue with significant economic and personal impacts. Over the years, it has been highlighted as the number one killer globally, leading to a death every 33 seconds.

Through my extensive experience as a physician, I’ve witnessed lots of patients across different age groups affected by this disease.

And not only does it affect individuals; the economic burden of heart disease is also staggering, costing approximately $25 billion annually.

This is a pressing issue that demands our attention. It is imperative to educate people about the critical importance of proactive health management.

That’s why in this episode, we shed light on the prevalence, impact, and risk factors associated with heart disease, and emphasize the importance of early intervention and lifestyle modifications to combat this pervasive health issue. From patients' stories to prevention tips, we highlight the urgent need to focus on our cardiovascular health and make proactive choices to live vibrantly.

We all want to grow old. The question is do we want to grow old dealing with all of the medical comorbidities, or do we want to grow old and be able to live life?

Join us in this week’s episode and prevent future health problems by acting as early as today. Remember, your heart matters. Let's make every heartbeat count.

Why you need to check this episode:

Find out what and how heart disease happens, and discover its staggering impact, both on our health and our economy;
Get heartfelt anecdotes of patients across different age groups, highlighting the importance of prevention and healthy aging;
Recognize the influence of genetics, age, gender, and lifestyle choices on heart health; and
Understand the significance of education and prevention in managing heart disease effectively.

“In January, we did our 2024 resolutions to get healthier; a lot of y'all did. It's just the next month. So, if we know we need to get healthier, guess what? Heart Health Month says, let's do what we need to do. Let's get the nutrition that we need to get. Let's get the physical activity that we need to get. Let's decrease our risk factors, make sure our diabetes is controlled, make sure our blood pressure is controlled, make sure our cholesterol is controlled. Because again, we can't change the age, we can't change the gender, and we can't change our genetics; we can't change those things. But the things we could change, we need to attack in 2024.” – Maria Davis-Pierre

Notable Quotes:

The medical system loves healthy people, despite what people will tell you. We understand that there's going to be bumps, there's going to be bruises; but if there are things that we can do, education that we can perform to kind of prevent you from dealing with the ill effects of what heart disease is, we're going do so.” – Dr. Berry Pierre

“If you have heart disease, you got vascular disease issues. And if you have vascular disease issues in the heart, you likely got them in the brain, you likely got them in your carotids – those are the arteries in the neck here – [and] you likely got them in your legs. You're not going to just have vascular disease in one part of the body and then the rest of the body is flowing well. Because remember, heart disease is the aspect of not flowing well; the blood flow isn't flowing like it needs to. And because it's not flowing like it needs to, some type of tissue dies; and whatever type of tissue dies, that's what we call a problem. Brain tissue dies, it's a stroke. Heart tissue dies, heart attack.” – Dr. Berry Pierre

“It’s what it is. The older we get, the more likely we are to deal with heart disease.” – Dr. Berry Pierre

“In 2024, we are avoiding seeing the doctor, [but] that's not happening, not on my watch. It’s not even cool no more. We need to shame our friends and family who think it's machismo to walk around not taking care of their health. That's no; we're not doing that.” – Dr. Berry Pierre

“I think diabetes is my second most favorite talked about subject on the episodes on the show because it's such a significant player in all of the organ-related issues. It is such a significant player that if I don't talk about it, I think y'all are going to brush it off. I don't want y'all to brush it off. Do not brush off diabetes. Diabetes is a problem. Diabetes is a vascular problem.” – Dr. Berry Pierre

“We're going to make medicine fun, we're going to make health fun, and we're going to simplify it so you guys aren't confused when you have to go see your doctor.” – Dr. Berry Pierre

Remember to subscribe to the podcast and share the episode with a friend or family member.

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In today's episode, we delve into a significant controversy that's rocked the medical education community: the USMLE cheating scandal. Recent revelations have exposed a cheating scheme involving the United States Medical Licensing Examination (USMLE), raising serious questions about the integrity of the testing process and its implications for US medical graduates and the broader medical field.

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Key Discussion Points:

Overview of the USMLE Cheating Scandal: We'll provide a summary of the recent news surrounding the cheating scandal, highlighting the key facts and developments.
Understanding the USMLE: A brief explanation of what the USMLE is and its importance in the medical education and licensing process.
Impacts of Cheating: We'll discuss the potential effects of the cheating scandal on the credibility of the USMLE, the medical profession, and the trust placed in future medical practitioners.
Consequences for US Medical Graduates: Exploring how this scandal could affect the prospects and reputation of US medical graduates, both domestically and internationally.

This episode is a critical examination of a controversy that could have far-reaching consequences for medical education and the healthcare industry.

Links:

MedPage Today: USMLE Cheating Scandal
USMLE Program Statement on Invalidation of Exam Scores
YouTube: Detailed Analysis of USMLE Cheating Scandal
ECFMG Statement on Invalidation of USMLE Examination Scores

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So, let’s talk about the Autism in Black Conference for the year 2024…

The Autism in Black Conference is rooted in our own family's journey. It all began when our daughter was diagnosed with autism at 18 months, and not long after that, we discovered that my wife shares the same journey. Seeking proper healthcare for our daughter, we encountered numerous hurdles, made a lot more difficult by the unique challenge of being Black. And that is the gap that my wife, Maria Davis-Pierre, really wanted to bridge.

Maria Davis-Pierre is a licensed mental health counselor and is the founder and CEO of Autism in Black, an organization that aims to provide support to parents who raise autistic children through educational and advocacy services. Every year, they do an Autism in Black Conference, aiming to provide a safe space for those within the spectrum.

The conference, born from our experiences, is more than just an event; it is a beacon of understanding and compassion, connecting those facing similar struggles, and ensuring no one walks their journey alone.

In this episode, Maria sheds light on everything you need to know about this annual advocacy-driven event scheduled to happen on the 19th to 21st of April of this year 2024.

Why you need to check this episode:

Get to know Maria Davis-Pierre, CEO and Founder of Autism in Black Inc.;
Understand the driving force behind the Autism in Black advocacy, and how it serves as a safe space for people within the spectrum; and
Discover the anticipated highlights of this year’s Autism in Black Conference, to happen on the 19th to 21st of April

“Even if you are not on the East Coast, this conference is for you, wherever you are [in the world].” – Maria Davis-Pierre

Notable Quotes:

“No matter the amount of privilege, those biases get in the way all the time.” – Maria Davis-Pierre

“We’re back to a fully virtual conference, and we do that, definitely, in consideration of families. Because we know that it takes a lot to find child care, to set up being able to leave your home for three days and attend a conference, and we want you guys to be able to get the content, lean in, listen, feel that community, and not have to worry about those things.” – Maria Davis-Pierre

“Especially in this community, that feeling of being safe is so important. Being Black is difficult; being Black is tough. So, imagine being Black, being autistic, and then having to navigate the world through those lenses.” – Dr. Berry Pierre

“For me, it’s knowing that we’re providing that safe space for our attendees and our speakers. Our speakers have said the same thing, and our attendees have said this—it’s a safe space, and they haven’t been in a space that is so Black and neuro-affirming at the same time, where they don’t have to have their defenses out, where they can let that guard down and say whatever’s on their mind in a judgment-free zone.” – Maria Davis-Pierre

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Listen on Apple Podcast, Google Play, Stitcher, Soundcloud, iHeartRadio, and Spotify

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In today's episode, we're tackling a pervasive and systemic issue that's affecting millions of Americans: medical debt. Despite being one of the wealthiest nations, the U.S. grapples with the crippling effects of medical debt, a problem so widespread it's become normalized. This issue not only underscores the inequality of healthcare access but also contributes to a broader health crisis by forcing individuals and families into financial instability.

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Key Discussion Points:

The Crippling Effects of Medical Debt: We delve into how accumulating medical bills are more than just numbers; they lead to devastating consequences for individuals' health, livelihoods, and futures.
Inequality in Healthcare: This segment explores how medical debt exacerbates health disparities, creating a vicious cycle where the economically disadvantaged receive less care, leading to poorer health outcomes.
Beyond the Bills: We discuss the associated factors of medical debt, including psychological stress and the impact on credit scores, which further marginalizes those in debt.

As we navigate these discussions, our goal is to shed light on the urgent need for systemic healthcare reforms to address and alleviate the burden of medical debt.

Links:

GoFundMe's Guide to Medical Crowdfunding

Urban Institute: The Impact of Medical Debt Erasure

Sycamore Institute: How Medical Debt Affects Health

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So, let’s talk about Tony Snell’s fight for an NBA contract and how it could help not only him but also his autistic sons…

The news of the former NBA player desperately looking for teams to be part of has recently gone viral. According to reports, he’s trying to secure his 10th year of service to be eligible in the premium health benefits program of the NBA.

Just last year, not only did he learn that he’s autistic; but he also discovered that both of his sons are autistic as well. And by being eligible for the NBA’s medical program, he would be helping his family receive the needed services.

Unfortunately, especially in this country, the experience of being part of the autism spectrum is not an easy feat. Not to mention how the journey gets a lot more difficult when you’re Black.

But here we have a father whose children have autism, and who is actually autistic himself, and he’s recognizing the burden, and taking action for his loved ones.

As a father of two autistic children and husband to an autistic wife, I recognize that act of love and the need for him to get on that program.

Join me in this week’s episode of Medicine Mondays as we advocate for Tony Snell and discuss the importance of autism awareness at the same time.

Why you need to check this episode:

Understand the hurdles people in the autism spectrum go through, especially when they’re Black;
Recognize the importance of spreading autism awareness; and
Find out how the future could be so much better if you take action for your autistic loved ones now

“I am Dr. Berry Pierre, a concerned father of autistic children and the husband of an autistic wife, who recognizes the importance of getting the services needed and the importance of having network connections, and having all the barriers in front of you knocked down because the outlook and the outcome could be so much greater if you’re aggressive now.” – Dr. Berry Pierre

Notable Quotes:

“There are a lot more people on the outside, who don’t have the resources, who don’t have the connections, who don’t have the things needed but they still want to take care of their loved ones. Why should the fact that you don’t have access, from a financial perspective or just from a networking perspective, preclude your kids from getting the services that they need?” – Dr. Berry Pierre

“You may be wondering, like Dr. Berry, why is it so important just to get the diagnosis? Because unfortunately, especially in this country, you don’t even qualify for any of the services until that diagnosis occurs.” – Dr. Berry Pierre

“When you talk to an autistic community, they’ll tell you that early intervention is so important. So, time delay is not an option.” – Dr. Berry Pierre

“Even if you can see the resources, it almost hurts more knowing that those resources may be unattainable to those who can’t jump over the obstacles that are there.” – Dr. Berry Pierre

“When we talk about autism, if you catch it early enough and you have the interventions that are there, guess what? The outcomes at the end are going to be better.” – Dr. Berry Pierre

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In today's episode, we focus on a crucial health concern that affects the African American community: prostate cancer, with a special emphasis on its prevalence and impact following the recent passing of Dexter Scott King. This poignant event brings prostate cancer and its disproportionate effects on Black men into the spotlight, reminding us of the importance of awareness, early detection, and addressing the disparities in healthcare.

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Key Discussion Points:

Remembering Dexter Scott King: Reflecting on his life and legacy, we discuss the profound impact of his loss and how it highlights the broader health challenges faced by the African American community, especially concerning prostate cancer.
Prostate Cancer in Black Men: We'll delve into the statistics and facts, shedding light on why prostate cancer disproportionately affects Black men and the critical importance of awareness, early screening, and proactive healthcare.
Clinical Insights and Responses: Discussing the typical and atypical presentations of prostate cancer, we aim to empower our viewers with knowledge about the disease, emphasizing the significance of regular medical consultations and screenings.

This episode is a tribute to all those affected by prostate cancer and a call to action for heightened awareness and proactive health measures in the African American community.

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So, let’s talk about your mental readiness to get healthy…

Since we are in January, that also means that it is New Year’s resolution season again. And in my ten years of experience as an attending physician, I’ve heard countless people say “This year, I want to be healthier.”

But really, most of those people lose track of their New Year’s resolutions around February and March.

That raises the question: Are you really mentally ready to get healthy? Because getting healthy is not going to happen overnight; it is a process that involves many steps and may take a long time.

So join me in this episode as I help you answer that question, and enlighten you about the true essence of setting goals for yourself.

Why you need to check this episode:

Why do you need to get rid of the New Year’s resolution setup in setting goals for your health?
What are the steps on how to become mentally fit to get healthy?
Why you should always consider and celebrate the steps and processes that you need to do to achieve your goal of getting healthy?

“A lot of times, our issue is that we’re so focused on the end goal that we don’t think about the processes leading up to that end goal.” – Dr. Berry Pierre

Notable Quotes:

“Have a good enough reason so that when the obstacle that can get you in trouble, that can knock you off of your destination… comes around, you can trace back and say ‘Remember the why.” – Dr. Berry Pierre

“Yes, the obstacle may come. Yes, it may knock you down. But your ‘why’ needs to be strong enough to get you back up.” – Dr. Berry Pierre

“If you are going for the stars, and not having the steps and processes to get there, you are going to be frustrated that you don’t get the goal.” – Dr. Berry Pierre

Remember to subscribe to the podcast and share the episode with a friend or family member.

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In today's episode, we turn our attention to a critical and pressing health issue – the recent measles outbreak in Philadelphia. Amidst growing concern and the backdrop of vaccine misinformation, this outbreak serves as a stark reminder of the importance of vaccination and the real-world consequences of anti-vaxxer rhetoric.

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Key Discussion Points:

The Philadelphia Measles Outbreak: We'll dive into the current situation, exploring the scope and severity of the outbreak, and the immediate actions taken by health authorities.
The MMR Vaccine and Disinformation: Tracing the history and impact of disinformation surrounding the MMR vaccine, we'll discuss how myths and baseless fears have fueled vaccine hesitancy, leading to preventable outbreaks.
The Anti-Vaxxers' Response to Outbreaks: We aim to critically analyze the silence or narrative shifts among the anti-vax community during actual outbreaks, and the implications of such stances on collective public health measures.

This episode is an essential discourse on the intersection of public health, science, and society, spotlighting the crucial role of informed decision-making in combating health crises.

Links:

ABC News: Measles Outbreaks Occurring in Pockets of the U.S.

NCBI: The Persistence of Misconceptions about the MMR Vaccine

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So, let’s talk about how we’ll change it up for 2024...

Welcome to the first episode of Medicine Mondays for this year!

Entering 2024, we will now be on season seven, episode 347. It’s wild to even say it out loud, and I’m really excited to see how high that number could go by the end of this year.

But first things first: In this episode, I’ll be talking about the new plans I have for this year – plans that were not part of my agenda in the previous year. So join me today and find out what to expect from me for the year 2024.

Why you need to check this episode:

Find out Dr. Berry’s general plans for 2024;
Learn about his main focus for this year; and
Discover new ways to get information from Dr. Berry

“I want you to feel comfortable not only listening to me, or hearing me, or watching me, but when you actually go to talk with your doctor… That when you go to your doctor, you’d feel like ‘I have something I can say here, I have the voice that I can project here as well, too because Dr. Berry gave me the tools to do so.” – Dr. Berry Pierre

Notable Quotes:

“I did not want this podcast to feel like you are in a lecture hall. That’s not what this is for. No one’s going to tune in on a show where they feel like they’re getting lectured at about a topic that they don’t want to hear about… But if I’m talking about just something about health in general, you’re going to be more tuned.” – Dr. Berry Pierre

“You can have all the money in the world. But if you’re not there spiritually, mentally, and physically, there’s always going to be things lacking. And if you want the true optimum aspect of health, you have to do all three.” – Dr. Berry Pierre

Remember to subscribe to the podcast and share the episode with a friend or family member.

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In today's episode, we're examining a trending health product that's been gaining traction on social media: coconut pulling oil, particularly the one offered by Guru Nanda amidst a flurry of claims about its effectiveness in oral hygiene, we delve into the science to see if it lives up to the hype.

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Key Discussion Points:

The Guru Nanda Coconut Pulling Oil Phenomenon: We'll take a closer look at the rise of this product in the market and on social media, discussing its purported benefits for oral health.
Scientific Comparison: Coconut Oil Pulling vs. Traditional Methods: Drawing insights from a recent study, we'll compare coconut oil pulling with established oral hygiene practices, such as the use of Chlorhexidine, to evaluate their effectiveness.
Decoding Oral Hygiene Myths and Facts: We aim to dissect and understand the scientific evidence behind coconut oil pulling and other similar alternative dental care practices.

This episode is dedicated to everyone curious about the effectiveness of alternative oral hygiene methods and seeks to make informed decisions based on evidence.

Links:

Recent Study on Oral Hygiene Practices

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In today's episode, we're focusing on a vital health topic as we enter the peak season for cold, Covid, and influenza. With CNN reporting high respiratory virus activity across the country, it's crucial to arm ourselves with knowledge and strategies to stay healthy.

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Key Discussion Points:

Current Respiratory Virus Activity: We'll start by examining CNN's latest update on the rise in flu, Covid, and RSV cases, understanding what this means for our everyday health.
Tips for Staying Healthy During the Viral Season: From hygiene practices to lifestyle adjustments, we'll cover essential tips that can help you avoid falling ill during this intense viral season.
Vitamins and Minerals in Disease Prevention: We’ll dive into the role of diet, particularly focusing on vitamins and minerals, in boosting your immune system against these prevalent viruses.

This episode is crucial for anyone looking to navigate this season safely and maintain their health amidst the rising cases of respiratory illnesses.

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So, let’s talk about the anticipation and enthusiasm for the upcoming year…

How many of you are actually excited about going into 2024?

Looking back at the beginning of 2023, we might have had some goals, some aspirations, or some things we wanted to do. Were you able to do them all? Were you successful?

I know you guys say it every year — “I don’t know where the time went.” Well, I don’t know where time went, either. But one thing’s for sure: I don’t want us stuck, unhealthy, and just going through the flow.

The Lunch and Learn Community likes to get moving, to empower themselves for better health. If you did not get the opportunity to do what you got to do, guess what? You got yourself another chance with another year.

In 2024, what are you going to do so that 2024 looks amazing for you at the end of the year?

Why you need to check this episode:

Understand the importance of self-evaluation, as well as being excited for the year to come;
Discover questions you can ask yourself to help you self-evaluate for a better future ahead; and
Find out why Dr. Berry is ending the year in a grateful and blessed state, and how you can do the same

“Every single year is a time to get better; it’s the time to improve. I work in healthcare; I know people are not promised tomorrow. That is one thing that I learned very quickly at an early age in this healthcare field—that you are not promised tomorrow; hell, you are not promised this afternoon. So, if you know you’re not promised this afternoon, what are you going to do to make sure that you take advantage of the time you got?” – Dr. Berry Pierre

Notable Quotes:

“Wherever you’re following me at and you’re following my train of thoughts, I want to thank you because I know you don’t have to follow me. You do not have to follow a random physician who talks about health and wellness and Florida state and all kind of things under the sun. You don’t have to do that, but you do, and I appreciate you for that.” – Dr. Berry Pierre

“A lot of times, we would just kind of go through the motion…[but] I don’t want us going through the motion…I want people who are okay evaluating themselves, okay saying, ‘You know what? I need to reevaluate myself’, and say ‘What can I learn to do better, or what can I continue to do that is benefitting me?” – Dr. Berry Pierre

“These three pillars are extremely important: [physical] health, financial, and mental wellness, and even spiritual; you can kind of mix that together if you want. Those are three pillars of health that are so extremely important; that if you’re not taking care of your physical health, you’re not taking care of your mental health, you’re not taking care of your financial health, you’re not going to be the [most] healthiest person you want to be.” – Dr. Berry Pierre

“As long as you have a passion within yourself, people will kind of understand.” – Dr. Berry Pierre

Remember to subscribe to the podcast and share the episode with a friend or family member.

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In today's Real Physician Reacts episode, we delve into a groundbreaking development in the treatment of sickle cell disease – the FDA's approval of Casgevy, a revolutionary gene editing therapy. This significant advancement opens new doors for those who have long battled the challenges of sickle cell disease, offering hope and a potential paradigm shift in treatment.

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Key Discussion Points:

The Plight of Sickle Cell Patients: We’ll explore the struggles faced by individuals with sickle cell disease and the historical context of their treatment.
Gene Editing Therapy Revolution: Delving into the science behind gene editing therapy, we'll discuss how Casgevy represents a new frontier in medical treatment.
FDA's Approval of Casgevy: Analyzing the implications of this approval, we'll examine what it means for the future of sickle cell disease management and for patients worldwide.

This episode is an insightful journey into one of the most promising medical advancements of our time, signifying a major step forward in the fight against sickle cell disease.

LINKS:

FDA Approves 2 Sickle Cell Treatment

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So, let’s talk about osteopathic medicine and why Sunny Hostin’s remarks should be debunked and called out…

In a recent episode of The View, one of the most-watched daytime talk shows to date, host Sunny Hostin left a comment on former President Trump’s physician not being a medical doctor because he is a Doctor of Osteopathy.

While discussing the report on the former President’s health, Hostin claimed that being a Doctor of Osteopathy and being a medical doctor are two different things.

Unfortunately, this notion about having an MD degree vs. a DO degree has been going on for years, with some of the prejudice even presenting itself within the industry.

But are osteopathic medicine physicians really NOT medical doctors, as thought by Hostin and the general public? Is the practice of osteopathy, not real medicine? Are MDs and DOs really different, especially regarding one’s qualifications to do patient care?

Join me in today’s episode of Medicine Mondays as we shed light on this philosophical clash.

Why you need to check this episode:

Find out why The View’s Sunny Hostin’s remarks regarding osteopathy and osteopathic doctors resulted in heated discussions;
Learn the only difference that separates an MD from a DO degree, and understand why both are medical doctors; and
Discover why talking about Hostin’s words about Doctors of Osteopathy is a must, especially for students and professionals whose interests are in osteopathy

“We don’t want you to disparage all of osteopathic medicine [physicians] just because one of us happens to say something stupid. That’s all we’re asking for; I think that’s all anyone can ask for.” – Dr. Berry Pierre

Notable Quotes:

“To drive home that fact using the fact that his physician has to be an osteopathic physician and not a real medical doctor, that is where we have to pump the brakes. Because that is where we see that […] this person doesn’t really know what an osteopathic physician is.” – Dr. Berry Pierre

“To say an osteopathic physician isn’t a medical doctor, now I have to ask you the obvious question: what do you think a medical doctor is?” – Dr. Berry Pierre

“A lot of times, in the general public, we have issues where MD has been [seen] as a medical doctor and DO is not a medical doctor. No, that’s not the case, [or] whatsoever. MD is the person who went to an allopathic school vs. DO is the person who went to an osteopathic school. The general public has no clue…They probably don’t have a clue on what allopathic medicine is.” – Dr. Berry Pierre

“This has been a train of thought that unfortunately continues to be ingrained in our pre-medical student, our medical students, our residents, and the general public; that for some reason, the DO degree is somehow less than the MD degree.” – Dr. Berry Pierre

Remember to subscribe to the podcast and share the episode with a friend or family member.

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Resources:

American Osteopathic Association

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So, let’s talk about whether or not becoming a physician is still worth it in the year 2023 and beyond…

We’re now in the second part of this two-part series where we answer the question: in 2023, going into 2024, is being a physician still even worth it?

In the previous episode, I gave you all the negatives—why I didn't believe pursuing a career as a physician was worthwhile.

This week, I’ll give you some reasons why I think this profession is obviously not only here to stay but should also be one of the premiere career paths that you decide to take.

So, sit back and relax, for by the end of this series, you’ll have a good grasp on the pros and cons, and hopefully make a well-informed decision about whether you intend to enter the profession and, more significantly, commit to it for the long term.

Why you need to check this episode:

Discover the pros of staying in the profession and/or studying to become a physician;
Understand why pursuing a career in healthcare is still worth it in the year 2024 and beyond; and
Be empowered and enlightened enough to make an informed decision on whether to get into the profession or not

“Whatever the thing is, I am a better person of it because of the career path that I’m in; because I know that I’m able to make a difference in someone’s life. And not only does making a difference in someone’s life help them, but it also helps me…I don’t think there’s a career path around that’s going to allow you to do that like being a physician will.” – Dr. Berry Pierre

Notable Quotes:

“I think being a physician and that attachment of being able to make a difference in someone’s life is so profound, so powerful, that I don’t think you get that in any other career.” – Dr. Berry Pierre

“Job security, for sure, is a huge reason why you should be coming into this field. You’re not going to have to worry about lay-offs and things of that nature because there’s always somewhere where a physician is going to be needed and where someone’s going to be able to pay you because they [physicians] are needed.” – Dr. Berry Pierre

“The aspect of continuous learning and being a life-long learner is one where when you get into this field, you are going to have no shortage of. If you love to learn and if you love to learn about new things, how to adapt, how to adjust, how to change, this is the field for you.” – Dr. Berry Pierre

“Respect and prestige go a long way, and being a physician, you’re going to get a lot of it.” – Dr. Berry Pierre

“Regardless of what type of a physician you are, I don’t think you have the ability to be that type of physician without being a leader in one way, shape, or form.” – Dr. Berry Pierre

Remember to subscribe to the podcast and share the episode with a friend or family member.

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So, let’s discuss whether healthcare leaders have a responsibility to speak out against injustices and wrongdoings outside the medical sphere or not…

Recently, I came across this opinion article published by JAMA, one of the most established medical journals out there, with the title “Health Professionals and War in the Middle East”. And if you know me, you know that these things interest me.

While there were parts in the article that I really agreed with what the author was saying, there were also parts that I found quite disingenuous. Ultimately, reading that article led me to the question: Do healthcare leaders have a responsibility to speak out on issues that are not exactly within our sphere?

Today, we will answer that question in this episode, so join me as I walk you through the contents of the article while sharing my insights on the topic and addressing the opinions of the author.

Why you need to check this episode:

Learn why we should always look at the big picture of issues instead of just focusing on some parts of it;
Find out why we don’t need to pick a side on the ongoing war in the Middle East; and
Learn why as healthcare providers, we should never fear being told to “stay on our lane”

“When you are a leader, you have a responsibility to speak up on issues that are in front of you… Because you have that responsibility, when you see right vs. wrong, you have to be able to speak on it either way.”– Dr. Berry Pierre

Notable Quotes:

“As healthcare providers, regardless of what we want to think, we have to be the ones that will be able to look at both sides.” – Dr. Berry Pierre

“We are going to denounce genocide. We are going to denounce dehumanization. We don’t care who’s doing it.” – Dr. Berry Pierre

“As healthcare providers, our job is to take care of the people in front of us. No one group is better than the other, so no one issue should be tolerated more.” – Dr. Berry Pierre

Remember to subscribe to the podcast and share the episode with a friend or family member.

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In today's episode, we step into the high-stakes world of medical residency interviews, a crucial juncture in the careers of future physicians. As medical students across the nation embark on this nerve-wracking journey, we aim to equip you with the best advice and strategies to ace your interviews and answer the most challenging questions with confidence.

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Key Discussion Points:

Residency Interview Season: We’ll delve into the nuances of the residency interview process, providing key insights on how to present your best self to potential programs.
Common Residency Interview Questions: Understanding what questions you might face, we’ll dissect what interviewers are looking for in your answers and how to articulate your responses effectively.
Interview Prep Tips: From traditional questions to behavioral and situational inquiries, we’ll cover how to prepare for a wide range of topics, ensuring you're ready for anything that comes your way.

This episode is a must-watch for medical students seeking to navigate the residency interview process successfully.

LINKS:

AAFP's List of Residency Interview Questions

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So, let’s talk about whether or not becoming a physician is still worth it in the year 2023 onwards…

If you’d be told that you’d have to spend around $218,000 and about 10-11 years to become a physician—not to mention the immense amount of stress, burnout, and lack of autonomy you’d go through once you get in the field, would you be willing to take the leap to sign up for that job?

In a previous episode, we discussed how 1 in 4 US medical students consider quitting before they even become physicians. This is in relation to becoming extremely overwhelmed by concerns, such as but not limited to mental health and finances, so bad that most don’t plan to treat patients anymore.

Having said that, it begs the natural question: in the year 2023, going into 2024, is being a physician still even worth it?

Join me in a two-part series as I give answers on both sides: yes, I still think being a physician is worth it; but also no, I don’t think it’s worth doing in the year 2023 and beyond.

Why you need to check this episode:

Discover the reasons why a lot of people say “I do not want to be a doctor” and/or “Being a physician is not for me”;
Find out what kind of life and work people aspiring to become physicians are signing up for; and
Understand why, for those reasons, being a physician is not worth it in the year 2023 onwards

“Not having the autonomy to their own time and giving it to a system that does not love them back is a recipe to have people saying, ‘I don’t want to become a physician next year…in five years…in ten years.”– Dr. Berry Pierre

Notable Quotes:

“It (the cost of going to medical school) is the reason why we have less and less people who want to obtain the right to call themselves a physician and more and more reasons why pre-med students are not choosing this profession to be the one that they ride off until the sunset with.” – Dr. Berry Pierre

“The lengthy time of training has really caused a lot of people to say, ‘You know what? I do not want to be a doctor.’” – Dr. Berry Pierre

“Technology is good; I’m not ever going to say technology is 100% bad. But technology is a big reason why physicians are staying away from the field of medicine and why pre-meds and students are saying, ‘That is not for me’.” – Dr. Berry Pierre

“Every time you take less and less, guess who makes more? The insurance companies.” – Dr. Berry Pierre

Remember to subscribe to the podcast and share the episode with a friend or family member.

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In today's episode, we delve into a crisis that's been brewing within the medical community – the pervasive and severe issue of burnout affecting medical and nursing students. A new, eye-opening study has shed light on the daunting reality that 1 in 4 medical students are considering leaving the profession entirely, with many expressing no intention to engage in patient care. This alarming trend has significant implications for the future of healthcare and requires an urgent and thoughtful response.

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Key Discussion Points:

Rising Burnout Among Medical Students: We'll analyze the recent study and discuss the alarming statistics surrounding medical student burnout.
Why Burnout is Prevalent in Healthcare: We're going to break down the factors contributing to this widespread issue in the medical community.
Effects of Burnout: Exploring how burnout impacts not only the medical students and residents but also the nurses who are integral to patient care.
Solutions and Support: We will consider actionable strategies and interventions that could alleviate burnout and support our future healthcare workers.
This deep dive into the challenges faced by the next generation of healthcare providers is essential for understanding the systemic changes needed to prevent a potential crisis in patient care.

LINKS:

The Hill – Report on U.S. Medical Student Burnout

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So, let’s discuss why your doctor is not the boss anymore...

Traditionally, we are accustomed to doctors telling us “Do this, take that, and see me again in three months”.

While that kind of relationship is generally thought to be effective, it doesn’t actually work for everyone. Different doctors act differently, just as different patients have different needs.

This is why it is so crucial for patients to recognize the type of doctor-patient relationship that fits them, and for doctors to adjust to what their patients need.

So join me today as I talk about the different types of doctor-patient relationships, and shed light as to why your doctor is not your boss anymore.

Why you need to check this episode:

Discover the four pillars of a great doctor-patient relationship;
Learn and understand the three doctor-patient relationship models; and
Find out why it is important for you to know which type of patient you are, and which relationship model fits you

“Trust, knowledge, loyalty, and regard; those are the four components that make a great doctor-patient relationship.”– Dr. Berry Pierre

Notable Quotes:

“Patients are becoming much more proactive in their care, much more proactive in trying to get some information.” – Dr. Berry Pierre

“Patients want to know that they are learning as well. Patients want to know that they are growing as well. Patients want to know that they have some satisfaction as well.” – Dr. Berry Pierre

“I believe that if you are doing all those four components (trust, knowledge, loyalty, and regard) correctly, then patients’ satisfaction will be through the roof regardless of what a Google review says.” – Dr. Berry Pierre

“The reason why your doctor is not your boss anymore is because you haven’t found your relationship with the doctor who you actually like going to.” – Dr. Berry Pierre

Remember to subscribe to the podcast and share the episode with a friend or family member.

Listen on Apple Podcast, Google Play, Stitcher, Soundcloud, iHeartRadio, and Spotify

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So, let’s discuss why your doctor needs to be your health coach...

In last week’s episode, we talked about the importance of having patients trust and believe you as their doctor.

But given the growing popularity of health and wellness coaching and the increasing trust patients place in coaches over physicians, lately, there’s a question that I’ve been asking myself a lot.

Is just being a doctor enough? What is it about health and wellness coaches that got people rather listening to them than us?

Join me as we explore the answers that I’ve found and recognize the fact that more than being just doctors, we need to be our patients/clients/customers’ coaches if we really want them to live a better and healthier lives.

Why you need to check this episode:

Understand the importance of having doctors apply skills and approaches used by health coaches when talking to a patient/customer/client;
Find out what doctors need to “steal” from health coaches’ approach to provide better patient/customer/client care; and
Discover the power of accountability and encouragement in empowering patients/clients/customers for better health

“At the end of the day, a more satisfied patient/client/customer is going to have better outcomes. It is what it is. If your patient/client/customer is more satisfied with your level of coaching—not your level of care, they are going to have better outcomes.”– Dr. Berry Pierre

Notable Quotes:

You have to be the health coach in your client/patient/customer’s life if you want them to get better, if you want them to live longer, [and] if you want them to live a more fulfilling and wellness life.” – Dr. Berry Pierre

“We have to improve the communication, and I think taking a coaching approach to it does many wonders than our kind of old standard because clearly, that isn’t working.” – Dr. Berry Pierre

“If we really want to be the best in our profession, if we really want our patients to trust us [and] to believe us, we have to do a better job coaching them with their goals and making sure that we’re setting realistic expectations for their goals.” – Dr. Berry Pierre

“We got to be able to steal some of these traits that the coaches have; we got to take them. And you got to take them in your office, your hospital—wherever you see your patients at—if the goal is to really take care of the patient.” – Dr. Berry Pierre

“I don’t care what you want to call them, but whatever you call them that gives them the most level of respect, that’s what you should be using.” – Dr. Berry Pierre

Remember to subscribe to the podcast and share the episode with a friend or family member.

Listen on Apple Podcast, Google Play, Stitcher, Soundcloud, iHeartRadio, and Spotify

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In today's episode of Real Doctor Reacts, we dive into the revealing and controversial pricing strategy of Pfizer’s COVID-19 antiviral treatment, Paxlovid. Pfizer has unveiled a nearly $1,400 price tag for a five-day course of this crucial antiviral, ushering in a series of questions and debates regarding pharmaceutical practices, accessibility, and the business dynamics in play during a global pandemic.

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Key Discussion Points:

Business as Usual for Pharmaceutical Companies: A Critical Look at Pfizer’s Approach, aligning it within broader pharmaceutical industry trends and assessing whether this move echoes conventional profit-driven tactics.
The New Pricing Structure: What's the Timeline?: Unraveling when this new pricing will be instituted, and the anticipated immediate effects on the access and distribution of the antiviral.
Dissecting the Impact: Insured vs. Uninsured: A detailed breakdown of how this pricing strategy impacts different segments of society, delineating between the experiences of insured individuals compared to those without insurance.

LINKS:

Pfizer's Price Setting of Paxlovid\

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So, let’s talk about the doctor-patient relationship.

Even in the year 2023, despite the advancements in the field of medicine, many people still just can’t trust doctors. And I have to admit, most of the reasons for that are on us.

And just a couple of weeks ago, while attending different conferences, my mind was blown by the sheer amount of people who said that they made a pivot in their life based on a direction from a doctor. Hearing people say “I don’t trust this guy”, “I don’t trust what he’s telling me”, and “I kept persevering despite what a doctor told me” hit me like a punch in the gut.

So join me for today’s episode, as I talk about some of the reasons that I think people don’t trust doctors while giving some of my rationale behind it.

Why you need to check this episode:

Find out why you should never take information from the internet as an alternative to a healthcare professional’s advice;
Understand why acknowledging the long history between medicine and African-American people is crucial in regaining their trust in the healthcare system;
Understand the importance of clear and proper communication, and why it is the doctor who should always adjust the doctor-patient relationship

“The patient isn’t the one who should have to adjust in the doctor-patient relationship. It should be the doctor who has to adjust.”– Dr. Berry Pierre

Notable Quotes:

“Because information is accessible to everyone, and is free for the most part, you can have an instance where misinformation will lead you away from those in the professional business.” – Dr. Berry Pierre

“Unfortunately, doctors have been put on the front line of a lot of negative media attention associated with healthcare. And unfortunately, it’s something that hasn’t seemed to improve or hasn’t seemed to change, if you ask me.” – Dr. Berry Pierre

“I understand that if your political influence can influence you to act a certain way outside of medicine, best believe – and even though I know that doctors will try to tell you that they are doing a great job – that that political influence is going to impact how they take care of the patients in front of them.” – Dr. Berry Pierre

“We got some historical baggage that we still have to unload. And I don’t want people to forget it… I don’t want people to act like it never happened. It was the foundation of medicine to treat minorities – especially black patients – badly and wrong.” – Dr. Berry Pierre

“If you keep a patient who has the same race or same gender, they’re more likely to trust their healthcare professional.” – Dr. Berry Pierre

Remember to subscribe to the podcast and share the episode with a friend or family member.

Listen on Apple Podcast, Google Play, Stitcher, Soundcloud, iHeartRadio, and Spotify

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In today's episode of my Doctors Reacts series, we dive into the contentious issue that has gripped sports enthusiasts and the general public alike - Aaron Rodgers’ decision to challenge Travis Kelce to a debate on vaccines. This drama started when Aaron a known anti-vaxxer decided to call Travis Mr. Pfizer after Travis appeared in a commercial promoting the COVID-19 vaccine. To make matters worse Aaron challenges him to debate on not the topic of football but the topic of the COVID-19 vaccine. A topic that neither is even capable of having. This again embodies the continued intense divisions surrounding the COVID-19 vaccine.

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Our discussion will revolve around the following points:

Aaron Rodgers: The Anti-Vaxxer Stance: We’ll dissect Rodgers’ anti-vaccine perspective, scrutinizing the motivations and inconsistencies behind his public statements.
Travis Kelce: The Pfizer Spokesman: In contrast, Kelce’s alignment with Pfizer and his proactive stance toward vaccination will be put under the lens, mapping out the broader implications of his advocacy.
Rodgers vs. Kelce: The Vaccine Debate:

LINKS:

Rodgers-Kelce Vaccine Debate
Kelce’s Stand Against Rodgers’

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So, let’s talk about the importance of pivoting as we discuss the shifts that will shape our content journey from this point forward…

A lot of changes typically occur during the last quarter of the year. Especially as the holidays are fast approaching, we hear a lot of people say, “I want to change what I’m doing” and “I want to change my dietary habits.”

In essence, this demonstrates our eagerness to embrace change for improvement.

And because I wanted to be better and bring you the best content, I, too, asked myself.

What are the things that need to be improved here so people can better resonate with our content? What do we need to change here to convey better the important message, which is “Empower Yourself for Better Health”?

Join me in this episode as I share with you the answers that I think will help me give you the best product every step of the way. Together, let’s empower ourselves for better health!

Why you need to check this episode:

Understand how breast cancer is affecting lots of people, both women and men, in various parts of the world;
Discover statistics concerning breast cancer cases, highlighting how it’s a serious concern that needs to be addressed as soon as possible; and
Find out how your family history matters in the discussion of this concern, and why it’s better to have it checked and discovered early

“Early detection equals more options to save your life.”– Dr. Berry Pierre

Notable Quotes:

“Medicine is my life, [and] medicine is not going nowhere, but there’s a way that I want to help convey the message to kind of get to the audience.” – Dr. Berry Pierre

“Once you recognize who you want to talk to, it makes the messaging much easier.” – Dr. Berry Pierre

Remember to subscribe to the podcast and share the episode with a friend or family member.

Listen on Apple Podcast, Google Play, Stitcher, Soundcloud, iHeartRadio, and Spotify

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So, let’s talk about breast cancer as Breast Cancer Awareness Month starts…

We’re going into the last quarter of the year. How many of you have had your annual wellness check-ups?

So many people choose to let things happen to them for reasons like lack of trust, wherewithal, or ignorance, and later on, suffer the consequences for being too late.

Regardless of the illness, remember that early detection is still key to more chances of being saved.

So, as we welcome the month of October, we will talk about breast cancer and the importance of having the awareness and initiative to immediately act on it.

It’s about time for you to get checked and cross that ‘my breasts are not trying to kill me’ thought off your list.

Why you need to check this episode:

Understand how breast cancer is affecting lots of people, both women and men, in various parts of the world;
Discover statistics concerning breast cancer cases, highlighting how it’s a serious concern that needs to be addressed as soon as possible; and
Find out how your family history matters in the discussion of this concern, and why it’s better to have it checked and discovered early

“Early detection equals more options to save your life.”– Dr. Berry Pierre

Notable Quotes:

“It’s such an important disease, because just like colon cancer, if we catch it early enough, we could stomp it out. There’s a 99% 5-year survival rate for breast cancer if caught in these early stages.” – Dr. Berry Pierre

“As a primary care physician, or just a physician in general, you should always ask your patient the question and always allow your patient to give you the answer.” – Dr. Berry Pierre

“The fact that you think that only women could get breast cancer, and a lot of you guys think that [and] I don’t know where you all got that from, let’s stop that today. Everyone’s wearing pink because men and women can get breast cancer.” – Dr. Berry Pierre

“If we want to know ‘how do you fall into that 99%’, everything starts from ‘when did you start looking for it?” – Dr. Berry Pierre

“Them getting checked—those who are older than you—is just as important as you getting checked yourself.” – Dr. Berry Pierre

Remember to subscribe to the podcast and share the episode with a friend or family member.

Listen on Apple Podcast, Google Play, Stitcher, Soundcloud, iHeartRadio, and Spotify

Resources:

Healthy Habits
Lifestyle Changes for Breast Cancer Prevention
Healthy Living Tips from a Scientist

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The 5 biggest future trends in healthcare...

Are you concerned about the future of healthcare, especially how technological and medical advancements can affect your longevity and health?

Well, you're not alone. In today's fast-paced world, staying ahead of the curve when it comes to our health is more critical than ever.

That’s why in this episode, we're diving deep into the five biggest future trends in healthcare that you absolutely need to know about. So, if you're curious about the innovations that will redefine healthcare, stay tuned because these trends aren't just about prolonging life; they're about ensuring that we live both longer and healthier lives.

Why you need to check this episode:

Discover the five biggest future trends that we all should look forward to in relation to healthcare;
Find out the importance of these medical and technological advancements in relation to saving more lives and providing better care; and
Understand why and how these trends can lead us to live not only a longer but a healthier life as well.

“I don’t want the patient to fit the medicine; I want the medicine to fit the patient. I think it’s going to take the longest to really see fruition, but I think that [personalized medicine] is the direction we have to go to if we’re really going to be about personalizing care and taking care of the individual patient.”– Dr. Berry Pierre

Notable Quotes:

“I think we’d be a fool not to think that artificial intelligence can invade digital marketing, web design, video editing, and all these other things here but not have some type of benefit when we talk about healthcare.” – Dr. Berry Pierre

“I don’t think they believe us, but I tell patients all the time—the good doctors, by minute two or three, we already have an idea what we’re going to do.” – Dr. Berry Pierre

“It’s not like we didn’t want to do it [telemedicine]. We’ve been wanting to do it. Unfortunately, your insurance companies did not want to pay for it; that’s the honest truth.” – Dr. Berry Pierre

“At the end of the day, obviously, someone’s going to make a lot of money, because healthcare is a business. But more importantly, there’s going to be a lot of lives saved because of the advances that we’re going to have.” – Dr. Berry Pierre

“It’s one thing to live longer; it’s great if you’re 110-115. But are you a good 110, whatever ‘good’ means? Do you look good? Are you bedridden? What is that if you’re living longer if you’re not living healthier?” – Dr. Berry Pierre

Remember to subscribe to the podcast and share the episode with a friend or family member.

Listen on Apple Podcast, Google Play, Stitcher, Soundcloud, iHeartRadio, and Spotify

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So, let's talk about polypharmacy in relation to geriatrics and how it's detrimental to our way of care...

Do you have a family member, a loved one, a coworker, and/or a friend who is 60 years old and above and has a lot of medication in their dresser right now?

According to statistics, the use of one or more prescription drugs is more common among adults aged 60-79 compared with those aged 40-59.

This, in and of itself, usually leads to a growing concern called polypharmacy.

In layman's terms, polypharmacy is when an individual is given lots of medications (five and above) that are to be taken all at the same time. And although commonly believed to be normal, the truth is, it's detrimental, especially to our elderly. If not managed correctly, these people will have increased chances of dying.

But we don't want that to happen, so sit back and relax as I present to you a discussion about this concern. Together, let us discover how we can help prevent further complications for those involved.

Why you need to check this episode:

Find out what polypharmacy is and how it affects people's overall health and well-being, especially the elderly
Discover the reasons for polypharmacy, as well as the strategies for prevention and management; and
Understand how important it is to work with those involved in order to provide the best care for the patients

“In the medication that they are, they are at an increased risk to have drug-drug interaction; they are at an increased risk to have medication non-compliance. So, you need to, as the doctor, try to figure out a way. 'Is there a way I can help this person?”– Dr. Berry Pierre

Notable Quotes:

"We are getting older. And if we are getting older, you best believe problems can arise." - Dr. Berry Pierre

"Let's pump the breaks here—we are not only getting older; we are getting older faster over the last 100 years." - Dr. Berry Pierre

"Because we're getting older, our diseases are getting older with us. So, we're having to deal with high blood pressure longer; we're having to deal with high cholesterol longer. We're having to deal with all of these things much longer than expected." - Dr. Berry Pierre

"You need to have one central person who, even if they're not the one person who prescribes all these medications, they're the one person who knows about these medications." - Dr. Berry Pierre

"An engaged patient is a compliant patient." - Dr. Berry Pierre

Remember to subscribe to the podcast and share the episode with a friend or family member.

Listen on Apple Podcast, Google Play, Stitcher, Soundcloud, iHeartRadio, and Spotify

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In today's Real Physician React episode, we delve into the latest updates on COVID-19 boosters and the contrasting stance of Florida Governor DeSantis in defiance of CDC recommendations. Not that we should be surprised but the Florida Governor and his Surgeon General have come against the most recent recommendations for those who are able to get the COVID-19 booster.

Click here to watch the full episode...

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Key Discussion Points:

FDA & CDC's Booster Decision: Analyzing the combined stance of FDA and CDC on the COVID-19 booster shots.
Who's Eligible for the Booster?: Highlighting the specific populations that the agencies recommend for the next shot.
Addressing Anti-Vaxxer Misconceptions: Countering prevalent myths and establishing the facts surrounding Covid-19 vaccinations.

LINKS:

CDC Advisers on the 2023 Vaccine
Governor DeSantis's Defiance of CDC Guidelines

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So let’s talk about the alarming suicide crisis and how raising awareness can prevent more deaths and attempts…

When people talk about suicide, we usually focus on the final act alone, where people take their own lives and eventually pass away.

The truth is beneath the surface, suicide is actually a lot more than just the act of committing it.

Did you know that around 700,000 deaths happen per year, making suicide one of the world’s leading causes of death?

Imagine how many lives we could or could’ve saved, only if we’d start recognizing how serious this is!

We cannot allow the numbers to rise.

Join me as we put this issue at the forefront of people’s minds.

Why you need to check this episode:

Find out how alarming suicide actually is, based on the World Health Organization’s and Centers for Disease and Prevention’s statistics;
Recognize the power and importance of talking about the suicide crisis; and
Understand how there’s more to suicide cases than just the final act of taking one’s life and passing away

“As a healthcare provider, I always say, you are fighting with your patients to get them to the most optimal health as you can. If you’re not arming yourself with the information—the updated and factual research—to help them become the best person that they can be, then you are doing yourselves a disservice.”– Dr. Berry Pierre

Notable Quotes:

“Whenever I talk about a topic, I do love to give numbers, because I think when you give numbers, it gives context and allows people to understand like ‘Hey, this isn’t some rare thing he’s talking about. This is something that affects me kind of through and through.” – Dr. Berry Pierre

“I don’t want people to think that those who want to commit or think about committing suicide are just walking around, sulking. A lot of times, they do a great job in the general public, being able to say and just kind of hide how they’re off.” – Dr. Berry Pierre

“This isn’t a problem that is getting better. This isn’t a problem that is stable. This is a problem that is worsening.” – Dr. Berry Pierre

“We have a problem that is not getting better, and yes, the pandemic definitely played a role. Being on lockdown, being alone, and being with these thoughts, I’m pretty sure it played a role; I’m not going to tell you that it did not. And not to say that we shouldn’t have lockdowns, because that’s another discussion; but it definitely added to a problem that was already there.” – Dr. Berry Pierre

“Whatever the timeframe you need to do it in, it needs to be done. We can’t continue to allow the numbers to continue to rise and us, as a healthcare force, not talk about it.” – Dr. Berry Pierre

“As a healthcare provider, I always say, you are fighting with your patient to get them to the most optimal health as you can. If you’re not arming yourself with the information—the updated and factual research—to help them become the best person that they can be, then you are doing yourselves as a disservice.” – Dr. Berry Pierre

“If you can’t solve their issues or concerns, which again, I don’t suggest you do, recognize that there are people in the back who are willing to help and support you, just like that 988 crisis line.” – Dr. Berry Pierre

If you or someone you care about is experiencing mental health-related distress and needs support, reach out to the 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline via call, text, or chat at 988lifeline.org. This is completely free and confidential, available 24/7/365.

Remember to subscribe to the podcast and share the episode with a friend or family member.

Listen on Apple Podcast, Google Play, Stitcher, Soundcloud, iHeartRadio, and Spotify

Resources:

Suicide data from CDC
Suicide data from WHO
Latest Suicide Data and Change Over the Last Decade

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So, let’s talk about the pain experienced by individuals with sickle cell disease…

When is the last time you’ve been to a hospital?

Living life with an ‘invisible’ disease, many sickle cell patients endure pain and discomfort that frequently goes unacknowledged and unnoticed. Many of these people are hospitalized an average of 3-6 times per year. However, due to the lack of visible symptoms, they often go undertreated.

It’s disheartening how patient care for this remains overlooked even though sickle cell disease is the most inherited genetic disorder in the United States.

But that needs to change, and so I’m here to shout from the rooftops today.

Join us as we start the National Sickle Cell Awareness Month with an episode talking about the life our sickle cell patients have to deal with every day.

Why you need to check this episode:

Understand the life a lot of sickle cell patients deal with, especially with this ‘invisible’ disease;
Recognize the importance of not undertreating the pain experienced by sickle cell patients and believing them when they report pain, even when no visible signs are present; and
Gain awareness as to what pharmacological and non-pharmacological ways are there to help patients deal with the pain and discomfort brought on by the disease

“We need to not only recognize our patients with sickle cell disease, but we need to respect our patients with sickle cell disease; we need to trust our patients with sickle cell disease. All of these things need to happen if you are going to be the best healthcare provider you’re going to be. We can’t wait for the month of September to be talking about like, ‘Hey, let’s look out for our sickle cell patients’. Because again, sickle cell patients don’t only come to the hospitals in September.”– Dr. Berry Pierre

Notable Quotes:

“If a disease has a whole month dedicated to it, it is of importance; it is something that we need to keep very good track of.” – Dr. Berry Pierre

“It (the sickle cell disease) is the most inherited genetic disorder. Now, if I told you a disease was the most inherited genetic disorder, you would think that everyone would be on red alert when they’re taking care of these patients. But that, unfortunately, is not the case, and there is still a lot to learn especially from a patient care perspective.” – Dr. Berry Pierre

“It’s important to understand that your patient is there and needs to be taken care of by you. You can’t allow any preconceived notion or patients you might have dealt with to affect you from taking care of the patient in front of you.” – Dr. Berry Pierre

“The pain of sickle cell patients—treat it like you will be treating family. We are not in the position to undertreat the pain of our patients anymore. And if you ever needed any thought to say like, ‘Alright, is this sickle real? Is this something I should be worried about?’ Again, I repeat, it is the no.1 genetically inherited disorder.” – Dr. Berry Pierre

Remember to subscribe to the podcast and share the episode with a friend or family member.

Listen on Apple Podcast, Google Play, Stitcher, Soundcloud, iHeartRadio, and Spotify

Resources:

My thoughts on Netflix's Painkiller
The pain of sickle cell disease with Dr. Berry Pierre | Lunch and Learn
Lunch and Learn with Dr. Berry Episode 51: Discussing Sickle Cell Disease

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In today's episode, we address the concerning surge in COVID-19 cases, delving deep into the current situation as presented by the CDC. With a noticeable increase in both hospitalizations and deaths, it's imperative we understand the full scope and equip ourselves with factual information.

Click here to watch the full episode...

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LINKS:

CDC's COVID-19 Data Tracker
FactCheck: Lockdown Rumors Debunked

Tonight will be diving into some alarming and controversial cases, including:

Current Hospitalization and Death Rates: An analysis of the latest statistics from the CDC on the rising numbers.
Lockdown Rumors Debunked: Addressing and refuting the circulating claims about impending COVID-19 lockdowns this fall.
The Potential Benefits of Mask Mandates: Discussing the scientific basis and potential benefits of re-implementing mask mandates in certain regions.

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COVID-19 cases are on the rise again, so let’s talk about it…

I recently uploaded a video on TikTok where I was discussing my observations in relation to the recent rise of COVID-19 cases. Most of it was well-received, but there were also a lot of people who got flustered upon watching it. There, I called today’s COVID-19 situation the endemic phase, and unfortunately, some people misunderstood what I meant.

So in this week’s video for Medicine Mondays, we’ll talk about the reason behind that claim. We’ll also discuss why the cases are still rising, even when we’re in our third year of this crisis already.

So tune in to this week’s episode, for we have enough evidence to say that this isn’t the time to let your guard down just yet.

Why you need to check this episode:

Get a quick COVID-19 update, especially in the United States;
Find out what’s with the new COVID-19 variant called EG.5; and
Understand why we used the term “endemic” to describe today’s COVID-19 situation, and why this isn’t the time just yet to let your guard down

“This is not the time to let your guard down. Remember, there are people who cannot take the vaccine; they can’t take the booster, whatsoever. Our immunocompromised residents of this country need your support in protecting yourself because indirectly, you will be protecting them”– Dr. Berry Pierre

Notable Quotes:

“When we talk about endemic diseases, we're talking about, ‘Hey, I have a disease that I know timeframe-wise will flare up around this time.’ Best example I love to give patients is the flu. Everyone knows when it is cold and flu season because we have it marketed, we're telling people to get vaccinated, there's all these over-the-counter medications. Why? Because when cold and flu season hits, we want to make sure you guys are fully aware of it.” – Dr. Berry Pierre

“As far as COVID, this is our third year where we can have a good idea that the number of cases is going to rise during the summer. It happened during the first year; it happened every time—July, June, July, August, we see this rise. So, I mentioned that because I wasn't really shocked at the number of cases and how it was increasing, but I was shocked that people were shocked.” – Dr. Berry Pierre

“These viruses aren’t dummy viruses. They’re going to make smarter viruses, and they’re going to make viruses say, ‘You know what? A lot of my virus friends died because of your booster. I’m going to figure out a way to get around it.’ And that’s kind of what we’re seeing now.” – Dr. Berry Pierre

I didn't mean to scare people using the word endemic, but I really want people to divorce themselves from the fact that if I say pandemic, that means very, very severe, but if I say endemic, that means not so severe, because that's just not the case. It's one of those things where the flu has been endemic. The flu is an endemic disease, but if you rewind yourself and you think, ‘Hey, what was Dr. Berry talking about before COVID?’ He was talking about the flu, because the flu caused just as many problems as did the COVID virus does now; it just wasn't as that level of severity that the COVID is. – Dr. Berry Pierre

Remember to subscribe to the podcast and share the episode with a friend or family member.

Listen on Apple Podcast, Google Play, Stitcher, Soundcloud, iHeartRadio, and Spotify

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So, let’s talk about intentionally creating the life we truly love…

Have you ever found yourself struggling to find and/or do what it is that you want in life?

More often than not, we tend to forget to ask ourselves “What is it that I want?” because we’re either so fixated or being held down by what society tells us we should want.

We’ve been living a life so rooted in doing things other people chose for us; hence, we stress over the smallest issues, getting discouraged and frustrated when we don’t get results in a month.

But I know, we all know—that isn’t the kind of life we all want to live and age by.

We all want to be happy. We all want to enjoy life. We all want to be able to actually create a life we love.

And we are! We are indeed capable. We can actually live the life we love.

But how you ask?

That’s exactly what we’re going to find out in today’s episode with Rethinking Me LLC’s Founder, Tiara Nicole Riley.

Join us today, and together, let’s create the life we truly love!

Why you need to check this episode:

Understand the importance of doing the work to discover what it is that you truly want in life, and acting on that;
Find out how powerful intentionality is in your journey toward creating the life you love;
Receive affirmation and support—that you’re truly capable of creating the life you really love; and
Discover resources that can help you stay driven and passionate in going after your goals and ambitions in life

“Sometimes, you got to be willing to walk away from the bad or the decent in order to make space for the good and the great.”– Tiara Nicole Riley

Notable Quotes:

"You can actually live the life you love. You could be well on your way in the next 90 days. You may not be there because sometimes you have to recognize there is a lifelong journey. But you can see tangible improvements in your life in three to six months of just being intentional about, first of all, figuring out what you want, and then making a plan to go after what you want and then actually doing it. Once you start to make those decisions that are aligned with what you actually want for your life, life’s good.” – Tiara Nicole Riley

“If black women were more happy with their lives and black men were more happy with their lives, maybe black love would be happier. Like, if we showed up to relationships happy, if we showed up to the relationship whole, living a life we love, if we got there first and then went into relationships, how much better would those relationships be? How much better would those parents be?” – Tiara Nicole Riley

“You have the chance to get it right the first time. Go after it now, while you don’t have bills, while mommy is still helping you with XYZ. This is your chance. Go for it now.” – Tiara Nicole Riley

“Our definition of what’s best for our child is not always what our child wants. And I think as a parent, we have to find that balance between allowing them the freedom to make their own decisions about what they want for their life and then helping them do that in the most strategic way.” – Tiara Nicole Riley

“I don’t think it’s really and truly ‘I don’t know’. I think it’s rooted in ‘I don’t feel like I have the autonomy to do what I want or ‘I don’t know how to do what I want and do so profitably.” – Tiara Nicole Riley

Remember to subscribe to the podcast and share the episode with a friend or family member.

Listen on Apple Podcast, Google Play, Stitcher, Soundcloud, iHeartRadio, and Spotify

Links/Resources:

Rethinking Me Website
Tiara's Website
Tiara's Instagram
Other social media platforms: @tiaranicoleriley and/or @rethinkingmellc

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LINKS:

News Story
About Shoulder Dystocia

In this sobering episode of the Real Physician Reacts series, we are diving deep into a recent and heartbreaking news story from Atlanta, where a doctor and hospital are facing a lawsuit after a baby was allegedly decapitated during birth. This is a parent's worst nightmare, to be able to get through the journey of being pregnant only to lose your child during delivery.

The incident occurred at the Southern regional medical center. The doctor in question is Dr. Tracey St. Julian and this tragic incident raises crucial questions and concerns regarding obstetric emergencies, known complications, and a possible coverup.

Click here to watch the full episode...

Here's what we'll be discussing in the video:

Initial Concerns for Alleged Cover-Up: We'll explore the details of the lawsuit, including allegations of a cover-up by the hospital and doctor involved.
Shoulder Dystocia: Understanding this obstetric complication that is mentioned in the incident, including its prevalence, & causes.
My Personal Thoughts as a Physician About Getting Sued: As a practicing physician, I'll share my thoughts on the side of a physician that has been sued before

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So let's talk about Senator Mitch McConnell...

Why is it important to be a person of cultural competence?

In case you didn’t hear about it, Jamie Foxx and Jennifer Aniston recently got themselves caught up in issues concerning matters of antisemitism. This is for the ‘fake friends’ post of Foxx, which received quite a huge amount of backlash.

Calling it antisemitic, people threw accusations for they claim Foxx pertained to people of the Jewish background. This very circumstance is the reason why we’re going to discuss cultural competence and its significance.

Both as a physician and as an individual, I believe that being culturally competent is of utmost importance for not only do we become more open and understanding; but it also prevents having a clash.

Tune in as we talk about this on this week’s podcast.

Why you need to check this episode:

Understand what cultural competency means, and how people have different levels of knowledge about it, even within the same communities;
Recognize the importance of being a culturally competent individual; and
Discover words and phrases that people commonly use today that have significant racial undertones

“As a physician, one of the things that we’re taught all the time is making sure you recognize what is your patients’ beliefs, what is your patients’ values, because you can’t have a great doctor-patient relationship if you don’t acknowledge that [and] recognize the importance of it.”– Dr. Berry Pierre

Notable Quotes:

“I don’t see how you could be a great physician and not be culturally competent.” – Dr. Berry Pierre

“That clash of the doctor-patient relationship is there, and usually, it’s because the cultural values aren’t being addressed, met, and more importantly—respected.” – Dr. Berry Pierre

“If both people were just a little bit more culturally competent, they would’ve recognized.” – Dr. Berry Pierre

Remember to subscribe to the podcast and share the episode with a friend or family member.

Listen on Apple Podcast, Google Play, Stitcher, Soundcloud, iHeartRadio, and Spotify

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So let's talk about Senator Mitch McConnell...

A lot of you may have seen it, but for those who have not, 81-year-old Senator Mitch McConnell suddenly froze mid-sentence at a podium during a press conference last Wednesday. This caused concerns from the public, for he appeared to be staring at blank space for 19 complete seconds. From questions about seizures to ones asking whether or not the Senator is a robot—all these conspiracy theories circulated since then.

But is he really a robot? Did he really have a seizure? Is he really fine, just as he told the press seconds after coming back to the podium?

What do you think happened with Senator McConnell?

Join me as I talk about this incident and highlight the importance of recognizing symptoms in others, as such could indicate serious health concerns.

Why you need to check this episode:

Learn about what happened to Senator Mitch McConnell during a speech last Wednesday;
Be educated about the signs and symptoms of mini-strokes, seizures, and dementia; and
Understand how by knowing, you can hopefully save someone from the worst

“Obviously, we don’t want to learn by example, but it’s much easier to see something happen especially on the national stage and be like, ‘Oh, that’s what that is.”– Dr. Berry Pierre

Notable Quotes:

“I think it was a TIA (Transient Ischemic Attack), which is a mini-stroke, and the reason why I think it's a mini-stroke is (1) because he was able to eventually snap out of it, which we'll see in the video, but (2) the fact that it looked like all of the symptoms of a person who've had a stroke.” – Dr. Berry Pierre

“When we’re trying to separate the two—TIA vs. an actual stroke—it’s when you have tissue death that occurs.” – Dr. Berry Pierre

“A lot of people don’t realize that patients with advanced dementia, a lot of them don’t speak. And you may be wondering what in the disease process causes patients with dementia not to speak; it’s literally because they forget how to.” – Dr. Berry Pierre

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In this week's episode of the Real Physician Reacts series, we're examining and comparing the newest weight loss drugs on the market: Mounjaro and Wegovy. As these drugs become more prevalent, understanding their mechanisms, effectiveness, and side effects is crucial for informed healthcare decisions.

Click here to watch the full episode...

Here's what we'll discuss in the video:

What Kind of Drugs Are They?: We'll define Mounjaro and Wegovy, highlighting their pharmaceutical properties and what makes them unique.
How Do They Work?: We'll discuss the mechanisms of action for these drugs and how they contribute to weight loss.
Effectiveness and Clinical Indications: We'll delve into the clinical trials and research data regarding how well these drugs work, who should use them, and what conditions they treat.
Side Effects and Risks: We'll explore the possible side effects of these drugs, including the rare but serious complication known as “stomach paralysis.”
Cost of Drugs: We'll cover the market price of these drugs, helping you understand the financial aspect of these treatments.

LINKS:

Journal Article About Mounjaro
Journal Article About Wegovy

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So let's talk about banned US foods...

Have you ever seen yourself craving your favorite food when traveling in a different country, but the moment you go to their grocery store, it’s nowhere to be found, most likely because it’s banned?

Thinking about this, it’s somewhat wild that here in this country, we have foods that we eat on a daily basis, but if you travel abroad, they’d be like, “Do not bring that food over here.” Even I, when I heard about it, was shocked, but then realizations and epiphanies kicked in.

What other foods are banned in other parts of the world that here in the United States, I’m allowed to eat freely? What has been done to those foods that made them banned in those countries?

So in today’s episode, we’ll talk about some of your favorite foods that you cannot get once you cross the waters, and why that’s the case in other parts of the world.

Why you need to check this episode:

Find out what foods/drinks are allowed here in the United States but are banned in other parts of the world
Recognize the importance of understanding why these foods/drinks are banned in those countries; and
Be able to see things not from the perspective of “these foods/drinks are bad” but more from “what has been added to those foods/drinks that have it banned”

“Anytime I mention a food, I don’t want you to think like, ‘Oh no, the food is bad.’ I want you to think like, ‘Alright, what are they adding to the food that’s making it hit the naughty list?”– Dr. Berry Pierre

Notable Quotes:

“It’s wild to think about it. It’s wild to think that here in this country, we have foods that we eat on a daily basis…but if you travel abroad, they’d be like, ‘Do not bring that food over here.’ I was shocked and surprised, too.” – Dr. Berry Pierre

“It’s one thing to understand, like yeah, it’s banned, you cannot get it here, but the why makes it so much more important.” – Dr. Berry Pierre

“I don’t want you to take this video and say, ‘Hey, I’m going to never eat these foods again.’ I don’t want you to do that. But I do want you to kind of just think about, ‘Hey, let’s just think about what we’re eating and taking in on a daily basis.’” – Dr. Berry Pierre

“I want you to understand that in different parts of the world, there are certain things that will fly that won’t fly in different parts of the world.” – Dr. Berry Pierre

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Understanding Diabetes
Diabetes Topics with Dr. Pierre

In this week's episode of the Real Physician Reacts series, we're delving into the world of diabetes and its complications. As a widespread and often misunderstood condition, understanding diabetes is critical to managing health effectively.

Click here to watch the full episode...

Here's what we'll discuss in the video:

What is Diabetes?: We'll define diabetes, explore its types, and discuss how it affects the body.
Common Complications Associated with Diabetes: From heart disease to kidney damage, we'll discuss the various health problems that often accompany diabetes.
Facts Associated with Diabetes: We'll share some surprising and important facts about diabetes to provide a broader understanding of the condition.

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So let's talk about levering the power of public health...

How important are civic engagement and politics in elevating the power and practice of public health?

It’s still sad how it took us a pandemic for people to recognize that we really should be thinking about the importance of public health. That COVID-19 pandemic—that is what happens when we don’t have a great structure, especially on a national level.

We should be taking action hand-in-hand, for as today’s guest said, public health is ingrained in all that we do in life. Unfortunately, here we are, forgetting its importance as soon as things got “well” with us.

But we don’t want that to go on, that’s why I invited Leela Ramachandran. She is a Research Associate for the Public Health Institute of Western Massachusetts and an Elected School Committee Member at Acton Boxborough Regional School District. Through experiences in research and projects, she realized her passion for dismantling systems of oppression, centering historically marginalized populations, and decolonizing the field of public health.

Join us as we learn how we can take part in this initiative and hopefully create a better version of both the world and ourselves.

Why you need to check this episode:

Recognize how important the role of civic engagement and politics are in relation to public health;
Understand the power of your network/s in helping activate people’s eagerness to take action for a better world; and
Gain insights from Leela’s experiences and tips on how you can take part in putting the power of public health & advocacy into mainstream

“It’s important to find the ways that you can contribute. There are plenty of ways to do things; you just have to want to do it and find the thing that works for you.”– Leela Ramachandran

Notable Quotes:

“I don’t think I’d be the physician that I am today without my public health degree.” – Dr. Berry Pierre

“All this is public health, and that’s why I love public health so much. It’s so ingrained in every profession; everything that we do in our lives is somehow related to public health… I just think public health is one of the most important things that you could do. And it’s not just like a job; for me, it’s perspective.” – Leela Ramachandran

“We’re important when we matter when it’s a national crisis—international, actually—and then all of a sudden, it’s kind of forgotten about even though the public health duties do not end.” – Leela Ramachandran

“In this beautiful, capitalist country that we live in, money talks and money does things, and money allows you and affords you the opportunity to implement really good public health programs; lack thereof can be detrimental. And so, oftentimes, public health depends on policy, funding, our work.” – Leela Ramachandran

“I am not the world’s best expert at international policies and politics, but other people are… I think it’s just doing what you can in circles of influence. I can’t get the whole town to care, but if I can get five of my friends to care like each one teaches one, then they can go get their friends to come on. It’s really about who’s in your network, who can you pull into this, and who they’re affecting.” – Leela Ramachandran

“In a world that really overwhelms you, you have to pick something and just go for it. And if not’s working, that’s fine; it doesn’t have to be perfect on the first run.” – Leela Ramachandran

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Why High Blood Pressure is a "Silent Killer"
Hypertension Infographic

In this week's episode of the Real Physician Reacts series, we're focusing on a critical health topic: Hypertension, often referred to as the "silent killer." As a physician, I'll be breaking down this serious condition to help you understand why it's so crucial to keep it under control.

Click here to watch the full episode...

Here's what we'll discuss in today's video:

Signs & Symptoms of High Blood Pressure: We'll review the signs and symptoms of high blood pressure, including why it's often referred to as the "silent killer."
Causes of Hypertension: We'll discuss the typical causes of high blood pressure, shedding light on risk factors and preventative measures.
Treatment Options: From traditional medications to lifestyle changes, we'll delve into the various ways hypertension can be managed.
Nutritional Supplements: We'll explore how certain nutritional supplements may play a role in controlling high blood pressure.

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So let's talk about Dr. Pierre...

If we would go back to 2007 and you’d asked me if I’d be a YouTuber, I would’ve thought that being a content creator was such a crazy idea. Looking back, I wasn’t even aware of what a podcast is, more so than being on YouTube.

But then medical school came, and I realized how powerful social media could be, especially in the healthcare space.

And so, for years now, I’ve been putting all these contents online, for you to access, listen to, and learn from.

On a long car ride, I then realized, I’m actually a content creator and a physician in one. Join me as we go through the history of how this all started, and how I came to that realization after quite some time.

Why you need to check this episode:

Learn how I got to the realization that yes, I am a physician, but also yes, I am a content creator/YouTuber
Understand why I’m taking this YouTube work seriously, especially as I talk about the healthcare space
Find out what’s in store for you, our YouTube family, as we welcome the second half of the year

“This is what I can promise you, my YouTube family. I am going to put as much effort as I did in our 300+ podcast episodes as we do with the YouTube channel.”– Dr. Berry Pierre

Notable Quotes:

“It took me a long car ride for me to acknowledge this is where I’m at in the point of my life, where I’m officially a YouTuber and I have to acknowledge it and I have to kind of acquiesce to the YouTube ways, especially in my life as a content creator.”– Dr. Berry Pierre

“I realized very quickly that I can’t just be talking to one person. Like, I can’t tell this person in front of me, ‘Hey, your blood pressure is an issue; your diabetes is an issue; your cholesterol is an issue,’ because they may understand it, but what about the 10 other people and their family members who may not understand?” – Dr. Berry Pierre

“If I’m going to be what they call a YouTuber, I got to record the episodes first to put it for the audio later.” – Dr. Berry Pierre

“You know what? Mr. Beast is right. If Mr. Beast says I need to take this YouTube stuff seriously, guess what? We are going to take this YouTube stuff seriously.” – Dr. Berry Pierre

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Deion Sanders Undergoes Surgery, Misses Colorado Football Practice

In this week’s episode of the Real Physician Reacts series, we're taking a deep dive into Deion Sanders' health condition and its implications. Sanders, the head coach of the Colorado football team, had to undergo emergency surgery for blood clots to avoid amputation. We will talk about Deep Vein Thrombosis (DVTs) conditions that might have a significant impact on both his personal health and his professional commitments.

Click here to watch the full episode...

Our discussion will revolve around the following points:

Understanding DVT and PE: We'll provide a brief overview of Deep Vein Thrombosis and Pulmonary Embolism, explaining their causes, symptoms, and usual treatment options.
Sanders' health condition: We'll discuss Sanders' specific case, his surgery, and his potential recovery timeline.
The complications of DVT and PE: We'll explore the possible complications of these conditions, including how they can impact a person's daily life and professional activities.
Insights into recovery and management: Lastly, we'll discuss what recovery and management might look like for Sanders and other individuals with these conditions.

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So let's talk about the ten men's health issues...

June has come to an end, and it holds great significance, especially for someone like me, as it is Men's Health Month. As we look back, we dedicated four weeks to addressing important issues and discovering ways to prioritize self-care so we can live a longer and better life with our loved ones.

But if you cannot get enough of our men’s health series, worry no more, for here’s a special episode as we welcome July!

Be sure to tune in as I present what I think are the top 10 by-laws of men’s health.

Why you need to check this episode:

Find out which among the long list of illnesses and diseases should be men’s top 10 concern when it comes to their health
Recognize the importance and power of early prevention and detection in relation to taking care of one’s health
Understand how taking care of ourselves first helps us become our best selves for others

“It is when we’re old that all of our young ways catch up to us. So instead of waiting for us to get old and have our young decisions catch up to us, let’s take care of them when they’re young so we don’t have to deal with them when we’re old [and] so we don’t have to carry an oxygen tank around everywhere we go.”– Dr. Berry Pierre

Notable Quotes:

“First of all, [heart disease], it is a no.1 killer in general, but specifically for us, [men], it takes us out at a rate that we need to be mindful of it when we’re young, when we’re old, for ourselves, our family members.”– Dr. Berry Pierre

“If you could just stop one bad habit that we know have beneficial results to you living longer, living better, it’s going to be the cigarette smoking. When it comes to cancer, there’s not a cancer that cigarette smoking doesn’t increase your risk of getting; let’s think about that” – Dr. Berry Pierre

“We know that yes, the c-word is a bad word; cancer is a bad word. But if we can catch it early enough, our prognosis [and] our treatment improves dramatically.” – Dr. Berry Pierre

“When it comes to health and healthcare, you have to be greedy. When it comes to just living life, you got to take care of yourself first before you worry about taking care of others. Because if you can’t take care of yourself, then the others are not going to be able to take care of you.” – Dr. Berry Pierre

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Supreme Court strikes down college affirmative action programs

In this week’s episode of the Real Physician Reacts series we are diving deep into the recent Supreme Court ruling on affirmative action in college admissions, and its potential implications on healthcare. The ruling, which declared affirmative action admission policies at Harvard University and the University of North Carolina unconstitutional, might have a profound impact on the future of diversity in healthcare professions.

In our discussion, we will be examining the possible consequences of this landmark decision and its ripple effects on the healthcare sector.

Click here to watch the full episode...

Several discussion points today;

Decreased diversity in healthcare professions: How might this ruling affect the representation of minorities in healthcare professions, and why does it matter?
Increased health disparities: Why might the elimination of affirmative action in medical school admissions lead to worsening health disparities?
Less representation in medical research and clinical trials: How could this ruling potentially affect the inclusivity of diverse participant groups in clinical trials?
Less culturally competent care: What is culturally competent care, and why is a diverse healthcare workforce crucial in providing it?

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So let's talk about men...

Previously in our Men’s health month series, we talked about its general importance, we talked about mental health; and last week, we talked specifically about prostate cancer. And now that we’re in the last week of the month, we will be discussing the most important level of self-care: getting regular checkups.

There are so many barriers along the way that stop people, especially men, from seeing a doctor for a regular checkup. It is so bad that a lot of them can’t even recall the last time they got checked by a health professional. But really, do we all need to feel something wrong in our body first before we go see a doctor?

As the old saying goes, “Prevention is better than cure.” Join me as I talk about the importance of getting regular checkups and why you should do it as early as possible.

Why you need to check this episode:

Learn about what happens during regular checkups;
Discover the most common barriers that stop men from seeing a doctor and how to work your way around them;
Understand the cruciality of getting yourself checked early on instead of getting yourself checked in the later stage of your life

“In this country, we don’t really go to get help until we need help.”– Dr. Berry Pierre

Notable Quotes:

“Our body does a great job of dealing with the stress; dealing with the pressures until it can not. And we already know what the picture looks like when it can’t… All these things happen when your body says ‘enough is enough’. And the job of a doctor for you in getting your regular checkup is to prevent all of those from happening.”– Dr. Berry Pierre

“The earlier I can catch something, the better options I have to treat it.” – Dr. Berry Pierre

“It just makes sense that it’s important to catch things early. But you can’t catch things early if you’re not doing that regular checkup.” – Dr. Berry Pierre

“There are certain hurdles that we’re going to have to get over if we want to have the best health that we want. There are certain hurdles that we’re going to have to fight over if we want to be the best, healthiest us” – Dr. Berry Pierre

“Never fear that the care [in health centers] is going to be less. And don’t allow that fear to make you say ‘There’s not going to be good doctors there. I’m not going” – Dr. Berry Pierre

“A lot of you guys are afraid of going to see someone like me. You’re afraid of the possibility that I may say ‘I know you thought you were healthy, but you’re not really that healthy’. And that fear alone makes you so anxious that you just stay away.” – Dr. Berry Pierre

“Men, check your pride at the door… Too many of us are dying, leaving families and loved ones by themselves because our pride has outweighed our need to take care of our health. So, check the pride at the door.” – Dr. Berry Pierre

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Twitter Exchange
Dr. Hotez says he was ‘stalked’ in front of his home after Joe Rogan's Twitter exchange

In this week’s episode of the Real Physician Reacts series we are going to be talking about the recent Twitter exchange between Dr. Peter Hotez and Joe Rogan. After Dr. Hotez challenged Spotify on its inability to stop the misinformation spreading from Rogan’s podcast.

What happened next is akin to cyberbullying with countless other prominent anti-vaxxers including Elon Musk chiming in and offering large sums of money for Dr. Hotez to debate on his show for “charity”. Thankfully Dr. Hotez doesn’t take the bait but it does end with anti-vaxxers showing up at the home of Dr. Hotez demanding the debate.

Click here to watch the full episode...

Several discussion points today;

Why did Spotify get called out on behalf of Joe Rogan again
Why we shouldn’t be listening to someone listed on the disinformation dozen like Robert Kennedy Jr
Why experts can not be seen as equals in this anti-vaxxer debate

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So let's talk about prostate cancer...

We are still in the month of June, and our episode for today is still a part of our men’s health series. But this week, we will be focusing on a specific disease that’s been severely affecting Black men for a very long time already. I am talking about prostate cancer.

Did you know that there’s a higher incidence of prostate cancer in African-American men? The incidence is so high that it gets detected at a much earlier age, and more concerningly, Black men who are diagnosed with prostate cancer are found to have the more aggressive forms of it – hence resulting in a much higher mortality rate compared to other communities.

That is why I know that as a member of both the medical community and the Black community, I need to say and do something about it that will serve as the vehicle and engine for the change that I want to see.

So join me in today’s podcast as we talk about prostate cancer and why we need to put focus on men of the African-American community when having a discussion about it.

Why you need to check this episode:

Get a full understanding of what prostate cancer is and how significantly it affects men of the African-American Community;
Know the risk factors that surround prostate cancer and which factors you have control over; and
Understand why early detection and prevention, and not treatment should be your goal when it comes to prostate cancer

“Imagine, you have a disease that kills our community more frequently, is diagnosed earlier in our community, kills more people in our community, and is more aggressive in our community. And because we don’t get the simple blood tests, because we don’t do the simple checkups, because we’re fearful of the system, we allow our community to die at a much more significant rate than other communities. We cannot have that.”– Dr. Berry Pierre

Notable Quotes:

“It kills us at such a significant rate than our other counterparts… Every good website will have a section where they specifically say ‘prostate cancer’ and then ‘prostate cancer in African-American men’. Because that is how much it is damaging specifically to our community.”– Dr. Berry Pierre

“Historically speaking, black men do not trust medicine. I know that wholeheartedly. And more importantly, I feel your pain and discomfort… You guys understand how historically speaking, medicine’s history is littered with racism, sexism, and so many atrocities specifically to the black community, and more importantly, specifically to black men. So we understand why you may be less reluctant to want to get a regular checkup. The problem is that, fast forward to 2023, our reluctance and our fear are killing us.” – Dr. Berry Pierre

“I see people who look like me die at a much more significant rate. I have to do something about that. I have to say something about that. And I need to be a vehicle and engine for the change that I want to see.” – Dr. Berry Pierre

“The screening, the recognizing, the recognizing early is the goal. Because if we do all of those things, our predictability to have a good life afterwards a.k.a. ‘not die’ goes much higher.” – Dr. Berry Pierre

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So let's talk about Black Men & Mental Health...

A lot of us men grew up in an environment that tells us to “man up” at a very young age. As a result, we grow up as adults with unresolved traumas and issues.

Seeking professional help is never easy; it is even more difficult if you come from a minority. Black men struggle to look for professional help due to lack of representation, and only 26% of Hispanic and Black American men ever availed of mental health services despite experiencing obvious symptoms of mental health issues.

That’s why in continuation of our Men’s health month series, we will be talking about everything that surrounds the topic of mental health in African-American men. We will be talking not only about the medical aspect of it, but the societal angle of it as well.

Tune in as I discuss the reasons why African-American men continue to struggle with mental health and how we as a community could help each other move forward in the positive direction of getting and feeling better.

Why you need to check this episode:

Find out the roots of why men, particularly from the Black community, continue to struggle with mental health despite the availability of help;
Learn the importance of asking and understanding the “why” behind men’s actions and/or reactions toward stressors; and
Realize the significance of having a proper and reliable support system in dealing with your mental health struggles

“You have to acknowledge the elephant in the room. You have to acknowledge that there is a stigma that is attached to mental health and black men that we won’t even allow to connect. ”– Dr. Berry Pierre

Notable Quotes:

“When you have to ask yourself, ‘Why does color matter?’, then you already answered the question. Because then, you’re saying ‘I don’t even recognize that there are structural, access-related, and professional-related differences in the way color affects how I deal with the disease”. – Dr. Berry Pierre

“When you’re trying to focus on your mental health and you can't find the right people to take care of you, or even if you find someone who’s willing to take care of you, and they don’t take care of you equally, that is where problems arise”. – Dr. Berry Pierre

“You can be financially healthy; you can work on trying to be physically healthy. But if your mental health isn’t there, then guess what? It doesn’t even matter.” – Dr. Berry Pierre

“Because we start young on not letting our emotions come out and not letting ourselves be free with how we feel, we carry our burden to adulthood.” – Dr. Berry Pierre

“Don’t act like the stigma is not there… We have to attack the stigma because that’s how you can move forward and move us in the positive direction to getting and feeling better.” – Dr. Berry Pierre

“For a lot of men, their reality is not something that they like. Their reality is not something that they are happy with. Their reality is not something that they are cool with. So guess what? They do the activities that get them away from that reality.” – Dr. Berry Pierre

“You should have someone to be able to say ‘I need some help’. Because if you don’t, we know that stress has no problem sitting where it’s at”. – Dr. Berry Pierre

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So let's talk about mastering men's health...

It is a widely known fact that men are significantly less likely to see the doctor. This makes them remarkably more susceptible to many diseases, including those that only show up when all is too late but could have easily been prevented if detected early on.

This is the reason why the month of June is dedicated to Men’s Health. As a member of the healthcare system and as a man myself, I think it is not just important, but essential that we have a discussion on just why and how men are significantly affected by disease just because of the gender we hold.

So join me today in our first episode on Men’s Health Month as I share some essential insights on men’s physical, mental, and sexual health including the problems that surround it and how to improve on each of them.

Why you need to check this episode:

Understand why taking preventative health measures is still the best thing to do, and why it is really crucial that you take action early on;
Learn how improving the physical aspect of your lifestyle helps you achieve better overall health; and
Find out why it is especially difficult for men to open up on the topic of mental health and wellness, and how they can get better at handling it

“If you had to think about why you have to dedicate a whole month to men’s health month, it probably could stretch to two just so you get an idea of the significance of how health care and disease have affected men and continues to affect men.”– Dr. Berry Pierre

Notable Quotes:
“When you don’t do the preventative work to prevent it from happening, you’re almost setting yourself up for a recipe for disaster.” – Dr. Berry Pierre

“If you’re thinking, ‘What’s something that could better my existence?’, it’s making sure that you are more physically active and making sure that you’re getting your routine screenings.” – Dr. Berry Pierre

“Being a man is tough… There are certain things that have been ingrained in our heads that when we get older, we don’t know how to deal with the stress that’s thrown at us. Because anytime stress was there, we quickly got rid of it; some moved away from it. Something happened where you weren’t able to tackle that stress head-on.” – Dr. Berry Pierre

“There are two things that will get a man to come to the doctor’s office: One is a family member saying, ‘You better go get that doctor’s checkup, or I’m going to pop in the room with you; Two is some sexual dysfunction.” – Dr. Berry Pierre

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New Doctors Push for Union at Montefiore, Saying They’re Exhausted and Underpaid

In this week’s episode of the Real Physician Reacts series we will be having a discussion on the recent tragedy that involved resident physician Dr. Nakita Mortimer who took he own life and how the medical training & education system failed her.

Dr. Mortimer was a first-year anesthesiology resident at Montefiore Medical Center in New York City. Last year she was highlighted as she was leading the charge on residents forming a union due to conditions that she noted: “The other truth is that with its current conditions, this work is often unnecessarily challenging to our wellness as individual people.”

Physician burnout has been discussed a lot on this channel but this is the ultimate example of what can happen when the people we are supposed to be training to be our next physician force can no longer take the burdens and stress placed upon them.

Click here to watch the full episode...

Several discussion points today;

Remembering Dr. Nakita Mortimer
How much responsibility does our medical system have in physician burnout?
What can we do to try and prevent the next suicide?

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So let's talk about the hypertension equation...

When was the last time that you checked your blood pressure? Last week? Last month? 3 months ago?

A lot of us can’t even remember the last time we had our blood pressure checked. In fact, of the 1.3 billion adults worldwide who have high blood pressure, 46% don’t even have the slightest idea that their blood pressure is going through the roof.

That statistic alone is really alarming, given the fact that uncontrolled high blood pressure is a major contributing factor to the world’s leading cause of death for the past few decades.

That is why for this week’s Medicine Mondays, I will be talking to you about one of my all-time favorite topics—high blood pressure. Better pay attention, for we will not only be discussing what having uncontrolled high blood pressure means, but we will also touch on the topic of how to prevent it and what treatment options you have if you’re already diagnosed with it.

Why you need to check this episode:

Learn what having uncontrolled high blood pressure does to your body and the other health issues that it brings along with it;
Get a deep understanding of why high blood pressure has been deemed as “the silent killer”; and
Find out what you can do in order to avoid or treat high blood pressure

“The reason why I go so hard on this topic is that it has always been dubbed as ‘the silent killer–the one that you don’t even know the damage it’s causing until the damage it’s caused has already been done.”– Dr. Berry Pierre

Notable Quotes: “I love talking about high blood pressure. In fact, if you take a second, whether you’re watching me on YouTube or listening to my Podcast, you just search ‘Dr. Berry Pierre’ and ‘high blood pressure, you’re going to see a lot of things come up.” – Dr. Berry Pierre

“When we’re taking care of our bodies, our bodies are amazing. Our bodies will deal with stress on top of stress on top of stress until they can deal with it no more. And unfortunately, especially if we talk about high blood pressure, our bodies will deal with decades of stress.” – Dr. Berry Pierre

“You have a disease that we know affects so many people worldwide; we have a disease that we know is a significant contributor to the number one killer for decades, and yet, it doesn't cause any symptoms until it’s too late.” – Dr. Berry Pierre

“Make it a routine to check your blood pressure until you’re making it a routine to check your blood pressure.” – Dr. Berry Pierre

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Dr. Rashid Buttar | Lies on CNN | Real Physician Reacts
COVID Conspiracy Doctor Claimed He Was 'Poisoned After Interview' Just Days Before Death

In this week’s episode of the Real Physician Reacts series we will be having a discussion about disinformation dozen members of Dr. Rashid Buttar, his recent death, and how before he passed away he continued to make sure his legacy of disinformation was still intact.

In tonight's discussion, we talk about the recent passing of Dr. Buttar, a well-known conspiracy theorist, and anti-vaxxer who made an appearance on this series in 2021 after an interview on CNN.

Click here to watch the full video on YouTube

Several discussion points today;

The most recent monkeypox outbreak
Who is being affected by the most recent outbreak
Is vaccines an option?

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So let's talk about Mental Health...

How’s your mental health these days?

Too often, people misunderstand ‘mental health’ as the absence of mental illness, when in fact, people can have mental issues; it’s a matter of how we’re coping.

But there rises another concern as people confuse coping and good mental health as a one-size-fits-all healing. They think everyone has to be able to operate the same way, to deal with stress and anxiety the same way; but that is just not the case.

Sadly, lots of people still think that’s just the way it is, hence the misconceptions and repression of emotions that’s been so evident these days.

So as we celebrate Mental Health Awareness Month this May, I want to be able to discuss this repression as we recognize the importance of talking about our mental health. May this be a reminder to take better care of ourselves, because our mental health is a key component in the betterment of the life we’re giving ourselves?

Why you need to check this episode:

Recognize the importance of having a month like May, known as Mental Health Awareness Month;
Find out how our mental health affects all factors of our health, well-being, and life as a whole; and
Understand how crucial it is to actually talk about mental health and not push more and more people into repressing their stress along with other heavy emotions

“Physical health is great. Financial health is great. But if your mental health isn’t balanced and isn’t on par with the rest, the other two don’t really matter.”– Dr. Berry Pierre

Notable Quotes:

“Those young boys who’ve been told to man up, who’ve been told to repress, who’ve been told to act like they shouldn’t be hurt because they can’t see Nana or they can’t see Auntie, those are the ones who oppress those types of feelings and don’t know how to express them when they get older.” – Dr. Berry Pierre

“That stigma associated with your mental health, anxiety, depression, and everything else under the sun—we’re not here for that. We’re not here to have you hide it. We’re not here to have you repress it. We’re not here to have you find someone to talk to. We’re not going for that anymore.” – Dr. Berry Pierre

“Just because the government has said ‘we’re done funding, we’re done putting the amount of support that we’re doing doesn’t mean that this is the end of the road because COVID is not just going to disappear on May 11th.” – Dr. Berry Pierre

“You cannot do this alone. You should not do this alone. If you could do it alone, then you’d already be fine.” – Dr. Berry Pierre

“If you want to get to a point where in 10 years you feel just as good as you felt in year one, you’re going to have to know how I am going to process the mental complexities of my life and make sure I can cope correctly, whatever coping correctly means.” – Dr. Berry Pierre

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Monkeypox cases rising in Chicago ahead of summer, IDPH reports
Monkeypox Virus Overview

In this week’s episode of the Real Physician Reacts series we will be having a discussion on a recent outbreak of Monkeypox in Chicago, Il.

In tonight's discussion, we talk about the 24 new cases of monkeypox in Chicago and what it means for the rest of the country.

Click here to watch the full video on YouTube

Several discussion points today;

The most recent monkeypox outbreak
Who is being affected by the most recent outbreak
Is vaccines an option?

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So let's talk about the recap of the Autism in Black conference...

How important is it for us to build a community rooted in compassion and support, especially for our autistic and/or neurodivergent loved ones?

As we conclude the third annual Autism in Black Virtual Conference, we are coming off a natural high coming fresh off the success of the event. It’s been a wonderful and loving weekend, and our hearts are fully grateful for all that’s been part of it.

It is truly fulfilling to see how everyone’s been so consistent from its first to the very last day. But behind this great success, there lies stories, efforts, and hard work made by the organizer herself.

Without her and her love for the community, this conference won’t even be an event. Each and every year, she puts her all to be able to provide this space. Because after all, she recognizes the need to empower people, and she’s decided to have that mission as hers to take.

Join me as we do a recap on the third annual Black in Autism Conference, again with one of my favorite guests, obviously, with no bias—Maria Davis-Pierre, my beloved wife and CEO of Autism in Black.

Why you need to check this episode:

Understand the importance of having networks and sharing knowledge and wisdom with each other in relation to our journey toward empowerment and a better world;
Discover the highlights of the recently concluded Autism in Black Virtual Conference 2023 along with some behind-the-scenes stories from the brains behind the event; and
Find out how Maria-Davis Pierre and the Autism in Black can help and support you through the Autism in Black Community and next year’s conference

“We definitely want to make sure that the individuals in the community have the information, they have the support, they have the backup because it can also feel isolating and lonely when you don’t have anybody in your support circle who is raising an autistic child or any autistic family members so they’re not understanding these sorts of things. Having that community where you can have that space where you don’t have to explain as you are trying to get your support just makes it easier and more fulfilling.” – Maria Davis-Pierre

Notable Quotes:

“That’s one of the things we wanted to be able to do—to make sure we’re having the right information, make sure we’re well-equipped when we’re going to these meetings and advocating on behalf of ourselves or our children, and that we know what needs to be said to get things done, because a lot of times, we put our trust into the school system or the healthcare system, thinking that they have our best interests in heart or our children’s best interests in heart, and oftentimes, that’s not the case.” – Maria Davis-Pierre

Remember to subscribe to the podcast and share the episode with a friend or family member.

Listen on Apple Podcast, Google Play, Stitcher, Soundcloud, iHeartRadio, and Spotify

Links/Resources:

Autism in Black Membership
Autism in Black Conference 2024
Autism in Black Website
Autism in Black Instagram
Autism in Black Podcast

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So let's talk about the COVID-19 pandemic update...

This week will mark the end of the public health emergency declaration from the United States government. On May 11, 2023, COVID-19 is no longer going to be a public health emergency.

With this coming to an end, there will be a lot of changes that will soon come into effect. From having free vaccines, there will eventually come a time when we'll have to visit Pfizer, Moderna, and other companies and hope that our insurance can cover the cost that comes with protecting our life and health.

But just because the government has said ‘We’re done funding, we’re done putting the amount of support that we’re doing’ doesn’t mean that this is the end of the road; because COVID is not just going to disappear on May 11th. It’s still going to be here. COVID-19 is still going to affect people.

But as we move towards this stage of COVID-19 being endemic, the question that remains is how well are we prepared, knowing that we no longer have the government as the safety blanket.

Join me again in this week's episode as we discuss the future that lies ahead.

Why you need to check this episode:

Find out how the US government was able to make history with the largest adult vaccination program, and how that response helped make things a bit better during the pandemic;
Understand the changes that can and will happen once the public health emergency declaration ends on the 11th of May, 2023; and
Recognize the importance of being well-prepared and protected as we move towards this stage of COVID-19 being endemic

“I’m hoping that we don’t ever have to see what it’s like for our nation to operate as a community and show its community efforts to get better. I’m hoping that we recognize our mistakes and say, ‘Hey, you know what? I’m going to make sure I shore up the public health scene so they can deal with the threats before it gets to us.”– Dr. Berry Pierre

Notable Quotes:

“When we talk about community building, not only are we talking about education; not only are we talking about prevention; not only are we talking about doing things together; but more importantly, empowering others to do so.” – Dr. Berry Pierre

“I do believe that as it continues to get further and further away from May 11, 2023, it’s going to be harder and harder for you to just get anything free associated with COVID-19.” – Dr. Berry Pierre

“Understand that you are part of an ecosystem, whether that ecosystem is you and your family, you and your loved ones, you and your gym buddies. You are part of an ecosystem that needs to be addressed and taken care of.” – Dr. Berry Pierre

Remember to subscribe to the podcast and share the episode with a friend or family member.

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Links:

COVID-19 Public Health Emergency Transition Roadmap

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In this week’s episode of the Real Physician Reacts series we return with our miniseries - “Ask the Internist” where I field questions from our live audience. This week’s topic is how to become a Great Hospitalist physician.

Click here to watch the full video on YouTube

Several discussion points today;

What is a hospitalist physician?
What are the 4 phases that I process when taking care of patients in the hospital?
Why trust is so important in the acute care setting.

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So let's talk about the importance of building a community...

In everything that you are trying to achieve - be it in your business, your spirituality, or most importantly, your health - everything is a lot easier to do when you have a system that’s there to support you when you’re up and when you’re down. And if you already know me, you’d know that I love to call that system a “community”.

Surrounding ourselves with people who are supportive enough to cheer for us and empowered enough to call us out when we’re not doing what we’re supposed to do plays a big factor in whether we will become successful or not; unfortunately, many still believe that doing things alone is the way to go.

Truth is, many of us need that group of supportive people who will encourage us, lift us up, and hold us accountable for our actions or the lack thereof; we just don’t know or acknowledge it yet.

So join me today as I shed light on why having that community around you is crucial to your success, and guide you on how you can build one for yourself.

Why you need to check this episode:

Learn why you should build a supportive and empowered environment within your community early in your life;
Find out what an empowered community looks like; and
Learn how to select the right people to include in your community

“You can’t be successful in your goals and aspirations if you do not have partners along the way who are going to be there when you’re up, and more importantly, going to be there when you’re down.”– Dr. Berry Pierre

Notable Quotes:

“We have to get rid of this myth that being by ourselves is what’s needed to get to the next level. That’s just not true. It’s never been true.” – Dr. Berry Pierre

“You have to develop a community that encourages you and lifts you up when you need it, but are also able to say ‘Hey, you’re not doing what you need to do; get back on the path.” – Dr. Berry Pierre

“For some people, having a good community or a bad community can be a life or death decision.” – Dr. Berry Pierre

“We talked about making sure that we empower our community members with the support that they need to feel empowered and feel some sense of ownership within the community; because if they feel that sense of ownership, they’re ready to rock.” – Dr. Berry Pierre

Remember to subscribe to the podcast and share the episode with a friend or family member.

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In this week’s episode of the Real Physician Reacts series we decided to open up the conversation and medical students and how to successfully manage the transition of going from medical student to resident physician.

In a physician's career one of the biggest transitions they have to go through is becoming the physician they dreamed of being just several months after being just the medical student on the team.

Click here to watch the full video on YouTube

Several discussion points today;

Why do 4th-year medical students struggle to become good resident physicians?
The need to ask questions of yourself while learning to take care of others.
Learning to lean on the support of your senior physicians
My thoughts on what makes a good PGY-1 as a former Program Director

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So let's talk about bioethical intervention...

The medical community has a rich history of false information, and it even got to a point when the community itself was the perpetrator of fake news. Mis- and disinformation have become so prevalent that even in the age of the internet, it remains to be the most difficult challenge healthcare workers have to win against.

But that doesn’t mean that we will and shall remain silent against all the misinformation and disinformation that’s been thrown our way, especially in the middle of the pandemic.

That’s why for this episode, I invited Evan Thornburg, a bioethicist and TikTok content creator who aims to battle public health disinformation and misinformation by educating people on issues concerning public health.

Do not become a victim of these social media “experts” and their unverified and mostly untruthful claims. Join Evan and me as we talk about the importance of acknowledging and understanding the roots of both mis- and disinformation in the medical field. Gather tips on how to effectively combat fake news both as a content creator and as part of the audience.

Why you need to check this episode:

Discover how the internet has affected the overall situation of medical misinformation and disinformation, both positively and negatively;
Find out why you should first acknowledge and validate the reasons of people who believe in conspiracy theories instead of dismissing them right away; and
Learn why you should never talk to an audience in such a way that would make you sound like the smartest person in the room.

“I don’t want to explain ‘why this is wrong’. What I want to explain is what someone is doing. What I want to explain is the technique they’re using. What I want to explain is how you can see this for yourself. Fortifying or sharpening everybody’s abilities to identify the problem means that I don’t have to be there every time a new concept comes out.” – Evan Thornburg

Notable Quotes:

“Misinformation has been a bit of a keystone in medicine when we start to look at it through the lens of the history of medicine, especially of black and brown bodies.” – Evan Thornburg

“One of the things that I’ve learned in researching and trying to understand people’s consumption of disinformation and misinformation and conspiracy theories is that they experience an intensity of fear and anxiety around health and health information. And I think it’s fair to affirm that. I think the first place that a lot of folks go wrong is denying them that reality.” – Evan Thornburg

“We’ve overbought into the marketplace of ideas. We’ve overdrunk that Kool-Aid too deep like the best idea will just naturally float on top. It doesn’t. The most exciting idea, the most promoted idea, the most beneficial financially idea does.” – Evan Thornburg

“We don’t have a natural propensity towards integrity… Most people choose integrity when they think something has the integrity to it. But it’s not a natural propensity for us to just know what’s the thing with the most integrity.” – Evan Thornburg

Remember to subscribe to the podcast and share the episode with a friend or family member.

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Links/Resources:

Evan's TikTok

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In this week’s episode of the Real Physician Reacts series we decided to open up the conversation and start a miniseries - “Ask the Internist” where I field questions from our live audience.

Click here to watch the full video on YouTube

Several discussion points today;

Rheumatoid Arthritis
Covid Vaccine, Pan-Vaccine, and the newest variants
Difference between an Internist and a Family Medicine Physician
My thoughts on the nurse practitioners in health care

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So let's talk about the Autism in Black conference...

There are a lot of stigmas that’s been surrounding autism for a very long time now. And even today, in 2023, many people still lack compassion and understanding toward autistic people. On top of that, things get even trickier if you come from the black community.

Being a part of the minority in America is already hard enough, but being part of the black community while dealing with the stigma that people have about autism just unlocks a whole new level of struggle. I know, for I, myself, am a father of two beautiful children who has autism, and I had to face its challenges when our first daughter was diagnosed at a very early age.

This, exactly, is what inspired my wife, Maria Davis-Pierre, to start Autism in Black.

Since its launch three years ago, she has dedicated herself to helping parents from the black community who have kids with autism by means of providing education and advocacy services. Part of this is the Autism in Black Conference, an annual event where we invite various experts and resource speakers who are also part of the black, neurodivergent community to educate and empower attendees by speaking about their personal and professional experiences on dealing with autism.

Join us today as we talk you through our advocacy at Autism in Black, and how Autism in Black Conference might just be that one big support that you have been longing to have all this time.

Why you need to check this episode:

Discover the backstory of Autism in Black and why they do what they do;
Learn what Autism in Black Conference is all about, and get answers to the most frequently asked questions about it; and
Find out who can attend the conference, what topics will be discussed, where and when the conference will be, and what the different available ticket options/packages are

“[When] we started Autism in Black, we wanted to support parents raising black autistic children through education and empowerment, and we wanted to flip the game and go into organizations and train them on how to be less harmful to the black disability community.” – Maria Davis-Pierre

Notable Quotes:

“More than half of our speakers are either autistic or they fall under the neurodivergent umbrella… We are actually a conference that is talking about our lived experiences, in addition to our professional experiences. And I think that’s what makes us different.” – Maria Davis-Pierre

“Anyone can come to our conference… However, understand that our content centers only on the black experience. We center our experiences at our conference because our experiences are oftentimes not valued and diminished in other environments and under other circumstances.” – Maria Davis-Pierre

Remember to subscribe to the podcast and share the episode with a friend or family member.

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Links/Resources:

Website
Instagram
Podcast
Autism in Black Conference

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In this episode of the Real Physician Reacts series we a video making the rounds by a pediatrician when asked why he doesn’t wear a mask in his practice anymore. Now this isn’t a new phenomenon within healthcare facilities. Many doctors have elected to go back to a time when masks were not a part of the wardrobe.

The discussion today highlights the rock and hard place many physicians find themselves when deciding on how to move along with this pandemic.

Click here to watch the full video on YouTube

Several discussion points today;

Is masking in a healthcare setting necessary?
What are your thoughts when you walk into a sick clinic and there isn’t a mask on site
How tough decisions have to be made in the eyes of the patient

Links

Tik Tok Video

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So let's talk about your second-quarter goals...

Before the beginning of the year 2023, we did an episode wherein I told you my goals and plans for this year. In that same episode and in the ones that followed, I also told you the importance of taking responsibility for why things that you have planned go one way or another.

Now, three months have already passed and we are officially in the second quarter of this year. And as anyone who knows me knows, if I do not teach you the importance of tracking, assessing, and taking accountability for how you are achieving your goals, I’d be remiss.

That’s why for today’s podcast episode, I’ll be talking to you about how my first quarter went, how things are going, and how I plan to do things in the second quarter of this year–all while also sharing how you can do better for your own plans.

Why you need to check this episode:

Find out where Dr. Berry is in terms of his goals for 2023 while getting tips on how you can track yours;
Learn the value of always asking for help in order to make progress on things that you want to achieve; and
Be empowered to do more and know that you still have more opportunities this year if your first three months didn’t quite go as planned

“I see a lot of tweets and posts like, ‘Wow, the calendar’s moving’. No, it’s moving the same as it moves every year. The question is, how intentionally are we moving while the calendar is moving?”– Dr. Berry Pierre

Notable Quotes:

“A lot of us’ biggest hurdle is we will not ask for help when we need help. We will just rack up our brains and sit in the same position we’re in for days, weeks, and months because of our pride in not asking for help. I don’t want y’all to do that” – Dr. Berry Pierre

“We got three more quarters to go, which means that we have three more opportunities to improve upon what was good; but more importantly, to improve on what is bad.” – Dr. Berry Pierre

“When I stress about the good stuff, I don’t want you to just do the good stuff one time and then not think of it again. I want you to keep doing the good stuff over and over and over again. That’s really the name of the game” – Dr. Berry Pierre

“You are never going to improve upon yourself if you don’t acknowledge the things that need to be improved upon or things that you need to do less of.” – Dr. Berry Pierre

Remember to subscribe to the podcast and share the episode with a friend or family member.

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In this episode of the Real Physician Reacts series, we draw on inspiration from the lawmakers in Tennessee who decided that because members of their congress chose to protest on behalf of the mass shooting that occurred in Nashville, those members were worthy of being expelled from their elected positions. So I figured that if the same thing could happen in medicine who would I vote to kick out of healthcare?

Today's discussion has comedic overtones but highlights a terrible problem in this country where even seeing kids get murdered isn’t enough to make those in power act.

Click here to watch the full video on YouTube

Several discussion points today;

Republican Tennessee Lawmakers Vote to expel three Democratic Members.
What are my top 5 choices of healthcare workers who would get voted out?
What are some of the lessons we can learn from these Republican Tennessee lawmakers?

Links

Tennessee House votes to expel 2 of 3 Democratic members over a gun protest.
What we know about the deadly shooting at a Nashville elementary school

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In this episode of the Real Physician Reacts series the topic is yet another mass shooting in this country with the latest being in Nashville, Tennesee. The discussion today is against bringing medicine & public health to the crossroads while we contemplate how in this country the number 1 killer for kids continues to be gun violence.

Click here to watch the full video on YouTube

Several discussion points today;

The Public Health Crisis continues
How this country continues to be numb to mass shootings
Why despite having 130 mass shootings this year, why this country just sitting back and ready for more

Links

What we know about the deadly shooting at a Nashville elementary school

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So let's talk about moving on from COVID-19...

Quite often, during these past three years, a question that I would get is “Dr. Berry, when is this pandemic over? When can we move on with COVID-19?”

As I always say, what I would like to see before I can actually say that it’s over are these three: 1) death counts going down, 2) case rates going down, and 3) as many people who can be vaccinated to actually get vaccinated.

Unfortunately, nowadays, all three are still going on opposites, with cases and deaths still going on and lots of people still unvaccinated.

But then here we are – moving on with COVID-19.

It’s sad and disheartening how there could be a slogan of “Hey, we are moving on. Move on with us or get left behind” here in the United States when a lot of people from other areas/countries are still dealing with the effects of COVID-19.

But then again, the writing’s been on the wall already, especially with our current government lacking in so many ways.

Why you need to check this episode:

Get an update on the COVID-19 numbers (cases, deaths, and vaccinations) so we can wrap our minds around what we’re dealing with when we talk about COVID-19;
Find out why Johns Hopkins’ dashboard was so important in our fight against the COVID-19 pandemic, why it isn’t updating anymore; and
Understand why the government is pushing us to move on from this COVID-19 pandemic even when it’s still not over

“You heard the numbers. They’re still there; the deaths are still there. People still need to be vaccinated; people still need to be boosted. If you fall into that category, do so today.”– Dr. Berry Pierre

Notable Quotes:

“Remember, good information out starts with having good information in. So if you’re not receiving that good, timely information, if you’re not receiving that information that is likely going to be life-saving to someone if you’re not receiving it, there’s no way you can give it out.” – Dr. Berry Pierre

“One of the biggest issues here in this country is just the lack of public funding, the lack of support for public health in dealing with all everyday issues… We just did not have the proper infrastructure from a public health perspective to deal with that.” – Dr. Berry Pierre

Remember to subscribe to the podcast and share the episode with a friend or family member.

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Links/Resources:

Goodbye, Johns Hopkins COVID tracker
President Biden to end COVID-19 public health declarations

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In this episode of the Real Physician Reacts series the topic of whether becoming a physician is too toxic. The discussion today stems from a series of tweets from user that1MedStudent talks about the decision to forgo going into residency which is the typical path after residency for those who are looking to specialize in a particular specialty.

Click here to watch the full video on YouTube

Several discussion points today;

We will talk about the series of tweets that led the discussion
Ask the question why is the field of medicine so toxic?
Why the toxic culture of medicine is adding to physician burnout, physician suicide, and fewer people going into healthcare?
Discuss some possible solutions

Links

Tweet Thread
That1MedStudent Twitter

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So let's talk about taking action against colon cancer...

Many of us seem to downplay or even completely ignore our risks of getting colon cancer because of the popular belief that it is an “old man’s disease”. While it is partly true that the “older” populace is at a higher risk of getting it, it does not mean that the “younger” generations are completely safe.

It has been found in recent studies that the chances of people as young as 40 getting colon cancer have significantly increased in the previous years, and it continues to do so in the present. And it is not solely about age either, as there are other important factors that help tell whether or not you’re going to get colon cancer.

Join me today as I discuss why colon cancer is the second leading cause of cancer-related deaths in the United States in line with colon cancer prevention month.

Why you need to check this episode:

Learn about the two types of colon cancer, what it does to our body, and why it is important to get checked early especially if you have it in your family history;
Discover the causes and risk factors that surround colon cancer - both those that you can and cannot control; and
Find out what steps you can do in order to avoid colon cancer as well as the available diagnostic tools you can avail in case you want to be tested for it

“Once you get your minds around colon cancer, it will help you understand just why we think it’s so important that we need a whole month to talk about it. And even though we’re going to talk about it during this month, this is a topic that I will touch on every single year.”– Dr. Berry Pierre

Notable Quotes:

“This disease is no longer a disease of the old people which we used to think about.” – Dr. Berry Pierre

“That is our biggest issue. We are catching colon cancer way too late to the point where it should not be the second leading cause of death in our country.” – Dr. Berry Pierre

“It [colon cancer] is definitely something that we cannot take lightly… Understand that this disease is not going away, and the likelihood that you in your lifetime are either going to be directly or indirectly affected by it is so high.” – Dr. Berry Pierre

Remember to subscribe to the podcast and share the episode with a friend or family member.

Listen on Apple Podcast, Google Play, Stitcher, Soundcloud, iHeartRadio, and Spotify

Links/Resources:

Colon Cancer with Dr. Berry

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In this episode of the Real Physician Reacts series we discuss the recent news from the US Department of Energy that gives a low-confidence assessment about the origin of the coronavirus that started the pandemic. Later on in the discussion, we talk about how this “news” continues to drive a wedge on the message of covid-19 and its treatment.

Click here to watch the full video on YouTube

Several discussion points today;

What does this new report mean about the origin of the virus?
What has been the response to the news from both sides of the community?
Why news like this continues to be divisive?
My personal thoughts on looking at life with covid-19

Links

Covid-19 Assessment

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So let's talk about the intersection of African-American history and medicine...

Today’s episode is more than just medicine; today, we will talk about something that many people fail to recognize. Something that is written in the records, yet many people ignore or refuse to acknowledge. Today, we will talk about history – the history between medicine and the African-American community in particular.

When we talk about chronic diseases, African Americans are always at a higher risk than any other community. The same is the case when talking about lack of trust in the healthcare system; only 3% of Black Americans believe that doctors will do what is best for them, and 50% of them believe that the healthcare system as a whole is racist.

It is sad, but that’s the reality, and there’s no way we can address the health disparities and the distrust if we don’t understand why the disparity and distrust are there to begin with.

That’s why in line with Black History Month, we will be talking about the connection between medicine and African-American history. Join me as I shed light on why we can’t discuss the advancements of modern medicine without mentioning all the atrocities, deceit, and exploitation that it did on the African-American community.

Why you need to check this episode:

Take a look back into the dark history between the African-American and medical community and how it lead to the overall distrust of African-Americans in the medical system of the United States;
Discover why African-Americans are always at a higher risk of getting chronic diseases in America; and
Understand why it is important to have a diverse cultural competency in the field of medicine

“We couldn’t and we shouldn’t talk about how great medicine has gotten without talking about how bad medicine used to be, especially to a particular community.”– Dr. Berry Pierre

Notable Quotes:

“When you have that study. [Tuskegee Syphilis Study] being such a significant study that it has been deemed one of the most infamous biomedical research studies of all time, then you can’t fast forward into 2023 asking ‘Hey, why doesn’t this community trust us, doctors?’...The proof is in the pudding. It’s in the history” – Dr. Berry Pierre

“If we’re going to talk about Black History month, and if you’re going to be talking on a medicine show like this one, you better talk about all the atrocities, you better talk about how this history of medicine does not get here without African-American history.” – Dr. Berry Pierre

“You can’t improve the health disparities if you don’t understand why the health disparities are there; you can’t improve the lack of trust if you don’t understand why the lack of trust is there” – Dr. Berry Pierre

Remember to subscribe to the podcast and share the episode with a friend or family member.

Listen on Apple Podcast, Google Play, Stitcher, Soundcloud, iHeartRadio, and Spotify

Links/Resources:

The legacy of medical experimentation on African Americans:

The Tuskegee Syphilis Study
The Henrietta Lacks case
The exploitation of African American bodies for medical research

Health disparities faced by the African American community

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) - African American Health
Health Affairs - Health Disparities among African Americans
JAMA - Racial Bias in Pain Assessment and Treatment Recommendations
JAMA Internal Medicine - Addressing Racism to Advance Health Equity

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Let's Connect:

Instagram

TikTok

Lunch and Learn Patreon Family

In this episode of the Real Physician Reacts series we will be having a discussion on the long-running issues between doctors and nurse practitioners. This particular episode was based on a recent controversial video of a nurse Practioner lambasting doctors in particular Internists. Subsequently as expected several reactionary videos/posts from doctors came out and just like that another episode of Doctors vs Nurse Practitioners.

Click here to watch the full video on YouTube

Several discussion points today;

Scope of Practice Nurse Practitioners & Physician Assistants
What is the beef between Doctors and Nurse Practitioners?
How can we all just get along
What is Creep Scope?

Links

Video Rep

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So lets talk about preventing cancer “You have cancer.” Those are three words that no person in the world would ever want to hear from their doctor. Cancer is scary; it could even be deadly.

Nevertheless, still very few people have the initiative to have themselves checked for it. Little do they know, there's a 90% chance that one will survive it as long as they get diagnosed early.

Preventing it is very doable, but that comes with the condition that we know what to look out for.

So in this episode, we'll discuss that big C word and the many ways that we can stay away from it. Get valuable tips on how to proactively prevent cancer on today's podcast.

Why you need to check out this episode:

Learn about the recent statistics on cancer as well as the most common types of it and who are at risk of getting it;
Discover the most common risk factor that surround cancer; and
Find out how you can proactively prevent cancer just by knowing your family’s medical history.

“Cancer is a very umbrella term, but there’s so many different cancers that we have to be worried about and concerned about that it’s never a one size fits all.” – Dr. Berry Pierre

Notable Quotes:

“If you don’t know how you can pick up these types of cancer, then how can you prevent it? …You can’t prevent what you don’t know is coming at you.” – Dr. Berry Pierre

“I know it’s [cancer] a scary word, but we have to be proactive in our approach in trying to prevent it. That’s the name of the game.” – Dr. Berry Pierre

Remember to subscribe to the podcast and share the episode with a friend or family member.

Listen on Apple Podcast, Google Play, Stitcher, Soundcloud, iHeartRadio, and Spotify

Links/Resources

Cancer Society

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Let's Connect:

Instagram

TikTok

Lunch and Learn Patreon Family

In this episode of the Real Physician Reacts series we will be having a discussion on the latest news regarding not one but two train derailments in East Palestine, Ohio, and right outside of Detroit Michigan. We also get into how big a role the environment plays in our health.

Click here to watch the full video on YouTube

Several discussion points today;

Issues surrounding the train derailments
Different types of environmental issues of concern include water pollution, air pollution, water quality, and climate change.
Corporate/ Political Greed

Links

Air Quality
2023 Ohio Train Derailment
Climate Change

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Let's talk about the challenges of health disparities...

I’ve recently discussed in the previous episodes how technology and social media are of great help for the practice of medicine. There’s no denying that I’m all for the power of these two as these help me reach more people and allow more people to have access to important healthcare information.

There were significant amounts of people who look like me who were not able to get the information they need in relation to their health, and there’s no way I’m ignoring that reality anymore. If we don’t talk about access to healthcare and the challenges our patients face in relation to that, then we’re only doing half the job, and that’s not in any way playing a significant role towards betterment.

As a physician, it’s hard to sleep at night knowing that these deserving yet minority community people get to be severely behind the eight ball in healthcare just because of color.

So today, we’ll address these issues and face the reality that as physicians, we still need to go above and beyond.

Why you need to check this episode:

Understand what these health disparities are and how these affect minority communities;
Discover the social determinants of health and why that has played such a significant factor in minority communities being severely behind the eight ball in their healthcare;
Learn about the current situation of access to healthcare and why it’s something that should be talked about; and
Recognize the importance of being culturally competent, especially on how it affects the practice of medicine

“Help us help you; that’s what I always say. And for healthcare providers, understand that we still need to go above and beyond, because we know our patients are dealing with things that we can’t even ignore anymore.”– Dr. Berry Pierre

Notable Quotes:

“If you do not talk about access in regards to the challenges of health and being healthy, then again, you’re only doing half the job.” – Dr. Berry Pierre

Remember to subscribe to the podcast and share the episode with a friend or family member.

Listen on Apple Podcast, Google Play, Stitcher, Soundcloud, iHeartRadio, and Spotify

Links/Resources:

Lunch and Learn Patreon Family
CDC's Office of Minority Health and Health Equity
NCBI's Social Determinants of Health in the United States
KFF's Health Insurance Coverage in the United States

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Let's talk about unbelievable tips to maximize heart health...

Heart-related diseases have been the global leading cause of death since 1950. It is so out of control that this year alone, one out of five individuals WILL die from heart-related disease.

It is quite scary to think that it takes one human life every 34 seconds. But here’s the thing: with the right steps, heart diseases are preventable.

Since it’s already February, it means that it’s time for heart health awareness month; and I find it imperative to talk to you about heart health and how you could avoid being a part of the statistics of heart disease.

Join me today as I talk you through this along with valuable but often overlooked information you need in maximizing your heart health.

Why you need to check this episode:

Know the most common risk factors associated with heart disease and how to avoid them;
Learn the importance of having regular checkups, having a healthy diet, and having a good amount of physical activities in relation to your heart’s health; and
Discover the direct relationship between your emotional stress and your heart health.

“I’m going to keep stressing its importance [heart health awareness] until heart disease isn’t the number one leading cause of death in the country. It is just what it is.”– Dr. Berry Pierre

Notable Quotes:

“Heart health is a continuous process. Heart disease is the end process; and it is the by-product of all the significant issues that eventually make the heart say ‘Hey, I’m tired. I can’t do it no more.” – Dr. Berry Pierre

Remember to subscribe to the podcast and share the episode with a friend or family member.

Listen on Apple Podcast, Google Play, Stitcher, Soundcloud, iHeartRadio, and Spotify

Links/Resources:

Lunch and Learn Patreon Family
American Heart Association
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)

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In this episode of the Real Physician Reacts series we will be having a discussion on the latest news on COVID-19 news including the National and Public Health Emergency declarations coming to a close in May of 2023. Deemed by many health professionals as a step in the wrong direction with some even calling it a public health disaster.

Tonight's discussion focuses on the current facts and figures on covid cases and how detrimental things will become once the COVID-19 is no longer considered a public health emergency. We even are blessed to have a long covid survivor share his story.

Click here to watch the full video on YouTube

Several discussion points today;

The latest facts and figures associated with the covid-19 disease
What are some of the things we are taking for granted that will soon disappear once covid-19 is no longer considered a public health emergency?
Talk about long covid
We bring a special guest on live to talk about his battle against covid and how he lost it all while in the hospital

Links

Special Guest - Robert
Biden Ends the COVID National and Public Health Emergencies
What Happens When COVID-19 Emergency Declarations End?

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Let's talk about how social media has changed the practice of medicine...

After discussing how technology has changed the practice of medicine, this week, we’re back with yet another episode focused on the role social media has played in the betterment of healthcare.

As you already know, I always tell people “empower yourself for better health”, and in this age where technology is everywhere, we almost have no excuses left to not learn how to take good care of ourselves.

I am a living by-product of how social media has changed the practice, and today, I’m going to share with you five points on its positive and negative effects. Be with me today as we talk about social media's effect on healthcare.

Why you need to check this episode:

Understand how social media has played such a drastic role in the way that medicine has become a community;
Find out how Dr. Berry stays up-to-date on current events concerning healthcare; and
Learn how social media can be both of help and of harm to us as users and as patients

“Because I have access to them and they have access to me, guess what? We’re able to stay much more up-to-date on the latest health information.”– Dr. Berry Pierre

Notable Quotes:

“Social media now, as physicians, we can use it to help promote healthy lifestyle habits and preventative care. More importantly, now, we have allowed patients to be able to [not only] ask their questions but [also] receive credible answers.” – Dr. Berry Pierre

Remember to subscribe to the podcast and share the episode with a friend or family member.

Listen on Apple Podcast, Google Play, Stitcher, Soundcloud, iHeartRadio, and Spotify

Links/Resources:

Lunch and Learn Patreon Family

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In this episode of Real Physician Reacts we will be having a discussion on the latest controversy involving 100 Million Dollars of Fraud associated with fake nursing diplomas and transcripts. What we know so far is that three nursing programs - Siena College in Broward County, the Palm Beach School of Nursing in Palm Beach County, and Sacred Heart International Institute in Broward County have been shut down and 25 people have been arrested over healthcare, and wire fraud.

Tonight's discussion focuses on the facts of the case and the ensuing loss of trust in confidence in the healthcare system.

Click here to watch the full video on YouTube

Several discussion points today;

What caused the feds to investigate these schools in the first place
What does it mean to have fraudulent diplomas and transcripts but still pass the NCLEX
How has this hurt the credibility of the profession of nursing as a whole
What should happen next?

Links

Feds announce massive takedown of fraudulent nursing diploma scheme
Fraudulent Nursing Diploma Scheme Leads to Federal Charges Against 25 Defendants

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Let's talk about how technology is changing the practice of medicine...

Who among you here had an experience wherein you’re sitting in your doctor’s office and your doctor is facing his screen, typing things away? Everything you say, he listens to, but his fingers are still busy typing, mainly because he knows he doesn’t have the ability to just listen for now and write notes later.

But imagine now that he has a ‘buddy’ helping him do those things, from taking notes to creating plans based on his recommendations. Imagine he’s now able to focus specifically on the patient in front of him, which are you… Doesn’t that sound wonderful? Doesn’t that sound like a better future? Doesn’t that sound like a life we’d all want to live in? Although we’re not there yet, it’s possible; I want us to get there.

As we step into a more technology-driven life at present, there’s no denying that artificial intelligence continues to prove how it can be of great help to humankind. There’s just so much that technology can do nowadays, and yes, even the practice of medicine can be changed for the better only if we’ll be ready enough to accept artificial intelligence both as physicians and patients.

In this day and age, we cannot allow ourselves to fall behind and allow technology to further advance other sectors of our way of life and not advance the way of life in regard to medicine and healthcare. Join us today as we discuss how technology can take the practice of medicine to another level.

Why you need to check this episode:

Recognize how big of a game changer technology is in changing the practice of medicine, making things better and easier both for the patients and physicians;
Understand how AI can be of help but also hurt the manpower in the field; and
Find out why the path towards medicine and technology marrying each other is the path that should be taken in the practice

“There are some good things on the horizon with AI. We just have to, as patients, kind of demand it, and as physicians, we have to be ready to accept it as well.”– Dr. Berry Pierre

Notable Quotes:

“In this day and age, we cannot allow ourselves to fall behind and allow technology to further advance other sectors of our way of life and not advance the way of life in regards to medicine and healthcare.” – Dr. Berry Pierre

Remember to subscribe to the podcast and share the episode with a friend or family member.

Listen on Apple Podcast, Google Play, Stitcher, Soundcloud, iHeartRadio, and Spotify

Links/Resources:

Lunch and Learn Patreon Family

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In this episode of Real Physician Reacts we will be having a discussion on the white male student by the name of George Stewart who is suing not one or two but 6 different medical schools as he claims that he was not accepted strictly due to his race.

Tonight's discussion focuses on another covert challenge against affirmative action & why grades are the only factor in getting into med school.

Click here to watch the full video on YouTube

Several discussion points today;

Who is George Stewart & why he’s suing several medical schools
Who is really behind the lawsuit
I discuss why it would be difficult for me to see him get accepted into school without bias.

Links

AAMC Data Reports
Texas Medical School Lawsuits

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Let's talk about a deep dive into the latest updates on COVID-19...

For our first medical topic for 2023, I am going back to the biggest, most widespread, and most talked about medical issue for the past three years; and that is COVID-19.

When you go out in the streets, you’ll see that a lot of people don’t wear masks anymore; a lot of people don’t even do social distancing anymore. But the reality is that while there may seem like a lot of “not worrying” occurring in this country, we are still facing the same repercussions we faced three years ago.

And for that reason, I find it essential that I talk to you about COVID to again remind you that the pandemic is not yet over.

Jump in as I give you the latest things that you need to know about the COVID situation globally and here in the United States.

In this episode, we talk about the latest updates on the statistics, the variants, and the latest CDC guidelines for COVID.

Why you need to check this episode:

Know the latest statistics on COVID: the total cases, deaths, and vaccinations;
Learn about the differences between the different vaccines and the different COVID variants; and
Find out why it is important for you to get vaccinated and boosted right now while the government is still paying for it

“For a lot of people, it’s [COVID-19] just an abstract issue. It’s just a disease that they’ve heard about. But once you start breaking down the numbers into them and seeing just how prevalent it is not only here in the United States but across the world, then I think it ties in a little bit more.”– Dr. Berry Pierre

Notable Quotes:

“The aspect of misinformation and disinformation has cost the lives of many people. And even if it did not cost the lives of many people, there are many people who will be forever harmed by it.” – Dr. Berry Pierre

Remember to subscribe to the podcast and share the episode with a friend or family member.

Listen on Apple Podcast, Google Play, Stitcher, Soundcloud, iHeartRadio, and Spotify

Links/Resources:

Lunch and Learn Patreon Family
What you need to know about XBB.1.5
How bad is China’s COVID outbreak?

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Let's talk about what to expect for 2023...

Welcome back, Lunch and Learn community! This is our very first episode of Medicine Mondays this 2023.

After I talked about my personal goals in the previous episode, I believe it's time that I let you know about the great things that await you as we welcome another year together.

From an increase in our content to a more benefit-rich community in platforms that allow live interactions, there's just no stopping when it comes to our journey towards better health!

So dive into this episode as we talk about the things to expect for a more empowered and fruitful 2023.

Why you need to check this episode:

Take a sneak peek at what Dr. Berry has in store for 2023;
Discover what Dr. Berry's Patreon community is all about; and
Find out what incentives are in line for each tier in the Patreon community

“Keeping you up to date on what’s going on is going to be a strong point for us in 2023... Everything that keeps happening continues to happen, and I want to make sure that I am your driving force on medical information.” – Dr. Berry Pierre

Notable Quotes:

“A lot of us have the same questions… You might think that you are the only person concerned about it… But then you get into a community and when you look around, you’ll be like ‘wow, a lot more people are experiencing the same thing that I have been experiencing.” – Dr. Berry Pierre

Remember to subscribe to the podcast and share the episode with a friend or family member.

Listen on Apple Podcast, Google Play, Stitcher, Soundcloud, iHeartRadio, and Spotify

Links/Resources:

Lunch and Learn Patreon Family

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Let's talk about the five things I plan to improve on...

Last week on Medicine Mondays, I talked to you about how a lot of people tend to give up on their new year’s resolutions as early as March of the following year. And to help you avoid that, I gave you a handful of action steps that will help you come up with a realistic and attainable set of goals.

For this week, I take my turn to share with you the goals I have set for myself toward a healthier 2023 while following the same action steps that we talked about in the previous episode.

Tune in and see how I make use of the Five Action Steps To Take For A Healthier 2023 as I reveal the things I plan to improve on in 2023.

In this last two-part episode about planning for the upcoming year, Dr. Berry bares five of his personal goals for 2023. By utilizing the action steps that he talked about in the previous episode, he shares his plans on how he will make those goals happen and how he will hold himself accountable for them.

Why you need to check this episode:

Learn how to apply the action steps that will help you come up with a set of realistic goals;
Discover the goals I have set for myself to accomplish in 2023; and
Find out how I’m planning to hold myself accountable and make those goals happen

“As a healthcare provider, content creator, and one who does the education, I have to practice what I preach.” – Dr. Berry Pierre

Notable Quotes:

“When we are on this race, this path to lose weight, we think that we’re all starting at the same starting point and we just need to run a little bit faster than everyone else. But when you are overweight or obese, you are further back. You are way behind the line, so even if you run faster, you’ll never really play catch up.”– Dr. Berry Pierre

Remember to subscribe to the podcast and share the episode with a friend or family member.

Listen on Apple Podcast, Google Play, Stitcher, Soundcloud, iHeartRadio, and Spotify

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In this episode of Real Physician Reacts we will be having a discussion on the recent controversy occurring in New Zealand where uninformed parents had to have medical custody taken away from them as their child required life-saving surgery.

Tonight's discussion focuses on the effects of misinformation and just how deadly it can be.

Click here to watch the full video on YouTube

Several discussion points today;

What is the New Zealand controversy?
How has anti-vaxx misinformation & disinformation led to the parent's way of thinking
Why the government had to do to step in to save this child?

Links

Anti-vaxx New Zealand parents lose custody

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Let's talk about the five action steps to take for a healthier 2023...

It’s the end of the year again, and this is the season when people start writing down their new year’s resolutions. But we all know for a fact that around 50%-80% of people tend to give up on their goals come March, and we don’t want that to happen to you this 2023.

Most new year’s resolutions fail because of it being too ambitious or unrealistic, and many fail to achieve their goals because they try and do it alone.

That is why in order to make those goals easier to achieve, I came up with action steps that will help you have a more realistic and attainable set of goals for the upcoming year. Tune in and make your 2023 a fruitful year!

In this first two-part episode about planning for the upcoming year, Dr. Berry shares actionable steps in making your goals realistic and achievable. Here, he gives out valuable tips on how to hold yourself accountable for your actions and/or inactions and explains the importance of having a support system in achieving your goals.

Why you need to check this episode:

Find out why many people tend to give up on their new year’s resolutions early into the year;
Learn how to hold yourself accountable for your actions and/or inactions in trying to achieve your goals; and
Discover the importance of finding the proper support system in helping you achieve your goals

“As we, as a society, continue to move in a direction of moving away from our darkest of days, especially during this pandemic, we don’t have excuses anymore.” – Dr. Berry Pierre

Notable Quotes:

“This is about the time where if you've given up that New Year's resolution that you had, whatever you were trying to take care of or do or not do, this is the time when we start doing it.” – Dr. Berry Pierre

Remember to subscribe to the podcast and share the episode with a friend or family member.

Listen on Apple Podcast, Google Play, Stitcher, Soundcloud, iHeartRadio, and Spotify

Links/Resources:

LLP 118: No More Excuses with Dr. Brad Bellard

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In this episode of Real Physician Reacts we will be having a discussion on the recent measles outbreak currently going on in Columbus, Ohio.

Tonight's discussion focuses on the effects of misinformation and how it has led to 25% of the community being affected and now at severe risk for a disease that was once considered eradicated. At the time of this recording 46 children have been confirmed to be diagnosed with measles with 19 requiring hospitalization.

Several discussion points today;

When does this outbreak start?
How has misinformation brought back a disease that was once considered dead?
What to do if you are concerned about contracting measles if you’re unvaccinated.

Links

The Columbus Dispatch
Measles Case Summary

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Let's talk about lupus...

Lupus is not a frequently occurring disease if we are to compare it with the likes of diabetes and hypertension. But just because it is not as frequent as the others, doesn’t mean that we shouldn’t take it as something serious. If you are not prepared for its possible effects, it could definitely cause you problems.

Did you know that there are about 1.5 Americans diagnosed with lupus, and there are a total of around 5 million cases worldwide? The concerning thing about it is that 90% of these patients are women, and African-American women are three times more likely to have been diagnosed with this disease than white women.

Fortunately, while the actual causes of lupus are still unknown, there are available medications that help manage its symptoms.

In this episode, Dr. Berry talks all about lupus and discusses what happens to the immune system of those who have it. He also puts emphasis on how it could affect basically all of the internal organs as he reassures that while there is still no answer to what really causes it, there are ways to trace lupus and treatment options to help those who have been diagnosed.

Why you need to check out this episode:

Learn about the nature of lupus and how it affects one’s health;
Understand how severe the complications brought by lupus could get and why it should never be seen as anything despite it being an infrequent disease; and
Find out what signs and symptoms you should look out for if you suspect that you have lupus.

“In the case of lupus, something happens where your own immune system doesn’t recognize that the foreign body it’s trying to attack is its actual self.” *– Dr. Berry Pierre*

Notable Quotes:

“Lupus is when your immune system says ‘Hey, you know what? I don’t recognize myself, so I’m going to turn on myself.” – Dr. Berry Pierre

Remember to subscribe to the podcast and share the episode with a friend or family member.

Listen on Apple Podcast, Google Play, Stitcher, Soundcloud, iHeartRadio, and Spotify

Links/Resources:

Mayo Clinic - Lupus Diagnosis and Treatment
What is Lupus?

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In this episode of Real Physician Reacts we will be having a special guest, Kyle Swinsky the Co-Founder and CEO of AMOpportunities, a Chicago-based company that helps international medical students and graduates secure U.S. rotations and supports hospitals and schools in managing trainees through high-quality services and software solutions.

Tonight's discussion hits close to home as a former program director as I would constantly receive emails from IMGS (International Medical Graduates), US-trained medical students, and nurse practitioners about elective rotations.

Click here to watch the full video on YouTube

Several discussion points today;

What is AMOPPORTUNITIES?
How they help not only international medical graduates secure elective rotations but also US-trained students including medical students, nurse practitioners, and physician assistant students.
How their organization also helps hospital systems bridge the gap.

Links

For the interest of international medical students/graduates
In the interest of hospitals

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Let's talk about treatment options for diabetes...

While diabetes is one of the most significant diseases there is in the world, it is not necessarily a life sentence. In fact, there are lots of different treatment options out there, depending on what your situation calls for.

However, despite the long list of available treatment options for diabetes, many diabetic patients still struggle with it; because more than just the medications, it takes a serious and dedicated lifestyle modification in order to win against diabetes.

So join Dr. Berry in the second of this two-part episode about Diabetes Awareness Month where he talks about the different treatment options for diabetes as he emphasizes the importance of lifestyle modification.

In this episode, Dr. Berry discusses the treatment options for diabetes as he explains what works best in which situations, while continuously stressing the importance of lifestyle modification in controlling diabetes.

Why you need to check out this episode:

Discover the different treatment options you can take if you have diabetes, and which one will work best for your situation;
Find out what, when, and how much you should eat if you are diabetic; and
Understand the significance of lifestyle modification in dealing with your diabetes

“If you ask me, my job is to try to bankrupt these pharmaceutical companies. I want the lifestyle modifications to be just enough.” *– Dr. Berry Pierre*

Notable Quotes:

“We’ve always cared about diet and exercise. What happens is that when we were saying that diet and exercise is important, you weren’t listening.” – Dr. Berry Pierre

Remember to subscribe to the podcast and share the episode with a friend or family member.

Listen on Apple Podcast, Google Play, Stitcher, Soundcloud, iHeartRadio, and Spotify

Links/Resources:

It's Diabetes Awareness Month
Weight Loss Myths Part 1 with Dr. Sylvia
Diabetes, Diet, Eating, and Physical Activity
Diabetes treatment
Types of Insulin
Glucose Meters That Don’t Need Finger Pricks

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In this episode of Real Physician Reacts we will be discussing the recent 2022 primary elections that saw women’s rights on the ballot across the country.

When Roe V Wade was overturned I discussed the implications and why it would be important for healthcare workers to stand strong from their patients.

Tonight I am going to discuss what I think it means for the future of Pro-Women’s rights due to these recent victories.

Click here to watch the full video on YouTube

Several discussion points today;

How important were pro-abortion rights across the country
Which states made significant advancements in protecting women’s rights
What do we have to look forward to?

Links

CBS NEWS (Abortion rights supporters score midterm victories)

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Let's talk about diabetes...

There are some diseases that are simply too significant that we dedicate an entire month talking about it; and speaking of which, since it’s now November, that means it’s time for Diabetes Awareness Month again.

Currently, there are around 37 million Americans diagnosed with diabetes. It is so bad that for every five diabetic people, there is one who is completely unaware that he has it. To make matters worse, there are around 96 million people who are currently in the pre-diabetic stage, ready to join the stats at any given time.

This disease is one of the leading reasons why people have dialysis, why people go blind, and why people need to have parts of their bodies amputated. The numbers have doubled in the last two decades, and even though there are new treatments available, the overall situation still doesn’t look good.

So join Dr. Berry as he starts a two-part episode about Diabetes Awareness Month as he educates us on why we should take diabetes seriously – whether we are directly affected or not.

In this episode, Dr. Berry gives us an understanding of what diabetes is and what possibly causes it, what happens to our body when we have it, and what we have to look out for if we suspect that we’re diabetic.

Why you need to check out this episode:

Find out the risk factors of diabetes, and why it is important that you share your medical history with your family;
Recognize the signs and symptoms that might be telling you that you are diabetic; and
Understand the real magnitude of what diabetes can do to you, and why you must take this disease seriously.

“Diabetes is not just a sugar disease. It’s a disease that causes all problems galore.” *– Dr. Berry Pierre*

Notable Quotes:

“Lifestyle modifications are significantly important. Whether you are monitoring the types of food you’re eating, when you’re eating, how you’re eating, your physical activity, or more importantly, getting rid of physical inactivity.” – Dr. Berry Pierre

Remember to subscribe to the podcast and share the episode with a friend or family member.

Listen on Apple Podcast, Google Play, Stitcher, Soundcloud, iHeartRadio, and Spotify

Links/Resources:

Dr. Berry's Social Pages
Diabetes Tests & Diagnosis

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In this episode of Real Physician Reacts we will be discussing a very real and scary trend in how the general public deals with death and the issue of desensitization to death as we experience more and more of it up close and personal.

This week we lost another hip hop star Take Off from the Migos tragically and almost immediately we were bombarded with images and even video of his last moments here with us.

Tonight I am going to discuss what that says about the current state of society that we have readily accepted being able to watch someone take their last breath and move on about our day as if nothing has occurred.

Click here to watch the full video on YouTube

Several discussion points today;

The tragic loss of another hip-hop star?
How society has accepted a lack of emotion when it comes to dealing with death
What does it mean for our mental health in the future if we continue to become

Links

How to deal with the unexpected with Niesia Garza

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Let's talk about preventative medicine...

How important is it for you to be present on your annual visit?

As the saying goes, prevention will always be better than cure, but if we’ll keep on disregarding the need to visit our physicians, the time will come when things will get worse, so bad that it might even take our life away from us.

So, if you still want to live a lot longer both in good shape and in good health, sit back and relax as we learn from today’s guest. As always, awareness is where it all starts, but awareness is nothing when it's not put into fruitful action.

*Dr. Randy Hines II* is a board-certified family medicine physician and CEO of Hines Entertainment. Aside from being a physician, he’s also an author and a podcaster. He hosts the On Call with Dr. Randy podcast where he discusses topics relating to preventive medicine, health, and wellness.

In this episode, Dr. Randy discusses why preventative medicine is a must, especially in today’s time as he and Dr. Berry talk about the tactics for educating people about preventive measures that can help avoid poor health.

Why you need to check out this episode:

Recognize the importance of preventative medicine and having a physician help you with this;
Understand why you should still go for your annual visit even when you feel fine, and embrace some me time to take care of yourself; and
Find out how podcasts help educate more people, especially in today’s time when we’re all on the go

“You got to slow down and take care of yourself. Sometimes, people are so busy trying to take care of other people and then they come and see me and it’s like ‘I got 10 issues that I want to talk about in this 30-minute visit and I haven’t seen a doctor in two to three years because I’ve been so busy taking care of everybody else.’ And I also tell them jokingly but also seriously, ‘Hey, I’m not Jesus. I can’t solve it all in one visit.” – *Dr. Randy Hines II*

Notable Quotes:

“I always kind of try to expose myself to different things, different experiences, because you never know, that one little thing that’ll build that bond between you and your patient.”– Dr. Randy Hines II

Remember to subscribe to the podcast and share the episode with a friend or family member.

Listen on Apple Podcast, Google Play, Stitcher, Soundcloud, iHeartRadio, and Spotify

Links/Resources:

Dr. Randy's Website
Dr. Randy's Instagram
Dr. Randy's Facebook
Dr. Randy's LinkedIn
Dr. Randy's Twitter
Dr. Randy's YouTube
Dr. Randy's TikTok

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Let's talk about preventative medicine...

How important is it for you to be present on your annual visit?

Why you need to check out this episode:

Recognize the importance of preventative medicine and having a physician help you with this;
Understand why you should still go for your annual visit even when you feel fine, and embrace some me time to take care of yourself; and
Find out how podcasts help educate more people, especially in today’s time when we’re all on the go

Notable Quotes:

Remember to subscribe to the podcast and share the episode with a friend or family member.

Listen on Apple Podcast, Google Play, Stitcher, Soundcloud, iHeartRadio, and Spotify

Links/Resources:

Dr. Randy's Website
Dr. Randy's Instagram
Dr. Randy's Facebook
Dr. Randy's LinkedIn
Dr. Randy's Twitter
Dr. Randy's YouTube
Dr. Randy's TikTok

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In this episode of Real Physician Reacts we will be discussing a potential threat this winter with what my colleagues are calling a tripledemic.

There are plenty of reasons to be concerned about the three diseases of RSV, Flu & Covid, and why after a couple of years of social isolation, mask-wearing & vaccinations why we may in line for a storm in the hospitals.

Click here to watch the full video on YouTube

Several discussion points today;

What is a tripledemic?
How prepared should you be
What do healthcare workers need to look out for this coming winter season?

Links

Tripledemic Puts U.S. Hospitals In ‘Crisis Mode

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In this episode of Real Physician Reacts we will be discussing a potential threat this winter with what my colleagues are calling a tripledemic.

Click here to watch the full video on YouTube

Several discussion points today;

What is a tripledemic?
How prepared should you be
What do healthcare workers need to look out for this coming winter season?

Links

Tripledemic Puts U.S. Hospitals In ‘Crisis Mode

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Let's talk about how to deal with the unexpected...

Losing someone who is dear to us is like losing a part of ourselves, too. Once a thing like that happens, we just cannot be the same person, with the effect of their loss forever engraved in our being.

Also, communicating with someone who is grieving is no easy thing either. And as unfortunate as it already is, society has made it a taboo that people now choose to avoid attending to their need to grieve.

Indeed, grieving isn’t easy; never will it be. But this is exactly why it is important that we choose to understand how grief works instead of staying away from it.

It is normal, and there are no ‘finish lines’ for it. Tune in to today’s episode as Niesia enlightens us about this as she reassures us that it’s okay to not be okay, that it’s perfectly normal for us to cry our hearts out and feel.

Niesia Garza, LCSW is a licensed clinical social worker and registered play therapist. She is the owner and CEO of Daniel’s Harbor Therapy Center, a therapy center inspired by and in honor of her late son Daniel whom they lost at the young age of 2, where they help patients who are going through trauma and grief.

In this episode, Neisia educates us on how society views grief, and what needs to be changed about it. She also discusses some ways how to handle grief along with the assurance that it’s completely normal to address it.

Why you need to check out this episode:

Understand the concept of grieving and why it is normal to behave differently when in the stage of grief;
Learn how to deal with someone who is grieving, along with the understanding that someone who has gone through loss will never be their same old self again; and
Find out why grief should be normalized and not be considered “taboo”

“Everybody grieves differently. There’s never a right or wrong way to grieve; there are unhealthy ways and healthy ways, but not a right or wrong way to grieve.” – Niesia Garza

Notable Quotes:

“I just want to help other families for them not to feel like there’s something wrong with them or they’re crazy just because they’re grieving.”– Niesia Garza

Remember to subscribe to the podcast and share the episode with a friend or family member.

Listen on Apple Podcast, Google Play, Stitcher, Soundcloud, iHeartRadio, and Spotify

Links/Resources:

Niesia's Website
Niesia's Instagram
Niesia's LinkedIn
Niesia's Twitter
Niesia's Facebook

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Let's talk about how to deal with the unexpected...

Indeed, grieving isn’t easy; never will it be. But this is exactly why it is important that we choose to understand how grief works instead of staying away from it.

Why you need to check out this episode:

Understand the concept of grieving and why it is normal to behave differently when in the stage of grief;
Learn how to deal with someone who is grieving, along with the understanding that someone who has gone through loss will never be their same old self again; and
Find out why grief should be normalized and not be considered “taboo”

“Everybody grieves differently. There’s never a right or wrong way to grieve; there are unhealthy ways and healthy ways, but not a right or wrong way to grieve.” – Niesia Garza

Notable Quotes:

“I just want to help other families for them not to feel like there’s something wrong with them or they’re crazy just because they’re grieving.”– Niesia Garza

Remember to subscribe to the podcast and share the episode with a friend or family member.

Listen on Apple Podcast, Google Play, Stitcher, Soundcloud, iHeartRadio, and Spotify

Links/Resources:

Niesia's Website
Niesia's Instagram
Niesia's LinkedIn
Niesia's Twitter
Niesia's Facebook

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In this episode of Real Physician Reacts we will be about Bias in Medicine and how it affects not only the patients but also the healthcare workers. Seeing acts of bias whether they are big or small happen daily in healthcare and the cumulation of these problems is why we have many of the healthcare disparities we see today.

There are reasons why non-white patients receive fewer cardiovascular interventions and few renal transplants, why white medical students believe black people have higher pain tolerances, and why there are differences in pregnancy-related deaths among black women.

It is why conversations like these need to continue to happen and be addressed head-on.

Click here to watch the full video on YouTube

Several discussion points today;

Why is implicit bias so dangerous?
How has the system of medicine continued to add to the problem?
What do healthcare workers need to look out for in their own personal bias?

Links

Racial Disparities in Maternal and Infant Health
Implicit Bias and Racial Disparities in Health Care
Implicit Racial/Ethnic Bias Among Health Care Professionals...

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Let's talk about how a physician chooses between medicine and music...

Why neglect what keeps your heart and life in the true essence of bliss when you can enjoy your passion while practicing and excelling in your profession?

One of the most common misconceptions around the practice of medicine is that when you are a professional in this field, you should not dare do anything else aside from taking care of your patients.

It is a noble act, yes. It is something that you love, no doubt. But regardless of how much you love your job, if you’re in it just because and/or for altruism, at the end of the day, you’ll still end up going through burnout.

That is why it is important to treat our jobs as professions and have a life outside of that. Join us today as Dr. Steven shares how he manages to keep that balance between his passion for music and medicine.

Dr. Steven Bradley is an anesthesiologist and an assistant professor at the Uniformed Services University of Health Sciences. In his podcast The Black Doctors Podcast, he interviews professionals who are part of the minority like himself, giving encouragement and motivation to his listeners. Also, he also enjoys playing and producing music. He also records and edits all the audio for his show.

In this episode, Dr. Steven shares how he continuously works the balance between his passion for music and his career in medicine, as he and Dr. Berry exchange thoughts as to why and how having a life outside of the hospital doors plays a key role in happiness.

Why you need to check out this episode:

Learn how to balance your career and passion and why you should do so;
Find out why you should approach your career in medicine with a sense of professionalism and not of altruism; and
Discover how identifying and limiting your interests could bring you true happiness.

“They say that medicine is for those people that could not possibly see themselves doing anything else, and I 100% reject that theory. I personally view medicine as a career, and I approach it with a sense of professionalism and not necessarily of altruism.” – Dr. Steven Bradley

Notable Quotes:

"It’s okay to make mistakes, to learn from those mistakes, and to share my flaws because we all have flaws. But within us all have flaws, we also have strengths. And if we work together and combine those, I personally think the society as a whole would be in a much better spot.” – Dr. Steven Bradley

Remember to subscribe to the podcast and share the episode with a friend or family member.

Listen on Apple Podcast, Google Play, Stitcher, Soundcloud, iHeartRadio, and Spotify

Links/Resources:

Dr. Steven's Website
Dr. Steven's Instagram
Dr. Steven's Podcast
The Black Doctors' Apple Podcast

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In this episode of Real Physician Reacts we will be discussing the appropriate backlash Florida's Surgeon General and Harvard Trained Dr. Joseph A. Ladapo has received after his almost comical press release where he recommended all men ages 18-39 avoid mRNA vaccines based on faulty evidence.

Click here to watch the full video on YouTube

Several discussion points today;

What is Florida's stance on mRNA vaccines?
Why was the backlash so swift and immediate?
What can we derive from the “study” performed by the state of Florida?

Hear my thoughts tonight on this news and why Dr. Ladapo deserves all the academic backlash he’s receiving.

Links

Scientists pan analysis Florida's surgeon...
Guidance for mRNA COVID-19 Vaccines

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Let's talk about breast cancer awareness...

Why is it important that we talk about diseases like breast cancer for a month-long, especially in today’s time?

According to data, in the year 2022, around 287,000 women will be diagnosed with invasive breast cancer, 51,000 with non-invasive breast cancer, with 43,000 of these women dying from this disease.

This is a disease that affects a lot of people and families and thinks about it. What if your mom, your grandmother, your sister, your wife, or your friend is part of this list?

Breast cancer is no joke; it’s something we need to worry about. The clock is ticking. Join Dr. Berry today as he educates us on breast cancer and its risks.

In this episode, Dr. Berry discusses why talking about breast cancer is important as he gets on the facts and encourages people to take action and be aware.

Why you need to check out this episode:

Recognize the importance of talking about diseases like cancer for a month-long, especially breast cancer this October;
Understand why knowing your family history is key to survival when dealing with or preventing cancer; and
Find out why it should be everyone’s job to bring awareness and save people’s lives from such diseases

“It’s my job; it’s your job. It’s everyone’s job to make sure that the awareness, that the foot is on the gas, to make sure we don’t sleep at the wheel when it comes to breast cancer, colon cancer, prostate, any cancer, but especially when it gets a whole month to talk about.” -Dr. Berry Pierre

Notable Quotes:

“This is why I talk about those who are overwhelmed by the healthcare system, and unappreciated – because people’s lives are at stake if you don’t have a voice of reason… If people’s lives are at stake, then this is a life-or-death situation.” – Dr. Berry Pierre

Remember to subscribe to the podcast and share the episode with a friend or family member.

Listen on Apple Podcast, Google Play, Stitcher, Soundcloud, iHeartRadio, and Spotify

Links/Resources:

Dr. Berry's Social Pages
How to Perform a Breast Self-Exam
THE PINK RIBBON: Breast Cancer Awareness Month

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In this episode of Real Physician Reacts we will be discussing the news from President Biden’s decision to pardon all people convicted of simple marijuana possession under federal law.

Click here to watch the full video on YouTube

Several discussion points today;

Why it’s an important first step?
What is next for marijuana legislation state-wide?
Why it's important for the medical community

Hear my thoughts tonight on this news on marijuana legislation and what I hope to see moving forward for the medical community.

Links

Biden pardons marijuana offenses...
The White House Twitter post

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Let's talk about why patients are overwhelmed by the healthcare system too...

A lot of times, especially in healthcare, we talk a lot about what the workers and the system are experiencing, but for some reason, we never seem to really include a huge part of that system in the discussions; the reason why the system is still there and going – the patients.

More often than not, the stress and weight we, the healthcare professionals, go through in our day-to-day practice get passed onto our patients, resulting in their own overwhelm. And this can get really scary because it could lead to them avoiding proper care.

But worry no more, because if you are that patient who is overwhelmed by the healthcare system, or even worse – underappreciated by the healthcare system, you’ve found the show for you because Dr. Berry’s here to help you. This episode is for you, to help professionals recognize your burden, too.

In this episode, Dr. Berry recognizes how patients also get overwhelmed by the healthcare system as he explains why healthcare workers need to prioritize their patients and help them get through that experience.

Why you need to check out this episode:

Recognize that not only healthcare workers but also patients get overwhelmed by the system too;
Understand the job we have as healthcare professionals to help our patients lift that burden of overwhelm and not blame them for that; and
Know that it is of utmost importance for us to take good care of our patients, not passing on our stress to them if we don’t want the system to crumble into pieces

“As the healthcare professional, I have to understand that the onus of taking away some of that burden on my patient is on me; not on the patient. Especially as healthcare workers, we cannot expect our patients to deal with the overwhelming stress of our healthcare system that we put upon them. We cannot expect our patients to deal with the overwhelming stress of their disease that’s put upon them. We can’t expect them to deal with all of that. We have to be there to help them lift some of that burden and help them move it along. That’s really our job; that’s really our goal.” -Dr. Berry Pierre

Notable Quotes:

“If you’re going to a system, again, you’re the patient, and you're not feeling your best, you're feeling ill, let’s say you're at your bottom, and you're relying on a workforce that also is being overwhelmed and underappreciated, bad things can happen. And unfortunately, if bad things can happen, the patients are going to be the ones who are going to take the hit. That’s why content creators like me get on platforms and really focus on trying to educate how to make our patients empowered to go into these healthcare systems” – Dr. Berry Pierre

Remember to subscribe to the podcast and share the episode with a friend or family member.

Listen on Apple Podcast, Google Play, Stitcher, Soundcloud, iHeartRadio, Spotify

Links/Resources:

Dr. Berry's Social Pages

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In this episode of Real Physician Reacts we will be discussing the recent guideline changes by the CDC in regards to the requirement of masks in healthcare facilities.

Click here to watch the full video on YouTube

Several discussion points today

Recap of CDC’s guideline change
What does it mean for your friends & family members in these facilities?
What do community transmission rates mean?

Hear my thoughts tonight on this masks requirement updates in the hospitals & other healthcare facilities

Links

CDC News
CDC COVID Data Tracker

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Let's talk about your next COVID-19 booster...

Have you gotten your shots of COVID-19 vaccines and boosters already? If not, what’s stopping you from doing so?

About two years ago, people had this thought that those who are going to get themselves vaccinated are soon going to grow a third arm and start walking like zombies. Unfortunately, it has spread so fast and people actually believed it, causing them to not get their shots.

But as we get closer to flu season, still with this pandemic going around, imagine getting both flu and the COVID disease. That is indeed scary; something I wouldn’t wish to happen to anyone.

But if we really intend to protect ourselves, we should understand the importance of these vaccines in our fight against the pandemic.

Join me today as I talk about the recently approved bivalent vaccine.

In this episode, Dr. Berry opens our hearts and minds to why it’s of much importance that we get our vaccines and boosters now, especially as we get closer to cold and flu season, in line with the recently approved bivalent vaccines that will help protect ourselves even more from new COVID subvariants.

Why you need to check out this episode:

Understand that COVID is something we’re going to have to live with, and getting out of this pandemic doesn’t equate to a certain number of cases;
Recognize the importance of the new bivalent vaccines in our fight against the recent COVID subvariants that have emerged; and
Find out who is eligible to receive this bivalent booster from Moderna and Pfizer, when should you get it, and if it’s safe for the public

“Go ahead, schedule your appointment with your local pharmacy. Get your COVID booster, especially at a time where the government involvement is still there, aka they’re paying for it, because once this thing gets private – and it will go private – and all of a sudden, you need to be insured to get a COVID booster, it could get very, very scary. I don’t want y’all to worry about that. Get yourselves taken care of.” -Dr. Berry Pierre

Notable Quotes:

“For those who are looking for certain markers to say, ‘yes, we are finally getting out of this pandemic,’ I can assure you that having a consistent number of cases and a consistent number of deaths are not a recipe for someone who is out of the pandemic.” – Dr. Berry Pierre

Remember to subscribe to the podcast and share the episode with a friend or family member.

Listen on Apple Podcast, Google Play, Stitcher, Soundcloud, iHeartRadio, Spotify

Links/Resources:

Dr. Berry's Social Pages
Annual Covid-19 Vaccinations

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In this episode of Real Physician Reacts we will be discussing the recent controversy surrounding President Biden and his comments regarding the pandemic being over during his recent 60 minutes interview.

Click here to watch the full video on YouTube

Several discussion points today;

Recap of President Biden’s interview
What the pandemic means to President Biden
What the pandemic means to those who are upset with his choice of words

Hear my thoughts tonight on this recent controversy.

Links

Dr. Berry's Tittok (Is the pandemic over?)
Daily Motion (The pandemic is over)

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Let's talk about weight loss myths...

How can we stop blaming patients for being obese and start that path towards creating spaces to provide them with better care and medications that they really need?

Obesity was just recognized as a medical disease back in 2013, and so often, conversations around obesity medications contain bias, even among us physicians. People tend to overestimate the power of lifestyle modifications, thinking that everything in weight loss revolves around our minds.

But if as clinicians, we understand that we have the most powerful tools to help our patients live a healthier life, we’ll then be empowered to make evidence-based decisions, instead of those coming from judgments and bias.

Join us today as Dr. Sylvia awakens us in this conversation about weight loss and the power of medications.

Dr. Sylvia Gonsahn-Bollie is a dual board-certified Internal Medicine and Obesity Medicine physician who empowers women to stop obsessing over the scale, feel great, and get to their happy healthy weight with self-love & a personalized, scientific sustainable weight loss strategy through Embrace You Weight & Wellness, medical practice, and coaching program.

In this episode, Dr. Sylvia discusses weight loss myths especially associated with medications as she and Dr. Berry stress the importance of having these tough conversations around obesity, especially in the Black community.

Why you need to check out this episode:

Learn why we need to address and understand the implicit bias there is in obesity and marry that with understanding the physiology in the science;
Discover why it’s important that we help free people from the space of blaming themselves alone for not being able to lose weight; and
Find out why it’s important that clinicians understand the power of medications to be greater advocates for the care each patient needs

“If we, as clinicians, could understand the power of these medications in addressing the underlying physiology, then we would be even greater advocates for our patients getting the care that they need.”
– Dr. Sylvia Gonsahn-Bollie

Notable Quotes:

“Obesity itself is a medical condition and a disease that affects people, not that they’re choosing to have obesity per se.” – Dr. Sylvia Gonsahn-Bollie

Remember to subscribe to the podcast and share the episode with a friend or family member.

Listen on Apple Podcast, Google Play, Stitcher, Soundcloud, iHeartRadio, Spotify

Links/Resources:

Dr. Sylvia's Website
Dr. Sylvia's LinkedIn
Dr. Sylvia's Twitter
Dr. Sylvia's Instagram
Dr. Sylvia's Facebook

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In this episode of Real Physician Reacts we will be giving the latest update on the water crisis in Jackson, Mississippi. A few weeks ago we discussed the flooding & poor upkeep on its infrastructure that resulted in 180,000 residents in Jackson with little or no sanitary water.

Click here to watch the full video on YouTube

Several discussion points today;

Jackson Water Update
What can the residents do next
EPA investigation

Hear my thoughts tonight on this water crisis.

Links

Jackson Mississippi Water Crisis
Major Update About Jacksons Water Crisis
Gov. Tate Reeves TikTok

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Let's talk about the hurdles of getting men to the doctor...

Why is it so hard to have men attend their much-needed doctor’s appointments?

Research shows that hundreds of thousands of men mostly die from cancer every single year, but Cleveland Clinic’s study says that only 3 out of 5 men actually go to their annual visit. 40% of men will only go to a doctor once they think the problem is already too serious to not care about. And even when they do visit, around 20-30% of them admitted to have not been honest, withholding important information from their attending physician.

This problem has been going on for who knows how long already, mostly because of men’s fear to get that diagnosis, and not only does it affect them, killing them fast and early, but those who are around them suffer from the hurdles, too.

So join Dr. Berry today as he talks about this issue, reminding men to take care of themselves if they want to live life better and longer.

In this episode, Dr. Berry discusses why it’s hard to get men to attend their doctor’s appointments, even just the annual visit, as he shares ways how those around men can help men take care of themselves in a better and more serious way.

Why you need to check out this episode:

Understand, from a man and a doctor’s perspective, why it’s not easy to have men meet their doctor for a health check appointment;
Discover why those who are around men shouldn’t take the entirety of the responsibility to take care of men; and
Find out how we can help men take their health in a serious manner without driving them to withhold information as they visit their doctor

“I say this all the time. When it’s about your health, you gotta leave that pride to the side. Pride needs to be set aside when we’re talking about healthcare.” -Dr. Berry Pierre

Notable Quotes:

“Very often, the avoidance of care and the withholding of care are two of the biggest issues that are killing us. It’s not like it’s always hurting us. No, it’s killing us. We are dying sooner, we are dying younger because we either avoid the system, the diagnosis or if we get forced to the system, we’re like, I’m not gonna tell them 100% of the things I want to tell them because I know how Dr. Berry does… and all of a sudden, I have a bigger problem that I know of.” – Dr. Berry Pierre

Remember to subscribe to the podcast and share the episode with a friend or family member.

Listen on Apple Podcast, Google Play, Stitcher, Soundcloud, iHeartRadio, Spotify

Links/Resources:

Dr. Berry's Social Pages

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In this episode of Real Physician Reacts I want to discuss the recent news clip from Dr. Fauci discussing the reality that annual covid-19 vaccinations are likely going to be a thing. Now if you have been following me for some time this should not come to you as much surprise as I have been saying that a part of getting through this pandemic is the realization that Covid-19 is here to stay.

Click here to watch the full video on YouTube

Several discussion points today;

Covid-19 cases & vaccination update
What does these type of talking points mean for us during the pandemic?

Hear my thoughts tonight on this new future reality.

Links

Dr. Anthony Fauci TikTok

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Let's talk about is your doctor speaks your language?...

How’s your relationship with your doctor?

Do you find yourself leaving the room satisfied, with your concerns amazingly attended, or do you usually think there’s something wrong and it just won’t work for you and your health?

All of us, as human beings, are greatly unique in our own ways, but more often than not, a life-and-death situation could arise once you get into a doctor-patient relationship you shouldn’t be in. A mismatch between a physician and their patient could lead to a lot of harm.

So in this episode, Dr. Berry discusses why it’s crucial to get that match right by first knowing who you are. Join us today and avoid the disaster of a mismatch.

In this episode, Dr. Berry stresses the importance of being in the right doctor-patient relationship as he explains what could happen if you and your doctor are a mismatched pair.

Why you need to check out this episode:

Understand why it’s of great need that you match with your doctor, getting yourself in the right doctor-patient relationship that suits you;
Recognize the importance of knowing who you are as a patient so you will know what type of doctor you need; and
Find out what happens if a doctor and a patient get into a disconnect

“It’s very key for us to recognize who we are. Who am I? What type of patient am I? Because if I can recognize what type of patient I am, then it makes sense what type of doctor I should be looking for.” -Dr. Berry Pierre

Notable Quotes:

“I think one of the reasons why I am as great as a physician that I am, you know, to my own horn, is that not only do I recognize all of these different types of patients; I recognize that even in me, I am all of those different types of doctors.” – Dr. Berry Pierre

Remember to subscribe to the podcast and share the episode with a friend or family member.

Listen on Apple Podcast, Google Play, Stitcher, Soundcloud, iHeartRadio, Spotify

Links/Resources:

Dr. Berry's Social Pages

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In this episode of Real Physician Reacts I want to discuss the water crisis currently happening in Jackson, Mississippi. Because of a combination of recent flooding, poor upkeep on infrastructure, and much more we now have left 180,000 residents in Jackson with little or no sanitary water.

Several discussion points today;

The global crisis of water
What led to the systematic failure
Who is to blame?

Hear my thoughts tonight on this water crisis

Links

The Jackson, Mississippi Water Crisis
Effects of the Water Crisis on Health

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Several discussion points today;

The global crisis of water
What led to the systematic failure
Who is to blame?

Hear my thoughts tonight on this water crisis

Links

The Jackson, Mississippi Water Crisis
Effects of the Water Crisis on Health

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Let's talk about the story of the neuro nurse practitioner...

How far are you willing to go to achieve what you believe is your purpose – to be part of a better healthcare practice while helping and educating not only the patients but also the people in this world?

Wanting to be a healthcare practitioner – more so a nurse – in a Haitian community is something Haitian people don’t usually know a lot about.

There are not a lot of Black people in the practice of healthcare. Today’s guest even experienced being the only Black nurse practitioner at work!

But despite how intimidating it was, how having a DNP drove her to be self-conscious years back, she learned to embrace who she is and showed up for herself in order to do what needs to be done as they provide healthcare.

Dr. Kettia Alusma-Hibbert, DNP is a Nurse Practitioner in Boca Raton, South Florida. She’s among the advanced practice providers of Boca Raton Regional Hospital’s Marcus Neuroscience Institute Team.

Dr. Kettia’s career started with her being a Neuro-Tele nurse, then transferring to the Neuro ICU, and later on helping comprehensive neuro outpatient clinics.

She and Dr. Berry used to walk hallways together during their early years of studying medicine, a history that sums up to around 12 years now.

In this episode, Dr. Kettia takes us back to her journey on how she’s made it, starting as a nurse to then becoming a nurse practitioner. Join us as she discusses what it’s like, to be a healthcare provider while being part of the Black community, and stresses the importance of educating people at large while making sure the treatments they need are accessible to them.

Why you need to check out this episode:

Understand why it’s important that you engage in a discussion with a healthcare practitioner about advance directives and not leave the decision for your family to make;
Recognize the need to educate people in general when it comes to healthcare while also making sure that you’re having a balanced work and personal life; and
Find out why it’s a must that administrators treat their nurses well, understand what their needs and wants are, and make sure that they’re working within their scope of practice even when their pay and responsibilities aren’t as much as the physicians’

“People ask this a lot when you’re preparing to get into nursing school – it’s ‘why do you want to be a nurse?’ – and the question is valid. And it’s interesting because as my career has evolved and as I’ve evolved into different roles, I still go back to the fact that I’m here to help patients.”
– Dr. Kettia

Notable Quotes:

“You’re not gonna be perfect all the time. You will make mistakes, and that’s fine, as long as you do your best and you’re honest. If you make a mistake, you just acknowledge it, [and] you try to rectify it the best that you can.” –Dr. Kettia

Links/Resources:

Dr. Kettia's Instagram
Dr. Berry's Social Pages

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In this episode of Real Physician Reacts I want to discuss the recent news regarding the #monkeypox cases and the pace of the outbreak slowing down.

Click here to watch the full video on YouTube

Several discussion points today;

Total Cases in the US & Globally
What the decline in cases maybe indicating
The effect that #vaccine supply has played
Why we should not let our foot off the pedal just yet

Hear my thoughts tonight on what we should expect if this outbreak is starting to turn the corner.

Links

Monkeypox Virus Overview
WHO Report
CDC U.S Map & Case Count

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Let's talk about the story of the black healthcare professional...

What does race have to do with healthcare?

As much as we’ve hoped that in 2022, people won’t be this naïve to not know, still, some people are, so today I share with you the story of the black healthcare professional.

For years, we have been stereotyped, that the chances of seeing someone who looks like me as your physician is going to be very low; that we are not the standard, and that speaking for our community is already a racist act – all because they don’t understand, because they’re the standard.

So in this episode, we’ll dive into the answer on why race is everything, and why it’s no doubt life-changing to see someone who looks like you, who you know will listen and understand you, as we proudly live life as blacks.

Why you need to check out this episode:

Understand why race is everything when it comes to healthcare and being a professional in general, that a level of culture and connection between doctor and patient is so important;
Find out why Dr. Berry doesn’t hide the fact that he is black and that his message is more focused on speaking for the black people; and
Learn the importance of having a black professional take the responsibility of speaking, protecting, and caring for our people while calling our colleagues out as well

“It means everything in the world to a patient to see someone who they feel will listen and understand them.” – Dr. Berry Pierre

Notable Quotes:

“Someone needs to talk to the black community, and that's what I'm here to do… If I only had to choose one audience, I'm going to choose my black community audience, because I know that for the longest time, we have been disenfranchised and not given the information needed, and unfortunately, we've been paying the repercussions for it.” – Dr. Berry Pierre

We shall discuss; in this episode 239;

Why race is still important in health care
Why it was important to stress the importance of speaking to the Black Community
Having to earn the trust of the Black Community

Links/Resources:

Dr. Berry's Social Pages

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Are you an avid fan of Dr. Berry’s blogs and videos?

Do you learn a lot from his content, but haven’t really heard his story yet?

Or maybe you’ve seen one of his episodes, then you asked yourself, “Who is this person talking here with all this informative content?”

With now 200+ episodes, it makes sense that you only got to check the most recent ones uploaded, so sit back and relax, because you’re in for an awesome treat today!

Get to know Dr. Berry as he re-introduces himself and welcomes you into this space.
Tune in as he shares his story, focusing on why he’s so passionate about educating, and find out why it’s life-changing that physicians like him do it, too, nowadays.

Why you need to check out this episode:

Here, you’ll get to know Dr. Berry – your favorite board-certified Internist and host of Medicine Mondays and Real Physician Reacts – better;

You’ll understand the reason why Dr. Berry does this video and audio podcast thing, as well as being active and visible on social media, and why it’s important for a physician like him to do so; and

You’ll discover Dr. Berry’s podcasting journey – from the overflowing passion that led him here to the steps he’s gone through to make this happen, especially with how his public health degree played a huge role in how he became the physician that he is today

Notable Quotes:

“Your patients understand that you are human. And if your patients understand you are human, they're going to understand, like ‘the same account that’s telling me medical staff may also tell me something about politics, may also tell me something about music, may also tell me something about a sporting event,’ because that's how a human typically works. If you want to have the social media platforms where literally all you talk about is this one thing, you can do so, but understand that kind of keeps you limited.” – Dr. Berry Pierre

Episode 238 will let you know the following;

Re-introduction to the new and old members of the Lunch and Learn Community
Why I started online
The social media journey from medical school days
The thing that brings the most joy to teaching online
The importance of caring for the community and why that drives what I do for the Lunch and Learn Community

Links/Resources:

Dr. Berry's Social Pages

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In this episode of Real Physician Reacts I want to discuss the recent guideline changes made by the CDC in regard to COVID-19.

Several key changes that I think people are going to either love/hate

No more 6-foot quarantine distance
Recommends being up to date on all vaccines including boosters
Infected people can end isolation after 5 days and wear a mask for 10 days if they are asymptomatic
Contact tracing only in healthcare settings and high-risk areas

Hear my thoughts tonight on why you should expect to see a new wave of people who didn’t trust the CDC all of the sudden trust them wholeheartedly.

Links

CDC ends recommendations
Summary of Guidance

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In this episode of Medicine Mondays, we are going to be talking about the most important visit you can make to your doctor’s office. We are going to be kind of piggybacking off our last couple of episodes where we talked about high blood pressure and high cholesterol, which kind of leads into the reason why we need to discuss it, because, during this visit, we're going to ask all of the questions and important things needed to be done during this exam.

The "routine" doctor's appointment is so unlike the ordinary visit you would have while visiting your doctor. For many people, getting your health in order for the whole year begins with your annual exam.

From a medical professional's viewpoint, this is the routine appointment where I can spend the most time with my patient and actually be compensated for doing so.

However, the patient's perspective is that this is the regular appointment when you may discuss all of your concerns with your doctor that you generally don't have time to do so during any quick appointments you may have.

Today, we'll discuss the unique aspects of this appointment, including the questions you may anticipate being asked, the normal blood tests, and the diagnostic exams based on age, race, and gender that are required.

This podcast aims to educate you on the ensuing discussions;

The importance of making the doctors visit a routine
Why much emphasis on the annual visit?
Why does your doctor get to spend so much time with you during that visit?
What are some of the questions you should expect during this exam?
What are some of the common labs and diagnostic tests ordered during your annual exam?
Why do you need to make a routine out of it?

Links/Resources:

Dr. Berry's Social Pages
LLP 229
LLP 232

Sponsors:

Lunch and Learn Community Online Store (code Empower10)
Pierre Medical Consulting (If you are looking to expand your social reach and make your process automated then Pierre Medical Consulting is for you)
Dr. Pierre's Resources – These are some of the tools I use to become successful using social media
My Amazon Store – Check out all of the book recommendations you heard in the episode

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In this episode of Real Physician Reacts I want to discuss the recent declaration by President Biden’s administration to declare the monkeypox outbreak as a public health emergency. We are going to discuss why it's important for them to do so at this time and why this declaration should not cause any new level of concern for this disease.

Links

Monkeypox Overview
Biden administration declares the monkeypox outbreak a public health emergency
The WHO declares monkeypox a public health emergency
Click here to watch the full video on YouTube...

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In this new episode of the Lunch and Learn with Dr. Berry podcast, we focus mostly on my business side, which I usually do at the beginning of each month. Today I wanted to talk about impostor syndrome as a person, a clinician, and an entrepreneur and some of the obstacles you need to overcome to be your best self. We will kind of veer off course into a conversation about getting over yourself.

Furthermore, You will also hear my opinions in response to a recent interview in which I was asked, "What do you think about doctors finally using social media to educate the community?"

The following topics will be discussed in episode 234:

Impostor syndrome
Why it's important for physicians to embrace who they are inside and outside of medicine?
Lessons I have learned as a clinician using social media
Dr. Berry's realization of his strengths and weaknesses when it comes to business

Links/Resources:

Dr. Berry's Social Pages

Sponsors:

Lunch and Learn Community Online Store (code Empower10)
Pierre Medical Consulting (If you are looking to expand your social reach and make your process automated then Pierre Medical Consulting is for you)
Dr. Pierre's Resources – These are some of the tools I use to become successful using social media
My Amazon Store – Check out all of the book recommendations you heard in the episode

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In this episode of Real Physician Reacts I want to give just a general overview of the differences that I have observed between the monkeypox outbreak and the covid-19 pandemic. Obviously, we had two plus years to observe the covid-19 response but there are definitely some major similarities and differences that I am noticing.

We won’t get into the small details regarding the diseases, I have plenty of content for that just check the link section but the overall picture that I am seeing is interesting, to say the least.

Links

Monkeypox Overview
Dr. Berry's COVID Coverage

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In this new podcast episode of Lunch and Learn with Dr. Berry, we bring you one of the tried and true topics here in general primary care medicine: cholesterol. Uncontrolled cholesterol is a disease that sometimes does not have any symptoms. The problem is that all of the issues associated with uncontrolled cholesterol, you definitely notice, including heart attack, stroke, and peripheral vascular disease.

Today's discussion will cover what cholesterol is, why the body needs it, and why the distinction between "good" and "bad" cholesterol is rather overrated. We will also discuss different stats on uncontrolled cholesterol such as the US success rate for treating the condition and other details.

Episode 232 will address the following topics;

What is cholesterol
Different types of proteins associated with cholesterol
Cases of high cholesterol
Associated risk factors of high cholesterol
Treatment goals
Prescribed treatment options
Natural Treatment Options

Links/Resources:

Dr. Berry's Social Pages
LLP 229 - High Blood Pressure Update
Mayoclinic

Sponsors:

Lunch and Learn Community Online Store (code Empower10)
Pierre Medical Consulting (If you are looking to expand your social reach and make your process automated then Pierre Medical Consulting is for you)
Dr. Pierre's Resources – These are some of the tools I use to become successful using social media
My Amazon Store – Check out all of the book recommendations you heard in the episode

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Episode 232 will address the following topics;

What is cholesterol
Different types of proteins associated with cholesterol
Cases of high cholesterol
Associated risk factors of high cholesterol
Treatment goals
Prescribed treatment options
Natural Treatment Options

Links/Resources:

Dr. Berry's Social Pages
LLP 229 - High Blood Pressure Update
Mayoclinic

Sponsors:

Lunch and Learn Community Online Store (code Empower10)
Pierre Medical Consulting (If you are looking to expand your social reach and make your process automated then Pierre Medical Consulting is for you)
Dr. Pierre's Resources – These are some of the tools I use to become successful using social media
My Amazon Store – Check out all of the book recommendations you heard in the episode

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On this episode of Real Physician Reacts we will be revisiting a conversation we had on our Medicine Monday series where we introduced the Lunch and Learn Community to the topic of the monkeypox virus. At the time it was more of an informational session as we had just a few cases to even discuss at the time but clearly didn’t know where we were headed.

At the time of the episode, we are currently at 2400+ cases of monkeypox just here in the United States and it does seem to not be slowing down anytime soon. After a spirited discussion on my TikTok platform, I figured it was best we revisit the discussion and try to answer a question I am getting more and more lately.

Are we prepared for a monkeypox outbreak?

Links

Follow me on Tiktok
What is the Monkeypox Virus
CDC - Monkeypox count

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In this week's Lunch and Learn with Dr. Berry podcast, we bring you another rendition of our COVID-19 update. We're discussing the most recent information on COVID-19, particularly the most recent omicron variant BA.5, which has quickly replaced older strains as the one that predominates in this country.

Today, I'm going to discuss why the BA.5 area has quickly risen to the top strain in this nation in less than three weeks and why we should be concerned.

This week's episode will focus on;

Recent COVID-19 update
What is the BA.5 COVID-19 variant
Symptoms of the Ba.5 COVID-19 variant
What is different about this variant
How you should prepare to deal with this new variant
Why you should be worried

Links/Resources:

Dr. Berry's Website
DrBerryPierreTV
Dr. Pierre's Healthchecks
Dr. Berry's Twitter
Dr. Berry's Instagram
Dr. Berry's Clubhouse
Dr. Berry's TikTok page
What is the BA.2 COVID Variant?
CDC COVID Data Tracker
The Omicron BA.5 variant is driving COVID reinfections across the US.

Sponsors:

Lunch and Learn Community Online Store (code Empower10)
Pierre Medical Consulting (If you are looking to expand your social reach and make your process automated then Pierre Medical Consulting is for you)
Dr. Pierre's Resources – These are some of the tools I use to become successful using social media
My Amazon Store – Check out all of the book recommendations you heard in the episode

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In this new podcast episode of Lunch and Learn with Dr. Berry, I will give you an update on high blood pressure, which is one of the main factors contributing to premature deaths globally. In light of the current pandemic-related events, I don't want us to overlook the everyday illness processes that are harming many of us on a daily basis.

Today, let's get re-acclimated on what high blood pressure is, the issues it raises, and—most importantly—what we should do about it tomorrow. We will find out why over 47% of Americans have high blood pressure diagnoses and why more than 25% don't even have it under control.

The following will be covered in episode 229;

2022 Update on High Blood Pressure
High Blood Pressure Facts
Risk Factors and Complications of High Blood Pressure

Links/Resources:

Dr. Berry's Website
DrBerryPierreTV
Dr. Pierre's Healthchecks
Dr. Berry's Twitter
Dr. Berry's Instagram
Dr. Berry's Clubhouse
Dr. Berry's TikTok page
LLP172
American Heart Health Month
New Guidance on Blood Pressure Management in Low-Risk Adults
Mayo Clinic
Hypertension: New Guidelines from the International Society of Hypertension

Sponsors:

Lunch and Learn Community Online Store (code Empower10)
Pierre Medical Consulting (If you are looking to expand your social reach and make your process automated then Pierre Medical Consulting is for you)
Dr. Pierre's Resources – These are some of the tools I use to become successful using social media
My Amazon Store – Check out all of the book recommendations you heard in the episode

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In this episode of Real Physician Reacts let's talk about the recent mass shooting that occurred at Highland Park in Illinois by Robert Crimo III and the continued Public Health crisis that gun violence has become here in this country.

In a country where gun violence continues to be on the rise, especially since the pandemic began with more than 45,000 Americans dying by a gun in 2020, a 15% increase over 2019, and over a 40% increase from 2010. Despite U.S. civilians owning more than double the number of firearms per resident as the next highest country, the United States can not seem to curtail this growing issue.

Links:

Highland Park mass shooting: What, where, and who?

Gun Violence: Public Health Crisis

Gun Violence: The Escalating Public Health Crisis

Full Youtube Episode

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In this week's Lunch and Learn with Dr. Berry, we are joined by my lovely wife Maria Davis-Pierre, LMHC. Maria is the CEO and Founder of Autism in Black, Inc. Autism in Black® aims to bring awareness to Autism and reduce the stigma associated with the diagnosis in the Black community. As a licensed mental health therapist, Maria primarily works with Black parents to provide support through education and advocacy training.

Maria has been featured in Forbes, The New York Times, and USA Today, and has collaborated with Microsoft. Her unique approach to coaching and counseling exemplifies her drive and motivation toward greater acceptance and overcoming the barriers and personal struggles associated with raising a Black autistic child.

Today, we will be talking about the recently concluded Autism in Black Conference. Maria shares what she expected out of the conference and what she ended up receiving. We also had the chance to talk about some of the conference highlights and takeaways from different presenters. Furthermore, we will find out the date of the conference next year and Maria's plan with Autism in Black after the conference.

In this Episode 227, Maria and I will discuss:

Recap of the Conference
Favorite moments of the conference
What to expect moving forward
When is next year's conference?

Links/Resources:

Autism in Black
Autism in Black's Instagram
Autism in Black's Facebook

Sponsors:

Lunch and Learn Community Online Store (code Empower10)
Pierre Medical Consulting (If you are looking to expand your social reach and make your process automated then Pierre Medical Consulting is for you)
Dr. Pierre's Resources – These are some of the tools I use to become successful using social media
My Amazon Store – Check out all of the book recommendations you heard in the episode

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This week's episode of Lunch and Learn with Dr. Berry comes fresh off the heat heels of the 2022 Autism in Black conference. I am giving a mini recap of the said event as well as briefly discussing the topic of black fathers raising autistic children. I had the amazing opportunity to give a closing keynote presentation on day 1 of the conference and I spoke about the importance of Black fathers in the lives of their Autistic children.

As a father of two Autistic children and husband of an Autistic spouse, I have had the unique experience to balance out the level of care and responsibilities required to do the job but I am aware that without great support, Black fathers are unlikely to succeed as a whole.

The following topics will be covered in today's episode 226:

Recap of 2022 Autism in Black Conference
Discussion on the importance of black fathers raising their autistic children
Lack of research associated with black fathers and autistic children
Importance of community & support for black fathers

Links/Resources:

Dr. Berry's Website
DrBerryPierreTV
Dr. Pierre's Healthchecks
Dr. Berry's Twitter
Dr. Berry's Instagram
Dr. Berry's Clubhouse
Dr. Berry's TikTok page
African American Fathers Raising An Autistic Child
Autism in Black

Sponsors:

Lunch and Learn Community Online Store (code Empower10)
Pierre Medical Consulting (If you are looking to expand your social reach and make your process automated then Pierre Medical Consulting is for you)
Dr. Pierre's Resources – These are some of the tools I use to become successful using social media
My Amazon Store – Check out all of the book recommendations you heard in the episode

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In this week's Lunch and Learn with Dr. Berry podcast, we talk about COVID-19 and, more especially, an updated COVID-19 vaccine for kids. After several delays, extremely young children such as newborns, toddlers, and preschoolers are now eligible to receive the COVID-19 vaccine. More specifically, the FDA has approved the Moderna and Pfizer vaccines for children between the ages of 6 months and 5 years. Parents all throughout the nation have been awaiting this decision because this is the last age group that has been left unprotected when the pandemic first began.

With over 5.7 million of the 13+ million reported instances of COVID-19 occurring this year alone, parents, caregivers, and medical professionals have been crying out for assistance, and it has now been granted.

Today, I'll cover a wide range of topics that will inform us. Here is a list of the main topics that will be discussed;

FDA approval of Covid-19 vaccine for Kids
COVID-19 update
COVID-19 stats for kids
Waiting on CDC approval
Differences between Moderna & Pfizer COVID-19 vaccines

Links/Resources:

Dr. Berry's Website
DrBerryPierreTV
Dr. Pierre's Healthchecks
Dr. Berry's Twitter
Dr. Berry's Instagram
Dr. Berry's Clubhouse
Dr. Berry's TikTok page
FDA Authorizes Moderna and Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 Vaccines for Children Down to 6 Months of Age

Prior Episodes

Should I wait to get the COVID-19 Vaccine?
My Covid Vaccine Experience
My Final Covid-19 Vaccine Experience
New Covid-19 Vaccine On The Block
Why did the FDA pause the Johnson and Johnson Vaccine?
How did we get a covid-19 vaccine back so fast?

Sponsors:

Lunch and Learn Community Online Store (code Empower10)
Pierre Medical Consulting (If you are looking to expand your social reach and make your process automated then Pierre Medical Consulting is for you)
Dr. Pierre's Resources – These are some of the tools I use to become successful using social media
My Amazon Store – Check out all of the book recommendations you heard in the episode
Autism in Black Conference

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In this episode of the Lunch and Learn with Dr. Berry podcast, we bring you a special guest Maria Davis-Pierre, LMHC. CEO and Founder of Autism in Black.

Today, Maria will talk about the 2022 Autism in Black Conference today. This year's conference theme is Culturally Responsive Parenting and Advocacy, and we will discuss the objective of the conference as well as what participants may expect this year. We will find out why this conference is important for parents and caregivers of autistic children of all ages, as well as those who work in the Black Autistic Community. Also, we had the opportunity to talk about the newly created Autism in Black Community Store.

Episode 224 will discuss and will give information on the following:

2022 Autism in Black Conference
Autism in Black Community Store
The goals of the conference
What is Culturally Responsive Parenting and Advocacy

Links/Resources:

Register for the Autism in Black Conference
Autism in Black Website
Autism in Black's Instagram
Autism in Black's Facebook

Sponsors

2022 Autism in Black Conference - www.drberrypierre.com/aibconference22

Links

Full Youtube Episode

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In this new podcast episode of Lunch and Learn with Dr. Berry, we'll discuss another virus that is now causing some worry. It is now regarded as a moderate public health concern, according to the World Health Organization.

Today, I will respond to some of the most frequently asked questions from the Lunch and Learn community. So, we will discuss the monkeypox virus. Let's take a look at why it's getting so much attention right now and what you can do to avoid becoming infected.

Episode 221 will help you in understand and will provide knowledge on the following topics: -Monkeypox outbreak 2022
-What is an endemic disease
-What is the monkeypox virus?
-Signs and symptoms of the monkeypox virus
-Treatment and Prevention

Keep listening until the conclusion of the podcast to hear my thoughts on why the monkeypox virus is creating so much concern during this global pandemic titled "What is the Monkeypox Virus?"

Remember to subscribe to the podcast and share the episode with a friend or family member.

Listen to Apple Podcast, Google Play, Stitcher, Soundcloud, iHeartRadio, and Spotify.

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In this episode of the Lunch and Learn Podcast, I'm back with another COVID-19 update as well as a discussion of a recent terrible breakthrough in the United States. One million deaths and counting unfortunately symbolize the number of deaths as a result of COVID-19 since the outbreak began. In less than three years, we achieved a milestone that would normally take two and a half decades if we were talking about influenza.

Today, we'll discuss the most recent updated case rates from both the United States and other countries. We will tackle the latest recent statistics and provide vaccination numbers.

More significantly, I will merely share my perspective as a hospital physician on what COVID-19 has done within the hospital and, sadly, what we should expect for the rest of the year. Sponsors

2022 Autism in Black Conference - www.drberrypierre.com/aibconference22

In this episode, we'll talk about the following topics and factual information:

-COVID-19 update
-COVID-19 cases
-COVID-19 Vaccine updates
-The importance of moving forward during this pandemic, and what to expect next.

Join me in today's podcast episode, titled "One Million Deaths and Counting," to learn the most up-to-date facts regarding COVID-19.

Sign up at www.listentodrberry.com to join the mailing list.
Remember to subscribe to the podcast and share the episode with a friend or family member.

Listen to Apple Podcast, Google Play, Stitcher, Soundcloud, iHeartRadio, and Spotify.

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In this episode, I will be talking about a very important topic related to politics and medicine. With the recent disclosure of the Supreme Court draft, it is evident that Rowe V Wade is on the verge of being reversed, prompting a national wide response from both sides of the issue.

Quite often many of my colleagues will tell me that they prefer to remain out of politics and any discussion surrounding politics so they can focus on medicine but with this impending decision, the discussion of politics and medicine are right at the front door.

Physicians and healthcare practitioners, on the other hand, cannot be impartial when it comes to women's decisions. That is why one of the goals of today's podcast is to educate physicians and other healthcare professionals to advocate and stand up for their patients.

Episode 219 will discuss and help you learn the following:
-Rowe v Wade
-Recent Supreme Court Draft Leak
-The importance of Standing Up for your patients

Tune in to today's audio episode, as I discuss the ramifications of overturning Rowe v Wade, as well as why "Physicians Need to Stand Up for Patient's Rights"

Text LUNCHLEARNPOD to 44222 today or sign up at www.listentodrberry.com to join the mailing list.

Remember to subscribe to the podcast and share the episode with a friend or family member.

Listen to Apple Podcast, Google Play, Stitcher, Soundcloud, iHeartRadio, and Spotify.

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In this new podcast episode of Lunch and Learn with Dr. Berry, we have a special guest, Dr. Derrick Burgess who is a board-certified orthopedic surgeon and a specialist in sports medicine. Dr. Burgess is Co-Captain with his wife Myeasha, a pediatric dentist, in building a winning team with their three beautiful children. He is currently South Central Sports Medicine medical director in Laurel, Mississippi. He participates in providing world-class care for his patients and athletes in South Mississippi. Dr. Burgess is a top motivational speaker and shares his talents to inspire others to achieve their goals despite the obstacles in their way.

This week, we are going to talk about Dr. Derrick's path, including how he got his start before becoming a doctor and why he decided to go into social media, particularly podcasting. Furthermore, this episode will be amusing because there will be many similarities between the kind of path and trajectory that we are partaking in, such as the fact that we are both husbands, and a father, that has three children. Also, we both understand the importance of podcasting and delivering a message.

Dr. Derrick will talk about a lot of things in this episode that will be quite beneficial to us. The following are some of the most important takeaways from this episode;

-Empower the audience to chase their dreams
-Provide information to combat obesity
-Encourage physical fitness and joint health

Take a listen now and stick around 'til the end of today's special episode with Dr. Derrick Burgess as he dropped some pearls of wisdom and his inspiring life's journey with the title "How I Used Sports Medicine to Change the Life of Many".

Text LUNCHLEARNPOD to 44222 today or sign up at www.listentodrberry.com to join the mailing list.

Remember to subscribe to the podcast and share the episode with a friend or family member.

Listen to Apple Podcast, Google Play, Stitcher, Soundcloud, iHeartRadio, Spotify.

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This week on Lunch and Learn with Dr. Berry, we have a special episode for you. For those who don't know, I host a live series on my YouTube channel called The Real Physician Reacts every Thursday evening. So, in this episode, I'll bring you an audio clip from that live.

Today, we will talk about the hysteria that masks are causing among airline travelers around the country. Since the start of the pandemic, there has been an increase in the number of incidents on airlines. I mentioned and even highlighted some video clips of passengers behaving badly on airlines. And, of course, not even a week later, a federal judge in Florida decides to declare that it's unlawful for public transportation to require masks. Which has a lot of different connotations in and of itself.

Episode 217 will discuss the following:
-The unruly airline passengers
-How masks have caused an increasing number of airline incidents
-The lack of empathy for others continues to be a big issue during this pandemic
-The behavior that is exhibited on airlines

With the episode title "How Masks Are Driving Passengers Crazy," join me in today's audio episode and let's find out the effects of COVID on each individual and how people have responded to it.

Text LUNCHLEARNPOD to 44222 today or sign up at www.listentodrberry.com to join the mailing list.

Remember to subscribe to the podcast and share the episode with a friend or family member.

Listen to Apple Podcast, Google Play, Stitcher, Soundcloud, iHeartRadio, Spotify.

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In this new podcast episode of Lunch and Learn with Dr. Berry, I'd like to think of it as a follow-up to last week's discussion about the importance of establishing your doctor's brand.

Today, we'll discuss how patients can help doctors establish their brands, as well as what patients can do for their doctors. We know that doctors need their patients to support, lift, and hold them up.

I will talk about a lot of things in this episode that will be quite beneficial to us. Some of the key points from this episode are listed below.

-The importance of promoting your physician as the patient.
-Why word of mouth isn't enough anymore.
-Why your physicians branding themselves won't mean much if patients are co-signing what they are saying.
-Why there are sites that are specifically focused on doctor reviews.
-Leave positive reviews for your physicians who are taking care of you
-Helping to guide current and future patients to make the best decision on which doctor they choose

Take a listen now and stick around 'til the end of today's informative episode as I dropped some pearls of wisdom with the title "Give Your Doctor Credit".

Text LUNCHLEARNPOD to 44222 today or sign up at www.listentodrberry.com to join the mailing list.

Remember to subscribe to the podcast and share the episode with a friend or family member.

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Physicians must develop themselves as a brand that allows them to build trust before a patient even schedules an appointment.

In this episode of Lunch and Learn with Dr. Berry, we will talk about branding in a business-themed podcast. We'll discuss why doctors need to be brand ambassadors. We're going to speak about how important it is to have trust in both your patients and your colleagues. Furthermore, we will learn how I unintentionally developed the practice of branding my services and what impact it has had on my medical profession.

This episode aims for you to learn the following:

-What it means to be a brand
-Dr. Pierre's personal journey in building his brand
-Some of the perks of being able to build a brand
-Why building a brand equals trust

Listen all the way to the end to learn and gain some gems of knowledge and information from today's show about "Why your Doctor has to be a brand?"

Text LUNCHLEARNPOD to 44222 today or sign up at www.listentodrberry.com to join the mailing list.

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COVID19 has been spreading for more than 2 years now. We come across a variety of vaccinations as well as distinct types of variants. We thought that COVID -19 pandemic was finally over since COVID-19 instances were already moving lower, we were doing so much better, and everyone was fully vaccinated. However, a new variety known as BA.2 emerged.

In this new podcast episode, I will give the latest update on Covid-19 both here in the US & worldwide. Also, I will be discussing a new Covid-19 variant that is beginning to make headlines across the world. As we are getting over the latest surge from the omicron variant here in the US there are already signs that a new variant is headed our way. Moreover, we will learn what the BA.2 variant is, and what the experts think will happen when it is the dominant strain here.

Episode 214 aims for you to learn more about:
- COVID-19 update in the US & Worldwide
- What COVID BA.2 variant is?
- How is it affecting the world right now
- Factors to consider about the variant
- Understanding what to expect with the new COVID variant.

Join me in today's podcast episode as I discuss the latest update of COVID-19 and will share information about "What is the BA.2 COVID Variant?"

Text LUNCHLEARNPOD to 44222 today or sign up at www.listentodrberry.com to join the mailing list. Remember to subscribe to the podcast and share the episode with a friend or family member.

Listen to Apple Podcast, Google Play, Stitcher, Soundcloud, iHeartRadio, Spotify.

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Many of us are wearing glasses because of bad eyesight. In fact, glasses have become an integral part of everyone's life. As a result, hearing about certain prospects and varied alternatives for naturally improving our vision is a blessing.

In today's episode of Lunch and Learn with Dr. Berry we bring you a special guest, we bring you Jake Steiner who hosts one of the largest natural vision improvement communities online and has a passion for understanding human eyesight. He has spent the past 20 years in vision biology science, exploring nearsightedness prevention and reversal methods. He is a (semi-retired) stock trader and investor.

Today, Jake and I have an amazing conversation discussing what random event led him down this path to study eyesight over the past two decades, what he hopes people will be able to receive from his message, and his thoughts on a 100 Billion dollar industry.

Episode 213 aims for you to learn more about:

-How bad eyesight creates bad posture, limited sports performance, anxiety, depression and can lead to weight gain and a poor self-image.
-It’s quite easy to fix your eyes and integrate vision into a complete wellness and fitness plan!
-Nearsightedness isn’t a genetic defect, it’s a result of habits (and going to the optometrist for treatment).

Listen all the way to the end to learn and gain some gems of knowledge and information from our conversation on "Natural ways to improve your vision" with Jake Steiner.

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In this episode of Lunch and Learn with Dr. Berry, we bring you a special guest, Maria Davis-Pierre, LMHC. She is the CEO of Autism in Black as well as the better half of the Pierre Party of Five.

Today, Maria is going to talk about what is the black side of autism. More importantly, she's here to give us some more details on the upcoming Autism in Black conference, which will take place this summer. Also, we're going to get a little bit to her business on what she's been up to since the last time she's joined the podcast.

Episode 212 aims for you to learn more about:
-What it means to talk about the black side of autism
-2022 Autism in Black conference
-New coloring book co-authored with my daughter
-The importance of being your personal advocate
-Being able to be an advocate for your family
-Tools of success to recognize if your child has autism

Listen to today's episode, as Maria joins me for an exciting and inspiring conversation on "The Black Side of Autism with Davis-Pierre, LMHC."

Text LUNCHLEARNPOD to 44222 today or sign up at www.listentodrberry.com to join the mailing list.

Remember to subscribe to the podcast and share the episode with a friend or family member.

Listen to Apple Podcast, Google Play, Stitcher, Soundcloud, iHeartRadio, Spotify.

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In this episode of Lunch & Learn with Dr. Berry, I give my personal take on what it means to be a physician trying to make a lasting impact in this current climate of health care and how despite it all the obstacles the mission must go on. Being a physician prior to the pandemic there was a certain sentiment towards doctors that was resulting in burnout at a record pace. There was just a general lack of love and respect given to our profession but a lot of that changed immediately once this pandemic hit.

Today, I will talk about what it was like being a doctor and seeing the change of public support as the pandemic first began and what has started to occur as people are hoping to close this chapter of the pandemic.

In this episode, we will discuss:
-The past & present status of the physician
-How the pandemic highlighted how physicians were viewed
-The importance of recognizing when you are having an impact on your community.
-The essence of physicians realizing how important of a factor they are in people's lives even when we don't get the admiration we deserve

Tune in to today's show and be inspired as I share "How to Make an Impact Despite the Obstacles".

Text LUNCHLEARNPOD to 44222 today or sign up at www.listentodrberry.com to join the mailing list.

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In this episode of Lunch & Learn with Dr. Berry, I bring you a solo episode as I discuss the personal experience of being under quarantine after a majority of my family got diagnosed with COVID-19. We're going to hear my personal thoughts, how all of the events kind of unfolded, as well as learn how to juggle what the CDC recommends versus what the Department of Education recommends, as well as the benefits of getting the family vaccinated.

In this episode we aim to learn more about;
-Family dynamics when someone tested positive for COVID
-Differences in the CDC recommendations and the Department of Education recommendations
-Benefits of getting the family vaccinated
-The importance of understanding the dynamics of a household when kids test positive for COVID-19.

Listen in on today's episode and be inspired with our episode title "Dealing with Covid-19 As A Family." Text LUNCHLEARNPOD to 44222 today or sign up at www.listentodrberry.com to join the mailing list.

Remember to subscribe to the podcast and share the episode with a friend or family member.

Listen to Apple Podcast, Google Play, Stitcher, Soundcloud, iHeartRadio, Spotify.

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In this week's episode of Lunch & Learn with Dr. Berry, we bring you a special guest, Dr. Theodore Nyame, who is a board-certified plastic surgeon from Harvard Medical School. He also completed a research fellowship also at Harvard Medical School. Dr. Nyame comes to us from Ghana, West Africa. After coming to the realization that the conditions of Ghana leave many of the citizens there in need of reconstructive procedures, he selected cosmetic surgery as his medical specialty. During his undergraduate studies, Dr. Nyame attended Cornell University where he graduated top of his class before continuing on to Harvard Medical School. After receiving his Doctorate of Medicine, Dr. Nyame kicked off what has developed into an international tour of medical missions and speeches. He uses these opportunities to enhance the quality of information circulated through the industry.

Today, Dr. Nyame will share his experiences from when he was a child until he became successful. From a very young age, Dr. Theo Nyame showed a level of desire and dedication towards providing positive outcomes for himself and those around him. The secret to Dr. Nyame’s unconditional passion for results-oriented service to his patients is not a secret at all. “For me, walking out of a treatment knowing that I delivered the best work possible for my patients is the most important,” he explains. His promise is to combine experience with personal interest to deliver the best work possible for his patients.

In this episode, Dr. Nyame will discuss many things that will benefit us a lot. Below are some of the following takeaways from this episode.

-How he came to this country.
-What has it taken to get to where he is in life.
-What he sees as a legacy.
-Not letting the circumstances dictate our future.
-Education regarding nutrition is essential to changing the trajectory of obesity and cardiovascular disease.

Join me in today's podcast episode with our fantastic guest Dr. Theodore Nyame as he shares a wealth of information and valuable talks with the theme "Lifting as we climb in today's society with Dr. Nyame."

Text LUNCHLEARNPOD to 44222 today or sign up at www.listentodrberry.com to join the mailing list.

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Heart health is a major concern all around the world. A healthy heart is essential for general well-being. The month of February was known to be a month of hearts because of valentine's day, but the most important thing to remember is that February is American Heart Month. It's all about spreading awareness and educating people about the importance of heart health.

In today's episode of Lunch and Learn, I'll discuss Heart Health Month. We'll go over some key information concerning heart disease, risk factors, and other topics. We aim to learn more about the following:

-Key Facts associated with Heart Disease
-Risk Factors associated with heart disease
-Why do we acknowledge heart health month
-Learning the importance of being heart healthy

Listen in on today's episode to learn more about heart health month and heart disease. With our episode title "Heart Health Month with Dr. Berry Pierre".

Remember to subscribe to the podcast and share the episode with a friend or family member.

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Let's talk about Anxiety, Depression, and Stress...

On this week's episode of Lunch & Learn with Dr. Berry, we bring you Rachelle McCloud, LCSW - a Mental Health Therapist and Emotional Wellness advocate. She is the facilitator of the Facebook group Releasing the Baggage of Anxiety, Depression, and Traumatic Stress where she delivers free training on leading interventions that work well for getting rid of symptoms, not just coping or managing them. Her mission is to empower people to do their own healing work effectively, safely, and skillfully.

Today, Rachelle will talk about how she successfully helps her clients move their anxiety, as well as traumatic disorders into her mission. Also, she will talk about a program that she developed which helps empower people to skillfully get rid of their symptoms and more importantly, heal. We talk a lot about therapy. We talk about getting therapy. And we're actually going to be talking about, what do you do after you get to therapy?

This episode will answer the following questions:

What kinds of symptoms do people still have after years of therapy, coaching, or self-help?
Why do people still have symptoms after years of therapy, coaching, or self-help?
How is it that someone can put so much time into self-care and still have symptoms?
What are some obstacles to getting rid of symptoms when you have already tried many interventions and strategies over the years?
Why do so many people who are the “strong ones” in their relationship have a difficult time overcoming this pattern?

This aims for you to learn more about the following key takeaways:

Reasons why you may not be getting actual symptom resolution results even though you've been in therapy for years.
The shortest path to where you are now to accomplishing long-held dreams.
How to get more pleasure and fulfillment out of your life and relationships.
Reasons why symptoms of anxiety, depression, and/or traumatic stress are actually opportunities for expansion.
How to get your brain to do all of this work for you. fulfillment, connection, and reciprocity in their relationships?

Join me in today's episode for inspiring ideas and talks with Rachelle McCloud, LCSW on the theme of "How Anxiety, Depression, and Stress May Lead to Your Next Level of Expansion with Rachelle."

Remember to subscribe to the podcast and share the episode with a friend or family member.

Listen on Apple Podcast, Google Play, Stitcher, Soundcloud, iHeartRadio, Spotify

Sponsors:

Lunch and Learn Community Online Store (code Empower10)
Pierre Medical Consulting (If you are looking to expand your social reach and make your process automated then Pierre Medical Consulting is for you)
Dr. Pierre's Resources – These are some of the tools I use to become successful using social media
My Amazon Store – Check out all of the book recommendations you heard in the episode

Links/Resources:

Rachelle's Website
Rachelle's Facebook
Rachelle's YouTube

Social Links:

Join the lunch and learn community – https://www.drberrypierre.com/joinlunchlearnpod
Follow the podcast on Facebook – http://www.facebook.com/lunchlearnpod
Follow the podcast on Twitter – http://www.twitter.com/lunchlearnpod – use the hashtag #LunchLearnPod if you have any questions, comments, or requests for the podcast
For More Episodes of the Lunch and Learn with Dr. Berry Podcasts https://www.drberrypierre.com/lunchlearnpodcast/

If you are looking to help the show out

Leave a Five Star Review on Apple Podcast because your ratings and reviews are what is going to make this show so much better
Share a screenshot of the podcast episode on all of your favorite social media outlets & tag me or add the hashtag. #lunchlearnpod

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Let's talk about CDC...

CDC is the National Public health Agency of the United States under the Department of Health and Human Services. The main goal is the protection of public health and safety through the control and prevention of disease, injury, and disability in the United States and worldwide. CDC focuses national attention on developing and applying disease control and prevention.

Today, we will discuss my personal thoughts on CDC, both positive and negative. I will speak about what I believe they did well, what they could improve on, and where I think they went wrong. I will also explain why I have such a push-pull, love-hate relationship. Moreover, CDC becomes the soundboard of COVID-19, and COVID-19 Recommendations, COVID-19 restrictions. Unfortunately, there have been some missteps during the entire process. There has been some miscommunication. There's even been some controversy, and I'd want to talk about it and how it's affected me as a public health professional, as a physician, as someone who has to care for patients.

This episode aims for you to learn more about:

The 2nd Anniversary of the first COVID-19 case in the US
CDC mixed messaging
My thoughts on the reduced quarantine recommendations
Be able to be more inquisitive about your health information
Understanding that the CDC is still a trusted source of information

Tune in to today's show and learn about "My Love and Hate Relationship with the CDC."

Remember to subscribe to the podcast and share the episode with a friend or family member.

Listen on Apple Podcast, Google Play, Stitcher, Soundcloud, iHeartRadio, Spotify

Sponsors:

Lunch and Learn Community Online Store (code Empower10)
Pierre Medical Consulting (If you are looking to expand your social reach and make your process automated then Pierre Medical Consulting is for you)
Dr. Pierre's Resources – These are some of the tools I use to become successful using social media
My Amazon Store – Check out all of the book recommendations you heard in the episode

Links/Resources:

Dr. Berry's Website
DrBerryPierreTV
Dr. Pierre's Health checks
Dr. Berry's Twitter
Dr. Berry's Instagram
Dr. Berry's Clubhouse
CDC Quarantine Isolation
CDC Covid Timeline

Social Links:

Join the lunch and learn community – https://www.drberrypierre.com/joinlunchlearnpod
Follow the podcast on Facebook – http://www.facebook.com/lunchlearnpod
Follow the podcast on Twitter – http://www.twitter.com/lunchlearnpod – use the hashtag #LunchLearnPod if you have any questions, comments, or requests for the podcast
For More Episodes of the Lunch and Learn with Dr. Berry Podcasts https://www.drberrypierre.com/lunchlearnpodcast/

If you are looking to help the show out

Leave a Five Star Review on Apple Podcast because your ratings and reviews are what is going to make this show so much better
Share a screenshot of the podcast episode on all of your favorite social media outlets & tag me or add the hashtag. #lunchlearnpod

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Let's talk about the Omicron variant...

Another year has passed and we are now celebrating the new year. This is the year 2022's first podcast. Everyone is on a roller-coaster journey in 2021 - we were threatened by the global pandemic. It has been two years since the pandemic started and we thought this COVID 19 pandemic was over, but it appears it is still here to stay, and we're now facing another COVID strain: the Omicron.

My name is Dr. Berry Pierre, I go by “Dr. Berry”. I am a board-certified Internal Medicine Physician. I am a blogger, podcast host of the Lunch and Learn with Dr. Berry, and vlogger on my YouTube & Facebook channels. I love to use interesting and sometimes fascinating personal stories while offering essential information, advice, and guidance that can reach out to people. If you are part of the Lunch and Learn Community, you will fully understand the motto “Empower Yourself For Better Health” as a NEW way of learning to be more health-focused.

In this episode of the Lunch and Learn Podcast, I'm going to give you an update on COVID 19. However, as much as I wish I could offer you good news, the fact is that we're almost back to where we left off. Today, I am going to focus on the Omicron variation.

This episode aims for you to learn more about:

The latest Covid-19 update
What is the omicron variant is and how did it overtake the delta variant
What should we expect for 2022?
Educate others on COVID-19 and the latest variant

Listen to the podcast "Covid-19 Omicron Variant with Dr. Berry" right now and learn along with me.

Remember to subscribe to the podcast and share the episode with a friend or family member.

Listen on Apple Podcast, Google Play, Stitcher, Soundcloud, iHeartRadio, Spotify

Sponsors:

Lunch and Learn Community Online Store (code Empower10)
Pierre Medical Consulting (If you are looking to expand your social reach and make your process automated then Pierre Medical Consulting is for you)
Dr. Pierre's Resources – These are some of the tools I use to become successful using social media
My Amazon Store – Check out all of the book recommendations you heard in the episode

Links/Resources:

Dr. Berry's Website
DrBerryPierreTV
Dr. Pierre's Health checks
Dr. Berry's Twitter
Dr. Berry's Instagram

Social Links:

Join the lunch and learn community – https://www.drberrypierre.com/joinlunchlearnpod
Follow the podcast on Facebook – http://www.facebook.com/lunchlearnpod
Follow the podcast on Twitter – http://www.twitter.com/lunchlearnpod – use the hashtag #LunchLearnPod if you have any questions, comments, or requests for the podcast
For More Episodes of the Lunch and Learn with Dr. Berry Podcasts https://www.drberrypierre.com/lunchlearnpodcast/

If you are looking to help the show out

Leave a Five Star Review on Apple Podcast because your ratings and reviews are what is going to make this show so much better
Share a screenshot of the podcast episode on all of your favorite social media outlets & tag me or add the hashtag. #lunchlearnpod

Download the MP3 Audio file, listen to the episode however you like.

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Let's talk about the future of telehealth ...

Many individuals are unfamiliar with the term "telehealth." It is the use of electronic information, telecommunications, and technologies to help with long-distance clinical health care.

Today, we are joined by our special guest Dr. Laura Purdy to learn more about telehealth. Our guest is a board-certified family medicine physician who is wrapping up 14 years as an officer in the US Army. She started working in telemedicine in 2016 as a full-time physician and became medical director of MDLIVE. She has also co-founded two telehealth companies and is now lobbying at the federal level to influence change that increases access to care and reduces disparities in telehealth.

In this episode we aim to learn more about:

The future + benefits of Telehealth visits
How the government can get involved in order to help Telehealth practices thrive
Why Telehealth is important + what can be done to improve the system overall
What Telehealth was prior to COVID
Importance of Telehealth
Encouraging these health visits; can be done right from your phone or computer

Take a listen now and stick around 'til the end in today's informative episode as Dr. Purdy dropped some amazing gems about "The Future of Telehealth".

Remember to subscribe to the podcast and share the episode with a friend or family member.

Listen on Apple Podcast, Google Play, Stitcher, Soundcloud, iHeartRadio, Spotify

Sponsors:

Lunch and Learn Community Online Store (code Empower10)
Pierre Medical Consulting (If you are looking to expand your social reach and make your process automated then Pierre Medical Consulting is for you)
Dr. Pierre's Resources – These are some of the tools I use to become successful using social media
My Amazon Store – Check out all of the book recommendations you heard in the episode

Links/Resources:

Dr. Laura's Website
Dr. Laura's LinkedIn
Push Health

Social Links:

Join the lunch and learn community – https://www.drberrypierre.com/joinlunchlearnpod
Follow the podcast on Facebook – http://www.facebook.com/lunchlearnpod
Follow the podcast on Twitter – http://www.twitter.com/lunchlearnpod – use the hashtag #LunchLearnPod if you have any questions, comments, or requests for the podcast
For More Episodes of the Lunch and Learn with Dr. Berry Podcasts https://www.drberrypierre.com/lunchlearnpodcast/

If you are looking to help the show out

Leave a Five Star Review on Apple Podcast because your ratings and reviews are what is going to make this show so much better
Share a screenshot of the podcast episode on all of your favorite social media outlets & tag me or add the hashtag. #lunchlearnpod

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Let's talk about Annual Check-up...

My name is Dr. Berry Pierre, but I go by “Dr. Berry”. I am a board-certified Internal Medicine Physician. I am a blogger, podcast host of the Lunch and Learn with Dr. Berry, and vlogger on my YouTube & Facebook channels. I love to use interesting and sometimes fascinating personal stories while offering essential information, advice, and guidance that can reach out to people. If you are part of the Lunch and Learn Community, you will fully understand the motto “Empower Yourself For Better Health” as a NEW way of learning to be more health-focused.

Today on the Lunch and Learn podcast, I'll be bringing you a special episode that will provide some advice and assistance on how to improve wellness and quality of life for individuals who want to live a healthier and longer life by taking care of and controlling their health by getting an annual checkup.

This episode aims for you to learn more about:

What my birthday means to me
What to expect during my annual wellness exams
How have some of the prominent figures who have died from cancer changed my mindset for my wellness exam
Discussions about 2022 resolutions

Join me in today's podcast episode as I share valuable insights and ideas on "Your Annual Checkup with Dr. Berry".

Remember to subscribe to the podcast and share the episode with a friend or family member.

Listen on Apple Podcast, Google Play, Stitcher, Soundcloud, iHeartRadio, Spotify

Sponsors:

Lunch and Learn Community Online Store (code Empower10)
Pierre Medical Consulting (If you are looking to expand your social reach and make your process automated then Pierre Medical Consulting is for you)
Dr. Pierre's Resources – These are some of the tools I use to become successful using social media
My Amazon Store – Check out all of the book recommendations you heard in the episode

Links/Resources:

Dr. Berry's Website
DrBerryPierreTV
Dr. Pierre's Health checks
Dr. Berry's Twitter
Dr. Berry's Instagram

Social Links:

Join the lunch and learn community – https://www.drberrypierre.com/joinlunchlearnpod
Follow the podcast on Facebook – http://www.facebook.com/lunchlearnpod
Follow the podcast on Twitter – http://www.twitter.com/lunchlearnpod – use the hashtag #LunchLearnPod if you have any questions, comments, or requests for the podcast
For More Episodes of the Lunch and Learn with Dr. Berry Podcasts https://www.drberrypierre.com/lunchlearnpodcast/

If you are looking to help the show out

Leave a Five Star Review on Apple Podcast because your ratings and reviews are what is going to make this show so much better
Share a screenshot of the podcast episode on all of your favorite social media outlets & tag me or add the hashtag. #lunchlearnpod

Download the MP3 Audio file, listen to the episode however you like.

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Let's talk about the future of medicine ...

In this week's episode of Lunch & Learn with Dr. Berry, we bring you our amazing guest Dr. Kimberly Funches Jackson, a board-certified physician and the founder of Physicians Working Together. Dr. Jackson is also the founder of National Physicians Week, a national celebration, (March 25-31) that recognizes the dedication, sacrifice, and triumph of physicians across the board. Dr. Jackson founded Physicians Working Together (PWT) in 2015 to create an exciting social movement that focuses on connecting, collaborating, and caring for physicians, medical students, and the communities served. PWT provides a platform where doctors can combine efforts that will strengthen healthy physician relationships through collaboration and genuine camaraderie.

Today, Dr. Kimberly Jackson talks about the future of medicine, the importance of physicians working together towards a common goal, and making sure that physicians have a seat at the table.

This episode aims for you to learn more about:

The Importance of Physician Camaraderie
Aligning physician leaders as medical student mentors is crucial to the future of medicine
Family Medicine (POST COVID)
How strong the healthcare system depends on the actions of everyone that it serves.

Join me and Dr. Kimberly today as we talk about how "The Future of Medicine Is In Our Hands"

Remember to subscribe to the podcast and share the episode with a friend or family member.

Listen on Apple Podcast, Google Play, Stitcher, Soundcloud, iHeartRadio, Spotify

Sponsors:

Lunch and Learn Community Online Store (code Empower10)
Pierre Medical Consulting (If you are looking to expand your social reach and make your process automated then Pierre Medical Consulting is for you)
Dr. Pierre's Resources – These are some of the tools I use to become successful using social media
My Amazon Store – Check out all of the book recommendations you heard in the episode

Links/Resources:

Dr. Kimberly's Website
Dr. Kimberly's Instagram
Dr. Kimberly's LinkedIn
Dr. Kimberly's Facebook
Best2gether
Physician Working Together

Social Links:

Join the lunch and learn community – https://www.drberrypierre.com/joinlunchlearnpod
Follow the podcast on Facebook – http://www.facebook.com/lunchlearnpod
Follow the podcast on Twitter – http://www.twitter.com/lunchlearnpod – use the hashtag #LunchLearnPod if you have any questions, comments, or requests for the podcast
For More Episodes of the Lunch and Learn with Dr. Berry Podcasts https://www.drberrypierre.com/lunchlearnpodcast/

If you are looking to help the show out

Leave a Five Star Review on Apple Podcast because your ratings and reviews are what is going to make this show so much better
Share a screenshot of the podcast episode on all of your favorite social media outlets & tag me or add the hashtag. #lunchlearnpod

Download the MP3 Audio file, listen to the episode however you like.

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Let's talk about Succeeding without sacrificing faith & fulfillment...

On this week's episode of Lunch & Learn with Dr. Berry, we bring you Dr. Brad Bellard (aka Dr. Brad), who is a mindset & performance coach for men. He is an Amazon best-selling author, national speaker, and host of the podcast and YouTube channel, ‘ELITE performance with Dr. Brad’ addressing topics related to the spiritual, personal, and professional development of men. Dr. Brad is also a double-boarded non-surgical Sports Medicine physician and Regenerative Medicine Specialist. He has worked with multiple professional teams including his prior service as assistant team doctor for the NBA Dallas Mavericks and is a regular guest on the Dallas-Fort Worth radio talk show Inside Sports Medicine.

In this episode, Dr. Bellard will discuss a lot of things that will benefit us only men but for us in general. Today, let's learn about:

How do we succeed without our personal life being neglected?
What is peak performance and how do we define it?
The key(s) to mastering work and life
How can we be more effective and get both work and life done at a high level?
Can we really succeed and be fulfilled and committed to our faith at the same time?
Fulfillment is not a by-product of success, it is a precursor to success.
Proximity to God = Peak Performance
Relationship with God = Results

Join me on today's podcast episode with our fantastic guest Dr. Brad Bellard as he shares a wealth of information and valuable talks with the theme "Succeed Without Sacrificing Your Faith & Fulfillment."

Remember to subscribe to the podcast and share the episode with a friend or family member.

Listen on Apple Podcast, Google Play, Stitcher, Soundcloud, iHeartRadio, Spotify

Sponsors:

Lunch and Learn Community Online Store (code Empower10)
Pierre Medical Consulting (If you are looking to expand your social reach and make your process automated then Pierre Medical Consulting is for you)
Dr. Pierre's Resources – These are some of the tools I use to become successful using social media
My Amazon Store – Check out all of the book recommendations you heard in the episode

Links/Resources:

Episode 118
Dr. Brad's Website
Dr. Brad's Twitter
Dr. Brad's Instagram
Dr. Brad's LinkedIn
Dr. Brad's Facebook
Dr. Brad's Book
Dr. Brad's Podcast
Book a discovery call

Social Links:

Join the lunch and learn community – https://www.drberrypierre.com/joinlunchlearnpod
Follow the podcast on Facebook – http://www.facebook.com/lunchlearnpod
Follow the podcast on Twitter – http://www.twitter.com/lunchlearnpod – use the hashtag #LunchLearnPod if you have any questions, comments, or requests for the podcast
For More Episodes of the Lunch and Learn with Dr. Berry Podcasts https://www.drberrypierre.com/lunchlearnpodcast/

If you are looking to help the show out

Leave a Five Star Review on Apple Podcast because your ratings and reviews are what is going to make this show so much better
Share a screenshot of the podcast episode on all of your favorite social media outlets & tag me or add the hashtag. #lunchlearnpod

Download the MP3 Audio file, listen to the episode however you like.

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Let's talk about the lessons I learned...

Since the day I brought this Lunch and Learn Podcast, there were so many things that we have encountered. There have been a lot of bumps and bruises, but there have also been a lot of good things that have happened. We learn from diverse speakers and grow as a group. When you think about the journey of a podcast that we know, a lot of podcasts really never even make it past 20 episodes and the consistency that it takes to get to the point where we could be talking about crossing episodes. Lunch and Learn Podcast would not be able to maintain its consistency without those people who are watching and listening to my voice. Your continued support motivates me to create more podcast episodes.

This episode of Lunch and Learn with Dr. Berry is going to be an amazing one because we are talking about episode 200! We will discuss what it means to reach episode 200, what we will do over the next hundred episodes, and, we are going to obviously acknowledge a lot of the guests that have come through in these podcasts. We will also talk about how I got into podcasting and why I decided to go on this crazy journey as a health content creator.

So, tune in to today's show and be inspired by our exciting journey in this Lunch and Learn podcast. titled "Lessons Learned As A Health Content Creator".

Remember to subscribe to the podcast and share the episode with a friend or family member.

Listen on Apple Podcast, Google Play, Stitcher, Soundcloud, iHeartRadio, Spotify

Sponsors:

Lunch and Learn Community Online Store (code Empower10)
Pierre Medical Consulting (If you are looking to expand your social reach and make your process automated then Pierre Medical Consulting is for you)
Dr. Pierre's Resources – These are some of the tools I use to become successful using social media
My Amazon Store – Check out all of the book recommendations you heard in the episode

Links/Resources:

DrBerryPierreTV
Dr. Pierre's Health checks
Dr. Pierre's Website
Dr. Pierre's Twitter
Dr. Pierre's Instagram

Social Links:

Join the lunch and learn community – https://www.drberrypierre.com/joinlunchlearnpod
Follow the podcast on Facebook – http://www.facebook.com/lunchlearnpod
Follow the podcast on Twitter – http://www.twitter.com/lunchlearnpod – use the hashtag #LunchLearnPod if you have any questions, comments, or requests for the podcast
For More Episodes of the Lunch and Learn with Dr. Berry Podcasts https://www.drberrypierre.com/lunchlearnpodcast/

If you are looking to help the show out

Leave a Five Star Review on Apple Podcast because your ratings and reviews are what is going to make this show so much better
Share a screenshot of the podcast episode on all of your favorite social media outlets & tag me or add the hashtag. #lunchlearnpod

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Let's talk about Moving forward with autism...

In this week's episode of Lunch & Learn with Dr. Berry, we bring you our beautiful guest Maria Davis-Pierre, LMHC, the Founder, and CEO of Autism in Black Inc., located in West Palm Beach, Florida. This organization aims to bring awareness to Autism and reduce the stigma associated with the diagnosis in the Black community. As a licensed mental health therapist, Maria primarily works with Black parents to provide support through education and advocacy training. Maria has been featured in Forbes, The New York Times, USA Today, and has collaborated with Microsoft. Maria’s unique approach to coaching and counseling exemplifies her drive and motivation toward greater acceptance and overcoming the barriers and personal struggles associated with raising a Black autistic child.

Today, we'll talk about the upcoming 2022 AIB conference and what you can expect. She will discuss how she and her team handle the conference's preparations and how the previous conference went. Additionally, we will talk about how we continue to move forward in autism in the black community. We are going to get into her business and have her explain where she has been when she had a little vacation, quote-unquote, absence for a while. Moreover, Maria will also unveil the theme for next year's Autism in Black conference.

Episode 199 aims for you to learn more about:

The importance of being a personal advocate
Being able to be an advocate for your family
Tools of success to recognize if your child has autism

Listen to today's episode, as Maria Davis-Pierre, LMHC joins me for an exciting and inspiring conversation on "Moving Forward with Autism in the Black Community."

Remember to subscribe to the podcast and share the episode with a friend or family member.

Listen on Apple Podcast, Google Play, Stitcher, Soundcloud, iHeartRadio, Spotify

Sponsors:

Lunch and Learn Community Online Store (code Empower10)
Pierre Medical Consulting (If you are looking to expand your social reach and make your process automated then Pierre Medical Consulting is for you)
Dr. Pierre's Resources – These are some of the tools I use to become successful using social media
My Amazon Store – Check out all of the book recommendations you heard in the episode

Links/Resources:

Autism in Black
Maria's Instagram

Social Links:

Join the lunch and learn community – https://www.drberrypierre.com/joinlunchlearnpod
Follow the podcast on Facebook – http://www.facebook.com/lunchlearnpod
Follow the podcast on Twitter – http://www.twitter.com/lunchlearnpod – use the hashtag #LunchLearnPod if you have any questions, comments, or requests for the podcast
For More Episodes of the Lunch and Learn with Dr. Berry Podcasts https://www.drberrypierre.com/lunchlearnpodcast/

If you are looking to help the show out

Leave a Five Star Review on Apple Podcast because your ratings and reviews are what is going to make this show so much better
Share a screenshot of the podcast episode on all of your favorite social media outlets & tag me or add the hashtag. #lunchlearnpod

Download the MP3 Audio file, listen to the episode however you like.

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Let's talk about getting into medical school...

Getting into medical school is not easy, you will face numerous setbacks, and every now and then, you make mistakes and fail. But that doesn't imply your journey is over. We may learn from our past experiences and use them as a stepping stone to success.

In this week's episode of Lunch & Learn with Dr. Berry, we bring you Dr. Renée Volny Darko, an OB/GYN and founder of Pre-med Strategies, Inc. through which she runs her app-based program, MEdEq. MEdEq is dedicated to cultivating top-choice URM medical school applicants through pre-career development and diversity recruitment. Dr. Renée is shaking up the way diversity recruitment is done by helping to decrease the gap of knowledge and access between medical schools and pre-med students. She is also the author of the bestselling children's book, How Good Ol' Dr. V Came to Be, and host of the Total Pre-med Makeover Podcast, Dr. Renée is spreading the word to all ages about how the tribulations of the pre-med journey can turn into triumph!

Today, we'll talk about Dr. Renee's journey, her company, pre-med strategies, the web-based program she uses for MedTech, and, most significantly, how the pre-med mindset is different now than what it was beforehand. Moreover, she will share her story of success despite all of the obstacles she faced.

This episode aims for you to learn more about:
-The strategies in getting into medical school.
-How Dr. Renee's pre-med advisor discouraged her from becoming a doctor.
-The pre-med mindset (growth vs fixed)
-How good pre-med habits can make the journey smoother
-How to get stellar letters of recommendation
-Debunking pre-med myths
-Succeeding despite low GPA, low MCAT, low confidence

Tune in to today's podcast episode with Dr. Renée Volny Darko, titled "Getting into medical school is all in your mind."

Remember to subscribe to the podcast and share the episode with a friend or family member.

Listen on Apple Podcast, Google Play, Stitcher, Soundcloud, iHeartRadio, Spotify

Sponsors:

Lunch and Learn Community Online Store (code Empower10)
Pierre Medical Consulting (If you are looking to expand your social reach and make your process automated then Pierre Medical Consulting is for you)
Dr. Pierre's Resources – These are some of the tools I use to become successful using social media
My Amazon Store – Check out all of the book recommendations you heard in the episode

Links/Resources:

Dr. Renée's Website
MEdEq
Dr. Renée's Instagram
Dr. Renée's YouTube
Dr. Renée's Twitter
Dr. Renée's TikTok
Dr. Renée's Facebook
Dr. Renée's LinkedIn
DM the word FUTUREDOC to IG @drreneedarko, for the 3-day pre-med makeover challenge

Social Links:

Join the lunch and learn community – https://www.drberrypierre.com/joinlunchlearnpod
Follow the podcast on Facebook – http://www.facebook.com/lunchlearnpod
Follow the podcast on Twitter – http://www.twitter.com/lunchlearnpod – use the hashtag #LunchLearnPod if you have any questions, comments, or requests for the podcast
For More Episodes of the Lunch and Learn with Dr. Berry Podcasts https://www.drberrypierre.com/lunchlearnpodcast/

If you are looking to help the show out

Leave a Five Star Review on Apple Podcast because your ratings and reviews are what is going to make this show so much better
Share a screenshot of the podcast episode on all of your favorite social media outlets & tag me or add the hashtag. #lunchlearnpod

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Let's talk about the tough question...

As physicians, we are frequently burdened with massive amounts of debt in the form of school loans and other forms of debt. To many of us, that burden plays a significant role in the decisions we make.

This week, the Lunch and Learn podcast brings you an amazing guest, Dr. Nii Darko who is a Board-certified Trauma Surgeon who is pushing the limits beyond medicine. Dr. Nii is the host of the Docs Outside the Box podcast where he features ordinary doctors living extraordinary lives with a focus on money, mindset, and mission. Dr. Nii is the bestselling author of 3,2,1…Podcast – The Beginner’s Guide to Building Brand Authority Through Podcasting, and he helped other doctors find their own voices through his popular podcasting course, 10 Days to Podcasting. Dr. Nii has spent several years performing medical humanitarian work in Ghana with International Healthcare Volunteers (IHCV). He serves as a mentor for the Tour for Diversity in Medicine (T4D), an organization devoted to educating, empowering, and inspiring up-and-coming minority physicians. His newest venture is Equal Access Health, a locum tenens company that helps doctors achieve the lifestyle they deserve and have always wanted.

In this new podcast episode, Dr. Nii will discuss the business side of things, including his company ventures and the mindset adjustment that was required to achieve the financial independence he desired. He'll also talk about why medicine wasn't enough for him, how money is a tool, and how debt became his marriage's biggest problem. Get ready to get some sound advice, like how small actions in our daily life can lead to bigger ones that help us build a habit. Also, that money affects health and that it's up to us to decide what and how we eat.

This episode aims for you to learn more about:
1. How debt was stealing from us and our family's future
2. The steps we can take to pay off debt
3. How starting is better than sitting on the fence wondering or thinking about making a change

Join me on today's podcast episode, "Damn that is a tough question," with our excellent guest Dr. Nii Darko.

Remember to subscribe to the podcast and share the episode with a friend or family member.

Listen on Apple Podcast, Google Play, Stitcher, Soundcloud, iHeartRadio, Spotify

Sponsors:

Lunch and Learn Community Online Store (code Empower10)
Pierre Medical Consulting (If you are looking to expand your social reach and make your process automated then Pierre Medical Consulting is for you)
Dr. Pierre's Resources – These are some of the tools I use to become successful using social media
My Amazon Store – Check out all of the book recommendations you heard in the episode

Links/Resources:

Official Website
Publish Your Podcast
Docs Outside the Box Podcast
Docs Outside the Box Facebook Page
Dr. Nii's Instagram
Dr. Nii's YouTube
Dr. Nii's Twitter

Social Links:

Join the lunch and learn community – https://www.drberrypierre.com/joinlunchlearnpod
Follow the podcast on Facebook – http://www.facebook.com/lunchlearnpod
Follow the podcast on Twitter – http://www.twitter.com/lunchlearnpod – use the hashtag #LunchLearnPod if you have any questions, comments, or requests for the podcast
For More Episodes of the Lunch and Learn with Dr. Berry Podcasts https://www.drberrypierre.com/lunchlearnpodcast/

If you are looking to help the show out

Leave a Five Star Review on Apple Podcast because your ratings and reviews are what is going to make this show so much better
Share a screenshot of the podcast episode on all of your favorite social media outlets & tag me or add the hashtag. #lunchlearnpod

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Let's talk about Sex confidence...

In this episode of the Lunch and Learn Podcast, we talk a lot about the regular routines as far as mental health and all other medical-related diseases. However, we don't talk about sexual health enough, we don't really talk about the topic of sex. It's been taboo for too long. I'm so glad that I was able to get an expert on this topic to come on here.

This week, we bring you an amazing guest, Dr. Jacqueline Sherman, better known as Dr. Jack. She is a licensed clinical psychologist and intimacy and relationship coach. She is driven by helping the modern high achieving woman have better sex and intimacy in their relationships through her intimacy coaching. She specializes in helping women who experienced miscarriage and fertility issues. She empowers women to own their sexuality and practice sexual self-care regularly.

This episode aims for you to learn more about:
-How to begin to increase self-love and body acceptance
-How to be more confident sexually
-How to start having intentional conversations about sex and intimacy, without shame and embarrassment

Take a listen now and stick around 'til the end in today's episode as Dr. Sherman dropped some amazing gems and figure out some tips that you can implement and take action with our episode title "Sex Confidence 101 with Dr. Jacqueline Sherman"

Remember to subscribe to the podcast and share the episode with a friend or family member.

Listen on Apple Podcast, Google Play, Stitcher, Soundcloud, iHeartRadio, Spotify

Sponsors:

Lunch and Learn Community Online Store (code Empower10)
Pierre Medical Consulting (If you are looking to expand your social reach and make your process automated then Pierre Medical Consulting is for you)
Dr. Pierre's Resources – These are some of the tools I use to become successful using social media
My Amazon Store – Check out all of the book recommendations you heard in the episode

Links/Resources:

Dr. Jacqueline Sherman
Five Ways to Have Better Sex
One on One Coaching with Dr. Sherman
Dr. Sherman's Tiktok
Dr. Sherman's Twitter
Dr. Sherman's Instagram

Social Links:

Join the lunch and learn community – https://www.drberrypierre.com/joinlunchlearnpod
Follow the podcast on Facebook – http://www.facebook.com/lunchlearnpod
Follow the podcast on Twitter – http://www.twitter.com/lunchlearnpod – use the hashtag #LunchLearnPod if you have any questions, comments, or requests for the podcast
For More Episodes of the Lunch and Learn with Dr. Berry Podcasts https://www.drberrypierre.com/lunchlearnpodcast/

If you are looking to help the show out

Leave a Five Star Review on Apple Podcast because your ratings and reviews are what is going to make this show so much better
Share a screenshot of the podcast episode on all of your favorite social media outlets & tag me or add the hashtag. #lunchlearnpod

Download the MP3 Audio file, listen to the episode however you like.

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Let's talk about Home and Optimism during times of Crisis...

On this week's episode of Lunch & Learn with Dr. Berry, we bring you Dr. Cindy M. Duke MD Ph.D. FACOG - America's only dual Fertility Expert and Virologist, as well as a highly accomplished physician, scientist, entrepreneur, blogger, podcaster, motivational speaker, philanthropist, content creator, and influencer who speaks and writes about life, health, fertility, female empowerment, and international telemedicine. She is also the Medical and Laboratory Director of the Nevada Fertility Institute in Las Vegas, Nevada, as well as the Physician Founder.

Today, we will talk about Dr. Cindy's journey in becoming an MD Ph.D. candidate and how it was like to study in two fields that she probably never imagined would intersect, at least at first. But, due to COVID-19 and her profession of care and fertility, she had to juggle the two. She is also taken to social media to educate the community on what it means to be fully prepared with all the information needed to combat COVID19 while doing your day job. We will also discuss male and female fertility, as well as how healthcare professionals may use social media to help themselves.

This episode aims for you to learn more about:

Covid vaccines and male and female fertility
How healthcare professionals can empower themselves through social media reach
That the future is bright

Join me on today's episode for inspiring ideas and talks with Dr. Cindy Duke on the theme of "Hope and Optimism During Times of Crisis."

Text LUNCHLEARNPOD to 44222 today or sign up at www.listentodrberry.com to join the mailing list.

Remember to subscribe to the podcast and share the episode with a friend or family member.

Listen on Apple Podcast, Google Play, Stitcher, Soundcloud, iHeartRadio, Spotify

Sponsors:

Lunch and Learn Community Online Store (code Empower10)
Pierre Medical Consulting (If you are looking to expand your social reach and make your process automated then Pierre Medical Consulting is for you)
Dr. Pierre's Resources – These are some of the tools I use to become successful using social media
My Amazon Store – Check out all of the book recommendations you heard in the episode

Links/Resources:

Website

Facebook

Instagram

Twitter

YouTube

Social Links:

Join the lunch and learn community https://www.drberrypierre.com/joinlunchlearnpod

Follow the podcast on Facebook – http://www.facebook.com/lunchlearnpod

Follow the podcast on Twitter – http://www.twitter.com/lunchlearnpod – use the hashtag #LunchLearnPod if you have any questions, comments, or requests for the podcast

For More Episodes of the Lunch and Learn with Dr. Berry Podcasts https://www.drberrypierre.com/lunchlearnpodcast/ If you are looking to help the show out

Leave a Five Star Review on Apple Podcast because your ratings and reviews are what is going to make this show so much better

Share a screenshot of the podcast episode on all of your favorite social media outlets & tag me or add the hashtag. #lunchlearnpod

Download the MP3 Audio file, listen to the episode however you like.

View Details

Let's talk about the latest update of COVID-19...

The COVID-19 epidemic is wreaking havoc on the worldwide society, affecting people's lives, health, livelihoods, economics, and behaviors. This pandemic has been going on for over two years. We came across a variety of vaccinations as well as COVID variations.

In prior podcast episodes, I addressed any COVID updates that came out from time to time, and in today's episode, I'll be talking about COVID-19. I will give you an update on what's been going on in terms of instances, vaccines, and even new medicines, among other things. I will break it down into the United States and the rest of the globe.

Listen to this podcast to learn about "The Latest Covid-19 Update" and to be aware of it. Text LUNCHLEARNPOD to 44222 today or sign up at www.listentodrberry.com to join the mailing list.

Remember to subscribe to the podcast and share the episode with a friend or family member.

Listen on Apple Podcast, Google Play, Stitcher, Soundcloud, iHeartRadio, Spotify

Sponsors:

Lunch and Learn Community Online Store (code Empower10)
Pierre Medical Consulting (If you are looking to expand your social reach and make your process automated then Pierre Medical Consulting is for you)
Dr. Pierre's Resources – These are some of the tools I use to become successful using social media
My Amazon Store – Check out all of the book recommendations you heard in the episode

Links/Resources:

How did we get the covid vaccine so quickly?

Covid-19 and the delta variant

Website

DrBerryPierreTV

Dr. Pierre's Health checks

Twitter

Instagram

Social Links:

Join the lunch and learn community – https://www.drberrypierre.com/joinlunchlearnpod

Follow the podcast on Facebook – http://www.facebook.com/lunchlearnpod

Follow the podcast on Twitter – http://www.twitter.com/lunchlearnpod – use the hashtag #LunchLearnPod if you have any questions, comments, or requests for the podcast

For More Episodes of the Lunch and Learn with Dr. Berry Podcasts https://www.drberrypierre.com/lunchlearnpodcast/ If you are looking to help the show out

Leave a Five Star Review on Apple Podcast because your ratings and reviews are what is going to make this show so much better

Share a screenshot of the podcast episode on all of your favorite social media outlets & tag me or add the hashtag. #lunchlearnpod

Download the MP3 Audio file, listen to the episode however you like.

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Let's talk about the Our first funnel hacking live experience...

In this episode, we are joined by a special guest, my wife, Maria Davis-Pierre, the founder and CEO of Autism in Black, Inc. Autism in Black aims to raise autism awareness in the Black community and reduce the stigma associated with the diagnosis. Maria has collaborated with Microsoft and is featured in Forbes, The New York Times, and USA Today. Maria's distinct approach to coaching and counseling demonstrates her commitment to greater acceptance and overcoming the barriers and personal struggles of raising a Black autistic child.

Today, my wife and I are going to discuss our funnel hacking. Live experiences. Because this was her first time attending a conference, she will discuss her thoughts and impressions. We'll talk about the process, the implementation, the funnel hacking experience, and many other things we learned while at the conference.

Join us for today's informative episode entitled "Our First Funnel Hacking Live Experience with Maria Davis-Pierre, LMHC,"

Text LUNCHLEARNPOD to 44222 today or sign up at www.listentodrberry.com to join the mailing list.

Remember to subscribe to the podcast and share the episode with a friend or family member.

Listen on Apple Podcast, Google Play, Stitcher, Soundcloud, iHeartRadio, Spotify

Sponsors:

Lunch and Learn Community Online Store (code Empower10)
Pierre Medical Consulting (If you are looking to expand your social reach and make your process automated then Pierre Medical Consulting is for you)
Dr. Pierre's Resources – These are some of the tools I use to become successful using social media
My Amazon Store – Check out all of the book recommendations you heard in the episode

Links/Resources:

Business Consultation

Clickfunnels (2-week free trial)

Autism in Black

Instagram

Social Links:

Join the lunch and learn community – https://www.drberrypierre.com/joinlunchlearnpod

Follow the podcast on Facebook – http://www.facebook.com/lunchlearnpod

Follow the podcast on Twitter – http://www.twitter.com/lunchlearnpod – use the hashtag #LunchLearnPod if you have any questions, comments, or requests for the podcast

For More Episodes of the Lunch and Learn with Dr. Berry Podcasts https://www.drberrypierre.com/lunchlearnpodcast/ If you are looking to help the show out Leave a Five Star Review on Apple Podcast because your ratings and reviews are what is going to make this show so much better

Share a screenshot of the podcast episode on all of your favorite social media outlets & tag me or add the hashtag. #lunchlearnpod

Download the MP3 Audio file, listen to the episode however you like.

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Let's talk about the 7 naturopathic secrets...

On this week's episode of Lunch & Learn with Dr. Berry, we bring you Dr. M. Samm Pryce, NMD (a.k.a. Dr. Samm), a world-class expert in natural medicine. She is a licensed Naturopathic Physician. She is sought after for her knowledge and mastery of blood type science and the Blood Type Diet and how this integrates into the field of epigenetics and nutrigenomics. Dr. Samm is the Chief Medical Officer for Balanced Integration, PLLC in which she guides patients to better health using Naturopathic Medicine.

Today, we'll learn how Dr. Samm uses tailored treatment plans for each of her patients, as well as how to live a more balanced and healthy life by addressing the root causes of their challenges. She will reveal the seven naturopathic secrets that can help us alter our health. She will also talk about her experience at naturopathic medical school.

Listen all the way to the end as we will get some great gems from our guest speaker Dr. M. Samm Pryce, NMD with today's episode, titled, "The 7 Naturopathic Secrets to Transform Your Health."

Text LUNCHLEARNPOD to 44222 today or sign up at www.listentodrberry.com to join the mailing list.

Remember to subscribe to the podcast and share the episode with a friend or family member. Listen on Apple Podcast, Google Play, Stitcher, Soundcloud, iHeartRadio, Spotify

Sponsors:

Lunch and Learn Community Online Store (code Empower10)
Pierre Medical Consulting (If you are looking to expand your social reach and make your process automated then Pierre Medical Consulting is for you)
Dr. Pierre's Resources – These are some of the tools I use to become successful using social media
My Amazon Store – Check out all of the book recommendations you heard in the episode

Links/Resources:

Website

Facebook

Instagram

Twitter

YouTube

Blood Type Master Class

Vital The Experience

Social Links:

Join the lunch and learn community – https://www.drberrypierre.com/joinlunchlearnpod

Follow the podcast on Facebook – http://www.facebook.com/lunchlearnpod

Follow the podcast on Twitter – http://www.twitter.com/lunchlearnpod – use the hashtag #LunchLearnPod if you have any questions, comments, or requests for the podcast

For More Episodes of the Lunch and Learn with Dr. Berry Podcasts https://www.drberrypierre.com/lunchlearnpodcast/ If you are looking to help the show out

Leave a Five Star Review on Apple Podcast because your ratings and reviews are what is going to make this show so much better Share a screenshot of the podcast episode on all of your favorite social media outlets & tag me or add the hashtag. #lunchlearnpod

Download the MP3 Audio file, listen to the episode however you like.

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Let's talk about COVID 19 and the Health Care Workers?...

In this terrible period of the pandemic, we have heroes who assist us and care for COVID-19 victims. And one of those is the frontline personnel in the health care system. We are grateful for their lives because, despite the risks, they continue to give life-saving assistance and safety to others who are in desperate need.

This week, the Lunch and Learn Podcast will provide a special episode that needs to be addressed especially with the climate we are in. "How Covid 19 Has Broken The Health Care Workers?" will be discussed and answered. We will discuss what's going on right now with mental health issues or concerns across various allied specialties and specializations within these, particularly in the inpatient environment, which is where the vast majority of individuals are treated from the COVID-19 perspective. Furthermore, the pandemic produces a lot of stress, burnout, and pressures, which pushes a lot of healthcare personnel over the line, causing them to look for other options.

In this episode, titled "How Covid 19 Has Broken The Health Care Workers?" I discuss my opinions and concerns, and more importantly, we will try to figure out what we can do.

Text LUNCHLEARNPOD to 44222 today or sign up at www.listentodrberry.com to join the mailing list.

Remember to subscribe to the podcast and share the episode with a friend or family member. Listen on Apple Podcast, Google Play, Stitcher, Soundcloud, iHeartRadio, Spotify

Sponsors:

Lunch and Learn Community Online Store (code Empower10)
Pierre Medical Consulting (If you are looking to expand your social reach and make your process automated then Pierre Medical Consulting is for you)
Dr. Pierre's Resources – These are some of the tools I use to become successful using social media
My Amazon Store – Check out all of the book recommendations you heard in the episode

Links/Resources:

Website

DrBerryPierreTV

Dr. Pierre's Health checks

Twitter

Instagram

Social Links:

Join the lunch and learn community – https://www.drberrypierre.com/joinlunchlearnpod

Follow the podcast on Facebook – http://www.facebook.com/lunchlearnpod

Follow the podcast on Twitter – http://www.twitter.com/lunchlearnpod – use the hashtag #LunchLearnPod if you have any questions, comments, or requests for the podcast

For More Episodes of the Lunch and Learn with Dr. Berry Podcasts https://www.drberrypierre.com/lunchlearnpodcast/ If you are looking to help the show out

Leave a Five Star Review on Apple Podcast because your ratings and reviews are what is going to make this show so much better

Share a screenshot of the podcast episode on all of your favorite social media outlets & tag me or add the hashtag. #lunchlearnpod

Download the MP3 Audio file, listen to the episode however you like.

View Details

Let's talk about the value ladder in business...

Business plays a significant role in our society. As business owners, we must be able to meet our client's needs and provide the finest service possible. In the business world, there are several obstacles. As a result, articulating and understanding the value ladder's significance in business is essential. You must advance to scale up your business; you must plan ahead and create a framework within your company.

In this week's episode of the Lunch and Learn podcast, we will talk about our business, healthcare, and medicine, and I will be discussing the value ladder, which is a really important topic. This episode focuses on the business side of medicine. And I felt it would be significant to tackle the importance of having a value ladder and what a value ladder is, and why you need one in your company today.

Learn more about "The Importance of Having a Value Ladder in Business" in today's episode.

Text LUNCHLEARNPOD to 44222 today or sign up at www.listentodrberry.com to join the mailing list.

Remember to subscribe to the podcast and share the episode with a friend or family member.

Listen on Apple Podcast, Google Play, Stitcher, Soundcloud, iHeartRadio, Spotify

Sponsors:

Lunch and Learn Community Online Store (code Empower10)

Pierre Medical Consulting (If you are looking to expand your social reach and make your process automated then Pierre Medical Consulting is for you)

Dr. Pierre's Resources – These are some of the tools I use to become successful using social media

My Amazon Store – Check out all of the book recommendations you heard in the episode

Links/Resources:

Business Consultation

DotCom Secrets

Traffic Secrets

Expert Secrets

Clickfunnels (2-week free trial)

Presentation

Website

DrBerryPierreTV

Dr. Pierre's Health checks

Twitter

Instagram

Social Links:

Join the lunch and learn community – https://www.drberrypierre.com/joinlunchlearnpod

Follow the podcast on Facebook – http://www.facebook.com/lunchlearnpod

Follow the podcast on Twitter – http://www.twitter.com/lunchlearnpod – use the hashtag #LunchLearnPod if you have any questions, comments, or requests for the podcast

For More Episodes of the Lunch and Learn with Dr. Berry Podcasts https://www.drberrypierre.com/lunchlearnpodcast/ If you are looking to help the show out

Leave a Five Star Review on Apple Podcast because your ratings and reviews are what is going to make this show so much better

Share a screenshot of the podcast episode on all of your favorite social media outlets & tag me or add the hashtag. #lunchlearnpod

Download the MP3 Audio file, listen to the episode however you like.

View Details

Let's talk about the FDA's Approval of the Pfizer COVID-19 Vaccine...

As we battle this global pandemic, we face a slew of obstacles and hurdles. The COVID-19 epidemic has affected us all. It has different effects on each individual. We've met a wide range of COVID variants and produced a number of vaccines to combat them.

This week, the Lunch and Learn podcast will bring you an amazing short podcast with Dr. Berry. This time, we'll discuss Pfizer's core Menotti vaccine, which was just authorized by the FDA. These vaccinations are the first to be approved by the FDA. So we're going to speak about what it means to be FDA-authorized, how the process works, and what we can expect in the future.

Connect with me on today's podcast episode as I put some informative gems and additional updates about COVID-19 Vaccines, about "Why the FDA approved the Pfizer Covid-19 Vaccine?"

Text LUNCHLEARNPOD to 44222 today or sign up at www.listentodrberry.com to join the mailing list.

Remember to subscribe to the podcast and share the episode with a friend or family member. Listen on Apple Podcast, Google Play, Stitcher, Soundcloud, iHeartRadio, Spotify

Sponsors:

Lunch and Learn Community Online Store (code Empower10)

Pierre Medical Consulting (If you are looking to expand your social reach and make your process automated then Pierre Medical Consulting is for you)

Dr. Pierre's Resources – These are some of the tools I use to become successful using social media

My Amazon Store – Check out all of the book recommendations you heard in the episode

Links/Resources:

Website

DrBerryPierreTV

Dr. Pierre's Health checks

Twitter

Instagram

Social Links:

Join the lunch and learn community – https://www.drberrypierre.com/joinlunchlearnpod Follow the podcast on Facebook – http://www.facebook.com/lunchlearnpod

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#LunchLearnPod if you have any questions, comments, or requests for the podcast

For More Episodes of the Lunch and Learn with Dr. Berry Podcasts https://www.drberrypierre.com/lunchlearnpodcast/ If you are looking to help the show out

Leave a Five Star Review on Apple Podcast because your ratings and reviews are what is going to make this show so much better

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Let's talk about ways the pandemic has changed how we eat ...

In this week's episode, we are joined by my colleague Dr. Monique May, better known as the Physician In The Kitchen ® who is a Board-Certified licensed Family Physician with over twenty years of clinical experience. She has over twenty-plus years of clinical experience, caring for entire families, from newborns to the elderly.

Dr. Monique is a best-selling author and self-proclaimed kitchen gadget junkie who loves to cook and experiment in her kitchen, which she lovingly refers to as her “lab”. Her first book, Meal Masters: Your Simple Guide to Modern-Day Meal Planning, is an Amazon best-seller.

Dr. Monique will be talking with us today to discuss some of how many ways this pandemic has affected our eating habits and more importantly will be providing us the opportunity to change those actions.

Join in for today's show with our extraordinary guest, Dr. Monique May, as she discusses "The 4 Ways the Pandemic Has Changed How We Eat"

Text LUNCHLEARNPOD to 44222 today or sign up at www.listentodrberry.com to join the mailing list. Remember to subscribe to the podcast and share the episode with a friend or family member.

Listen on Apple Podcast, Google Play, Stitcher, Soundcloud, iHeartRadio, Spotify

Sponsors:

Lunch and Learn Community Online Store (code Empower10)
Pierre Medical Consulting (If you are looking to expand your social reach and make your process automated then Pierre Medical Consulting is for you)
Dr. Pierre's Resources – These are some of the tools I use to become successful using social media
My Amazon Store – Check out all of the book recommendations you heard in the episode

Links/Resources:

Website
Cooking with Dr. Monique
Book
Facebook
Physician in the Kitchen Facebook
Instagram
Physician in the Kitchen Instagram
YouTube
Physician in the Kitchen YouTube

Social Links:

Join the lunch and learn community – https://www.drberrypierre.com/joinlunchlearnpod
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For More Episodes of the Lunch and Learn with Dr. Berry Podcasts https://www.drberrypierre.com/lunchlearnpodcast/ If you are looking to help the show out
Leave a Five Star Review on Apple Podcast because your ratings and reviews are what is going to make this show so much better
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Let's talk about Your Pandemic Pounds ...

In this episode, we are joined by my esteemed colleague, Dr. Sylvia Gonsahn-Bollie, M.D., a popular author, speaker, and a Double Board Certified Obesity Expert. She is also a NASM certified group fitness instructor, holistic wellness coach, and speaker. Dr. Bollie understands the difficulties of weight loss, obesity, and living a healthy lifestyle both personally and professionally. Albeit her fourth time on the Lunch and Learn Podcast, she never fails to deliver incredible nuggets of knowledge.

Dr. Sylvia will provide us with some education today to help us get our minds back in the right frame, especially since we are all affected by this global pandemic. We'll talk about the way we eat, how we can see nutrition, how we exercise, and how all of these things have compounded with a story to tell. In this episode, she will also discuss her excellent book, "Embrace You: Your Guide to Transforming Weight Loss Misconceptions to Lifelong Wellness," for which she has been recognized as a best-selling author.

Join in for today's show with our extraordinary guest, Dr. Sylvia Gonsahn-Bollie, M.D., as she discusses "Your Pandemic Pounds Have A Story to Tell."

Text LUNCHLEARNPOD to 44222 today or sign up at www.listentodrberry.com to join the mailing list.

Remember to subscribe to the podcast and share the episode with a friend or family member.

Listen on Apple Podcast, Google Play, Stitcher, Soundcloud, iHeartRadio, Spotify

Sponsors:

Lunch and Learn Community Online Store (code Empower10)
Pierre Medical Consulting (If you are looking to expand your social reach and make your process automated then Pierre Medical Consulting is for you)
Dr. Pierre's Resources – These are some of the tools I use to become successful using social media
My Amazon Store – Check out all of the book recommendations you heard in the episode

Links/Resources:

Embrace You Book
Website
Clubhouse
Facebook
Twitter
Instagram

Social Links:

Join the lunch and learn community – https://www.drberrypierre.com/joinlunchlearnpod
Follow the podcast on Facebook – http://www.facebook.com/lunchlearnpod
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For More Episodes of the Lunch and Learn with Dr. Berry Podcasts https://www.drberrypierre.com/lunchlearnpodcast/

If you are looking to help the show out

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Let's talk about Delta Variant ...

In the previous episode of the Lunch and Learn Podcast, we discussed Delta Variant. We all know that this variant has caused so many problems. Delta Variant is more contagious, patients are much more symptomatic, and the transmission rate is quicker.

Today, I give you an episode that provides you an update on COVID-19, the Delta variant. We will talk about what I know so far about this type of variation and which are currently impacted and filling up hospital beds. I will discuss what's going on right now and provide statistics on the overall number of cases. Also, I will preach the significance of vaccination in this show, emphasizing how it will protect and benefit everyone.

Listen in today on this informative episode as I put some gems and additional updates about COVID-19, especially in "Dealing with the Delta Variant."

Text LUNCHLEARNPOD to 44222 today or sign up at www.listentodrberry.com to join the mailing list. Remember to subscribe to the podcast and share the episode with a friend or family member.

Listen on Apple Podcast, Google Play, Stitcher, Soundcloud, iHeartRadio, Spotify

Sponsors:

Lunch and Learn Community Online Store (code Empower10)
Pierre Medical Consulting (If you are looking to expand your social reach and make your process automated then Pierre Medical Consulting is for you)
Dr. Pierre's Resources – These are some of the tools I use to become successful using social media
My Amazon Store – Check out all of the book recommendations you heard in the episode

Links/Resources:

LLP 180
Website
DrBerryPierreTV
Dr. Pierre's Health checks
Twitter
Instagram

Social Links:

Join the lunch and learn community – https://www.drberrypierre.com/joinlunchlearnpod
Follow the podcast on Facebook – http://www.facebook.com/lunchlearnpod
Follow the podcast on Twitter – http://www.twitter.com/lunchlearnpod – use the hashtag #LunchLearnPod if you have any questions, comments, or requests for the podcast
For More Episodes of the Lunch and Learn with Dr. Berry Podcasts https://www.drberrypierre.com/lunchlearnpodcast/

If you are looking to help the show out

Leave a Five Star Review on Apple Podcast because your ratings and reviews are what is going to make this show so much better
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Let's talk about Turning Your Job Into a Hobby ...

On this week's episode of Lunch & Learn with Dr. Berry, we bring you Dr. Melba Pan Bingum, a Board-Certified radiation oncologist, serial entrepreneur, and investor. She is a coach who has helped professionals develop numerous revenue streams. She is also the host of the 1% Code podcast.

Today, we're going to focus on the business acumen that's associated with medicine. We'll be discussing a variety of topics related to the business, as well as her personal life. Additionally, we will be talking about what motivated her to want to focus more on the business side of things while still working her day job. Moreover, we will talk about what kind of possibilities exist for physicians and other healthcare professionals.

One of the most important takeaways from this episode is that you can transform your job into a hobby, trade your golden handcuffs for genuine riches, and have a diversified wealth portfolio while still succeeding in your career.

Join with me on today's episode and be delighted as Dr. Melva Pinn-Bingham talks about "How to Turn Your Job Into a Hobby."

Text LUNCHLEARNPOD to 44222 today or sign up at www.listentodrberry.com to join the mailing list.

Remember to subscribe to the podcast and share the episode with a friend or family member.

Listen on Apple Podcast, Google Play, Stitcher, Soundcloud, iHeartRadio, Spotify Sponsors:

Lunch and Learn Community Online Store (code Empower10)
Pierre Medical Consulting (If you are looking to expand your social reach and make your process automated then Pierre Medical Consulting is for you)
Dr. Pierre's Resources – These are some of the tools I use to become successful using social media
My Amazon Store – Check out all of the book recommendations you heard in the episode

Links/Resources:

Personal Page
Business Page
Fb Group
Podcast

Social Links:

Join the lunch and learn community – https://www.drberrypierre.com/joinlunchlearnpod
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For More Episodes of the Lunch and Learn with Dr. Berry Podcasts https://www.drberrypierre.com/lunchlearnpodcast/

If you are looking to help the show out

Leave a Five Star Review on Apple Podcast because your ratings and reviews are what is going to make this show so much better
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What To do When Your Doctor Gets Sued ...

Medscape conducted research in which doctors from various specialties were questioned. They were asked if they have been sued. Interestingly, 60% of individuals who answered this Medscape poll have been sued at least once. And if the doctors were at least 60 years or older, that number increased to 80%.

In this episode, we will discuss an important topic: "What Happens When Your Doctor Is Sued." I will be recounting my own experience with my first case.

Today we are taught and reminded that doctors aren't obliged to be perfect, nor are they expected to be. We're just required to give the patient our best effort. I want to inform you that if the physician got sued, it doesn't make them bad.

Connect with me on today's podcast as I discuss "What Happens Doctors Gets Sued."

Text LUNCHLEARNPOD to 44222 today or sign up at www.listentodrberry.com to join the mailing list.

Remember to subscribe to the podcast and share the episode with a friend or family member. Listen on Apple Podcast, Google Play, Stitcher, Soundcloud, iHeartRadio, Spotify

Sponsors:

Lunch and Learn Community Online Store (code Empower10)
Pierre Medical Consulting (If you are looking to expand your social reach and make your process automated then Pierre Medical Consulting is for you)
Dr. Pierre's Resources – These are some of the tools I use to become successful using social media
My Amazon Store – Check out all of the book recommendations you heard in the episode

Links/Resources:

Website
Instagram
Twitter
DrBerryPierreTV
Dr. Pierre's Health checks

Social Links:

Join the lunch and learn community – https://www.drberrypierre.com/joinlunchlearnpod
Follow the podcast on Facebook – http://www.facebook.com/lunchlearnpod
Follow the podcast on Twitter – http://www.twitter.com/lunchlearnpod – use the hashtag #LunchLearnPod if you have any questions, comments, or requests for the podcast
For More Episodes of the Lunch and Learn with Dr. Berry Podcasts https://www.drberrypierre.com/lunchlearnpodcast/

If you are looking to help the show out

Leave a Five Star Review on Apple Podcast because your ratings and reviews are what is going to make this show so much better
Share a screenshot of the podcast episode on all of your favorite social media outlets & tag me or add the hashtag. #lunchlearnpod

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Taking control of Your Mental Health ...

Mental health has several factors to consider. It includes our emotional, psychological, and social well-being. Our mental health greatly impacts the way we think, feel, and act. This is why being mentally healthy is as important as physical fitness.

In this episode, we are joined by our special guest Dr. Erica Goodwin, a double board-certified psychiatrist, best-selling author, top-rated speaker, integrated lifestyle coach, and more importantly, she is a fellow podcast and host. She is the host of better with Dr. Erica. She is extremely passionate about helping people do and live better.

Today we will discuss the significance of managing our mental health in order to live a better life. She will go right to the point about not doing ourselves a disservice and the importance of being spiritually, emotionally, physically, and cognitively well. Additionally, she will also tell us about some of her triumphs and offer some advice on how we may improve and do better despite all the challenges we encounter.

Join in for today's show as we discuss the importance of "Taking Control of Your Mental Health to Live Better" with Dr. Erica.

Text LUNCHLEARNPOD to 44222 today or sign up at www.listentodrberry.com to join the mailing list.

Remember to subscribe to the podcast and share the episode with a friend or family member. Listen on Apple Podcast, Google Play, Stitcher, Soundcloud, iHeartRadio, Spotify

Sponsors:

Lunch and Learn Community Online Store (code Empower10)
Pierre Medical Consulting (If you are looking to expand your social reach and make your process automated then Pierre Medical Consulting is for you)
Dr. Pierre's Resources – These are some of the tools I use to become successful using social media
My Amazon Store – Check out all of the book recommendations you heard in the episode

Links/Resources:

Website
Instagram
Facebook
LinkedIn
Twitter
YouTube
Free E-book called "The Overwhelm Solution Blueprint"
Fix Your Fairytale Book

Social Links:

Join the lunch and learn community – https://www.drberrypierre.com/joinlunchlearnpod
Follow the podcast on Facebook – http://www.facebook.com/lunchlearnpod
Follow the podcast on Twitter – http://www.twitter.com/lunchlearnpod – use the hashtag #LunchLearnPod if you have any questions, comments, or requests for the podcast
For More Episodes of the Lunch and Learn with Dr. Berry Podcasts https://www.drberrypierre.com/lunchlearnpodcast/

If you are looking to help the show out

Leave a Five Star Review on Apple Podcast because your ratings and reviews are what is going to make this show so much better
Share a screenshot of the podcast episode on all of your favorite social media outlets & tag me or add the hashtag. #lunchlearnpod

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Travel Wellness Summer...

In this episode, we are joined by our special guest Dr. Yvette McQueen, MD., a global physician on a mission to educate about health, travel, wellness, and disease prevention. Dr. McQueen also works as a travel group physician, ensuring that clients are healthy and safe before, during, and after their international trip. She is also a best-selling author four times over, as well as a speaker, blogger, consultant, CPR, and First Aid instructor, and a wilderness emergency care and international teaching instructor for the American Heart Association.

Today, we will talk about all of the things and opportunities available to physicians, which are not limited to working in an office or a hospital. We will also discuss her experiences as a travel physician, particularly in light of the current global pandemic, COVID-19 as well as go over some pointers and provide some gems on how to handle an emergency first aid situation.

Take a listen in today's episode with our phenomenal guest as we discuss about "Travel Wellness."

Text LUNCHLEARNPOD to 44222 today or sign up at www.listentodrberry.com to join the mailing list.

Remember to subscribe to the podcast and share the episode with a friend or family member.

Listen on Apple Podcast, Google Play, Stitcher, Soundcloud, iHeartRadio, Spotify

Sponsors:

Lunch and Learn Community Online Store (code Empower10)
Pierre Medical Consulting (If you are looking to expand your social reach and make your process automated then Pierre Medical Consulting is for you)
Dr. Pierre's Resources – These are some of the tools I use to become successful using social media
My Amazon Store – Check out all of the book recommendations you heard in the episode

Links/Resources:

Website
Instagram
Facebook
LinkedIn
Twitter
YouTube
Wellness Lifestyle
Travel 911 Book

Social Links:

Join the lunch and learn community – https://www.drberrypierre.com/joinlunchlearnpod
Follow the podcast on Facebook – http://www.facebook.com/lunchlearnpod
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For More Episodes of the Lunch and Learn with Dr. Berry Podcasts https://www.drberrypierre.com/lunchlearnpodcast/

If you are looking to help the show out

Leave a Five Star Review on Apple Podcast because your ratings and reviews are what is going to make this show so much better
Share a screenshot of the podcast episode on all of your favorite social media outlets & tag me or add the hashtag. #lunchlearnpod

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Let's talk about Covid-19 and the Delta Variant…

In this episode, we are joined by Dr. Yami Cazorla-Lancaster, a Board-Certified pediatrician, certified lifestyle medicine physician, Board-Certified health and wellness coach, author, podcast host, and professional speaker.

Dr. Yami is also a strong advocate for healthy lifestyles, particularly plant-based diets as a means of preventing chronic disease. She also founded veggie fit kids calm, where she provides information on plant-based diets for children. She is the host of the "Veggie Doctor Radio" podcast.

This week, we'll talk about what and how we should feed our children in order to ensure their health, happiness, and longevity. Our guest will discuss some of the stressors that parents face, as well as provide us with some practical and actionable advice.

Listen all the way to the end to learn and gain some gems of knowledge and information from our conversation.

Text LUNCHLEARNPOD to 44222 today or sign up at www.listentodrberry.com to join the mailing list.

Remember to subscribe to the podcast and share the episode with a friend or family member.

Listen on Apple Podcast, Google Play, Stitcher, Soundcloud, iHeartRadio, Spotify

Sponsors:

Lunch and Learn Community Online Store (code Empower10)
Pierre Medical Consulting (If you are looking to expand your social reach and make your process automated then Pierre Medical Consulting is for you)
Dr. Pierre's Resources – These are some of the tools I use to become successful using social media
My Amazon Store – Check out all of the book recommendations you heard in the episode

Links/Resources:

Website
Get Dr. Yami’s Freebies
Instagram
Facebook
Clubhouse

Social Links:

Join the lunch and learn community – https://www.drberrypierre.com/joinlunchlearnpod
Follow the podcast on Facebook – http://www.facebook.com/lunchlearnpod
Follow the podcast on Twitter – http://www.twitter.com/lunchlearnpod – use the hashtag #LunchLearnPod if you have any questions, comments, or requests for the podcast
For More Episodes of the Lunch and Learn with Dr. Berry Podcasts https://www.drberrypierre.com/lunchlearnpodcast/

If you are looking to help the show out

Leave a Five Star Review on Apple Podcast because your ratings and reviews are what is going to make this show so much better
Share a screenshot of the podcast episode on all of your favorite social media outlets & tag me or add the hashtag. #lunchlearnpod

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View Details

Let's talk about Covid-19 and the Delta Variant…

Coronavirus is still spreading - it has been a year and it seems like the pandemic is here to stay! Portions of the country and the world are still on lockdown. Despite the fact that several vaccines have already been distributed, there is another coronavirus variation developed and known as the "Delta Variant."

The Coronavirus is the topic of discussion this week. More importantly, the Coronavirus Delta variant, which is now responsible for 20% of new cases in the United States, is also to blame for India's recent rise, which saw over 300,000 new cases each week. It has now been discovered in more than 80 nations around the world.

In this week's episode, we'll get a Coronavirus update as well as some in-depth information about its new variants.

Listen to today's episode and be informed! Text LUNCHLEARNPOD to 44222 today or sign up at www.listentodrberry.com to join the mailing list.

Remember to subscribe to the podcast and share the episode with a friend or family member.

Listen on Apple Podcast, Google Play, Stitcher, Soundcloud, iHeartRadio, Spotify

Sponsors:

Lunch and Learn Community Online Store (code Empower10)
Pierre Medical Consulting (If you are looking to expand your social reach and make your process automated then Pierre Medical Consulting is for you)
Dr. Pierre's Resources – These are some of the tools I use to become successful using social media
My Amazon Store – Check out all of the book recommendations you heard in the episode

Links/Resources:

Where has the flu gone?
How did we get the covid-19 vaccine so fast?
COVID-19: Which vaccines are effective against the delta variant?

Social Links:

Join the lunch and learn community – https://www.drberrypierre.com/joinlunchlearnpod
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For More Episodes of the Lunch and Learn with Dr. Berry Podcasts https://www.drberrypierre.com/lunchlearnpodcast/

If you are looking to help the show out

Leave a Five Star Review on Apple Podcast because your ratings and reviews are what is going to make this show so much better
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Let's talk about Heart Disease In Men…

The term “heart disease” refers to a variety of heart problems. It encompasses a wide range of disorders affecting the heart, including burst blood vessel disease, coronary disease, heart rhythm problems, heart vascular-related issues, heart rhythm-related issues.

There's a lot to consider when it comes to heart illness and cardiovascular disease.

In the previous episode, we've discussed Men's Health Month and prostate cancer. We've talked about how men, in general, need to go to the doctor more frequently. Today, we are going to be talking about men in heart disease, we have to talk about the number one killer for men worldwide. Let's discuss heart disease and give a decent foundation of what are heart diseases. Let's take a look at heart disease and cardiovascular disorders, as well as risk factors, signs and symptoms, and why it's so important to get our act together.

In this week's episode, we are going to have an informative conversation about "How Does Heart Disease Play Out In Men."

Find out on today's show and have some knowledge and understanding on "Heart Disease."

Text LUNCHLEARNPOD to 44222 today or sign up at www.listentodrberry.com to join the mailing list. Remember to subscribe to the podcast and share the episode with a friend or family member. Listen on Apple Podcast, Google Play, Stitcher, Soundcloud, iHeartRadio, Spotify

Sponsors:

Lunch and Learn Community Online Store (code Empower10)
Pierre Medical Consulting (If you are looking to expand your social reach and make your process automated then Pierre Medical Consulting is for you)
Dr. Pierre's Resources – These are some of the tools I use to become successful using social media
My Amazon Store – Check out all of the book recommendations you heard in the episode

Links/Resources:

DrBerryPierreTV
Dr. Pierre's Health checks
Website
Twitter
Instagram

Social Links:

Join the lunch and learn community – https://www.drberrypierre.com/joinlunchlearnpod
Follow the podcast on Facebook – http://www.facebook.com/lunchlearnpod
Follow the podcast on Twitter – http://www.twitter.com/lunchlearnpod – use the hashtag #LunchLearnPod if you have any questions, comments, or requests for the podcast
For More Episodes of the Lunch and Learn with Dr. Berry Podcasts https://www.drberrypierre.com/lunchlearnpodcast/

If you are looking to help the show out

Leave a Five Star Review on Apple Podcast because your ratings and reviews are what is going to make this show so much better
Share a screenshot of the podcast episode on all of your favorite social media outlets & tag me or add the hashtag. #lunchlearnpod

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View Details

Let's talk about Men's Mental Health…

We can all agree that mental health is essential for all of us. It deals with our emotional, psychological, and social well-being. In accordance with Men's Health Awareness Month, let's talk about the importance of Mental Health to men.

Let's talk about the signs and observations on men's mental health that I have seen as a physician, as someone who has taken care of a lot of men.

In this week's episode, we are going to have a candid conversation about "Men's Mental Health". It's important and how we can deal with stress and depression.

Find out on today's show and understand about "Men's Mental Health".

Text LUNCHLEARNPOD to 44222 today or sign up at www.listentodrberry.com to join the mailing list.

Remember to subscribe to the podcast and share the episode with a friend or family member. Listen on Apple Podcast, Google Play, Stitcher, Soundcloud, iHeartRadio, Spotify

Sponsors:

Lunch and Learn Community Online Store (code Empower10)
Pierre Medical Consulting (If you are looking to expand your social reach and make your process automated then Pierre Medical Consulting is for you)
Dr. Pierre's Resources – These are some of the tools I use to become successful using social media
My Amazon Store – Check out all of the book recommendations you heard in the episode

Links/Resources:

DrBerryPierreTV
Dr. Pierre's Health checks
Website
Twitter
Instagram

Social Links:

Join the lunch and learn community – https://www.drberrypierre.com/joinlunchlearnpod
Follow the podcast on Facebook – http://www.facebook.com/lunchlearnpod
Follow the podcast on Twitter – http://www.twitter.com/lunchlearnpod – use the hashtag #LunchLearnPod if you have any questions, comments, or requests for the podcast
For More Episodes of the Lunch and Learn with Dr. Berry Podcasts https://www.drberrypierre.com/lunchlearnpodcast/

If you are looking to help the show out

Leave a Five Star Review on Apple Podcast because your ratings and reviews are what is going to make this show so much better
Share a screenshot of the podcast episode on all of your favorite social media outlets & tag me or add the hashtag. #lunchlearnpod

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Let's talk about Prostate Cancer…

The prostate is a small walnut-shaped gland in males that produces the seminal fluid that nourishes and transports sperm.

Every 15 minutes, another American person dies from prostate cancer, that's about 93 deaths per day associated with prostate cancer, one in eight men will have prostate cancer during their lifetime.

In this week's episode, we are going to talk about the second leading cause of cancer-related death in men which is "Prostate Cancer": its risk factors, the symptoms, and screening tests that we could possibly do to get kind of worn as successful as this cancer arises as well as how we can prevent this kind of cancer.

Find out on today's show and understand about "Prostate Cancer". Text LUNCHLEARNPOD to 44222 today or sign up at www.listentodrberry.com to join the mailing list. Remember to subscribe to the podcast and share the episode with a friend or family member. Listen on Apple Podcast, Google Play, Stitcher, Soundcloud, iHeartRadio, Spotify

Sponsors:

Lunch and Learn Community Online Store (code Empower10)
Pierre Medical Consulting (If you are looking to expand your social reach and make your process automated then Pierre Medical Consulting is for you)
Dr. Pierre's Resources – These are some of the tools I use to become successful using social media
My Amazon Store – Check out all of the book recommendations you heard in the episode

Links/Resources:

DrBerryPierreTV
Dr. Pierre's Health checks
Website
Twitter
Instagram

Social Links:

Join the lunch and learn community – https://www.drberrypierre.com/joinlunchlearnpod
Follow the podcast on Facebook – http://www.facebook.com/lunchlearnpod
Follow the podcast on Twitter – http://www.twitter.com/lunchlearnpod – use the hashtag #LunchLearnPod if you have any questions, comments, or requests for the podcast
For More Episodes of the Lunch and Learn with Dr. Berry Podcasts https://www.drberrypierre.com/lunchlearnpodcast/

If you are looking to help the show out

Leave a Five Star Review on Apple Podcast because your ratings and reviews are what is going to make this show so much better
Share a screenshot of the podcast episode on all of your favorite social media outlets & tag me or add the hashtag. #lunchlearnpod

Download the MP3 Audio file, listen to the episode however you like.

View Details

Let's talk about Men's Health Month…

The month of June is "Men's Health Month". It is a national observance used to raise awareness about health care for men and focus on encouraging men, to practice and implement healthy living decisions.

Men suffer a lot of ill-related issues, whether it be due to cancer, ready to redo to just having shorter lifespans, whether it be due to the risk-taking activities that they partake in.

Men's life expectancy has been shorted in women's for almost two decades, and it is not changing anytime soon. And we're gonna talk about some of the reasons why. We're going to see a lot of focus on men's health-related concerns.

In today's episode, I am talking about Men's Health and its importance. Text LUNCHLEARNPOD to 44222 today or sign up at www.listentodrberry.com to join the mailing list.

Remember to subscribe to the podcast and share the episode with a friend or family member. Listen on Apple Podcast, Google Play, Stitcher, Soundcloud, iHeartRadio, Spotify

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Let's talk about Where has the flu gone?…

Last year at this time we had 39 million cases of the flu from October 2019 to April 2020.

This year we have approximately 2200 cases to date, there isn't a chance that we will even come close to our 2020 numbers and it has physicians across the country scratching their heads on why.

I think the biggest elephant in the room is COVID-19 and all the precautions that are in place to protect those from that virus but it clearly has had the added benefit of protecting us from the cold & flu.

In today's episode, I am talking about the flu and why it has been a forgotten disease this cold & flu season.

Sponsors:

Lunch and Learn Community Online Store (code Empower10)
Pierre Medical Consulting (If you are looking to expand your social reach and make your process automated then Pierre Medical Consulting is for you)
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CDC Flu Facts

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Let's talk about To Wear a Mask or Not…

Its been over a year since COVID-19, over a year since the pandemic was officially announced, and over a year since mask mandates ran the country.

With the authorization of several covid-19 vaccines, we are starting to see a world post-pandemic and things are moving in that direction with the recent CDC recommendations we now know that people who are vaccinated no longer have to wear a mask.

In today's episode, I am talking about the CDC and their decision to allow vaccinated people to not wear a mask in public. Text LUNCHLEARNPOD to 44222 today or sign up at www.listentodrberry.com to join the mailing list.

Remember to subscribe to the podcast and share the episode with a friend or family member. Listen on Apple Podcast, Google Play, Stitcher, Soundcloud, iHeartRadio, Spotify

Sponsors:

Lunch and Learn Community Online Store (code Empower10)
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CDC recommendations

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Let's talk about Time For Your Annual Check-up…

One of the many interruptions that COVID-19 has caused over the year is the annual check-up.

A recent Time Magazine Poll noted that 78% of people responded with postponing at least one medical service with over 27% reporting that they had skipped out on their annual check-ups.

These are some disheartening facts especially knowing that many people simply won't just pick up & remember to go back for their visit. What starts out being a month, turns into 3 months, which then turns into a year and the number of diseases that can be missed over that time should frighten everyone.

In today's episode, I am going to talk about the annual check-up and why it so important.

Lunch and Learn Community Online Store (code Empower10)
Pierre Medical Consulting (If you are looking to expand your social reach and make your process automated then Pierre Medical Consulting is for you)
Dr. Pierre's Resources – These are some of the tools I use to become successful using social media
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Links/Resources:

How to Choose the Right Doctor Course
Time Magazine

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Let's talk about Hypertension Awareness Month…

Over 1 Billion People in the world suffer from this silent killer!!

Only 20 percent of the population actually have it adequately controlled!

It affects 1 in 4 Men and 1 in 5 women and is one of the leading causes of premature death worldwide.

That is why there is a whole month dedicated to the education and awareness of this huge public health issue which is hypertension.

In today's episode, I am going to answer some foundational questions on what is high blood pressure and what we need to recognize to avoid complications.

Lunch and Learn Community Online Store (code Empower10)
Pierre Medical Consulting (If you are looking to expand your social reach and make your process automated then Pierre Medical Consulting is for you)
Dr. Pierre's Resources – These are some of the tools I use to become successful using social media
My Amazon Store – Check out all of the book recommendations you heard in the episode

Links/Resources:

American Heart Association

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Let's talk about How did we get a covid-19 vaccine back so fast? … Ever since COVID-19 was first discovered and the pandemic was first declared one of the most frequently asked questions was 'when was a treatment coming out", fast forward almost a year later and we have several vaccines here in the United States for the prevention of severe COVID related illness but now a new question has arisen.

One of the objections I have started to hear was the concern that the vaccine treatments have come out much quicker than expected with people concern that safety may have been compromised.

Today I am going to answer & hope to squash that concern once and for all. As a bonus also find out why there hasn't been an HIV vaccine either. In today's episode, you will find out how the covid-19 vaccine was able to come out so quickly.

Text LUNCHLEARNPOD to 44222 today or sign up at www.listentodrberry.com to join the mailing list.

Remember to subscribe to the podcast and share the episode with a friend or family member.

Listen on Apple Podcast, Google Play, Stitcher, Soundcloud, iHeartRadio, Spotify

Sponsors:

Lunch and Learn Community Online Store (code Empower10)
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Dr. Pierre's Resources – These are some of the tools I use to become successful using social media
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Let's talk about why the FDA paused the Johnson and Johnson Vaccine?

On April 13, 2021, news broke out that the FDA & CDC were recommending that the United States pause all administration of the Johnson and Johnson Vaccine.

At the time of my writing, this post over 132 million people have received at least one dose in the United States with Johnson and Johnson responsible for approximately 6.8 Million of those doses.

The decision was a tough one to make for many reasons that we will discuss on the podcast. In today's episode let's talk about why the FDA/CDC pausing the Johnson and Johnson Vaccine was necessary.

Text LUNCHLEARNPOD to 44222 today or sign up at www.listentodrberry.com to join the mailing list.

Remember to subscribe to the podcast and share the episode with a friend or family member. Listen on Apple Podcast, Google Play, Stitcher, Soundcloud, iHeartRadio, Spotify

Sponsors:

Lunch and Learn Community Online Store (code Empower10)
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Links/Resources:

Joint CDC and FDA Statement
Cerebral Venous Thrombosis

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Let's talk about the Inaugural Autism in Black Conference... Get ready for 4 days of powerful discussions about autism and the black community.

The Inaugural Autism in Black Conference will be hosted By Maria Davis-Pierre, CEO & Founder of Autism in Black Inc. In her own words, she looks to empower all attendees by providing the resources to help better serve their families and communities.

The Autism in Black organization aims to bring awareness to Autism and reduce the stigma associated with the diagnosis in the Black community. Maria has been featured in Forbes, The New York Times, USA Today, and has collaborated with Microsoft. Maria’s unique approach to coaching and counseling exemplifies her drive and motivation toward greater acceptance and overcoming the barriers and personal struggles associated with raising a Black autistic child.

In this week's podcast episode, we have Maria Davis-Pierre, LMHC to discuss the Autism in Black Conference.

Text LUNCHLEARNPOD to 44222 today or sign up at www.listentodrberry.com to join the mailing list.

Remember to subscribe to the podcast and share the episode with a friend or family member.

Listen on Apple Podcast, Google Play, Stitcher, Soundcloud, iHeartRadio, Spotify

Sponsors:

Autism in Black Virtual Conference - Inaugural Virtual Conference Hosted by Maria Davis-Pierre, LMHC CEO of Autism in Black Inc
Lunch and Learn Community Online Store (code Empower10)
Pierre Medical Consulting (If you are looking to expand your social reach and make your process automated then Pierre Medical Consulting is for you)
Dr. Pierre's Resources – These are some of the tools I use to become successful using social media
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Links/Resources:

Autism in Black Conference Registration

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Let's talk about our Kidneys... This week we are talking about one of these most important organs in the body.

15% of US adults or 37 million people are estimated to have CKD.

As many as 9 in 10 adults with CKD do not know they have CKD.

About 2 in 5 adults with severe CKD do not know they have CKD.

If that isn't enough to get you really taking a close look at how well your kidneys are working then I will just have to let my special guest Dr. Frita do it for me.

She did a triple board-certified Nephrologist, host of the popular YouTube channel With Dr. Frita, national speaker, sits on the board of the National Kidney Foundation in Atlanta, and has multiple TV appearances including HLN Weekend Express, BNC, the Emmy Award-Winning Paternity Court, and more.

In this week's episode learn why the kidneys are so important thanks to our special guest Dr. Frita.

Text LUNCHLEARNPOD to 44222 today or sign up at www.listentodrberry.com to join the mailing list.

Remember to subscribe to the podcast and share the episode with a friend or family member.

Listen on Apple Podcast, Google Play, Stitcher, Soundcloud, iHeartRadio, Spotify

Sponsors:

Autism in Black Virtual Conference - Inaugural Virtual Conference Hosted by Maria Davis-Pierre, LMHC CEO of Autism in Black Inc
Lunch and Learn Community Online Store (code Empower10)
Pierre Medical Consulting (If you are looking to expand your social reach and make your process automated then Pierre Medical Consulting is for you)
Dr. Pierre's Resources – These are some of the tools I use to become successful using social media
My Amazon Store – Check out all of the book recommendations you heard in the episode

Links/Resources:

Subscribe to her channel
Dr. Frita on HLN
Dr. Frita on 11 Alive news
Dr. Frita on BNC
Dr. Frita Kidney PSA Reel
Facebook
Instagram
Twitter
LinkedIn

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Let's talk about Colorectal Cancer... It is the second leading cause of Cancer Related Death for Men & Women

One of the most common symptoms of colorectal cancer can be no symptoms at all.

The rate of colon cancer is increasing among adults younger than 50.

I can keep going but the underlying issue is that colon cancer is a disease that we have been losing the battle on for quite some time and if it takes us dedicating a whole month to being aware of it then I am all for it.

In today's episode learn what is colorectal cancer & why 1 in 24 people will develop it.

Text LUNCHLEARNPOD to 44222 today or sign up at www.listentodrberry.com to join the mailing list.

Remember to subscribe to the podcast and share the episode with a friend or family member.

Listen on Apple Podcast, Google Play, Stitcher, Soundcloud, iHeartRadio, Spotify

Sponsors:

Autism in Black Virtual Conference - Inaugural Virtual Conference Hosted by Maria Davis-Pierre, LMHC CEO of Autism in Black Inc
Lunch and Learn Community Online Store (code Empower10)
Pierre Medical Consulting (If you are looking to expand your social reach and make your process automated then Pierre Medical Consulting is for you)
Dr. Pierre's Resources – These are some of the tools I use to become successful using social media
My Amazon Store – Check out all of the book recommendations you heard in the episode

Links/Resources:

Is it time to get checked
Racial Disparities in Cancer
Fight Colorectal Cancer
Mayo Clinic
Cancer.org
ACG

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Let's talk about The New Covid-19 Vaccine... Covid-19 Vaccinations are going to be the way we get back to normal sooner rather than later so this is an exciting time in our battle against the virus as the Johnson and Johnson Vaccine has received emergency authorization use, joining Moderna & Pfizer.

There are several differences with the Johnson and Johnson vaccine that I will go over on today's episode but overall I am very excited about adding a third player to the vaccine block.

In today's episode learn about the newest covid-19 vaccine to be approved in the fight against the coronavirus.

Text LUNCHLEARNPOD to 44222 today or sign up at www.listentodrberry.com to join the mailing list.

Remember to subscribe to the podcast and share the episode with a friend or family member.

Listen on Apple Podcast, Google Play, Stitcher, Soundcloud, iHeartRadio, Spotify

Sponsors:

Autism in Black Virtual Conference - Inaugural Virtual Conference Hosted by Maria Davis-Pierre, LMHC CEO of Autism in Black Inc
Lunch and Learn Community Online Store (code Empower10)
Pierre Medical Consulting (If you are looking to expand your social reach and make your process automated then Pierre Medical Consulting is for you)
Dr. Pierre's Resources – These are some of the tools I use to become successful using social media
My Amazon Store – Check out all of the book recommendations you heard in the episode

Links/Resources:

Autism in Black Virtual Conference

Social Links:

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My Final Covid-19 Vaccine Experience... When I released my first episode detailing my experience with getting the first of two vaccine doses against the coronavirus, the total number of coronavirus cases stood at approximately 15 million. Unfortunately as I type this out the number stands at 27 million and likely by the time you read it that number will be outdated.

That was less a month ago and I think that's all I need to say about the state of the coronavirus not only here in the United States but across the world.

On today's episode I discuss how my experience getting the second and final dose of the COVID-19 vaccine and what it means to be fully protected for me and my family and friends.

Text LUNCHLEARNPOD to 44222 today or sign up at www.listentodrberry.com to join the mailing list.

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Listen on Apple Podcast, Google Play, Stitcher, Soundcloud, iHeartRadio, Spotify

Sponsors:

Lunch and Learn Community Online Store (code Empower10)
Pierre Medical Consulting (If you are looking to expand your social reach and make your process automated then Pierre Medical Consulting is for you)
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My Amazon Store – Check out all of the book recommendations you heard in the episode

Links/Resources:

Youtube Episode
CDC

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Let's talk about How To Rise Above Others Wants... This week on the podcast we have Sarah McGriff, a woman with many professional hats. She is an author, film producer, and nurse who took the join the podcast to discuss a slew of topics such as her concern about the mental health disparities in the Black community, stigmas surrounding the black community, and the importance of being an advocate for ourselves and for others when it comes to addressing mental health.

Text LUNCHLEARNPOD to 44222 today or sign up at www.listentodrberry.com to join the mailing list.

Remember to subscribe to the podcast and share the episode with a friend or family member.

Listen on Apple Podcast, Google Play, Stitcher, Soundcloud, iHeartRadio, Spotify

Sponsors:

Lunch and Learn Community Online Store (code Empower10)
Pierre Medical Consulting (If you are looking to expand your social reach and make your process automated then Pierre Medical Consulting is for you)
Dr. Pierre's Resources – These are some of the tools I use to become successful using social media
My Amazon Store – Check out all of the book recommendations you heard in the episode

Links/Resources:

Facebook
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Instagram
Twitter

Social Links:

Join the lunch and learn community – https://www.drberrypierre.com/joinlunchlearnpod
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Let's talk about My COVID-19 Vaccine Experience... At the time of writing this post, we have two different vaccines that are available for distribution. In episode 162 we talked about who would be getting the vaccines first, starting with the front line workers in health care. I had the fortunate opportunity to get my vaccine right after Christmas break so I wanted to discuss my experience.

I think it's important as health care workers to lead by example so I wanted to talk about my experience with getting the vaccine.

Text LUNCHLEARNPOD to 44222 today or sign up at www.listentodrberry.com to join the mailing list.

Remember to subscribe to the podcast and share the episode with a friend or family member.

Listen on Apple Podcast, Google Play, Stitcher, Soundcloud, iHeartRadio, Spotify

Sponsors:

Lunch and Learn Community Online Store (code Empower10)
Pierre Medical Consulting (If you are looking to expand your social reach and make your process automated then Pierre Medical Consulting is for you)
Dr. Pierre's Resources – These are some of the tools I use to become successful using social media
My Amazon Store – Check out all of the book recommendations you heard in the episode

Links/Resources:

Website
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Twitter
Youtube

Social Links:

Join the lunch and learn community – https://www.drberrypierre.com/joinlunchlearnpod
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For More Episodes of the Lunch and Learn with Dr. Berry Podcasts https://www.drberrypierre.com/lunchlearnpodcast/

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Let's talk about the COVID-19 Vaccine?... We are almost 15 million cases of COVID-19 here in the United States later and with no end of sight, one thing we are sure of is that a vaccine is on the horizon.

With the demand for the vaccine set to be extremely high the decision on who gets the vaccine and when they get the vaccine is up for discussion.

Unfortunately, I have heard from quite a few people who are questioning whether they are getting their vaccine shot(s) and want to wait for the "second wave" before getting theirs.

In today's episode, I discuss how we decide when someone will get their vaccine & why you shouldn't "wait" for it.

Text LUNCHLEARNPOD to 44222 today or sign up at www.listentodrberry.com to join the mailing list.

Remember to subscribe to the podcast and share the episode with a friend or family member.

Listen on Apple Podcast, Google Play, Stitcher, Soundcloud, iHeartRadio, Spotify

Sponsors:

Lunch and Learn Community Online Store (code Empower10)
Pierre Medical Consulting (If you are looking to expand your social reach and make your process automated then Pierre Medical Consulting is for you)
Dr. Pierre's Resources – These are some of the tools I use to become successful using social media
My Amazon Store – Check out all of the book recommendations you heard in the episode

Links/Resources:

Website
Facebook
Instagram
Twitter
Youtube

Social Links:

Join the lunch and learn community – https://www.drberrypierre.com/joinlunchlearnpod
Follow the podcast on Facebook – http://www.facebook.com/lunchlearnpod
Follow the podcast on Twitter – http://www.twitter.com/lunchlearnpod – use the hashtag #LunchLearnPod if you have any questions, comments, or requests for the podcast
For More Episodes of the Lunch and Learn with Dr. Berry Podcasts https://www.drberrypierre.com/lunchlearnpodcast/

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Let's talk about Covid-19 as 2020 is about to close... Thirteen million cases later and we seem to have less of a handle on the coronavirus as we did in March. In March we were just learning about this new virus but little did we know what we had in store for us for 2020.

Its almost been a year and the pandemic is still alive & well, there are parts of the country and world still in lockdown, and though vaccines may be around the corner that doesn't stop the fact that we here in the US when we had a chance to slow down the effects we dropped the ball.

On today's episode I discuss why COVID-19 is here to stay for awhile and why we need to get used to that fact.

Text LUNCHLEARNPOD to 44222 today or sign up at www.listentodrberry.com to join the mailing list.

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Sponsors:

Lunch and Learn Community Online Store (code Empower10)
Pierre Medical Consulting (If you are looking to expand your social reach and make your process automated then Pierre Medical Consulting is for you)
Dr. Pierre's Resources – These are some of the tools I use to become successful using social media
My Amazon Store – Check out all of the book recommendations you heard in the episode

Links/Resources:

COVID-19, the Epidemiological Perspective with Velton Showell, MPH
Economic Fallout From COVID-19 Continues To Hit Lower-Income Americans the Hardest
Fauci says U.S. could see ‘a surge upon a surge’ in coronavirus cases

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We are Back in Action! Welcome to Season 5! I am so excited to open the new season with you all. In this season we talk about my top 3 most downloaded episode for season 4, what you can expect for season 5, and just me sincerely thanking you for sticking around!

If not for you, this show will never make it to episode 160! I hope to continue seeing you here as I post more helpful episodes for all of you.

Text LUNCHLEARNPOD to 44222 today or sign up at www.listentodrberry.com to join the mailing list.

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Sponsors:

Lunch and Learn Community Online Store (code Empower10)
Pierre Medical Consulting (If you are looking to expand your social reach and make your process automated then Pierre Medical Consulting is for you)
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Website
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Instagram

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Let's talk about Shooting for the stars ... On this week's episode of the Lunch and Learn with Dr. Berry we have Dr. Stephen L. Noble, a board-certified cardiothoracic surgeon. He is a decorated United States Navy veteran having served seven years on active duty as a general surgeon and cardiothoracic surgeon. He deployed to Afghanistan in 2016 as part of Operation Resolute Support. His clinical interests include minimally invasive cardiothoracic surgery, health outcomes disparities, heart disease prevention, cancer screening and prevention, and the integration of science and technology in medicine.

In this episode, we talk about the importance of having a community as well as bring health education to you while you are in the barbershop or hair salon.

Text LUNCHLEARNPOD to 44222 today or sign up at www.listentodrberry.com to join the mailing list.

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Listen on Apple Podcast, Google Play, Stitcher, Soundcloud, iHeartRadio, Spotify

Sponsors:

Lunch and Learn Community Online Store (code Empower10)
Pierre Medical Consulting (If you are looking to expand your social reach and make your process automated then Pierre Medical Consulting is for you)
Dr. Pierre's Resources – These are some of the tools I use to become successful using social media
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Links/Resources:

LinkedIn - Stephen L. Noble, MD FACS
Twitter
Instagram

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Let's talk about a wake-up call after the death of a hero... Over the weekend, the world was shocked over the death of actor Chadwick Boseman who is best known for playing Black Panther in the hit Marvel superhero franchise. Gone too soon, the actor lost his battle against colon cancer at the age of 43 and died at his home in Los Angeles with his wife and family by his side.

Over 75 percent of colon and rectal cancers happen to people with no known risk factors, which is why regular screening is so important. In this episode, we talk more about colon cancer, its causes and why it's a deadly enemy.

Text LUNCHLEARNPOD to 44222 today or sign up at www.listentodrberry.com to join the mailing list.

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Listen on Apple Podcast, Google Play, Stitcher, Soundcloud, iHeartRadio, Spotify

Sponsors:

Lunch and Learn Community Online Store (code Empower10)
Pierre Medical Consulting (If you are looking to expand your social reach and make your process automated then Pierre Medical Consulting is for you)
Dr. Pierre's Resources – These are some of the tools I use to become successful using social media
My Amazon Store – Check out all of the book recommendations you heard in the episode

Links/Resources:

Racial Disparities In Cancer Not Even Yet But Getting Better
A quick update on colon cancer screening
How bad is colon cancer in the African American community?
Why colon cancer is a major killer in African Americans

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Let's talk about Mental Wellness in the Black Community... On this week's episode of the Lunch and Learn with Dr. Berry we have Dr. Archana Shrestha, an emergency physician, life coach, best-selling author and entrepreneur. She is the founder and chief wellness officer at Mighty Mom, MD and the co-founder of the widely-read Women in White Coats blog. Archana’s mission and purpose is to uplift and empower working women.

In this episode, we talk about the origin of Women in White Coats, her contribution to the latest series in the anthology and what is in store. In this current, challenging time, front liners need to be encouraged.

Text LUNCHLEARNPOD to 44222 today or sign up at www.listentodrberry.com to join the mailing list.

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Sponsors:

Lunch and Learn Community Online Store (code Empower10)
Pierre Medical Consulting (If you are looking to expand your social reach and make your process automated then Pierre Medical Consulting is for you)
Dr. Pierre's Resources – These are some of the tools I use to become successful using social media
My Amazon Store – Check out all of the book recommendations you heard in the episode

Links/Resources:

Register for Virtual Summit
Womeninwhitecoats.com
Mightymommd.com
Instagram
Twitter
Facebook
Instagram
Twitter

Social Links:

Join the lunch and learn community – https://www.drberrypierre.com/joinlunchlearnpod
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Let's talk about Mental Wellness in the Black Community... On this week's episode of the Lunch and Learn with Dr. Berry we have Tiara Nicole Riley, a motivational speaker who focuses on mental health, time management, and women's empowerment. She has experience speaking to large and intimate audiences while maintaining connection and engagement throughout.

In this episode, we talk about mental wellness in the Black community, her passion on mental health and how they help her produce not one but 3 books with a fourth on the way.

Text LUNCHLEARNPOD to 44222 today or sign up at www.listentodrberry.com to join the mailing list.

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Sponsors:

Lunch and Learn Community Online Store (code Empower10)
Pierre Medical Consulting (If you are looking to expand your social reach and make your process automated then Pierre Medical Consulting is for you)
Dr. Pierre's Resources – These are some of the tools I use to become successful using social media
My Amazon Store – Check out all of the book recommendations you heard in the episode

Links/Resources:

Official Website
Books (Remember to use the code social for 20% off)
Instagram
Twitter
Facebook
Youtube
LinkedIn

Social Links:

Join the lunch and learn community – https://www.drberrypierre.com/joinlunchlearnpod
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For More Episodes of the Lunch and Learn with Dr. Berry Podcasts https://www.drberrypierre.com/lunchlearnpodcast/

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Download Episode 156

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Let's talk about No place for discrimination in medicine... On this week's episode of the Lunch and Learn with Dr. Berry we have Dr. Kat Ogle a board-certified Emergency Medicine physician, currently practicing at The George Washington University Hospital, Washington VA Medical Center and United Medical Center in Washington, DC. As a first-generation college graduate and physician she began her career as a registered nurse. Dr. Ogle is on faculty at George Washing University where she serves as the medical instructor for residents, medical students & fellows.

This week we have Dr. Ogle on the show to discuss her contribution to the "The Chronicles of Women in White Coats Vol 2". We have an amazing conversation on inclusion and the need to remove the discriminatory practices in medicine.

Text LUNCHLEARNPOD to 44222 today or sign up at www.listentodrberry.com to join the mailing list.

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Sponsors:

Lunch and Learn Community Online Store (code Empower10)
Pierre Medical Consulting (If you are looking to expand your social reach and make your process automated then Pierre Medical Consulting is for you)
Dr. Pierre's Resources – These are some of the tools I use to become successful using social media
My Amazon Store – Check out all of the book recommendations you heard in the episode

Links/Resources:

https://www.thechroniclesofwomeninwhitecoats.com/dr-kat-ogle
Instagram
Instagram

Social Links:

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Let's talk about Discrimination in the Medical Field... On this week's episode of the Lunch and Learn with Dr. Berry we have Dr. Petrina Craine from Memphis, TN. She is an Emergency Room Physician currently practicing in New York. Her interests include advocating for underserved communities, promoting diversity and inclusion, and creating health media as a physician journalist.

This week she is on the show to discuss her recent contribution to the anthology "The Chronicles of Women in White Coats Vol 2". Find out how she has been able to deal with racism throughout her process of medical education, the toughest part about being a black woman in medicine and what she is doing to help bridge the gap.

Text LUNCHLEARNPOD to 44222 today or sign up at www.listentodrberry.com to join the mailing list.

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Sponsors:

Lunch and Learn Community Online Store (code Empower10)
Pierre Medical Consulting (If you are looking to expand your social reach and make your process automated then Pierre Medical Consulting is for you)
Dr. Pierre's Resources – These are some of the tools I use to become successful using social media
My Amazon Store – Check out all of the book recommendations you heard in the episode

Links/Resources:

https://www.thechroniclesofwomeninwhitecoats.com/dr-petrina-craine
Instagram

Social Links:

Join the lunch and learn community – https://www.drberrypierre.com/joinlunchlearnpod
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For More Episodes of the Lunch and Learn with Dr. Berry Podcasts https://www.drberrypierre.com/lunchlearnpodcast/

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Matters of the Heart with Dr. Crystal On this week's episode of the Lunch and Learn with Dr. Berry we have Dr. Crystal Maxwell, Dr. Crystal Maxwell is from Foxworth, MS where she graduated with honors from West Marion High School as Valedictorian in 1999. She proceeded to Spelman College and graduated Magna Cum Laude College with a B.S. in Biology in 2003. She graduated from the University of Tennessee College of Medicine with a medical doctorate in 2007 and went on to specialize in Family Medicine at the University of Tennessee Family Medicine Residency Program in Jackson, TN in 2010. Dr. Maxwell completed the Physician Executive MBA program at Auburn University in 2016.

After completing her residency training in 2010, Dr. Maxwell joined Sandhills Medical Foundation at its Jefferson, SC location as a Family Physician and she continues to serve in this position. Sandhills Medical Foundation is a federally qualified community health center that serves people of all backgrounds with specific assistance provided to those with financial disadvantages. She's responsible for the total care of her patients. Dr. Maxwell manages both chronic diseases such as diabetes, hypertension, and emphysema and acute problems such as respiratory and gastrointestinal infections.

Text LUNCHLEARNPOD to 44222 today or sign up at www.listentodrberry.com to join the mailing list.

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Sponsors:

Lunch and Learn Community Online Store (code Empower10)
Pierre Medical Consulting (If you are looking to expand your social reach and make your process automated then Pierre Medical Consulting is for you)
Dr. Pierre's Resources – These are some of the tools I use to become successful using social media
My Amazon Store – Check out all of the book recommendations you heard in the episode

Links/Resources:

https://www.thechroniclesofwomeninwhitecoats.com/dr-crystal-maxwell
Instagram
Facebook

Social Links:

Join the lunch and learn community – https://www.drberrypierre.com/joinlunchlearnpod
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Let's talk about Tips For The Resident Physicians ... On this week's episode of the Lunch and Learn with Dr. Berry I want to dedicate this one to my recent graduate class of 2020. As I get ready to usher in a new academic year I wanted to impart some wisdom into the new resident classes across the country.

In this episode, I talk about the journey of becoming a residency program director, what it was like being the fresh face in the program bringing in a sea of change and what is in store for new interns across the country.

I also take the chance to give a special shout out to my graduating class. These physicians started their medical career as residents when I started my career as a Program Director and I am just so proud of all their accomplishments.

Wellington Regional Medical Center Graduating Class of 2020
Dr. Michelle Santana
Dr. Keith Freeman
Dr. Matthew Romanelli
Dr. Jacob Hirsch
Dr. Gregory Mandile
Dr. Sarah Stamper

Text LUNCHLEARNPOD to 44222 today or sign up at www.listentodrberry.com to join the mailing list.

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Sponsors:

Lunch and Learn Community Online Store (code Empower10)
Pierre Medical Consulting (If you are looking to expand your social reach and make your process automated then Pierre Medical Consulting is for you)
Dr. Pierre's Resources – These are some of the tools I use to become successful using social media
My Amazon Store – Check out all of the book recommendations you heard in the episode

Links/Resources:

First Year in Academic Medicine

Social Links:

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Let's talk about COVID-19, the Epidemiological Perspective ... On this week's episode of the Lunch and Learn with Dr. Berry we have an esteemed guest and friend Velton Showell, MPH to help us make sense of all the numbers we see associated with the coronavirus.

On this episode, we talk about the importance of public health and the lack of support it has received during this crisis. We will learn about the new terms floating around this year such as flattening the curve and contact tracing. We also will hear some startling facts about what we learned about the first wave of coronavirus cases and whether we are in the second wave of cases.

Text LUNCHLEARNPOD to 44222 today or sign up at www.listentodrberry.com to join the mailing list.

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Listen on Apple Podcast, Google Play, Stitcher, Soundcloud, iHeartRadio, Spotify

Sponsors:

Lunch and Learn Community Online Store (code Empower10)
Pierre Medical Consulting (If you are looking to expand your social reach and make your process automated then Pierre Medical Consulting is for you)
Dr. Pierre's Resources – These are some of the tools I use to become successful using social media
My Amazon Store – Check out all of the book recommendations you heard in the episode

Links/Resources:

John Hopkins
Florida Covid-19 WebSite
Personal Twitter
Clean and Unshaven
Clean and Unshaven IG

Social Links:

Join the lunch and learn community – https://www.drberrypierre.com/joinlunchlearnpod
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For More Episodes of the Lunch and Learn with Dr. Berry Podcasts https://www.drberrypierre.com/lunchlearnpodcast/

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Leave a Five Star Review on Apple Podcast because your ratings and reviews are what is going to make this show so much better
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Let's talk about COVID-19 The Hospitalist Experience ... On this week's episode of the Lunch and Learn with Dr. Berry I am on for a solo episode to discuss what it has been like for a hospitalist (hospital physician) during this pandemic due to COVID-19.

This episode I talk about life pre-COVID-19 in the hospital and what all changed when the pandemic was made official and the public finally caught on to the severity.

Text LUNCHLEARNPOD to 44222 today or sign up at www.listentodrberry.com to join the mailing list.

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Listen on Apple Podcast, Google Play, Stitcher, Soundcloud, iHeartRadio, Spotify

Sponsors:

Lunch and Learn Community Online Store (code Empower10)
Pierre Medical Consulting (If you are looking to expand your social reach and make your process automated then Pierre Medical Consulting is for you)
Dr. Pierre's Resources – These are some of the tools I use to become successful using social media
My Amazon Store – Check out all of the book recommendations you heard in the episode

Links/Resources:

COVID-19 The Public Health Crisis
Coronavirus Outbreak: The latest COVID-19

Social Links:

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For More Episodes of the Lunch and Learn with Dr. Berry Podcasts https://www.drberrypierre.com/lunchlearnpodcast/

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Let's talk about how doctors can study outside the boarders ... On this week's episode of the Lunch and Learn with Dr. Berry we have Dr. Kimberly Brown, Co-Author of STILLMD to join the podcast to discuss her book as well as her journey into medicine.

We discussed before how the pathway to get into medicine isn't the same for all the doctors who ultimately make it and we learned that it is no different for this best selling author and her co-author Dr. Nina Lum (whom we have had on the podcast before).

We got a chance to pick her brains all the both the positives and negatives during her journey as she went from premedical student to attending physician.

Text LUNCHLEARNPOD to 44222 today or sign up at www.listentodrberry.com to join the mailing list.

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Listen on Apple Podcast, Google Play, Stitcher, Soundcloud, iHeartRadio, Spotify

Sponsors:

Lunch and Learn Community Online Store (code Empower10)
Pierre Medical Consulting (If you are looking to expand your social reach and make your process automated then Pierre Medical Consulting is for you)
Dr. Pierre's Resources – These are some of the tools I use to become successful using social media
My Amazon Store – Check out all of the book recommendations you heard in the episode

Links/Resources:

www.stillmd.com
www.drninalum.com
www.drkimberlyb.com
Instagram @stillmdbook
Instagram @drninalum
Instagram @drkimberlyb

Social Links:

Join the lunch and learn community – https://www.drberrypierre.com/joinlunchlearnpod
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For More Episodes of the Lunch and Learn with Dr. Berry Podcasts https://www.drberrypierre.com/lunchlearnpodcast/

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Leave a Five Star Review on Apple Podcast because your ratings and reviews are what is going to make this show so much better
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Let's talk about Healthful strategies for finding nutritional balance during the coronavirus pandemic... On this week's episode of the Lunch and Learn with Dr. Berry we have Certified Diabetes Educator and Registered Dietitian Marlisa Brown. She is the Marlisa is a Registered Dietitian, Certified Diabetes Educator Author, and Chef. She has been president of Total Wellness Inc. for more than 2 ½ decades and has to her credit over 24,000 patients.

The global pandemic caused by the coronavirus has caused many to people to change their typical dietary habits or throw out their routines all together. Marlisa was gracious enough to join on on the show to discuss the importance of nutrition even now more than ever.

Text LUNCHLEARNPOD to 44222 today or sign up at www.listentodrberry.com to join the mailing list.

Remember to subscribe to the podcast and share the episode with a friend or family member.

Listen on Apple Podcast, Google Play, Stitcher, Soundcloud, iHeartRadio, Spotify

Sponsors:

Lunch and Learn Community Online Store (code Empower10)
Pierre Medical Consulting (If you are looking to expand your social reach and make your process automated then Pierre Medical Consulting is for you)
Dr. Pierre's Resources – These are some of the tools I use to become successful using social media
My Amazon Store – Check out all of the book recommendations you heard in the episode

Links/Resources:

www.MarlisaSpeaks.com
www.TWellness.net
www.GlutenFreeEZ.com
www.MCSeminars.com
Instagram
Twitter
Facebook
Youtube
Linkedin
Amazon

Social Links:

Join the lunch and learn community – https://www.drberrypierre.com/joinlunchlearnpod
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For More Episodes of the Lunch and Learn with Dr. Berry Podcasts https://www.drberrypierre.com/lunchlearnpodcast/

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Leave a Five Star Review on Apple Podcast because your ratings and reviews are what is going to make this show so much better
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Let's talk about COVID-19 and the African-American Community... On this week's episode of the Lunch and Learn with Dr. Berry we have Dr. Nicole T. Rochester is a board-certified pediatrician, independent health advocate, TEDx and keynote speaker, and the CEO of Your GPS Doc, LLC, an innovative company that helps aging individuals, those with chronic illnesses, and their family caregivers navigate the healthcare system. Dr. Rochester was inspired to start her company after caring for her late father and witnessing the complicated healthcare system from the other side of the stethoscope.

Dr. Nicole has made it a commitment to promote health literacy and empowering her patients and family caregivers across the globe and I got the chance to catch her recently as she discussed the recent news regarding COVID-19 and its effect on the African-American Community.

She was gracious enough to join us on the podcast to expound more on the conversation.

Text LUNCHLEARNPOD to 44222 today or sign up at www.listentodrberry.com to join the mailing list.

Remember to subscribe to the podcast and share the episode with a friend or family member.

Listen on Apple Podcast, Google Play, Stitcher, Soundcloud, iHeartRadio, Spotify

Sponsors:

Lunch and Learn Community Online Store (code Empower10)
Pierre Medical Consulting (If you are looking to expand your social reach and make your process automated then Pierre Medical Consulting is for you)
Dr. Pierre's Resources – These are some of the tools I use to become successful using social media
My Amazon Store – Check out all of the book recommendations you heard in the episode

Links/Resources:

Website
TEDx talk
Amazon link for my book
The Coronavirus Pandemic and Health Disparities

Social Links:

Join the lunch and learn community – https://www.drberrypierre.com/joinlunchlearnpod
Follow the podcast on Facebook – http://www.facebook.com/lunchlearnpod
Follow the podcast on twitter – http://www.twitter.com/lunchlearnpod – use the hashtag #LunchLearnPod if you have any questions, comments or requests for the podcast
For More Episodes of the Lunch and Learn with Dr. Berry Podcasts https://www.drberrypierre.com/lunchlearnpodcast/

If you are looking to help the show out

Leave a Five Star Review on Apple Podcast because your ratings and reviews are what is going to make this show so much better
Share a screenshot of the podcast episode on all of your favorite social media outlets & tag me or add the hashtag.#lunchlearnpod

Download the MP3 Audio file, listen to the episode however you like.

Healthcare Navigation 101: A Guide for College-Bound Students (and Parents!)

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Let's talk about Urinary Incontinence On this week's episode of the Lunch and Learn with Dr. Berry we have Dr. Fenwa Milhouse, a fellowship-trained urologist who specializes in female pelvic medicine and urogenital reconstruction. Born in Nigeria her family immigrated to the US where she would eventually end up at the University of Texas at Houston for medical school. She first received her calling to become a urologist after hearing a lecture about urology given by a black woman urologist.

Despite early apprehension & negative feedback from her advisors she persisted and would go to the University of Chicago for her Urology residency and subsequent fellowship.

She is apart of the Dupage Medical Group (the largest private practice group in Illinois) as their female pelvic floor surgeon which serves two large counties in the Chicago west and south suburbs. She is among the 2% of practicing black urologists nationwide. She is a wife and mother to 3 children. Most importantly she is passionate about telling young people about urology and mentoring underrepresented minorities pursuing urology.

This week, I have Dr. Milhouse on the show to discuss the issue of Urinary Incontinence that affects over 25 million people here in the US and over 200 million people worldwide.

Text LUNCHLEARNPOD to 44222 today or sign up at www.listentodrberry.com to join the mailing list.

Remember to subscribe to the podcast and share the episode with a friend or family member.

Listen on Apple Podcast, Google Play, Stitcher, Soundcloud, iHeartRadio, Spotify

Sponsors:

Lunch and Learn Community Online Store (code Empower10)
Pierre Medical Consulting (If you are looking to expand your social reach and make your process automated then Pierre Medical Consulting is for you)
Dr. Pierre's Resources – These are some of the tools I use to become successful using social media
My Amazon Store – Check out all of the book recommendations you heard in the episode

Links/Resources:

Instagram
Twitter
DuPage Medical Group

Social Links:

Join the lunch and learn community – https://www.drberrypierre.com/joinlunchlearnpod
Follow the podcast on Facebook – http://www.facebook.com/lunchlearnpod
Follow the podcast on twitter – http://www.twitter.com/lunchlearnpod – use the hashtag #LunchLearnPod if you have any questions, comments or requests for the podcast
For More Episodes of the Lunch and Learn with Dr. Berry Podcasts https://www.drberrypierre.com/lunchlearnpodcast/

If you are looking to help the show out

Leave a Five Star Review on Apple Podcast because your ratings and reviews are what is going to make this show so much better
Share a screenshot of the podcast episode on all of your favorite social media outlets & tag me or add the hashtag.#lunchlearnpod

Download the MP3 Audio file, listen to the episode however you like.

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Let's talk about Navigating a Medical Success Story... On this week's episode of the Lunch and Learn with Dr. Berry we have Dr. Brittany Brinley, a physician and entrepreneur who grew up in a small town in Ohio and despite not having any support growing up, having to drive over 30 mins just to see her pediatrician and being apart of a senior class that had less than 100 students she persisted on her goal to become a doctor.

Often times we see when professionals hit the peak of their career goals and mistake the work that it took to get them there. Dr. Brinley does an amazing job being open about her initial struggles on this journey to become a physician.

Text LUNCHLEARNPOD to 44222 today or sign up at www.listentodrberry.com to join the mailing list.

Remember to subscribe to the podcast and share the episode with a friend or family member.

Listen on Apple Podcast, Google Play, Stitcher, Soundcloud, iHeartRadio, Spotify

Sponsors:

Lunch and Learn Community Online Store (code Empower10)
Pierre Medical Consulting (If you are looking to expand your social reach and make your process automated then Pierre Medical Consulting is for you)
Dr. Pierre's Resources – These are some of the tools I use to become successful using social media
My Amazon Store – Check out all of the book recommendations you heard in the episode

Links/Resources:

Website
Twitter
Facebook
Instagram

Social Links:

Join the lunch and learn community – https://www.drberrypierre.com/joinlunchlearnpod
Follow the podcast on Facebook – http://www.facebook.com/lunchlearnpod
Follow the podcast on twitter – http://www.twitter.com/lunchlearnpod – use the hashtag #LunchLearnPod if you have any questions, comments or requests for the podcast
For More Episodes of the Lunch and Learn with Dr. Berry Podcasts https://www.drberrypierre.com/lunchlearnpodcast/

If you are looking to help the show out

Leave a Five Star Review on Apple Podcast because your ratings and reviews are what is going to make this show so much better
Share a screenshot of the podcast episode on all of your favorite social media outlets & tag me or add the hashtag.#lunchlearnpod

Download Episode 145

Download the MP3 Audio file, listen to the episode however you like.

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Let's talk about Caring for Caregivers On this week's episode of the Lunch and Learn with Dr. Berry we have Dr. Kristyn Smith, a repeat guest of the show and current third year emergency room resident. With the global pandemic right at our footsteps a trend that that has unfortunately grown since the first outbreak was reported is the associated bias we have in healthcare.

Implicit biases involve associations outside conscious awareness that lead to a negative evaluation of a person on the basis of irrelevant characteristics such as race or gender. In this episode we discuss how a whole nation faces ridicule on behalf of a disease that we aren't even sure originated from there.

Text LUNCHLEARNPOD to 44222 today or sign up at www.listentodrberry.com to join the mailing list.

Remember to subscribe to the podcast and share the episode with a friend or family member.

Listen on Apple Podcast, Google Play, Stitcher, Soundcloud, iHeartRadio, Spotify

Sponsors:

Lunch and Learn Community Online Store (code Empower10)
Pierre Medical Consulting (If you are looking to expand your social reach and make your process automated then Pierre Medical Consulting is for you)
Dr. Pierre's Resources – These are some of the tools I use to become successful using social media
My Amazon Store – Check out all of the book recommendations you heard in the episode

Links/Resources:

Instagram
Twitter
Facebook
Implicit Bias in Healthcare: A Systematic Review
Measuring Your Biases
Cook-Ross Model for Reducing Bias
Weight Bias and Scrub Ads
JAMA Study - Resident Burnout & Bias

Social Links:

Join the lunch and learn community – https://www.drberrypierre.com/joinlunchlearnpod
Follow the podcast on Facebook – http://www.facebook.com/lunchlearnpod
Follow the podcast on twitter – http://www.twitter.com/lunchlearnpod – use the hashtag #LunchLearnPod if you have any questions, comments or requests for the podcast
For More Episodes of the Lunch and Learn with Dr. Berry Podcasts https://www.drberrypierre.com/lunchlearnpodcast/

If you are looking to help the show out

Leave a Five Star Review on Apple Podcast because your ratings and reviews are what is going to make this show so much better
Share a screenshot of the podcast episode on all of your favorite social media outlets & tag me or add the hashtag.#lunchlearnpod

Download the MP3 Audio file, listen to the episode however you like.

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Let's talk about Caring for Caregivers On this week's episode of the Lunch and Learn with Dr. Berry we have Tammy Flynn, a single mother of four who is passionate about helping individuals find a voice as a champion for their loved ones, especially within the medical and educational systems.

She is the host of the On-Air Advocate Podcast which helps to educate, support & empower all those with different abilities, mental & medical illness & caregivers.

We talk all about taking care of our loved ones, our family members & friends but I always stress that the most important person to take care of is yourself. This episode we talk about Tammy's passion to help those who usually put themselves last to help everyone else.

Text LUNCHLEARNPOD to 44222 today or sign up at www.listentodrberry.com to join the mailing list.

Remember to subscribe to the podcast and share the episode with a friend or family member.

Listen on Apple Podcast, Google Play, Stitcher, Soundcloud, iHeartRadio, Spotify

Sponsors:

Lunch and Learn Community Online Store (code Empower10)
Pierre Medical Consulting (If you are looking to expand your social reach and make your process automated then Pierre Medical Consulting is for you)
Dr. Pierre's Resources – These are some of the tools I use to become successful using social media
My Amazon Store – Check out all of the book recommendations you heard in the episode

Links/Resources:

Official Website
Instagram
Twitter
Facebook

Social Links:

Join the lunch and learn community – https://www.drberrypierre.com/joinlunchlearnpod
Follow the podcast on Facebook – http://www.facebook.com/lunchlearnpod
Follow the podcast on twitter – http://www.twitter.com/lunchlearnpod – use the hashtag #LunchLearnPod if you have any questions, comments or requests for the podcast
For More Episodes of the Lunch and Learn with Dr. Berry Podcasts https://www.drberrypierre.com/lunchlearnpodcast/

If you are looking to help the show out

Leave a Five Star Review on Apple Podcast because your ratings and reviews are what is going to make this show so much better
Share a screenshot of the podcast episode on all of your favorite social media outlets & tag me or add the hashtag.#lunchlearnpod

Download Episode 143

Download the MP3 Audio file, listen to the episode however you like.

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Let's talk about Colon Cancer... On this week's episode of the Lunch and Learn with Dr. Berry we have Dr. Austin Chiang who is a triple board-certified gastroenterologist and advanced endoscopist who serves as an Assistant Professor in Medicine, Director of the Endoscopic Bariatric Program, and Chief Medical Social Media Officer for Jefferson Health in Philadelphia, PA.

March is Colon Cancer Awareness month and today we got to talk about one of the most preventable cancers we have. Dr. Chiang does a great job breaking down what is colon cancer, why do we have such a hard time getting people screened from it & his plans to make sure everyone who should get a colonoscopy actually gets one.

I also get to talk about a passion we both share which is to get as many physicians onto social media as possible. We will learn about an organization who purpose is getting the health experts (doctors) onto the platforms that they are needed.

Text LUNCHLEARNPOD to 44222 to join the mailing list.

Remember to subscribe to the podcast and share the episode with a friend or family member.

Listen on Apple Podcast, Google Play, Stitcher, Soundcloud, iHeartRadio, Spotify

Sponsors:

Lunch and Learn Community Online Store (code Empower10)
Pierre Medical Consulting (If you are looking to expand your social reach and make your process automated then Pierre Medical Consulting is for you)
Dr. Pierre's Resources – These are some of the tools I use to become successful using social media
My Amazon Store – Check out all of the book recommendations you heard in the episode

Links/Resources:

Official Website
Instagram
Twitter
YouTube
Facebook
Tiktok

Social Links:

Join the lunch and learn community – https://www.drberrypierre.com/joinlunchlearnpod
Follow the podcast on Facebook – http://www.facebook.com/lunchlearnpod
Follow the podcast on twitter – http://www.twitter.com/lunchlearnpod – use the hashtag #LunchLearnPod if you have any questions, comments or requests for the podcast
For More Episodes of the Lunch and Learn with Dr. Berry Podcasts https://www.drberrypierre.com/lunchlearnpodcast/

If you are looking to help the show out

Leave a Five Star Review on Apple Podcast because your ratings and reviews are what is going to make this show so much better
Share a screenshot of the podcast episode on all of your favorite social media outlets & tag me or add the hashtag.#lunchlearnpod

Download Episode 142

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Let's talk about mamba mentality... On this week's episode of the Lunch and Learn with Dr. Berry we have Dr. Brooke Williams, a third year Internal Medicine Resident and most importantly one of my mentees. I got the chance to meet Dr. Williams through one of my mentors, Dr. Robert Hasty and it has been such an amazing experience we decided to record one of our mentor/mentee sessions.

On this episode we get to see some of the different phases of life that Dr. Williams maintains concurrently and how she is able to juggle them all. We also talk about why mentorship is so important regardless of your career.

Text LUNCHLEARNPOD to 44222 to join the mailing list.

Remember to subscribe to the podcast and share the episode with a friend or family member.

Listen on Apple Podcast, Google Play, Stitcher, Soundcloud, iHeartRadio, Spotify

Sponsors:

Lunch and Learn Community Online Store (code Empower10)
Pierre Medical Consulting (If you are looking to expand your social reach and make your process automated then Pierre Medical Consulting is for you)
Dr. Pierre's Resources – These are some of the tools I use to become successful using social media
My Amazon Store – Check out all of the book recommendations you heard in the episode

Links/Resources:

Official Website
Instagram

Social Links:

Join the lunch and learn community – https://www.drberrypierre.com/joinlunchlearnpod
Follow the podcast on Facebook – http://www.facebook.com/lunchlearnpod
Follow the podcast on twitter – http://www.twitter.com/lunchlearnpod – use the hashtag #LunchLearnPod if you have any questions, comments or requests for the podcast
For More Episodes of the Lunch and Learn with Dr. Berry Podcasts https://www.drberrypierre.com/lunchlearnpodcast/

If you are looking to help the show out

Leave a Five Star Review on Apple Podcast because your ratings and reviews are what is going to make this show so much better
Share a screenshot of the podcast episode on all of your favorite social media outlets & tag me or add the hashtag.#lunchlearnpod

Download Episode 141

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This is the first of many episodes of the Weekly Wrap up with Dr. Berry.

The goal of this series is to keep my Lunch and Learn Community up to date on the biggest health related topics each and every week. I will be taking topics that I discussed in my private facebook group throughout the week and bring it to my podcast family.

This week we discuss:

Coronavirus
How clean are your bath towels (Video Link)
Medications on the black market
How to influence millennials to get their health together

To find out more about topics discussed today join our private facebook group at http://www.drberrypierre.com/fbgroup and to get on our list serve and see what other episodes we have for you go to http://www.listentodrberry.com

See you next week

Dr. Berry Pierre

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In this week's episode of the Lunch and Learn with Dr. Berry we have Robby Barbaro, MPH who is the co-founder of Mastering Diabetes, a coaching program that teaches people how to reverse insulin resistance via low-fat, plant-based, whole-food nutrition. Robby was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes in 2000 and has been living a plant-based lifestyle since 2006.

This episode is going to be a welcoming change of information for those suffering from diabetes who have been told carbs are the enemy.

Text LUNCHLEARNPOD to 44222 to join the mailing list.

Remember to subscribe to the podcast and share the episode with a friend or family member.

Listen on Apple Podcast, Google Play, Stitcher, Soundcloud, iHeartRadio, Spotify

Sponsors:

Lunch and Learn Community Online Store (code Empower10)
Pierre Medical Consulting (If you are looking to expand your social reach and make your process automated then Pierre Medical Consulting is for you)
Dr. Pierre's Resources – These are some of the tools I use to become successful using social media
My Amazon Store – Check out all of the book recommendations you heard in the episode

Links/Resources:

Mastering Diabetes Book
Official Website
Instagram
LinkedIn
Facebook
Twitter

Social Links:

Join the lunch and learn community – https://www.drberrypierre.com/joinlunchlearnpod
Follow the podcast on Facebook – http://www.facebook.com/lunchlearnpod
Follow the podcast on twitter – http://www.twitter.com/lunchlearnpod – use the hashtag #LunchLearnPod if you have any questions, comments or requests for the podcast
For More Episodes of the Lunch and Learn with Dr. Berry Podcasts https://www.drberrypierre.com/lunchlearnpodcast/

If you are looking to help the show out

Leave a Five Star Review on Apple Podcast because your ratings and reviews are what is going to make this show so much better
Share a screenshot of the podcast episode on all of your favorite social media outlets & tag me or add the hashtag.#lunchlearnpod

Download Episode 140

Download the MP3 Audio file, listen to the episode however you like.

Mastering Diabetes: The Revolutionary Method to Reverse Insulin Resistance Permanently in Type 1, Type 1.5, Type 2, Prediabetes, and Gestational Diabetes

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This episode on the Lunch and Learn with Dr. Berry is a follow up to episode 138 where we learned about the origin of the motto & why I have dedicated my life to saving the lives of others by instilling in them the confidence to take control of their health care.

On today's episode I explain exactly what it means to level up your health care and how those in the Lunch and Learn community can soon become masters of their own health.

Also get an exclusive download with today's episode so you can get keep a cheat sheet on the different levels of success.

Text LUNCHLEARNPOD to 44222 to join the mailing list.

Remember to subscribe to the podcast and share the episode with a friend or family member.

Listen on Apple Podcast, Google Play, Stitcher, Soundcloud, iHeartRadio, Spotify

Sponsors:

Lunch and Learn Community Online Store (code Empower10)
Pierre Medical Consulting (If you are looking to expand your social reach and make your process automated then Pierre Medical Consulting is for you)
Dr. Pierre's Resources – These are some of the tools I use to become successful using social media
My Amazon Store – Check out all of the book recommendations you heard in the episode

Social Links:

Join the lunch and learn community – https://www.drberrypierre.com/joinlunchlearnpod
Follow the podcast on Facebook – http://www.facebook.com/lunchlearnpod
Follow the podcast on twitter – http://www.twitter.com/lunchlearnpod – use the hashtag #LunchLearnPod if you have any questions, comments or requests for the podcast
For More Episodes of the Lunch and Learn with Dr. Berry Podcasts https://www.drberrypierre.com/lunchlearnpodcast/

If you are looking to help the show out

Leave a Five Star Review on Apple Podcast because your ratings and reviews are what is going to make this show so much better
Share a screenshot of the podcast episode on all of your favorite social media outlets & tag me or add the hashtag.#lunchlearnpod

Download the MP3 Audio file, listen to the episode however you like.

Download Episode 139

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Here we go, you ready for Season 4?

Welcome back Lunch and Learn Community!!!

I am so happy to be bringing you along for another season of great content, amazing guests and opportunities to help you Empower Yourself For Better Health. This is the first episode of the new season and we are back to bring you more amazing educational content to help you learn, educate and empower.

This episode will serve as an introduction to many as I discuss just why I do all the things you see here before you. Its a powerful story but one that will remind you that you have to push through the tough times to get to the better ones.

Text LUNCHLEARNPOD to 44222 to join the mailing list.

Remember to subscribe to the podcast and share the episode with a friend or family member.

Listen on Apple Podcast, Google Play, Stitcher, Soundcloud, iHeartRadio, Spotify

Sponsors:

Lunch and Learn Community Online Store (code Empower10)
Pierre Medical Consulting (If you are looking to expand your social reach and make your process automated then Pierre Medical Consulting is for you)
Dr. Pierre's Resources – These are some of the tools I use to become successful using social media
My Amazon Store – Check out all of the book recommendations you heard in the episode

Social Links:

Join the lunch and learn community – https://www.drberrypierre.com/joinlunchlearnpod
Follow the podcast on Facebook – http://www.facebook.com/lunchlearnpod
Follow the podcast on twitter – http://www.twitter.com/lunchlearnpod – use the hashtag #LunchLearnPod if you have any questions, comments or requests for the podcast
For More Episodes of the Lunch and Learn with Dr. Berry Podcasts https://www.drberrypierre.com/lunchlearnpodcast/

If you are looking to help the show out

Leave a Five Star Review on Apple Podcast because your ratings and reviews are what is going to make this show so much better
Share a screenshot of the podcast episode on all of your favorite social media outlets & tag me or add the hashtag.#lunchlearnpod

Download Episode 138

Download the MP3 Audio file, listen to the episode however you like.

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Let's talk about getting ready for a break... On this week's episode of the Lunch and Learn with Dr. Berry I am back with a final solo episode to end season 3 on such an amazing note. Learn what spurred on some of the changes we made from season 2 to season 3. Want to hear about the ups and downs of the year then this episode is the one to listen to.

Most importantly listen to the episode to know what is in store for the Podcast for season 4. I would like to take the time out and say that the support you have continued to show has been amazing and I hope that I can continue to earn your support over the next year.

Text LUNCHLEARNPOD to 44222 to join the mailing list.

Remember to subscribe to the podcast and share the episode with a friend or family member.

Listen on Apple Podcast, Google Play, Stitcher, Soundcloud, iHeartRadio, Spotify

Sponsors:

Lunch and Learn Community Online Store (code Empower10)
Pierre Medical Consulting (If you are looking to expand your social reach and make your process automated then Pierre Medical Consulting is for you)
Dr. Pierre's Resources – These are some of the tools I use to become successful using social media
My Amazon Store – Check out all of the book recommendations you heard in the episode

Social Links:

Join the lunch and learn community – https://www.drberrypierre.com/joinlunchlearnpod
Follow the podcast on Facebook – http://www.facebook.com/lunchlearnpod
Follow the podcast on twitter – http://www.twitter.com/lunchlearnpod – use the hashtag #LunchLearnPod if you have any questions, comments or requests for the podcast
For More Episodes of the Lunch and Learn with Dr. Berry Podcasts https://www.drberrypierre.com/lunchlearnpodcast/

If you are looking to help the show out

Leave a Five Star Review on Apple Podcast because your ratings and reviews are what is going to make this show so much better
Share a screenshot of the podcast episode on all of your favorite social media outlets & tag me or add the hashtag.#lunchlearnpod

Download the MP3 Audio file, listen to the episode however you like.

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Let's Talk About Autism in Black On this week's episode of the Lunch and Learn with Dr. Berry we have Maria Davis-Pierre, LMHC, CEO of Autism in Black. She returns to give us the latest update on what has been happening with her company Autism in Black since the last time she was on the show as well as give us an update on our daughter and her progress through the school system.

As one of our favorite guests of the show (no bias of course) she also drops some amazing news on us so please stick around till the end to find out what she has in store for those in the Autism community.

Text LUNCHLEARNPOD to 44222 to join the mailing list.

Remember to subscribe to the podcast and share the episode with a friend or family member.

Listen on Apple Podcast, Google Play, Stitcher, Soundcloud, iHeartRadio, Spotify

Sponsors:

Lunch and Learn Community Online Store (code Empower10)
Pierre Medical Consulting (If you are looking to expand your social reach and make your process automated then Pierre Medical Consulting is for you)
Dr. Pierre's Resources – These are some of the tools I use to become successful using social media
My Amazon Store – Check out all of the book recommendations you heard in the episode

Links/Resources:

Self Care book - www.autisminblack.org/selfcarebook
Pay Hip Store - www.autisminblack.org/payhip
Instagram - www.autisminblack.org/instagram
Facebook- www.autisminblack.org/facebook
Teespring - www.autisminblack.org/teespring
Facebook Group- www.autisminblack.org/fbgroup

Social Links:

Join the lunch and learn community – https://www.drberrypierre.com/joinlunchlearnpod
Follow the podcast on Facebook – http://www.facebook.com/lunchlearnpod
Follow the podcast on twitter – http://www.twitter.com/lunchlearnpod – use the hashtag #LunchLearnPod if you have any questions, comments or requests for the podcast
For More Episodes of the Lunch and Learn with Dr. Berry Podcasts https://www.drberrypierre.com/lunchlearnpodcast/

If you are looking to help the show out

Leave a Five Star Review on Apple Podcast because your ratings and reviews are what is going to make this show so much better
Share a screenshot of the podcast episode on all of your favorite social media outlets & tag me or add the hashtag.#lunchlearnpod

Download Episode 136

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Surviving the Holidays Without Gaining Weight.. On this week's episode of the Lunch and Learn with Dr. Berry we have Dr. Sylvia Gonsahn-Bollie, is a dual Board Certified Internal Medicine physician and Obesity Medicine Specialist with a passion for promoting helping busy people especially working women obtain their happy, healthy weight through honesty and hope.
Personally Dr. Bollie has lost 40lbs twice and maintained her weight journey for over 5 years through overcoming emotional eating by maintaining a holistic, healthy lifestyle that includes prioritizing her Faith, family time, fitness (especially running), friendships and delicious healthy food.

She is one of the favorite guests of the show and joins us to help save us from ourselves for the holidays. On today's show she talks about the importance of understanding that temptation is natural and WILL occur but as long as you remember why you made the lifestyle changes you did then everything will be ok.

Text LUNCHLEARNPOD to 44222 to join the mailing list.

Remember to subscribe to the podcast and share the episode with a friend or family member.

Listen on Apple Podcast, Google Play, Stitcher, Soundcloud, iHeartRadio, Spotify

Sponsors:

Lunch and Learn Community Online Store (code Empower10)
Pierre Medical Consulting (If you are looking to expand your social reach and make your process automated then Pierre Medical Consulting is for you)
Dr. Pierre's Resources – These are some of the tools I use to become successful using social media
My Amazon Store – Check out all of the book recommendations you heard in the episode

Links/Resources:

Official Website
Facebook
Twitter
Instagram

Social Links:

Join the lunch and learn community – https://www.drberrypierre.com/joinlunchlearnpod
Follow the podcast on Facebook – http://www.facebook.com/lunchlearnpod
Follow the podcast on twitter – http://www.twitter.com/lunchlearnpod – use the hashtag #LunchLearnPod if you have any questions, comments or requests for the podcast
For More Episodes of the Lunch and Learn with Dr. Berry Podcasts https://www.drberrypierre.com/lunchlearnpodcast/

If you are looking to help the show out

Leave a Five Star Review on Apple Podcast because your ratings and reviews are what is going to make this show so much better
Share a screenshot of the podcast episode on all of your favorite social media outlets & tag me or add the hashtag.#lunchlearnpod

Download the MP3 Audio file, listen to the episode however you like.

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So how did I learn to be a patient On this week's episode of the Lunch and Learn with Dr. Berry I am back with a solo episode and this time I want to talk to you all about my experience over the past 3+ plus as a patient instead of the physician. For those who may already follow me on my instagram patient this is more of a refresher but as I know that there are many who do not, I talk about what it was like suffering a broken leg and having to deal with the health care system on the other side of the coin.

Its always great to start with a backstory so you are going to hear how I ended up in this predicament in the first place, some of the best purchases I made during all my free time and what I learned from the experience.

Text LUNCHLEARNPOD to 44222 to join the mailing list.

Remember to subscribe to the podcast and share the episode with a friend or family member.

Listen on Apple Podcast, Google Play, Stitcher, Soundcloud, iHeartRadio, Spotify

Sponsors:

Lunch and Learn Community Online Store (code Empower10)
Pierre Medical Consulting (If you are looking to expand your social reach and make your process automated then Pierre Medical Consulting is for you)
Dr. Pierre's Resources – These are some of the tools I use to become successful using social media
My Amazon Store – Check out all of the book recommendations you heard in the episode

Links/Resources:

Instagram

Social Links:

Join the lunch and learn community – https://www.drberrypierre.com/joinlunchlearnpod
Follow the podcast on Facebook – http://www.facebook.com/lunchlearnpod
Follow the podcast on twitter – http://www.twitter.com/lunchlearnpod – use the hashtag #LunchLearnPod if you have any questions, comments or requests for the podcast
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Let's talk with the IMG Coach Dr. Nina Lum... On this week's episode of the Lunch and Learn with Dr. Berry we have Dr. Nina Lum, is a board-certified Family Medicine Physician who currently works as a Hospitalist and the Chief Quality Officer at CHI St. Joseph Hospital. Dr. Lum is a co-author of the best selling medical anthology “The Chronicles of Women in White Coats” and recently the visionary, co-creator and co-author of the Amazon bestseller “Beyond Challenges: Survival Stories of African Immigrant Physicians”. On this week's episode, we talk about her work on theencouragingdoc.com and how her work as the IMG Coach came about.

We also will be taking a deep dive on what motivates her to help so many find success on the path to medicine as an international medical graduate.

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Download Episode 133

Episode 133 Transcript...

Introduction

Dr. Berry:
Hello and welcome to another episode of the Lunch and Learn with Dr. Berry. I'm your host, Dr. Berry Pierre, your favorite Board Certified Internist. Founder of drberrypierre.com, as well the CEO of Pierre Medical Consulting. Helping you empower yourself for better health with the number one podcast for patient advocacy, education and affirmation. This week we bring you another amazing guests on the podcast. We have Dr. Nina Lum who is a hospitalist and Chief Quality Officer at chai CHI Saint Joseph Hospital in London, Kentucky. Board Certified Family Medicine Physician. She's also co-author of the bestselling medical anthology, The Chronicles of Women in White Coats as well as the co-creator and co-author of the Amazon bestselling book Beyond Challenges: Survival Stories of African Immigrant Physicians. She blogs on theencouragingdoc.com. She writes, she coaches for international medical students and graduates on how to have successful blueprints for their unique pathway into this field, crazy field we call medicine.

She is a credo. Also an online course coaching platform for IMGs, notice IMG roadmap, at imgroadmap.com and she's a featured health and wellness speaker. And guys, this is an amazing episode with a person I've been following along. Actually had the chance to jump on her IMG roadmap series to talk to them with IMGs and other medical graduates and people who are getting ready for a residency about successful tips on the ERS application as well as interviews. And I have her on the show today really to give us an interesting perspective on international medical graduates, their path, their struggles, and why, especially in this day and age where we're seeing just the shortage of physicians out there and of people who want to become physicians. Why that, there may be a solution on our horizon, but unfortunately it is a lot of roadblocks in the weight.

We’re going to talk about some of those roadblocks. She gonna talk about her experience with creating her second Amazon bestselling book Beyond Challenges: Survival Stories of African Immigrant Physicians. What motivated her to drop a second book and what to expect from her from the rest of the year. So guys, get ready of course for another amazing episode. If you have not done so, already make sure you hit that subscribe button wherever you're listening to. If it's on YouTube, if it's on Apple podcast, Google play, Stitcher radio, Spotify, wherever you listen to remember to hit the spot. Remember hit the subscribe button so you'll always be in tune with what's going on here on the Lunch and Learn with Dr. Berry and leave us a five star review, especially from Apple podcasts users and make sure you tell 10 friends about this amazing episode. Let's get ready for another one here with Dr. Berry

Episode

Dr. Berry:
Alright Lunch and Learn community, I want to thank you for joining us for another amazing podcast and I have an amazing guests who have definitely been excited and earmarked to get a chance to talk to you guys for many different fronts. For those who know Lunch and Learn community, especially on my listeners. I actually had the honor of being a guest on her video show that sponsored and talked about just the tips and tricks of getting into residency. Definitely was excited about that. So again, Dr. Lum, thank you for joining today's podcast on Lunch and Learn with Dr. Berry.

Dr. Nina Lum:
Thank you so much for having me. It's an honor actually to be on your podcast. I enjoy it.

Dr. Berry:
So I have an introduction, but I have people who already know, they like to skip and get to the meat of the episode. I think they'd like to skip a commercial. I'd do a little mini commercials. Tell us a little bit about yourself that I may have missed in a bio or they would have known outside of what we've got in your bio.

Dr. Nina Lum:
I'm Nina Lum. I am originally from Cameroon. I currently practice hospital medicine in Kentucky. My background is in family medicine. I'm also in hospital administration as a chief quality officer at a community hospital here in Kentucky. More recently, I guess what's more exciting is that I have my second book out, the book collaboration, titled Beyond Challenges. And so that makes me a second time bestselling author, which is pretty surreal. And I also spent some time blogging. I'm at theencouragingdoc.com. A lot of my content is focused on for medical graduates like myself because not only being an international student when I moved to the States, but I also most of the Caribbean for medical school. So that makes me as sort of a foreign and international graduate. And it's a soft spot in my heart and I want to share with other people just tips and tricks that I learned along the way. I do enjoy traveling, shopping. I do enjoy learning about personal finance and applying that in my life and seeing where that takes me. So that's me in a nutshell.

Dr. Berry:
I love it. And we're definitely going to deep dive in all of your business. I just want to put out there right now because I want to know and for those especially Lunch and Learn community, I always get excited talking to them. Sometimes I think I'm more excited than my Lunch and Learn community, just talking to some of the amazing guests who are doing just still amazing things and things that, yes, you're a physician, but just outside of being a physician, Docs Outside the Box. Shout out to Dr. Darko, a good friend of mine as well too. I just love highlighting everything that you do and I want to tell Lunch and Learn community full disclosure, I've been following you for a while. And I knew you as I seen people were sharing it, people commenting and people are like, oh, this IMG coach. That's how you were dubbed when someone said I should follow you, the IMG coach. If you are an IMG and you're trying to get to where you're at. That's the person you need to follow.

And as a program director of an internal medicine residency program and understanding, and I'm pretty sure we probably get a similar, the same types of questions over and over again. I was definitely enamored, not only by what you do as far as coaching, interview and consulting and everything else. But really I could, as a physician, it's very easy to spot compassion. And that was something that I realized right off the bat, this was something that you love doing. It wasn't something that I'm just going to do it because I got the ability to do it and people gonna pay me to do it. I'd do it because I actually love doing it. So let's talk a little bit about just where that compassion came from and what made you want to start even doing it? Because again, you could have been a physician hospitalist quality because you gotta just did that and been perfectly fine. Right? (Yeah). But you're stepping outside of yourself and say, you know what, I'm going to do extra work because not only did I get through the door, but I want to hold it open for others behind me.

Dr. Nina Lum:
Yeah. A strong point. And I just want to let the Lunch and Learn community know that the interview that you did with me, I am pretty confident has it got the most hits on my blog for several months.

Dr. Berry:
Wow. Ok. I loved it. Lunch and Learn community I didn't even pay her to do it.

Dr. Nina Lum:
No tips involved. But seriously just being able to give them that perspective from your position of authority as someone that's on the other side and in more ways the target audience for these IMG. That was invaluable information. The comments, the reviews I got, the feedback. A lot of people came out and said that was the best interview in a long time. Because it was so packed with good information and I know people that actually went back and worked in ERS applications a little bit differently after interview. So just want to put that out there. (Thank you very much). You indirectly impacted my community as well. So we appreciate you for that.

Dr. Berry:
Thank you very much for that. Like I say again, it was something that I almost, its crazy Lunch and Learn community I felt obligated. I had to do it because just because I saw just how much she loved doing it and I felt like, you know what, let me try to give it my all because I want to put as much energy and effort that she's doing to help her community. And also again, really, really thank you for the kind words.

Dr. Nina Lum:
Yeah, you're welcome. So back to your question was about the passion. I think, the shoe hurts where, oh they say, you feel the pain where it fits or whatever, do you know that adage. So that's sort of my story. It's like I know where it hurt when I was a student and right before applying into residency. And so I never, at that point in time, I didn't even think about ever doing this because I never told anybody anything. I just kept it to myself. I kept my struggles with myself. I'm one of those weird people who never had a true mentor, which is something that right now I'm like, what was I thinking? And that's why I extend myself so much to other people. But I just did not know that there was so many other people out there except for those that were in my school who we were all struggling together, that we're dealing with the same challenges that I was facing. And I feel like mine was a little bit different again to most IMGs. Most IMGs are actually US citizens that moved to the Caribbean for school temporarily and then then moved back home.

Well, I was a little bit different from that because I was, I'm not a US citizen. I'm a citizen of Cameroon, lived there my whole entire life. Studies there out of my undergrad. Moved to the Caribbean really for medical education and then from there transition state. So it was like being in the States was new for me for one. And then second, I didn't understand the immigration system at all. So I didn't understand that that came with its own challenges. And then you put me again in the US system trying to compete to get into residency and not really understanding the process. I don't know how I did it all, but I didn't have any delays in getting into residency specifically for me, but it very well could have been the case.

Dr. Berry:
And that's all confident Lunch and Learn community because I don't know if you guys understand just the level of barriers. I hate to call them barriers, but really they are, that are placed in front of many who are trying to get into this profession and have the passion and love, but it's so many steps that they forced them to take just to get here. So I really want you guys to really take a deep dive and understand she had to do all of that to get to where she's at. And while you're doing, it's almost like a blurry, like, oh my God, I can't believe I have to do all of that when look back at it.

Dr. Nina Lum:
And I think also, it's important to point out that for a lot of my colleagues who, like yourself and people that are from here and maybe trained here and didn't have to deal with the other side of those things, it's like, it's almost oblivious. You don't believe that it happens until you know somebody personally that's been through it. So it's one of those things where I just want to point that out that sometimes a lot of times I talk to my coworkers, they don't really understand the process, but they've seen me walk through it over the last few years and they're like, oh my God, I can't believe you had to do X, Y and Z, just to practice medicine here. The rest of us it's usually just pass your boards, apply, and get in.

But then when you add the layers of visas and different things that come with that financial constraints, not being able to team any kind of financial aid for school and such, those things do add up and they have a lot of stress on the students, especially the IMGs. So anyhow, based on my personal struggles with primarily just the maneuvering to be sub-process and then various financial hurdles that I had to with that process. And even just the complexity of not understanding ERS when I went through it, my personal statement was whack.

Dr. Berry:
You ever look back again.

Dr. Nina Lum:
I always joke about that. I don't know who will read this thing. I thought it was good. I didn't have anybody proofread it. I just wrote it and submitted it. My ERS application, I didn't even think to include certain things that would actually work that I've done. When it comes to educational posters, publication, presentation, I didn't even count. I didn't count my own work as solid enough to go on that portion of the application. So lots of emissions, loss and mistakes. Gracefully got a few interviews, whether on the interview trail, learned on the interview trail too because my press interview was crazy. And then by the time I got to the second one, it got better and such. But that just being said, its lessons I learned the hard way.

I felt like once I became an attending actually, and had no intention of sharing this ever. But once I became an attending and I was working in rural Kentucky and I just had some more time on my hands doing the seven on, seven off. And I thought, I've always how to blog but never really opened up about the truth behind who I was on that blog. And I started to glow more about the struggle and that seemed to resonate with a lot more people. And I started getting emails or messages asking for more information or advice and tips. And I thought, everybody's on Instagram these days. I used that platform to speak a little bit more about the struggle side and the more I opened up the more I realize there were more people that identified with that pain point and that just really helped me get a message out to them.

Dr. Berry:
And what I love is because your story, especially as a physician isn't unique in that we'll go through a struggle and just in our level of training, we're not necessarily taught to publicize it and we're taught to internalize that we're the only ones going through that struggle. When you started blogging, you were like, oh wow, people are actually like gravitating to it. Is because a lot of us are sitting in the back like, oh, well I'm going through the same thing, but like one, I don't want to be like, I'm the only one doing it. Or like, oh, it's just me and like I need to kind of fix myself. So I love just that aspect of understanding that yes, it's not unique to keep it to yourself because that's probably been one of our biggest issues. I guess I like to say as a physician that we don't tell the people behind this like, hey, this was hard, right? I tell people all the time, I've failed multiple levels. There's not a level that I didn't fail at. But I just kept going. But like me telling you, I felt hopefully gives you a glimmer of light. So if you do trip, you understand it isn’t an end in the world.

Dr. Nina Lum:
Correct. I think in a sense we're almost preaching a different kind of healing when we share these stories. It's not necessarily that bedside healing, but it's actually, I think maybe in carries some stronger value because if you're able to get one more physician who was well-meaning, intelligent, and able enough to practice, that person's going to touch a lot more lives than you alone could as a physician. I think teaching other people how to cope when we do these things. And by sharing our stories with teaching other people how to, in many ways deal with the diverse challenges that are bound to come. But then more importantly, we're sort of replicating ourselves in a sense of they'll still continue to spread the message.

Dr. Berry:
So as you're blogging and you're realizing that you're picking up steam and now people are reaching out to you and say, hey you know, I have that question too. Or hey, I have a question could you answer. Was that something in your element were you used to being more and more public, more out there, or are you even as we speak more of the reserve type, like you'd rather just chill with your own but because of the platform that you've built, you're forced to be out there a little bit more?

Dr. Nina Lum:
So I will definitely say, people that knew me when I was a younger person would say I was very reserved, initially. But I think part of the self-development that has occurred in the last few years, which I think some of it has to do with medical training, it just pushes you out of your comfort zone period. But beyond that I have sort of just really transformed into an extroverted human being, but I still believed that it was a great component to me that's introverted in the sense that, I'm actually right on when it comes to certain things like talking about this IMG struggle right now. I can talk about it all day. But certainly there are other parts of my life that I'm probably still very introverted in. So I think because of the need, I've learned to adapt to meeting the need. But it's been a great process for me, so it doesn't make me uncomfortable necessarily, but I can see where if this was another area of my life or probably would be uncomfortable with it. You see what I'm saying?

Dr. Berry:
I totally, totally agree. I think I run in that similar ilk, especially when I tell people like, oh yeah, I got a blog and a podcast and do video, but I might try to keep to myself, they almost can't believe like, oh ok, I'm very sure.

Dr. Nina Lum:
Yeah. Right. I think people expect it to just be Dr. Berry that we see on the internet and they don't realize that maybe Dr. Berry has several interests in and there's different parts of Dr. Berry that we don't see on. And so when we see one part, we tend to think that's the person all the time which isn't always true.

Dr. Berry:
So as you're gaining the interest and gaining some of the fanfare, and I guess recognizing that you have something that people want. How was that transition like? Was it a simple one especially for these past couple of years especially when you say like, yeah, I have no problem coaching you or I have no problem, what was that transition?

Dr. Nina Lum:
I think it started first within me, the transition I would say. So I had to figure out how to coach people. And these days you can go, there's so many courses you can take on coaching right from the comfort of your own room. For me, I decided to read up more about it. I realized the best way to do it is to first look within myself. And so I started reading a lot more personal self-development books and that really helped me resonate with sort of a gifts that I think I've always had which is I believe personally, and I think my family will probably attest to this, that I do have a gift in helping people identify their purpose and their goals. And so I just help people streamline things that they want and make it more attainable for them.

Maybe that's an actionable steps that they can take. And so that's something I've always done for my friends and my family, but I never thought of it as something that was a gift or something that I could use on a larger scale platform like what I'm doing now with coaching people that are international students or graduates from medical schools. And so I think it's just been more of that fine tuning process, which I'm still in a growth process anyhow. So I believe that it's just been more of a growth process. When you figured out, okay, maybe I have a gift here or a talent here, the best thing you can do is sharpen it. Make it better. Talk to people that are better than you what you're doing. Talk to other coaches, read material written by coaches that you admire.

Watch the videos that you can find. There's tons of videos on coaching, everyone in internet, this online courses you can take. And so those things just help develop, gives the other people have seen naturally in you. So that's been really my transformation has been taking what I've always heard compliments about. Like, hey, you're really good at helping people figure stuff out. Or hey, you're really good with creating new ideas. You're like an idea queen or something. So I've heard those kinds of comments from people that know me on a really personal basis. And so I just took that and sort of ran with it and said, hey, how can I make this better for the people? How can I become an expert at it or maybe more professional with my approach? And a lot of that has come with just more of what I would call a personal development plan.

Dr. Berry:
Can you talk about maybe, especially during this transition, some of the highlights and even low lights as you've gained traction in what you've been doing?

Dr. Nina Lum:
There are a few things as far as highlights. The highlights are really the people that I get to impact. So, right now I have people that have coached that are currently in training, some are looking into fellowship applications this year. So it makes me feel very fulfilled in that is when I see people that actually worked with, is actually few that have lived in my house with me. Maybe they came by to observership and I housed them and walk them through that process, viewed the application and it had a person's statement and walk them through the interview process and all that. And now they're looking into the third year of residency and applying for other things. And I'm like, oh my gosh, you're my first experiment so to speak. And so that's my highlight is, is those doctors, male, female, different countries and just like, wow.

This is actually something that you can do Nina. So it's been a good encouraging force we need to watch. Low lights, I would say have to deal with, sometimes it gets exhausting just honestly, because when you give a lot of yourself, it was about self-care and sometimes self-care is being still and just minding on business. But when you give a lot of yourself out to people, you actually spend a lot of emotional energy and that is something that you cannot, nobody can award that to you. You just have to recover from it. You recuperate and get back up and sort of fill your tank and so what I like to call it. And then you can help more people because if your glasses empty, you can't pour onto another person's cup.

So that's sort of been, maybe the little lights is those moments where I get low on fuel and I had to step back and recharge. And that may mean, I don't coach for a season or I only keep with the people that I have and not take any new people in. Or it may just mean that I call my folk fewer times and I usually would schedule coaching calls with them and said, well, sometimes they may just mean that I take a vacation for a week and unplug and come back. So it just varies, it just varies sometimes. But I would say that's the biggest, I would say the low light. Another thing can be maybe just comparing yourself with other people that are maybe doing different kinds of coaching programs and feeling like maybe you're not that far advance. And that's just something that comes with what I've realized every just every great thing you're going to feel a certain type of way that you just have to move beyond your feelings and look at the impact that you actually have on individualize.

Dr. Berry:
Very true. And what I love about it is that be open because it's such an active process. It's active process when coaching right? When it's active process, when you're having to withdraw as well. And I'll be honest with you, Lunch and Learn community, I do send a lot of people towards their way, because if I get it so much and maybe I feel like they had imposter syndrome too. I'm like, well, you know what, as a former medical grant, I got this perfect person for you. I know this is the person, so I do send a lot of people. So I got asked, but that's me now.

I haven't ever remember, oh I have to be mindful. She is only one person. I gotta be mindful that we're not draining you too much because you have such a gift. Like I said, because when we did our interview, I saw the comments and I was like, wow, they are really like, one, how enamored they were and how intended they were. You could just tell like, oh, they were like thank you. They're not just like, just having a conversation that would just glad I was able to get.

Dr. Nina Lum:
I had people taking notes and coming back and weeks after with notes saying, remember the interview you did with Dr. Pierre, you said such and such and such. And he said such and such and such. Do you think I should do X? And I was like, wait, I don't remember talking about that. So you have people taking notes. I mean, it's a serious deal, but I just want to put this out there. If anybody's listening and they feel like they wanted to reach out to me. I don't want it to sound like, they don't need to be worried about burdening me or anything like that. They can always just, I mean, I respond to emails usually in those periods where unplug. You get an email stating I'm taking a break for X five days and I'll get back with you whenever I get back. But that's usually how it works. So there's some close with communication there.

Dr. Berry:
Nice. Okay. And remember Lunch and Learn community, we're going to make sure, and whoever's listening, we're gonna make sure that you have all of our kinds of information to bombard her, to follow her, to make sure you stay up with her because again, she is definitely want, like I said, I'm all over. I'm watching, I'm watching her stories. I'm watching her. I'm watching because I want to see not only how she doing it, but again, if there's something where I can improve on myself and just the position I am, I definitely will take nuggets as well. So you talked about just a time bestselling author but two-time bestselling author. Obviously I want to get into beyond talented, but talk about the first time when you decided like, hey, you know what, I'm going to write something. What was that like? Especially people write books. Was that something that was like, yeah, I'm gonna write a book one day and the opportunity came, or you would just with all of the life changes that were happening, it just felt right?

Dr. Nina Lum:
So the first time was when I partnered with a group of other female physicians and we wrote The Chronicles of Women in White Coats, which is ever since moved into a great movement. And there's been a wellness retreat, a blog and so many things birth out of it that have continued to encourage women in medicine and across the country. But then more recently, this was something that I was a part of the organizing team of and sort of co-leader in the project. And that really was something that was near and dear to my heart because this one was really focused on the struggles that immigrants space and particularly immigrant physicians. I'm just detailing accounts of their lives from different facets of general life, love the practice of medicine and how that has maybe made us better, or the challenges that we encountered along the way have made us much better for or thankful for who we are today.

And so that is the project that was just recently released this. Oh wow this month we launched, this month, actually October 4 and within the first day of releasing when Amazon made the best seller list, and I actually almost passed out when I saw that we were right below the book written by the neurosurgeon, When Breath Becomes Air, we were breaking underneath of him and I was like, oh my God, I took a screenshot of it. Because I could not believe that. And for several days after we stayed on the number one new releases, medical biographies, so that was a pretty good win for us, just because our stories are different but they're the same as everybody else's. So, even though I may feel like, oh my gosh, this is the book about immigrant docs. I'm not an immigrant. I may not relate with them. You'll be surprised because even though it feels like the origin of a story is vary from yours, but the struggles are going to be underlying, very similar and really boils down to what virtue that this person gained from that experience that I can maybe reflect on. And that's really been a joyous experience I would say.

Dr. Berry:
And it's been amazing and Lunch and Learn community obviously I want to give Dr. Lum community an opportunity to get a free book on us. We're definitely gonna make sure were saying out in the air we're going to sponsor so she can give a book away on us because I think you need to read this. But like I said again, I've been a secret spy on everything you do. And I think even I as a person who always wanted to do academic medicine. That was always my passion. I remember writing when I was a medical student. I was either a medical student, maybe a first year resident.

It talking about like, oh, I can't wait to be a Program Director because that was just something that I've always wanted to do. (Awesome). And still understanding and learning as I grow in in this role that I've been on three years now. Just a different side of it as osteopathic physician, we didn't typically deal with international medical graduates. So I'm learning all of these things. I'm like, wow, you guys have to deal with all of that. So that's why and when I say that, especially for the medical students who maybe are going to school here and they think like, no, we don't go through that same struggle. And you'd be surprised. The questions I get, the DMS I get, emails I get of going through that same like hurdles and trouble and how do I get over this?

Because I get those same questions for students who go here too. So I 100% agree that everyone should read this. One, because it definitely opens up your heart and your eyes. But especially your heart to say like, oh, okay. I definitely need to make sure I'm more mindful of there's the struggle that everyone has to go through and then it makes it. I'll say it online. I'll say it on live right here. I respected more because I know your hurdle was a little bit harder that in someone even like me who went to school here, who's from here, once osteopathic medical. So I understand that even my hurdle wasn't the type of hurdle or that you typically have to deal with. I'm definitely a fan of that book and really that premise, that you women got together and say like, let's write our story because, even though it's, you said 28 does that, how many, what that?

Dr. Nina Lum:
We have 15.

Dr. Berry:
So 15 different stories. But it was, it's still one collective theme. Like, hey, we struggled but we got to where we needed to be.

Dr. Nina Lum:
Right. And that's the message you're trying to put across. As you know, I usually say this jokingly, but and a lot of times when you moved to America from another country, you don't have the same opportunity as a person where this is their homeland. And so when we choose to share our stories, it's also a way to say that despite the fact that we maybe did not have the opportunity to get some added advantage, we still were able to overcome X and Y challenges in our lives to get to a goal. Just like you said, you always wanting to be a program director, thinking, oh my God, here you are walking in goal today. So a lot of times we have all these goals we set for ourselves, but maybe along the way you get a detour or encounter some kind of roadblock remembering that even people that may be could have been statistically considered less fortunate than you are still able to get their goals.

If anything that you can certainly get yours and so that's really the message of encouragement or empowerment or putting out there is irrespective of what origins you have or irrespective of your disadvantages and if you have advantages to take advantage of them. And so that that way our stories are able to resonate with more than just immigrants. But even just people that are non-immigrants or people to whom this is home. To not only share that story for awareness, but also to remind them that, hey, yes, you could still also achieve a lot of the other things you want to do for yourself given that you have certain advantages.

Dr. Berry:
So like I always asked, you come together and you write a phenomenal story, a collection of stories like this, what is next? When we talk about just getting the message out there and we already know what you're doing on the personal front, what's next for you?

Dr. Nina Lum:
Oh my gosh, I have so many plans Dr. Pierre. I don't even know sometimes how I go to sleep at night with all these plans in my head. But I have a dream of creating some more structure around international medical graduates and their pre-residency process. The biggest thing that I've noticed, I guess if I could create a study, this would be my retrospective analysis of I've worked with. The foundation is lack of knowledge. It's just what it is and it's not a lack of medical knowledge. Because I should have these IMG sense of score way higher on some of their boards. And maybe even students that have taught as part of my job here in the States. I know in the past, the first three years on a residency, I was a community based preceptor for and osteopathic school out of tenancy.

So I do know that scores can vary, but these IMGs they tend to really knocked up all of the park when it comes to some, not all of course. So that being said, medical knowledge I've noticed maybe is not so much of an issue, even though when it is an issue, that's a usually more difficult hurdle to overcome because you need to have the competitive score. But that put aside, just understanding of the process has been an area where I've seen the biggest gap. And so one of the things I've done is creating an online course geared to with this, but I'm looking at a more structured and casual approach, if that makes any sense. So maybe something like what you're doing, I don't know yet. Maybe something like a podcast or an annual meeting or that could really equip people one time.

Here's all the information you need, beyond just maybe a static online course, which I do enjoy and I do have and people use it. But beyond just that course, I would like something more dynamic, where there's more interaction and more real time. So whatever that is, I'm yet to discover. I'm yet to find out. Who knows, maybe someday it would be it, my dream will be the educational commission for medical graduates if I can get to work with them in some capacity in the future. That's definitely would be a big, big thing for me that ever happened. So I think for now that's really what I'm looking at is a more standardized platform that would equip IMGs with necessary information, evidence-based information that would really help them be well-armed on the front and instead of reaching out to me when they fail to match one time. Then that just makes it, it's a snowball effect. But they can get that information earlier on. And really I like to emphasize this. My message is not for people to go to foreign medical schools. That's not my message. My message is for people who already found themselves enrolled in those schools to improve their options and their chances of making their dream of being a board certified physicians in States. So it's really not a message of telling people to go to foreign schools because I would not do it over again if I have the choice.

Dr. Berry:
Is that just because of the hurdles that are placed?

Dr. Nina Lum:
Yes. The challenges that I faced, which I did not anticipate because I didn't know any better, I'd never lived in America before to understand the medical systems that extent, hindsight is 20/20. I can't see that far ahead. And so when you're just ignorant to societal standards. That being said, it's never my intention to say or premed student listening to this should go the premed and that's not the message. The message really is this, that if you already are in that predicament, here's what you need to be focused on because maybe the school may not equip you, especially when you start your clinical year. But exactly that piece of information. But then there's people like myself, we're developing with resources to help meet that need.

Dr. Berry:
I love it. And so interesting because that was the biggest driver for me. And I've said it before, when I talk about compassion, I don't use it loosely because when I see people who have such a drive, I just generally want to help them. I definitely want to see them succeed. I remember going to school at Nova Southeastern and I remember thinking like, okay, who's on the admissions committee? Because now that I'm at the door, I need to see what they saw in me and what do I need to do to tell someone behind me. And that's probably been secretly my drive to become a program director. Because I already know that my residency, alright, what are people on the other side looking at for potential resident applicants who to get into program.

And I remember when I did my webinar, right? Because I have a webinar as well too. The ERS interview webinar. The reason why I did it was because I saw so many people and you're so right. Making the same mistakes over and over again. That I knew it was just that they just didn't know. It wasn't they weren't trying. It was just that they just did not know this process. And I figured like, hey, if I just yell out and scream like, hey, by the way, put down your poster presentation. It was like, hey, by the way, I knew if I just yell at the screen that someone would take it and say, oh, you know what, I did do a lot of poster presentations or I did a lot of oral presentations.

Maybe I should put that in the scholarly activity so my ERS section doesn't look blank. I mean the amount of students who don't even know what goes in the ERS is still mind boggling to me. But like again, I was naive as well too. I didn't know until I got to the other side and I had actually put stuff into the ERS and realized that, oh wow, all this stuff I remember doing, I don't remember doing that. I didn't write it down. So I 100% agree, is never and especially because you're 100% right. It's not the scores are usually not the issue. I wish I could be like, oh yes, the scores that keep them out. It's no. There's so many systems in our medical society that again, and I've talked about this before ad nauseum that keep our foreign medical graduates, try to keep our foreign who graduates outside of the system.

I'm an internal medicine. So you already know, I think as if I had to pick a specialty that does an amazing job at trying to keep people out. It's internal medicine. So I understand that there are systems in place that purposely make it harder for you. And that's why I love everything that you do. And that's why, again, like I said, whatever your dream, whenever your dream comes to fruition, if you ever need some support, please let me know. Because I know that there's barriers that we have to artificially break down to make it easier for those who are in that predicament to get over here and learn and be able to take care of patients. That's really the end of the day we're trying to take care of patients.

They got these structures. They don't even let you do that. You have people here who do amazing, amazing work, clinical work, do amazing grades. But because of where they went to school, or maybe they had a hiccup. And like I said, full disclosure, there's not a level that I have not failed at all. So full disclosure and understand, I'm still a program director. I am 35 years, I always forget how old I am. I'm 35, 36, I think I'm 36, maybe 35, 36, but I'm still a program director. And I've had plenty of missteps and fails. So, and I've never believed that a misstep or fail anywhere during a medical school career should dictate whether you have a career at all.

I am 100% champion of what you do and really how you do it. And I think that's why I was such so excited just to have this discussion because one, I think we're opening up a lot of people's ears who probably don't realize, a lot of these outside forces that effect our international medical graduates, to the point where they hide for them. We're DOs and MDs. That's all they know. They don't know our struggle and they need more people like you, like saying like, hey, look, look, read this book. This is our collection of struggles. Just so you realize like, hey, yeah, it wasn't all straight A's and high, it wasn't all that.

So before I let you go, if you can, I know were about yourself care, right? But I do want people to make sure that they can follow you, you're always doing that. Again, Lunch and Learn community, let me brag on her a little bit. She is always doing a live. Now My ERS is an automated webinar. Reason why is because I'll be having a time to do that very often. You can go click it already. Press play. It's already prerecorded. It's done. My seat does it live multiple times. I know she just went through as a session where she was doing interviews. I'm not sure if you're still doing that. But I want people to follow. You just gonna just see how you're doing and see how they can stay within your community. Where are you at social wise, website wise, all of that stuff here? And remember Lunch and Learn community, whether you're driving, whatever you do, listen to it. We’ll make sure it is all in the show notes as well.

Dr. Nina Lum:
Thank you for that. I think Instagram, it's sort of my most active social platform and um, @drninalum. Previously I was known as the encouraging doc in Instagram and I'm still being encouraging doc. But my handle is @drninalum. And my blog is theencouragingdoc.com. So those are two places where people can find me on the internet. My online courses are on imgroadmap.com, which you can also find through my blog as well. Um, and I think those are the only places where I exist right now.

Dr. Berry:
Sure. What about the book? What about the book?

Dr. Nina Lum:
Oh yeah. I forgot. Okay. Yes. So you can get the book on my square site. It’s also included on my Instagram bio page. But it's also available on Amazon and this title Beyond Challenges, survival stories from African immigrant physicians on love life and the practice of medicine.

Dr. Berry:
Perfect. Remember Lunch and Learn community listeners and especially those in your community, we want to give away on behalf of us a 180 paperback books. So I don't know how, however best you feel, whether through your email list or your website. Whatever way you feel this, let us know. Because we want to sponsor one to give away because it is a message that I think people needs to be have in hand so you can understand like, okay, I really need to respect the grindness of some of these amazing physicians are doing down here.

Dr. Nina Lum:
Absolutely. I would love to do that. So we can probably figure out the rules to give away and maybe use one of our social platforms to further announce that. But I'm down. I can mail a book to that person directly whoever wins that give away.

Dr. Berry:
Let’s give them paper back. I know people are digital but let's give hard copy book.

Dr. Nina Lum:
Right. And that way it can get signed before you get it.

Dr. Berry:
Even better. See? We got to give the paper back and we've got to get that signed.

Dr. Nina Lum:
Absolutely. We'll love to do that.

Dr. Berry:
So again, thank you for joining the Lunch and Learn community. This has been an absolutely amazing episode and we just want to support you and thank you and give you all the well wishes on such an amazing journey. Like I said, to me you are the IMG coach. I'm going to keep sending people to you especially when I can't. I’m too busy. Especially as Program Director, this is interview season, so it's very busy.

Dr. Nina Lum:
Oh my God. I'm sure you're slammed. I can't imagine. That's one thing I can’t imagine how you doing.

Dr. Berry:
Oh yes. Crazy. It's crazy. You have a great day. Again, thank you for everything that you do.

Dr. Nina Lum:
Alright. Thank you so much. Thanks for having me. And to all the Lunch and Learn community folk, it was great spending some time with you today.

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Beyond Challenges: Survival Stories of African Immigrant Physicians on Life, Love and the Practice of Medicine

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Let's talk about Endometriosis... On this week's episode of the Lunch and Learn with Dr. Berry we have Dr. Anila Ricks-Cord, a wife, mother of 3 hilarious children and a board-certified obstetrician-gynecologist. She is a motivational speaker, a 2-time bestselling author of The New Laws of Mommyhood & Marriage: From A New School Mom With An Old School Hustle and the co-author of The Making of a Medical Mogul. She is a media personality whose passion is to encourage women to address their health care concerns and fears, giving them a voice and empowering their best lives, mind, body, and spirit.

This week she is on the show to talk about endometriosis, a disease that affects 11% of women, can responsible for painful menstrual cycles and even infertility. Listen to how Dr. Ricks-Cord has to deal with this problem in her current practice.

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Episode 132 Transcript... Episode 132 Transcript...

Introduction

Dr. Berry:

Welcome to another episode of the Lunch and Learn with Dr. Berry. I’m your host, Dr. Berry Pierre, your favorite Board Certified Internist. Founder of DrBerrypierre.com as well as Pierre Medical Consulting. Helping you empower yourself with better health with the number one podcast, for patient advocacy. Today I get to bring you a special guest today Dr. Anila Ricks-Cord which is a good friend of mine and an expert in women's health and what she calls vagina land. She is hilarious, first of all. But she is really an expert because you guys know I'm not the biggest women's health discussion, right? Because there was a reason why I went into medicine but so I figured. Let's bring someone on who can kind of help me, kind of grasp what is knowledge and I really kind of avoid it when I was a medical student in medical resident. So today we're gonna be talking about endometriosis which depending on when you listen to gets its entire month of awareness March is Endometriosis Awareness Month. So I figured if a disease gets a whole entire month, it has to be important. And if it has to be important let's bring an important guest on. So I just want to talk. I'm just gonna give a little bit of a bio just so you can kind of understand exactly the person we gonna talking to. First of all she’s hilariously funny. You definitely gonna enjoy today's episode. Dr. Anila Ricks-Cord is a wife, mother three hilarious children. She's a board certified obstetrician gynecologist. She's a motivational speaker. She's a two time bestselling author.

She's a media personality whose passion is to encourage women to address their health care concerns and fears giving them a voice in empowering their lives, mind, body and spirit. Can you know the theme: Empower yourself a Better Health. She currently resides in Texas where for loving spouse, three children and two lizards. She attended college at Indiana University. While there she performed research and published articles on rats in order to help curb alcohol behaviors in humans which is absolutely hilarious. She did move to Baltimore to perform research and publish articles at John Hopkins University. This time investigating acute respiratory distress random at the molecular level. She attended graduate school at Johns Hopkins and pursue a master's degree in biotechnology. She was accepted at the University of College Medicine. Experience significantly shaped how she practice medicine culminating her receipt of the Leroy Week's Award for Outstanding clinical skilled bedside manner and commitment to service.

Again, she is absolutely amazing and I get again especially from my fellows who are probably not sure this is a podcast. I listen to this is a disease process that could affect your mom, could affect your sister, it could affect your cousins. So this is something you may well listen to just be able to kind of pass it on, right? Especially if you have a female friend or spouse or a wife or a sister who has these very vague complaints and no one seems to know what's wrong with her. And then you start kind of attributing it to maybe in her head. This is a disease process that may make you think different right. So sit back for another great episode again if you have not had a chance, make sure you subscribe to the podcast. Leave a five star review for the podcast. So we are on the radar of everybody so everyone can be empowered for better health. So again thank you. Let's listen to another amazing episode this week with Dr. Dr. Anila Ricks-Cord.

Episode

Dr. Berry:

All right. Lunch and Learn community. So you heard that amazing intro with Dr. Anila and we're gonna, you know, really let her speak and introduce yourself to the community. And of course, you know guys, I've said this before, I am not no women's health expert. One of the reasons why I went and turned on medicine is because I kept getting kicked out of their rooms when I was a medical student, right? So I figured if we're going to be talking about women's health, especially disease course like endometriosis, right? I figure let's get the expert to talk and I'm just going to sit here and listen. So really, I'm actually going to be listening along with you guys and you know this, this expert kind of expand her knowledge on this and tell us what endometriosis in the show. But first and foremost, Dr. Anila, please again, thank you for coming to the Lunch and Learn with Dr. Berry.

Dr. Anila Ricks-Cord

Thank you Dr. Berry so much for allowing me to be able to be graced by your presence and share a little bit of knowledge.

Dr. Berry:

Just the feeling is, oh, a hundred percent mine. I've told Dr. Anila, a friend of mine and I told her, I said, I'm gonna get you on a podcast. Like you can't be given all that amazing information out to the community on Facebook and everywhere else and not give it to Lunch and Learn community. So I already, I had already pre-warn she would be on the show.

Dr. Anila Ricks-Cord

That’s you did, that’s you did. And I'm honored to be here. So.

Dr. Berry:

For those who may not know, you may not be following you, you give a little bit, you know, outside of the bio, little bit about yourself. Tell us why you do what you do and you know, kinda how you got to where you at now.

Dr. Anila Ricks-Cord

Sure. So I am a board certified obstetrician/gynecologist. I'm a wife of 22, going on 23 years. Praise God, Lord willing. I’m a mother of three awesome kids and I'm a two time best-selling author and a speaker. So through my books, my patient care, and my coaching programs, I encourage women to address their health care concerns and fears, giving them a voice and empowering them to live their best lives, mind, body, and spirit. So I'm originally east coast native. I'm the eldest of three children and a big science geek. I openly where their pin. I attended school in Indiana University, Purdue University at Indianapolis. And that was where I met my love and my biggest cheerleader perform research at Hopkins before having the privilege of attending Howard University College of Medicine and then completed my residency at WellSpan York, Pennsylvania. So I was inspired to practice medicine and led to become an obstetrician gynecologist secondary to the death of my mom. She was last 22 years old. She was misdiagnosed with the flu and subsequently died of Septicemia. For those who don't know what that is, it's essentially a bacterial infection in the blood, which basically causes massive organ failure and death. So this is why I do what it is I do. So.

Dr. Berry:

I love it. And you know, thank you for sharing that story with us because I think a lot of times people outside of in fact very, you know, full disclosure, we're actually recording this on like, you know, national doctor's Day, right? And I love this day. Because a lot of times physicians really aren't getting a lot of the fanfare and the good light that they should be getting. Right? You know, a lot of times there's a lot of misconceptions of why we became physicians. For some reason people think it's all about the money. I keep trying to tell you, trust me. (Most assuredly is not. Fannie Mae, Sallie Mae, she visits me on a regular). Can you chat and tell folks that, and it's really the love of wanting to see that next person get better. Right? And understanding that is, you know what, I wasn't there. I wasn't able to maybe make the steps I wanted to. It's like for my mom. Right? But maybe I can do for someone else. Right. And I, I'm, you know, I'm totally feeling that because I remember being a second year medical student and getting a phone call that my father was in the hospital and again, I'm a second year medical student. I didn't even know my dad had like medical problems. But you know, that's a whole another discussion. They don't, you know, patient guys don't like to talk about nothing. Right? And you know, subsequently from that he passed away and I said, you know what, there's no way that I'm not going to let people know, like, hey I only, I’m physician but I can't help you right from that day forth, I just kind of took that man once again, thank you for kind of taking your mantle and kind of really running with it.

Dr. Anila Ricks-Cord

It is what I was called to do. I feel like knowledge is power and my angelus says, when you know better, you do better. And my goal is to make it so that people know better so they can do better.

Dr. Berry:

I love it. So the topic at hand today is endometriosis. And I could tell you from a, I'll be honest, I'm an internist. I take care of patients than I used to take care of patients outpatient where I knew a little bit about it. But once I went inside the hospital, you know, my knowledge of it was very, very weak. Right? So I know that again in March where it's actually National Endometriosis Month, right? So any disease process that gets a whole month is one that I feel like the Lunch and Learn community needs to know.

Dr. Anila Ricks-Cord

So I happily, I will tell you about endometriosis. So before I can tell you what it is, allowing me to describe what's normal. First told you I'm a big fan of that Geek and women who become their menstrual cycles every month. The body attempts to get itself ready for the possibility of pregnancy. So I like to describe it as your brain calls her ovaries and says, hey girl, we're trying to get pregnant this month. Under the influence of your brain. Your ovaries make estrogen and progesterone, which causes the lining of your uterus to get nice and thick and fluffy, and it causes you to ovulate. The thickness of this lining. This thing happens every single month where every month we get nice and thick and fluffy, so we actually do get pregnant. There's a nice and nourishing space for a fertilized egg to implant and grow. If you don't get pregnant, that lining dies and peels off. And that peel, that lining is actually your menstrual blood, and so if you don't get pregnant, it starts all over again.

Better luck next month. Maybe it'll work out next month. Exactly. Just like we bleed out of our uteruses and out of our vaginas and owns or whatever, you know, products you used. There's also something called the theory of retrograde flow where we actually need backwards too. So if you imagine that this uterus has like this cavity on the inside, and whenever I talked about my lives, whenever I do them, I use my face as the uterus and I take my laps and I separate and pull them up to the side and said this is the fallopian tubes. You bleed backwards into the uterus are actually from the uterus into the fallopian tubes and into the pelvis. You know, this is where it's an issue and some of us, that tissue, that lining, endometrial lining, the supposed to regenerate itself every month. Some of that tissue takes residents actually in your pelvis and your abdomen and so come next cycle, the tissue does what it does and it sickens to try and make a lining where it is, but it's in the wrong place.

Yes, exactly right. Right. So you've got this out of bounds, bleeding going on, which triggers inflammation. Kind of like if you hit your elbow, you hit your knee and it swelled up. Right. Nice. And is sore. Your body responds to this perceived injury and your immune system kicks in and gets involved. And this is where scarring happens. So what is endometriosis is when you have your period in places other than in your uterus. And these endometrial cells, once they get access to your pelvis, they can then travel to other places and get access to your blood vessels and your root system and go outside your covas, to other places. So it is primarily a disease of your pelvis, but because they don't have any limitations and they don't know down, they can go other places too.

Dr. Berry:

So once that I retrograde bleeding happens. There's really like, oh all fair in love and war pretty much.

Dr. Anila Ricks-Cord

Yes. For some of us, we all do it. Not all of us, we all have this, this retrograde flow, but not all of us have tissue that are like boundaries. I don't know things like no boundaries. And so there's a, there's a thought that there's a genetic predisposition where there's a subset of people who have tissue that decides, Oh yeah, I'm going to be a topic, I'm going to grow wherever it is I wanted to go. Maybe, maybe it's like living in a large city, you need to get to some places not so highly populated. So you decide, a lot of people live like on the pelvic. The actual prevalence of endometriosis is not exactly known. So they say that you see it in between 25 to 38% of adolescents that have chronic pelvic pain and in 10 to 15% of women that are reproductive age. And so there's a substance and we talk about this theory of retrograde flow and then there's also a thought process to or told you big baggy claim. I apologize. I put disclaimer on it.

Dr. Berry:

We trust. We're just, we're all here for this. I'm sitting there, I'm listening. I'm like, okay. Okay. All right. All right.

Dr. Anila Ricks-Cord

Cool beans. So from an embryo logic perspective, I know you remember, you don't tucked it back in the rule that dig somewhere because it doesn't serve you anymore. But those of us who are women, when we actually go about being formed in our mother's womb, we have got a fallopian tube and a uterus and another fallopian tube and a uterus. And what happens is these two halves come together to make a hole. The center hollows out. And you've got, if you're lucky, you have one normal functional cavity. There's a subset of people who have what are called Mullerian anomalies where the two little pieces and uterus don't get together where they're supposed to. It doesn't hollow out the center and become one. And so these people are also a set up for endometriosis because they have topic endometrial tissue that ends up in other places. And so about 40% of these children that have these genital check defects will have issues with individuals. As they say, 50% of women that have infertility's had endometriosis and 70% of women and adolescents that have pelvic pain actually have endometriosis.

Dr. Berry:

And because we don't know the true figures, do you feel like the figures maybe higher than what we're even picking up?

Dr. Anila Ricks-Cord

I would say so because unfortunately it takes about nine years to diagnose endometriosis because it's a disease of exclusion. And so when people present, so you have a patient that will come and see you in and they've got these vague multitude of symptoms. So like in women in grownups, people who are not adolescents and adolescents have defined 10 to 19 years old. So reproductive age women, you can have a lady that comes to see you with a complaint of pelvic pain either with her periods or with sex.

And so if it's pelvic pain with her periods and call a dysmenorrhea, which is this dull crampy pelvic pain, that might start about two days before your cycle starts last. The entire length of cycle might occur a couple of days afterwards. Or if it's chronic, we're, it's been present for more than six months. It can be dull or throbbing or sharp or even in one of my patients, she has a burning sensation every month on her cycle shows up. She's got a spot in her left lower quadrant or her anterior abdominal wall where it's like a hot poker. That's how hers that she has pain all the time, but when her period's shows up, it just burns in this one little spot. So that's what cycle you're paying with your period. If you have pain with sex, you will have patients that have complaints of pain with penetration, particularly deep penetration, and so when you go see your Ob-Gyn, one of the ways that you can kind of mimic this is the thought is when you get these endometrial implants in such a personal space, you can get these.

It starts off as a microscopic disease and you can get nodules or uterus has got this support system inside our pelvis is kind of like the ladies who wear bras, kind of like a bra strap. So you've got the same call, uterine staples that supported on the inside of your pelvis. You can take your fingers in a lady who has endometriosis, put them in the back part of her vagina, separate them like a peace sign and stroke and practically make her leap off the table because she has nodular implants in the back. So you can simulate this, this pain with sex when you stroke on these easier to cycles on the back issues that nodules implanted inside. Ladies who present with infertility and so infertility technically is defined is a chick, is less than 35 years old, has been trying for a year to have, has been having regular sex for a year and trying to get pregnant and hasn't.

If you're over 35 is six months essentially, but they say the 30 to 50% of women who have infertility had endometriosis. If you have a lady that presents and she has an incidental finding on ultrasound which has got some pain and you do an ultrasound, she's got a mass on her ovaries, there's a particular. Endometriosis implants can actually implant anywhere inside your pelvis, on your bow, on your bladder, inside the wall of the uterus to, and I'll come back to that one. And inside the ovary you can get what it called Endometrioma where when you look at them on an ultrasound where essentially the equivalent of blood clots inside the ovary, a lady that's got an ovarian mass and is an Endometrioma, if you have a high index of suspicion that she has endometriosis, you know, also present in ladies and have bladder issues.

Like if you have a feeling like when you do not have a UTI but you feel like you go into the bathroom all the time or you feel like you've got to go right now or you have pain when you go to the bathroom. That could be a sign of endometrial implants in your bladder. If you have bowel issues where you have issues with diarrhea or waxing and waning diarrhea and constipation or pain when you desiccate or colicky bow, that can be a sign of endometrial implants in your bow. There is a version of endometriosis called adenomyosis. Which is what Actually Gabrielle Union had. Heavy menstrual bleeding is is a possible sign of endometriosis and by heavy menstrual bleeding. Allow me to clarify. A regular period is supposed to be no more than 80 cc's so in simple terms in an English

Dr. Berry:

Talk to the men. I hear.

Dr. Anila Ricks-Cord

Right. I'm about to say so. A normal period is for hotel bottles of lotion. That’s 2.7 fluid ounces or it's about a third cup. That Mixing Cup that you have in the kitchen when you make us up on one third cup size, that's ATC seats. Anybody who has more than that and some of the patients that don't have had that have had heavy menstrual bleeding, they making crosses and ease and the underpants they've got multiple two, three second. I'm like mattresses. Or they're use tampons. If you can use a super plus tampon and that thing falls out in an hour or two you have heavy menstrual bleeding. For Gabrielle Union. When she was talking about her fertility struggles, what she suggested was that she was in it to her doctor with heavy menstrual bleeding. Traditionally put her on OCP is birth control pills in order to be able to regulate her flow.

She subsequently was found after having her struggles with fertility so she could, she had gone through some ivs cycles. She got pregnant a couple of, actually, she’s pregnant more than a couple of times. I think she suggested maybe nine times. She got pregnant, something along those lines, seven to nine times. But with her, she has endometriosis in the walls of her uterus. And so you've got this glandular tissue that's supposed to do right and be nice and fluffy like a comfort in the winter time for this egg that's on fertilizer on the wall. But it has a place where it's supposed to be. It's only supposed to be on the lining of the inside of the shoe is not deep with them. A muscle for people who have the endometriosis inside the wall of the uterus or the Adenomyosis. They actually have bleeding that occurs within the muscle itself. And this leads to inflammation and issues with fertilization and implantation and being able to carry a pregnancy. So again, heavy menstrual bleeding was also a sign as well as irregular menstrual bleeding. Endometriosis can also make itself manifest in the form of low back pain or chronic fatigue. This is why it's so nondescript and it takes forever to diagnose.

Dr. Berry:

That’s I think about. Nine years?

Dr. Anila Ricks-Cord

Nine years. Yeah. In adolescence, which is that group between ages 10 to 19 and there had been some documented cases of little girls who didn't have Mullerian anomalies I talked about what you just didn't come together. Right. They had the babies that have been documented to have endometriosis as young as eight and a half years old. Those little girls will have symptoms that are, that can be cyclic, like only a time with your pain and not having anything to do a period. But they can get pain that gives worsening and more severe when they actually start having periods and they can have rectal pain, they can have constipation, they can have pain with defecation when they go to the bathroom associated with their cycle. Rectal bleeding, pain with urination, and even blood in the urine or that need to go right now and so is so nondescript. You can see how a physician would run through a litany of tests before finally getting to the point where you even considered endometriosis at all.

Dr. Berry:

Nine year seems so long. (It is). Should it not be like more ahead of the line or do you really have to kind of rule out some big stuff first before you can say like, okay, let me let's think about endometriosis inside of them. No, cross my t's of everything else.

Dr. Anila Ricks-Cord

So I think that because it was a diagnosis of exclusion for the longest time to truly diagnose it, you need a tissue staff and so the thought process, (Tissue it's in the muscle. How do you get, wow, okay). Right and endometriosis, you only get, if you have a uterus of the path lab, that's how you diagnose that otherwise is I take you to the operating room. I do a diagnostic laparoscopy where I poke a hole inside your belly button, do you up the carbon dioxide, took another two holes inside your belly in order to be able to get camera inside there and some graspers to move around and look to see if I can see signs of disease. And it's not four stages to what you could have minimal disease, which is microscopic, and you don't see nothing to stage four disease where you have everything stuck like chuck on the inside.

But ideally if you get to the point where you have to do laparoscopy, then you go inside and you biopsy this different parts of the pelvic sidewall underneath the uterus cycles. If it's on the ovary where ever you see there'll be, sometimes it looks chocolate, sometimes it looks white, and so any abnormalities you see you're biopsying them in order to be able to confirm the presence of disease and that's part of it. A lot of us who are conservative would want to try. I think old school thought was if you had endometriosis, let me try all these other things to make sure it's not that before I'd used last resort and take you to the operating room. (Which is operating room. When I talked to some people and say operating room, what? ). Exactly and yes, just when you think about that, if at any time you poke a hole inside anybody, anytime you performed surgery, there's a risk of it. It’s a disease thereafter and so it's a risk versus benefits kind of thing.

But I think that the thought process, I think more people are becoming more aware about how much of a big deal this is. Because you think about how often do when you were seeing patients that were women, you joked that you got put out of the room all the time, that it's a comfort level that's got to exist between you and your physician and I'm sure you've seen the commercials talking about the meds and the chick the study have had endometriosis. When people don't feel comfortable talking about what's going on with their period, how much they bleed. Like you'd be surprised the number of women that have gotten Menorrhagia or heavy menstrual bleeding where they practically write their name on the floor in blood and cursing every time their period shows up and they think it's normal and they ask anybody about anything.

Dr. Berry:

Wow. Have you have trouble in the past and tried to even pull that type of information out of your patients?

Dr. Anila Ricks-Cord

You know, I think for me I'm fortunate in that I laugh and joke with my patients and then because I have also had issues with Menorrhagia like so black people are real good at making fibroids. Sidebar, I have a fibroid. Uterus is about the size of a 12 week pregnancy. And as a consequence, I think God has got a funny sense of humor cause at the Ob-Gyn, if somebody thinks that I have experienced it, I can relate to with my patients. And having been one of those chicks that has been a Menorrhagia without, not that people want to know what my contraceptive option is, but I use a Mirena IUD in order to control my Menorrhagia. Without my Mirena IUD, I can use a super plus tampon and it falls out every two hours. And I could write my name on the floor of blood curse using a regular tampon. Using a regular tampon, about Mirena. I don’t know what that was.

And so I use humor in what are the bridge the gap in order to be able to ask those kinds of questions. So tell me about your menstrual cycle. How long does it last? What products do you use, how often do you change them? Because a large number of these people who have, who should have hemoglobin hematocrit of six. They eyeball rolling because they believe, they think that's absolutely normal. They think that's absolutely normal. And then because it's, it's your period and you're not comfortable talking about that stuff anyway. It's a don't ask, don't tell, unless you have the kind of relationship with your physician where you feel like you can talk about.

Dr. Berry:

Can you talk about it and if you can't, if I want to say you can't take their relationship isn't there to talk to it with your OB, you definitely not talking to the hospitalist.

Dr. Anila Ricks-Cord

Of course not. If the person see it on the bottom, you can to the physician. Why talk to people that you are not close? Exactly.

Dr. Berry:

Okay. All right. All right. So let's see. So you mentioned liking me and I told you I was going to get some learning today. I already let her know, oh we're going to do some learning today. Cause again this is, I'm taking those right along, which I'll be going again. I've experienced in taking care of patients with this disorder. But of course you know me, I'm referring out to the OB clinic when I, well I think is what you got. Go ahead. See my OB friends, see if that's the case. So definitely. Wow. Okay. So what about, so we talked about it. I, I hear somebody, you know, some of the signs and symptoms kind of really associated with it. Now, is there anything that these patients are doing that may have attributed to getting any endometriosis? I mean because I guess they have to have a menstrual cycle, right? So it's not all about the retrograde bleeding, but is there…

Dr. Anila Ricks-Cord

Well in theory, remember there are some babies eight and a half and haven't had periods that have issues with the document in endometriosis. Wow. The vast majority of us have this menstrual, heavy menstrual cycle related signs and symptoms. We were, we're cycling and we've got this retrograde flow, but you don't necessarily have to have a period. You can have these, these girls. So when you're talking about risk factors for it in the materials, as we talked again about the, the developmental conditions that predispose you to basically having your belly tampered with endometrial tissue. We talked also about the fact that there are some people who are believed to have the genetic predisposition. So if you have a first degree relative that has endometriosis and by first degree relative is either your mom or your sister or your children, if you have a first degree relative that has endometriosis, you have an increased likelihood of having it too. And there's a thought process that, and these people who have a genetic predisposition for endometriosis, there's something about the way their cells signal that they don't respect boundaries and go from one place to another. Like tutors, I'm going to the pelvic. And then there's also a thought to that if you started your period early, like 10 or less that you're an increased risk for endometriosis. And then it has unfortunately has awful side effects too. Awful side effects.

Dr. Berry:

Now are, those are the, especially because we would kind of lean on, they're kind of starting to period early. So of course, you know, we're talking about like kids and then obviously this is an issue that a dose deal with as well. But I'm always kind of fascinated, especially as I'm an internist, I really only see 18 and up, you know, as an OB, you know, you're seeing all kinds of ranges. Do the complications associated with it? Like are they much worse off in the child than adult or is it still kind of tight? I gets bad either way. Like we know the rectal bleeding, we know the urinated, we know all this. But like if you, if you had to I guess choose, right? Like when would you rather start dealing with these problems? Would you rather deal with it as you know, in, in the younger age or more of that old, they're 35 40?

Dr. Anila Ricks-Cord

Well, oh, sorry. That's interesting. Thank you for reminding me. I forgot about that. One might tell you a little sidebar about that one. So in theory with children, the thought process is again, 40 days, 40% of adolescents with general tract anomalies, 50% of them have issues with infertility and 70% of women and adolescents with pelvic pain, it's got it. But the thought is that you've got longer in, would it be repetitive or your belly with these things? And so as a child, outside of the symptoms that we discussed beforehand, okay, the issue is think about all the years particularly undiagnosed, that you've got your belly, your abdomen, and your pelvis, your bowel, your bladder being peppered by these implants inside your personal space that then may not reflect or respect boundaries. Hop a ride on your vasculature or in your lymph system and go to other places. You can actually have endometriosis implants in your chest.

Dr. Berry:

The chest wall?

Dr. Anila Ricks-Cord

Yes, you can actually, it's this thing with, with so you know, cells and how they're supposed to respect boundaries and go to confluence and owning by protein signaling. Endometriosis implants can end up inside your lungs. You can actually get a collapsed lung as a consequence of endometrial implants. You can actually have Hemolysis when you cough blood for people don't know where that is. Yes. Or you can actually have, what is the other one is there's the collapsed lung, this coughing up of blood. And there's one other, I'm gonna circle back. When you talked about the difference between adults and children from the standpoint of what it is they have, you think about you have longer to be able to develop the side effects which are infertility. And if he's a disease which distorts the tubes and the ovaries, you have inflammation which is going to cause scarring and you've got pain and so you've got a longer time in order to be able to do this.

So yeah, it can give you chest pain, collapsed lung, a blood in the lungs and coughing up few months. And then also with endometriosis, which I'm a sidebar in people who don't have one, you talked about the difference between adult versus children. You can be a perfectly normal lady who went to go have a C section. And as a consequence of having a c section because the uterine lining was disrupted, you can get into endometriosis impulse anywhere along that incision line. So where when I do C section, so we, after the scan we cut that we cut through the Fascia, separate the muscles cut. So the organs are online with this peritoneum is what he's got his own thought casing. Your bladder sits on top of your uterus and there's this thing called the physical uterine peritoneum that you cut your, put some letter out of the way you cut inside the uterus, you deliver the humans, you close uterus one layer and then folded back on itself. You can get into the endometriosis implants from the opening of that uterus being out in the abdomen, in the Fascia, in the anterior abdominal wall, and in the incision site. In my residency program, we had a lady who had a complaints of pain every single time her periods showed up. And actually when we imaged her, you found what looked like a small little one meter hole and it was actually much larger when you got inside her and started dissecting out where it could be. Endometrial lining had implanted in her incision and every single time she had a period it would bleed in her anterior wall and that incision site.

I had a lady who when she was a child she had, I can't remember what her particular condition was. She had some kind of condition where she ended up having anomalies with her legs. One was rotated backwards, the other was rotated in a strange way and so she ended up having to have one of an amputated and was a compromise. Actually had that, she had booked a mandated bilateral amputees and there was something going on with her belly when she had some kind of surgery or maybe there was a challenge or something that was playing. She presented with complaints of belly button pain at one point in time and on further inquiry when you talked to her, she said that she could milk her belly button around the time of her period, showed up and get a round discharge to come out. And sure enough she had endometrial implants in her belly wall were when she started cycling because she had surgery when she was a child. It was enough to disrupt stuff and literally she blown through her interior wall where there was a defect of a wall with the implants would bleed right inside there. She'd get a little know what’s inside.

Another chick who came to office, same kind of thing, complaints of just barely walk. She had an endometrial coma in her anterior wall as well. And so you, you go to the treatment modalities for endometriosis cause she's got endometriosis. And then outside of what it does from a standpoint of being a child and you having all this time to pepper your belly and being able to get it being a normal chick who just had a c section or a disruption in the lining of the uterus. Now you have it causes all kinds of pregnancy complications. We causes miscarriage, increased restricts topic pregnancy. You can get bleeding during pregnancy and hemorrhage afterwards sets you up for Preeclampsia. You can have a Placenta Previa where ideally placement of the placenta is hanging from the top of the readers like a chandelier. It increases your risk for a preview where it covers the opening of your cervic for a c section, such your upper preterm labor and delivery, a c section and low birth weight babies. So it's just all unpleasant. (Oh Wow. Okay).

And the thought is that because you have got these ectopic implants, this endometrial tissue inside your pelvis within triggers an inflammatory response. As women when we get pregnant. So we have relations, the sperm travels up of vagina for the rest of, it's through our uterus, Fallopian to define the egg, fertilizes the egg, and then the Fallopian tube pulls the egg, desperate lives towards itself. And then in the tube you got these hairs, these silly or that kind of push the egg through the tube and into the wall of the uterus. It is a thought process that with people who have endometriosis, that'd be inflammatory. Mediators are chemicals and their pelvis are so high that it's toxic to sperm. And that's part of the compromise with your fertility too, that this from getting sad then go.

Dr. Berry:

It's just not the place for me. Right?

Dr. Anila Ricks-Cord

No, I can't work on these conditions. I cannot be. So, no, it's crazy.

Dr. Berry:

That's and I guess the question is like, especially in your stance, like how, what's the likelihood that you're going to, you know, you see a young who is complaining of a lot of these issues and say, you know what, let me let, let's open you up and see. Right? Like let's do a laparotomy, right? Like is that, does that also ate into it as well that you know maybe the surgeons aren't likely to open them up to check because of like I don't want to put a surgeon. I don't want to put a kid through that.

Dr. Anila Ricks-Cord

And you think about the fact that if it's a child, some of us are comfortable with adolescents, some of us are not. There is a branch of gynecology that is specific to pediatrics and so you think about asking about whether or not people are even listening to what the complaints are. How many people with a child who complains of having constipation would ever think that has endometriosis and that you just eat too much junk or you need to drink some more water. I think that there's such a vague complaints that unless the child has been complaining about them the entire time and you've done a complete workup and I can't tell you the number of times where we'd endometriosis, it comes down to the gastroenterologist and the Ob-Gyn they've been sent and would it be able to get a colonoscopy in order to be able to be assessed to see what's going on with this presumed abdominal pain that once they ruled them not that is not GI in origin. Then it becomes, well the only other thing you got left down there is your reproductive organs. So it's either your guts or your uterus, which is where the attachments to it.

Dr. Berry:

I'm scared, scared for you. I don't have any of those issues with it being clearly, clearly this is why the disease process like this needs whole month. Right? Because it average nine years to like that, we got to move this out, right? We got to move this up quickly. That should not be the case. I'm sorry. I'm so sorry for you.

Dr. Anila Ricks-Cord

I think things are getting better. Again, we used to treat it like it was a zebra and you go through everything before you, and even from the same point of you ask about what's the like of somebody performing surgery. So ideally the founder to do laparoscopic surgery, but you think about people who manage conservatively, they would put you on everything first. Exactly. Birth control down to see what exactly you would. You would go through all the other conservative options before definitively going to surgery and, and the data suggests that even if you do surgery alone and that’s it, there are people who have defended over get relief with surgery, particularly if you have adhesions where you imagine that you've got with a good example of an adhesions? Where you have an abnormal connection of one thing to another. Maybe like imagine a ribbon and not inside your uterus but still if you had a connection between your uterus and your bowel or your uterus was stuck to your anterior abdominal wall because this inflammation causes this scarring and this is music disease that take place. If you want surgery, you just…

Dr. Berry:

Almost like a fly trap where like it's like it's stuck to that.

Dr. Anila Ricks-Cord

Yes. That’s a good analogy. Yes. Minus the dead flies. Exactly. Well you have things sticking from one point to another and it causes for the people who have chronic pelvic pain and have that disease, just going to the bathroom causes them problems. If they have issues with constipation and near bowel is stuck to the anterior abdominal wall or stuck to their uterus. A contorted in some way, shape or form. Can you think about how though the bow has got this motion where kind of squeezes fecal matter from one point to another? Just being constipated is enough to cause you wicked pain. And so people who have chronic pelvic pain secondary to disease, secondary to endometriosis, have to do things to alter their lifestyle to make it so the consistency of their stool is more like saucers. So the bowel doesn't get over distended and pissed off and cause pain.

Dr. Berry:

Wow. So we didn't scared Lunch and Learn community enough. They want to hear now. Like all right, you scared us. We believe you. We notice issue. Please tell me how to treat it or at least prevent it, right? Because I guess that's a two part question, right? Is this a way? Again, little kids is getting even before there, you know, they're menstruating, right? Is there an actual way that you could do anything about this? And if there is like how do I treat it? Like I, I know we've mentioned a little bit about the oral contraceptives, which again, I'm an internist. I don't know none of those things.

Dr. Anila Ricks-Cord

Oh that's hilarious. So I'm trying to be really, really good. But all I could hear you say…Nope, and I don't do that. So treatment options and prevention, unfortunately at this point, because we understand its mechanism of action, but we don't really understand what causes it. So because we don't really understand what causes it, we've seen the clusters of people that look like this and clusters of people that look like that, we don't know how to prevent it. And so the thought now is with treatment options, there are a couple. They thought ideally as you want to decrease your inflammation, and initially I didn't mean to scare anyone. Knowledge is power. I wouldn’t scaring anybody at all.

Dr. Berry:

Lunch and Learn community knows that you know, we're going to talk about a lot of disease courses. That you know what, if you're not, if it's not taken care of, it can cause a lot of problems. Yes, yes. Yeah. Take care of the problem. If you don't know that the problem is out there.

Dr. Anila Ricks-Cord

This is true. You're absolutely correct. And so with treatment, so ideally, first line is nonsteroidal anti-inflammatories, Ibuprofen and Naproxen. Back in the day we used to give people for chronic pelvic pain narcotics. And unfortunately we turned them into crack heads. So ideally the goal is to stay away from opioids. You want to do what you can do to increase, decrease, I'm sorry, inflammation. That's first one. Second is you use hormones. So you either have a couple of choices. You can either use birth control for non-birth control reasons. If you're not sexually active and you just have wicked pain or you get a two for trying to decrease your pain and make it said that you don't get any unplanned babies. The thought as you can use birth control pills, you can use injectable, which would be depot, you can use the implant, which is the next one on the ring. Do you either use them continuously when you get on a method and you stay on a method or use it cyclically in order to be able to make them.

Dr. Berry:

And from a, you know, from a non OB, I'll even talk about the guy on the guy's perspective, right? When y'all take birth control pills, so that it bleed less? So, yeah.

Dr. Anila Ricks-Cord

So yes. Ok I got you. Thank you for asking. In my case, I can write my name on the floor in blood and curse if mine is definitely about, not having or bleeding less. And so earlier when we talked before about how the brain calls the ovaries and tells the ovaries, we tried to have a baby and the ovaries go about thickening of the lining of the uterus and making it so you ovulate. Your body doesn't care how the hormones are made. You can either make them or take them. Your body just wants them to be present. And so the thought with the use of birth control pills or contraception, depending on which condom use is to thin the lining of the uterus. So you don't have a nice fluffy learning for an egg to implant. And some of them that modalities actually shut your ovaries down so you don't ovulate. In this case, the goal is to be able to thin the lining of the uterus and if you're using it continuously to shut down those ovaries so that that you don't have that tissue, that's another places. It's getting nice and thick and then after it gets nice and thick, it dies and you've got all this inflammation. You're trying to stop that process. Just shut it down. Thank you very much. Where you, you're in these other locations. Yes. Where you're living, where you've traveled abroad with this issue…

Dr. Berry:

We trying to starve those areas off. (That is exactly right). All right. All right guys, trust me guys. I got, y'all are here. I know. This is a woman's cell phone. Trust me.

Dr. Anila Ricks-Cord

Yes. From the standpoint of endometriosis, the goal is to starve that estrogen sensitive tissue that sitting out in the periphery. So you can either use hormones in the form of birth control or they're another batch of medicines you can use called GNRH agonist. I'm not going to have moment over this cause this term too much. But old school, there was a medicine called Lupron, which was a shot that you could get. New school, is this the one that you've seen on TV called Orilissa. They're both GRNH agonist and what they do is they cause the equivalent of a medical menopause. They shut you down, allow the implants to starve and die. But they can only be used short term, like the Orilissa. Depending on what your symptoms off, you can only use a six months to 24 months. And the same with Lupron because there's some side effects that go with it because it puts you into a medical menopause.

It can actually decrease your bone mineral density and make it like a little old lady. The snap. Exactly. So those are treatments and if you do hormones that thought as if you do hormones, you do insets to so hormones and insets. And the goal was if you use the hormones when the same one of the contraception, the goal is to trick your body into this sort of false pregnancy state. Shut down your ovaries and make the implants die or go into a coma and decrease that inflammation. The next option would be surgery. Like we talked about laparoscopic. Laparoscopic surgery where you fill the belly up with carbon dioxide, drop the camera on the inside, put in some graspers in order to move things around. See if you can find some tissue to biopsy to confirm the diagnosis. If there adhesions, you disconnect those adhesions. And then if there are lesions that you can see, you do what's called ablation, you literally go and you burn these adhesions on the inside of the belly. Now, the lovely thing about surgery, but the bad thing about surgery is that anytime you have surgery, God makes all of our organs have their own organ case to them. Even your belly, it's got aligning cause like the inside of your mouth, anytime you pop inside somebody's belly, you risk the possibility of causing them adhesions as a consequence of the surgery. And if the surgery alone…

Dr. Berry:

With a c section?

Dr. Anila Ricks-Cord

Yes. Well, the endometriosis actually tracks. So all of these layers that you put together, it actually tracks into all of these. So imagine anywhere your nice touch, your skin fat Fascia, peritoneum, the endometrial cells can be in any of that line. From the inside of the uterus all the way out from the incision site in the uterus to the peritoneum, to the Fascia and the muscle wall in the back, all the way through in the skin itself, all the way through. And the lady I was talking about in residency, she had a tiny little lesion in her skin. But when you went to go dissect this thing out, it was huge. And it was in her Fascia. So it was like a mountain top. You just saw the top of the mountain. And when he got up on the news, right, you saw the rest of this mountain down inside, they were like icebergs. Now that…so.

Dr. Berry:

I'm not gonna lie, I might not wish endometriosis as my enemy. That's what I'm hearing.

Dr. Anila Ricks-Cord

It’s not a pretty thing to have at all. And the problem with surgery is that if you just do surgery here within a year, you've got symptoms that returned. Yeah, definitive treatment for endometriosis once you have done having your baby. So ideally for ladies who are reproductive age, the goal is to shut you down so you're ready to get pregnant, you get pregnant, then we shut it back down again. And then when you're done, depending on the severity of your disease process, some people respond well to hormones, some people don't. And definitive treatment for endometriosis is removing your uterus, tubes and ovaries being without hormone for a period of time to allow the implants to die off. And then restarting the hormones afterwards because you really need to be on hormones. Still menopause up in this country and average age is 52 otherwise you look like a man about to blood vessels and you snap crackle, pop in, all kinds of stuff.

So outside of that, there's a thought process that there are some alternative medicine options that may or may not work. Now traditional data says it doesn't work. But you have to bear in mind that we are unique individuals. We have bio individuality. And so what works for one person may not work for somebody else but may work for the person that's using it. So this on is that acupuncture, herbal remedies and homeopathic May. I worked for some people outside of that. From the standpoint of you asked if there's anything you can do to prevent it. No. The thought process is to try and make yourself as healthy as you can be and to have coping mechanisms for the pain. So exercise.

Dr. Berry:

Health wise, you're talking about food or?

Dr. Anila Ricks-Cord

Right. We talking about food. We talking about balanced diet with very little processed food in it. We thought, I'm like getting enough sleep because you feel yourself when you sleep at night. We're talking about exercise and what it be able to decrease inflammation and meditation in order to be able to help cope with the pain. There's also in the DDA goes a suggestion to they're people who have endometriosis are deficient in vitamin D and so when we talk about how this tissue response and how we can say, Oh, you have to say the curb, but I'm going to go outside the boundaries and do other stuff. And these people who have endometriosis and are found to have vitamin D deficiencies. Folks believe this supplementation of vitamin D you might make a difference in any woman who is of reproductive age needs 800 international units of vitamin D a Day. Anyway, some of US Brown people don't spend a whole lot of time in the sun and don't generate the vitamin D and I'll give you an example.

A lot of people who drink milk, they get milk and eat cheese. Drink milk and eat cheese. They get all the calcium and vitamins they need, I don't drink milk because I'm lactose intolerant. The last time I had my labs on, I'll tell you my vitamin D level with 17. I'm the surprised Dr. Berry laughing at me. Normal is considered to be normal to be 30 and in Vagina land as the OB Gyn. We lasted to be around 6. And so vitamin comes supplement outside of of finding that people who have endometriosis are deficient in vitamin D. There's also a thought process that vitamin D and depression have a role with deficiencies in vitamin D and colon cancer. There are deficiencies in vitamin D, so just bone up on your vitamin D.

Dr. Berry:

Get your Vitamin D. Right. Like I say that again. I kind of scoffed at first. I was like, what is this little thing had his own month? This ain't heart disease. This ain't, you know, verbally like, okay, all right.

Dr. Anila Ricks-Cord

It affects quality of life. Talked about seriousness of disease. The reality is the endometriosis isn't going to kill anybody at all. There's a thought process that when I talked earlier about the ovarian masses that you can get the Endometriomas. The endometrial tissue that invades into the ovary and obviously takes residents can actually give you so with ladies who held a Sidebar, I'm making a correlation. I apologize, I coming back. For the Ovarian Syndrome who don't have regular menstrual cycles are at increased risk range and mutual cancer because at lining become can become atypical and find it. That same kind of thing can happen in the ovary where the endometrial tissue that is implanted in the ovary this now cause this chocolate fiscal of blood, which is the endometriomas. He can take on abnormal qualities just like the lining of the uterus when it is a typical he ladies are at PCOS.

They haven't found words actually become for lung cancer, but it has the capability to change cause it's inter-mutual tissue crazy stuff. Right. The bad thing about endometriosis is, like I said, if you, if you have it, it's everything. Unfortunately it can cause infertility. It can dictate whether or not you can move your house and function without pain. The patients that I have had that have had chronic pelvic pain secondary to endometriosis sometimes have to be selective about the kind of jobs that they take. Because if you have a pain syndrome that's present, say 21 days out of the month where you might have eight had a 10 pound most days. But maybe you get a break in on some other days, you've got five out of 10 pain interferes with your ability to be able to live. If you can’t get up to bed and get functioning because your belly is his feels like his demonically possessed and it's telling you all kinds of things from a pain standpoint and you can't function. Pain was, and how can you hold a decent job?

There are people who, because they have issues with endometriosis and the pelvic pain is exacerbated when they have relations. If you are single and not all of you in an intimate relationship, you have a difficulty with engaging in relationships and if you're married, it can interfere with your ability to be able to have an intimate relationship with your spouse. And then that over time leads to depression because is a chronic pain syndrome. Intimacy is a huge part of having relations or we're having a relationship and imagine not being able to be intimately associated with the person that you've vowed to spend the rest of your life with because it hurts so bad you can't stand it, but it's like having a nails in the back of your personal space and so you'd much rather that than have an intimate relationship.

Dr. Berry:

Wow. Okay. All right. You and Endometriosis. Before we let you go. Right. I got a couple more questions are, you know, but more on a, on a lighter note, right. Because endometriosis is scary. Again, I might have to tell my residents like hey, that patient who comes in for this vague abdominal pain. We might've needed to move it up a couple notches on the differential. Now can you talk about how what you do can help women take just take better control? Not necessarily just for this show, but it's just in general. Right? And this is a question I like to ask. I just want to, and I want to kind of get my guesses thoughts on like what do they do to help people empower, especially in your world, women empower themselves for better health.

Dr. Anila Ricks-Cord

Sure. So what I like to do with all of my encounters be an individually as a patient, either in the hospital or in coaching or when I was in private practice in private practice is I encouraged them to be their own healthcare advocate. When you're looking for a physician, the purpose is to find somebody that you can partner with, with the ultimate goal of optimizing your health. Medicine is no different than customer service. It actually is like customer services for women. For those of us who like to drop some coins every now and then in places like say Nordstrom. Nordstrom is pricey as all get out, but the one thing that you can bank on with Nordstrom is they have customer service on luck. You know, they're rumored to have taken back a tire from somebody who said that they bought it there even though they don't feel tight.

Medicine is no different than that. If you don't have a relationship with someone who listens to you and is genuinely vested in you being successful, you being healthy and your money someplace else, this also puts the onus of your health care on you. So I think when I think about my patients and they come and they talk to me, they say that nobody has listened to them and I think that's crucial. I think that you have to bear in mind that however old you are, you have had that body and know how that body works for however many years God has allowed you to live on the face of the earth.

Dr. Berry:

No one gonna knows better than you.

Dr. Anila Ricks-Cord

Right. You are your own healthcare advocate. You got this on lock. If you go see somebody and you were trying to talk to them about what you're experiencing and then listen to what it is you say, go ahead and pick up and walk right on out the door and take you off your money and your insurance card with you. Because you wouldn't take bad customer service at a restaurant. You wouldn't take bad customer service in a product that you purchased. (Nope). So why would you take it with your health care, which is more important and lasting than product you going to buy, meal that you eat and pass on through it.

Dr. Berry:

Please tell Lunch and Learn how can they find you? Right? Because I know some people are probably energized right now. You know, and I kind of alluded to your Facebook, like give them all the ditails because I need people to be able to kind of track you.

Dr. Anila Ricks-Cord

Sure. On the sly, I'm a firm believer that food is medicine that tells the body what to do. And so I have invested in becoming a health coach. So in addition to being an Ob-Gyn, I'm a health coach. And with that said, I love answering questions that Dr. Berry's alluded to. So on Wednesday evening, 7:00 PM CST cause I'm in Texas, I do Facebook live on women's health topics and you can find me across all social media At D R A N I L A O B Gyn, that’s Doctor Anila OB Gyn. You can also find more information on my website, which is also www.drnilaobgyn.com. That's D R A N I L A O B G Y N.com. And if you tune into any of my lodge will find that I love answering questions. I think that as I alluded to earlier, my mom died because there was nobody there to advocate for her. And at 22 years old I didn't know the questions to ask. My goal as a health provider is to make it so that you know what I know. So your arm to take better care of yourself.

Dr. Berry:

I love it. Absolutely love it. And of course Lunch and Learn community, like always, if you're running out, you're in the car, you're driving, wherever you doing, you don't have to worry. All the, all of her information will be in the show notes. So you we will make sure and, and you really just got to watch one of her Facebook lives because she gets very animated, right? Like she really make like, okay, yeah, this one was health really is, that's why I say that, you know, you're going to be on my show because I need someone animated to educate me. A women's health to really educate y'all. So again, she is always, which she seems to be when you listen to her and you could just tell the love that's there. I like that and have everything right. You could just tell the love that is there to educate, to help you. Right? Get to where you need to be. And that's what I love about her. Right. She's absolutely amazing. Again, we're going to make sure she will be a repeat regular on this show, especially again at ya'll. Y'all ask me a lot about women's health stuff and I'd be like, I'd be like, hey they, and this, I know what I know and I know that I don't know. Once I realized I know what I don't know. That's when I get the console.

Dr. Anila Ricks-Cord

It has been my privilege and it would most assuredly be my pleasure for wherever it is you'd like for me to talk about from vagina land cause I have it on low.

Dr. Berry:

All right. Again, I appreciate everything that you do for your community. Appreciate everything you do for just the world and allowing you to take your amazing talents outside of the clinic and outside of the one on one and being able to talk to the master. So again, thank you Dr. Anila for coming on the show this week.

Dr. Anila Ricks-Cord

Thank you so very much Dr. Berry. I appreciate it.

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Let's talk about lifesaving skills… On this week's episode of the Lunch and Learn with Dr. Berry we have Dr. Sabine Elisee, a Board-Certified Family Medicine Physician, the CEO and co-founder of Cornerstone Medical Group Inc. Not only is she fellowship-trained in Hospice Palliative but one of her best attributes is that she is a former classmate of mines and close friend.

Today she joins the podcast to discuss one of the most important lifesaving skills that we are imploring that everyone learns ASAP. Dr. Elisee goes through two different scenarios where she was able to use these lifesaving skills to ensure that someone made it home to their loved ones.

Check out today's episode to find out exactly what these life-saving skills are.

Text LUNCHLEARNPOD to 44222 to join the mailing list.

Remember to subscribe to the podcast and share the episode with a friend or family member.

Listen on Apple Podcast, Google Play, Stitcher, Soundcloud, iHeartRadio, Spotify

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My Amazon Store – Check out all of the book recommendations you heard in the episode

Links/Resources:

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Download Episode 131 Transcript

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View Details

Let's talk about vaping as the new health crisis... On this week's episode of the Lunch and Learn with Dr. Berry we have Dr. Andrew Berry, a Gastroenterology Fellow to discuss one of the most talked-about current public health crisis which is Vaping. As we have moved the public needle in regards to the harmful effects of cigarette smoking, e-cigarettes/vaping has become the alternative but unfortunately, that has come with consequences.

Dr. Berry gives some amazing facts about how this craze first began, just how many deaths are attributed to vaping and what to expect for the future of the industry.

Text LUNCHLEARNPOD to 44222 to join the mailing list.

Remember to subscribe to the podcast and share the episode with a friend or family member.

Listen on Apple Podcast, Google Play, Stitcher, Soundcloud, iHeartRadio, Spotify

Sponsors:

Lunch and Learn Community Online Store (code Empower10)
Pierre Medical Consulting (If you are looking to expand your social reach and make your process automated then Pierre Medical Consulting is for you)
Dr. Pierre's Resources - These are some of the tools I use to become successful using social media
My Amazon Store - Check out all of the book recommendations you heard in the episode

Links/Resources:

The E-Cig Vaping Health Crisis: Medical Overview
Pathology of Vaping-Associated Lung Injury
Twitter

Social Links:

Join the lunch and learn community – https://www.drberrypierre.com/joinlunchlearnpod
Follow the podcast on Facebook – http://www.facebook.com/lunchlearnpod
Follow the podcast on twitter – http://www.twitter.com/lunchlearnpod – use the hashtag #LunchLearnPod if you have any questions, comments or requests for the podcast
For More Episodes of the Lunch and Learn with Dr. Berry Podcasts https://www.drberrypierre.com/lunchlearnpodcast/

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Leave a Five Star Review on Apple Podcast because your ratings and reviews are what is going to make this show so much better
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Download Episode 130 Transcript

Download the MP3 Audio file, listen to the episode however you like.

Episode 130 Transcript...

Introduction

Let's talk about what we're hearing in the news about vaping. Whether it's harmful, whether it's good for you. Who should be vaping? So we're gonna be talking about vaping on this episode today and I think it's a good one because it is something that, again, I listened to this episode and I was getting so much education from it and I know you will too. So again, Lunch and Learn community and like always, if you have not done so, please subscribe to this podcast. Leave us a five star review especially from my Apple podcasts users. Your help is greatly appreciated and like always, if you remember to share with not one but maybe 10 friends and let them know how much of an amazing episode this was today. So we're talking about vaping. Get ready to sit back for another amazing episode here on the Lunch and Learn with Dr. Berry.

Episode

Dr. Berry Pierre:
Alright Lunch and Learn community, you just heard another amazing introduction for a topic that I think you are really in for a treat for. Again, when you turn on your TV, read the blogs. This is definitely something that has been really on front page news now. Especially, I work in a hospital setting and people keep asking me about it. People keep asking me vaping, vaping, vaping. What is vaping? How dangerous is vaping? Why are so many people dying from vaping? And I figured, hey, you know what, let's get someone who knows what they're talking about on the subject.

So again, I want to thank, I like to call the real Dr. Berry to talk about a topic. It's so funny because I call myself Dr. Berry but it's a funny thing. People like be able to call me by my first name some weird reason. I'm not sure why. But I like be able call my first name, but I still want it to attach the doctor to it. So alright, sure. I'll be Dr. Berry. But we have the real Dr. Berry - Dr. Andrew Berry who's going to be really educating us today Lunch and Learn community on just what vaping is and just why we should be really, really worried about it. So, Dr. Berry, thank you for joining the podcast today.

Dr. Andrew Berry:
Thanks for having me. I appreciate it. This is definitely a topic that's hot and we want to hit the hot topics that are relevant to all markets. I appreciate you having me on.

Dr. Berry Pierre:
So Dr. Berry before we get into this amazing topic, tell the Lunch and Learn listeners about yourself, who you are, why this topic is such a hot button topic for you and that way we can get into the meat of it.

Dr. Andrew Berry:
Actually a GI fellow currently. So basically one more year of training and then I'm out in the practice, treating all your stomach problems. But right now I'm still in training. Internal Medicine Board Certified, so obviously something that you're familiar with. You deal with people all the time and training the next wave of internal medicine physicians, which is highly appreciated. Also did my training, medical school. Some of my rotations were actually in West Palm Beach where you were.

Dr. Berry Pierre:
So funny because first of all Lunch and Learn community, Dr. Berry sent me a CV, I think 20 plus pages. So I'm already impressed at a CV and I'm seeing some of my former residents. Amongst some of the persons, I'm like, how does he know Dr. Kaplan? I tried to figure out. And then I'm trying to be like, hold on. Now it's called JMP North campus, then we'll see at the time when I was there? And then I was trying to go back and I was like, I couldn't remember. I couldn't remember if you were there at the same time I happened to be there. I definitely, because I heard name, just for some reason it was so crazy because I was seeing all of these publications. Her name just stood out. How she get there?

Dr. Andrew Berry:
I think it's a small world. But I think you were there when I was there, just like vaguely. So I saw you in passing, I didn't have the privilege to work with you.

Dr. Berry Pierre:
Yes. I saw some of the posters that are like 2014 so I wasn't sure if, because that would have been my last year, uh, as, as a residence. I wasn't sure where you were your student that year or wasn't sure we just hadn't crossed there or was just that in passing.

Dr. Andrew Berry:
Yeah. I'm not sure, who knows? Probably both.

Dr. Berry Pierre:
So definitely well-read. And like I said again Lunch and Learn community I'm not joking. The CV really is like 20 plus pages. Just amazing story. And especially for someone who, as a person who does academic medicine, I'm loving it. Oh wow, okay. This is a person who is really, really well-read. So definitely a person I want to make sure that we get to try to touch on a whole bunch of different topics as we can. And so today we're talking about vaping. Just for those maybe someone who does not know what would vaping is. What is vaping, just so for the general community?

Dr. Andrew Berry:
Everybody knows smoking taking off big time in the last couple of decades, middle of 1950s, 1960s. The big social stigma. But ever since let's say 2012, there's been a trend for this new thing called vaping, which is electronic cigarettes. So instead the smoke you get the tobacco coming out, you just get to smell the vape. It is a little shot of a smoke in the air, disappears and dissipates. And it's not like tobacco, it's usually nicotine based and nowadays they're becoming more THC, cannabis based also. But now it's becoming a little bit more of an issue because there's more illnesses and patients having symptoms that are arriving from these vaping products.

Dr. Berry Pierre:
What's interesting because I love how you touched on the fact that it is nicotine based because I think sometimes people think that if they do the vaping or is it, first of all, question, is e-cigarettes and vaping, is that similar from a reference standpoint?

Dr. Andrew Berry:
It’s interchangeable. So initially e-cigs you know, a way to ween known adult smokers off of tobacco products, cigarettes. But now it's becoming more cool slang term to call it vaping. And there's even more other terms for it. But that's what everybody thinks. E-cigs is what's called two years ago and an older crowd, but they think it's the trending way.

Dr. Berry Pierre:
Okay, perfect. And I love the fact that you touched on that it's nicotine based because I think some people make a fuse the fact that if they're vaping that they're not getting the nicotine aspect that they would get like in a regular cigarette?

Dr. Andrew Berry:
Yeah. In fact, they're actually getting more. Some of the studies have shown that they're actually more nicotine in these products. We're used to the patch and the gum to wean smokers off, which is FDA approved, as you probably use in your clinics and in a hospital setting. But the vaping is not FDA approved to wean smokers off. It is just a means to do so for adult known smokers. But the nicotine product content is actually in some of these products much higher than traditional cigarettes and/or patches or gum.

Dr. Berry Pierre:
Wow. So, okay. Alright. Lunch and Learn community, I always tell you guys that sometimes, I have to learn from my guests as well. So it has definitely, some really strange, but very interesting thing to hear the fact that you're not really putting it away from the nicotine because if it's not more that you're going to get in this, the vaping aspect of it. When did it all start? How long has this been around? Why is this such a hot topic now? What would you say?

Dr. Andrew Berry:
Yeah, exactly. So it's been really going relevant a little bit since 2012. But 2017 is when you noticed a huge rise up to the point that over the last three years, well currently this year is about 8 million adults using e-cigs or vape products and about 5 million children also vaping, which is crazy. Because of 2017, so it's two years ago, it's 11% of high school students admitted to vaping on a daily regular basis. However, 2019, so just in two years, it's up to 27%. So over two and a half times increase. One out of four high school students are actively vaping on a daily basis.

Dr. Berry Pierre:
Wow, that's crazy. Okay. Alright. Especially because you said kids, so I'm thinking like, is he 16, 17? So that young they're starting to vape?

Dr. Andrew Berry:
Yeah. Even in middle school. So in middle school were about 5% right now, which is one out of 20 middle school students admit to using vape products on a daily basis. And this is also people that admit to it. So as you and I both know, the numbers are actually higher.

Dr. Berry Pierre:
Exactly. If our patient says they drink two drinks a day, it's probably closer to four. So that's definitely a point I agree with wholeheartedly. For sure. When we talk about just vaping, why do you think like this I guess boom? And I don't know if we should even be calling it. Why do you think this level of popularity just exploded in such a short timeframe?

Dr. Andrew Berry:
Yeah, exactly. So it's not even much advertising was needed. Multiple hypothesis, event thrown out there. One is social media. This is something that can be spread easily in social media. The market uses social media in the last two, three, four years. It's skyrocketed. Instagram, Twitter, all the above. And they can do these tricks, these vape tricks. So there's all these YouTube videos, millions and millions of views regarding tricks with the vape, the smoke, they play it to music, EDM music to Friday night, vape night where they've smoke, vape and play music and just do stuff like that.

Dr. Berry Pierre:
Wow. When you say vape tricks, what type of tricks are you doing?

Dr. Andrew Berry:
You having some sort of fan product in the room or they huff and puff at the vape and then swirl smoke around with their hand. In addition to music and EDM and then they hold and they make music videos out of it. I mean from a third party viewer, not in my words, but it's cool.

Dr. Berry Pierre:
So funny. I've seen those videos and really never paid it any mind that that's what they were actually doing in those videos. Okay, that's weird. I'll take it back. I used to say that's cool too. I used to be like, okay that’s nice.

Dr. Andrew Berry:
Exactly. And a couple of years ago when this first started and like 2017, there's principals and high school teachers even coming out now saying, they didn't even notice these people. They thought it was a USB drive. So one of the main companies, Juul, which is one of the hottest companies in the last couple of years, worth billions of dollars. You could stick their little vape into a USB drive on your laptop and looks like you're charging a USB drive. (Wow). So no one knows people are smoking in the classroom. They're actually, the goal, it's not like a cigarette where you, let's say in 1999 you'd go in the bathroom and hide, sit there, you're faking constipation, sitting there for 10 minutes trying to smoke a cigarette and hide it and spray cologne. Now people are vaping purposely. They want, they've tried today vape. Every time the teacher turns their head, someone, their friend takes a picture, they post it and it goes viral. So it's the opposite, which is kind of, that's why it's…

Dr. Berry Pierre:
And do they even get like that smell that tends to linger? If you're smoking a cigarette, obviously there's like a cigarette type smell, but when they vaping is that just like not there?

Dr. Andrew Berry:
Yeah, exactly. Very good point. So 80% of Juul's sales and which is the best surrogate for the market because it's the best company. Biggest company sells flavored e-cigs. So when you smoke these, they actually smell like fruits, female student high schools perfume. You literally can't tell the difference. And it goes away fairly quick. So that's why this whole, we'll get to that in a second, about this whole ban, to try to ban these flavored products first and foremost.

Dr. Berry Pierre:
Interesting. Okay. Alright. Like I said Lunch and community, I am being educated along with you guys. Because again, this is a topic that again, because I'm internist so I take care of a lot of adults. And most of the time I take care a lot of older adults. So a lot of times the cigarettes and I'm trying to get out their hands. I'll never ever usually having to say like, hey, stop that vaping machine. I'm never having to say that. So this is definitely seems like a problem that's been pushed towards a younger crowd.

Dr. Andrew Berry:
Correct. And the marketing, the Juul company has specifically said they've never marketed toward young crowd. They have been, they have had some small social media promoters, some actors and all that that they sort of pay as years ago. But right now they are currently not marketing to this crowd. And that is the whole litigation legality issues currently going on with this company and all the other electronic cig vaping companies. The government is warning and trying to prevent any sort of marketing for a younger crowd. That is the number one topic right now.

Dr. Berry Pierre:
I'm naive to this topic. Are kids able to buy these things? Is there an age or how are so many of these young kids able to get this stuff?

Dr. Andrew Berry:
Exactly. So up until recently, most States had age of 16 or 18. But nowadays about 18 or about 20 of the States have now enforced new regulations saying that you have to be 21 to buy these products. Also the company which has been forced upon the company by the government is coming forth with these age verification systems where they only sell certain amount of products, certain amount of refills over certain periods for checking IDs stronger. The government is making them do this. They've had to spend a hundred a million dollars to try to give incentives to retailers to install these new age verification systems.

Dr. Berry Pierre:
So obviously with something that is so popular with a crowd that will only get older, which means there's going to be a long-term customer. Why has it been come such a problem? What has been the catalyst to say like, oh, we gotta do something about this vaping.

Dr. Andrew Berry:
Exactly. So with success of companies, these first couple of companies comes, want from other companies in third parties to create more products so they can get a share of the market. So it is these, some of these new products mainly containing THC components. And usually black market, which means they label it as one certain product, but they actually just use the label. They print it illegally from other outside the United States and they put these third party products in it that you don't even know what's in the product. And a lot of them have some sort of THC components. But mainly that's part of the answer to your question. The other half is over about in July or August this year is a little long answer, but this is their important in this content.

I'm from Wisconsin, so go figure. It all started, in Wisconsin, in July of this year. There was about six patients over a two month period that they just were wondering, they couldn't figure out their diagnosis. They are these young patients presenting to the hospital. Let's give you an example. I have the perfect example for you. July 7th, 18 year old who ran track, just graduated high school, presented at urgent care with breathing issues. She had an x-ray with some infiltrates. She was sent home with antibiotics. She never got better. She came back in a few days, a chest pain. She couldn't breathe. She had shallow to keep breathing. Give her oxygen and she actually became worse. She had been to the ICU, she became oxygen mask dependent, almost intubated.

In the end there had 6 or 5 other cases like this, about six. And the doctors were confused, wondering what's going on. They frantically reviewed all the records and the only thing that the patients had in common was a history of vaping. They're all young. In Illinois, the neighboring state had similar issues also. And the first death ever reported from vaping ruling out all other causes with full vaping history and objective data was in August in Illinois. That's what triggered it all. Once you heard the word death in vaping, then every newspaper every day since August has had multiple stories as you probably are aware.

Dr. Berry Pierre:
Well, to the point where even when I started to do a little research for this discussion. I just type in the letter V and it already knew that I wanted to talk about vaping. It was as like Google is like, oh you must want to talk about vaping real quick. Fun facts about vaping, what to worry about vaping things, everything was like, oh wow. You right almost everyone's like writing an article now about just this how has become such a problem. And I know you touched a little bit on the fact that this introduction of the THC related products. Was that always a goal in mind? Did it start out with, was it always just to be nicotine but the THC folks, hold on we can maybe get in here as well.

Dr. Andrew Berry:
Exactly. So nicotine was the original goal. But you know, the culture of America in general over the last five years has been more open to the concept of THC for different recreational or medicinal uses. It's still not approved under federal law or I believe 21 States plus or minus okay it under state law for recreational or medicinal purposes. So obviously it's a free market. The United States is a free market. People jump on it. So they're thinking, wow, we've got these vapes going. Now what about introducing THC? And we know people will try to do it because it's another way to hide or kind of disclose their use of THC product.

Dr. Berry Pierre:
Where these THC products, where they also in this flavor contraption so it didn't even smell like THC?

Dr. Andrew Berry:
Yeah, that's a tough topic actually. The flavor ones are mainly the nicotine. But I think there's some of these third party companies, newer players in the market now that are trying to introduce some sort of flavor THC product to mass that traditional smell that you may smell as a third party viewer walking in public.

Dr. Berry Pierre:
So we're now all of a sudden the microscope is on, right? And now we're like, really going in on vaping and everything else. So of course, I'm going to be the devil's advocate. Is this an overreaction? So I think we should start there because I already know that there's someone listening who vapes and are like, no, my vaping is great. No, I'm never letting the vape go. So there's going to be someone there who's like, no, no, no, they're just over-exaggerating. Is this an over exaggeration or is this something we really should be worried about?

Dr. Andrew Berry:
Very good point. I think there is a small, small component of over exaggeration because you're so tuned into this now. So you see somebody in the hospital, you rule everything else and have easy scapegoat. Oh they vape a lot. They vape daily. It must be that causing their lung illness or maybe they got an infection. I had a patient who had a mycoplasma positive infection that told me quote, I vaped more than anyone else you'll ever know, end quote. So I'm like, okay, it must be that. But yeah, so there is actually, they actually made a formal definition of probable cases of vape or probable component or for sure objectively determined this diagnosis. And it confirmed case describes someone who has vaped in the past 90 days presenting with haziness or CDs in their chest scan and no signs of infection or other plausible diagnosis.

So that's their CDC official definition. But I agree with you, this definitely going to be over reporting now and we need to find, people are frantically finding, when you do your article search over the last 24 hours, there's institutions and academic centers trying to do all these tests to figure out some sort of objective way of what is actually causing this. Is it the vape? I have a feeling it's actually the traditional Juul product may not be the issue. It's just these THC laden third party products that are being intertwined or switched over with not really a marketed and monitored products. So I think there's just something, the component of like spice, the drug, sometimes people take. It’s like a grab bag. You don't know what you're getting.

Dr. Berry Pierre:
Now, question. Especially because I know we've talked a little bit, I know we're getting on the Juul and now is Juul the same phrase when I think about iPod? There's a lot of MP3 players but then the standard we always think about is iPod. Is jewel the main maker of those devices or is there different ones? But Juul just happens to be the big dog?

Dr. Andrew Berry:
There's different ones. But Juul is the big dog. It's so big. In fact the two major tobacco companies, Altria and Philip Morris bought a huge stake in Juul last year. They paid like $12 billion for 35% stake. And Philip Morris did similar thing this year. However they were gonna merge. But because this whole new vaping issue, they called up their merger in last couple of weeks on Wall Street.

Dr. Berry Pierre:
So this topic…

Dr. Andrew Berry:
This is huge. This decision and this vaping, illnesses and deaths have actually changed stock market prices drastically to CEO, owes, have quit in the last two weeks. It's a very volatile market per se.

Dr. Berry Pierre:
So right now we don't really even have a direct causation of why it causes a problem. We know it causes lung damage, but we're not necessarily sure how it even does that?

Dr. Andrew Berry:
No, the best objective scientific as you know, something that you would be okay. You'd read in a journal, which I'm sure you do all the time, came out October 2nd in New England journal. So that's six days ago. It took 17 patients that have lung biopsies that have confirmed cases. So as of right now, today there's about 1,080 confirmed cases of vaping related illnesses or vaping related long illnesses and 19 confirmed deaths. So they took 17 patients. Most of them are men. Median average age is 35 and they all had a history of vaping and three quarters of them are with marijuana or cannabis oils and they actually got this stylogy from the lungs to see what's going on at a molecular level. And they just had a vague answer. There's no real one thing going on. There’s edema, there's a possibly organizing pneumonia and there's sloughing off of the epithelial cells at the lung level. But there's no one finding and they couldn't trace it to one product. That's the problem. The people in the CDC think it just might be one or two bad apples in the group, but that is the best like objective study today just came out in last couple of days.

Dr. Berry Pierre:
Lunch and Learn community, we'll definitely make sure we put a link to that journal article so that you can read that yourself and then you get educated. When you have something like that, when you have something that we don't even really know how it causes the problems, so of course again I'll be the patient, Dr. Berry, how do I avoid this if you can't even tell me how to avoid?

Dr. Andrew Berry:
I mean the easiest answer, you know these answers, stop. The CDC actually, they're not telling you, what they are telling you to stop by the polite way they're saying it is just stop in the meantime until we know what's going on. So a lot of these electronic cigarette users AKA vapers now, because it's cooler term. Successfully, studies have shown that they, it's been somewhat success for smokers that have weaned off as you probably you don't recommend it maybe, but you're okay with it. That's how a lot of physicians feel.

Dr. Berry Pierre:
Someone will say, well are they in totality? Are they better than regular cigarettes? Are you telling me Dr. Berry that I should go and smoke regular cigarettes again?

Dr. Andrew Berry:
Patients have said that. I had a patient today that literally said, I asked the history and I wanted to get more vaping questions and he says he was 50 pack your smoker. He's like, at least I don't vape, that's the bad thing for me.

Dr. Berry Pierre:
Unfortunately we know how we know how patients think. Because I already know I've got someone who's probably listening to this like, whoa, I think they're telling me that I should just go back to the regular cigarettes. (No). So are we saying that they should go back to your regular cigarettes until this vaping thing goes round? I wish this was a facetious question, but I'm 100% sure someone is thinking that.

Dr. Andrew Berry:
Correct. And I think the best answer to suffice all parties would be, if you're relying on this to wean off cigarettes and keep you off cigarettes, I'm not gonna adhere to or support this decision. But I would be okay with continued vaping products. However, I would highly caution against anything THC or cannabis space, vaping products, especially sold online or at small retail stores, not regulated with licensed state. But a lot of people are getting these online because no one, a lot of States don't have it. And then the demographic is the younger person, they're all online people trying to do stuff without under the radar.

Dr. Berry Pierre:
Right. Well we have their parents and guardians anyway, so what better place to a dude is than order it through the internet. So what tips would you give for now? I'm personally, I'm being educated, so what tips would you give a person in the health field that needs to understand the importance of this vaping topic and how to talk to their patients and I guess get them to quit or just getting them to stress to stay away from the THC related products, if anything?

Dr. Andrew Berry:
Very valid discussion point right there. I think you just tell them the facts. So if you tell them the facts, it's such a dynamic thing and tell them that you're staying on top of it. I feel like every physician should at least stay on top of this subject since it's so popular. I mean, I'm a GI physician and I've had cases consult cases that I think related to their THC laden vape products, after ruling out everything else. I have one or two in the last couple of months I feel. But I think telling them the truth and let them know, be honest and tell them that we don't know. So why would you want to take something that's such sketchy that you don't know what's actually happening currently? I think the best thing would be tell them they should be stay up to date and we should all just work on this together. Figure out what's actually causing the issues. Obviously you want to caution to decrease their usage overall.

Dr. Berry Pierre:
Especially the THC. I got question, is there any THC that I can do vaping? Is there any that have been federally stamped and given the okay or should I just be really staying away from all THC related products right now?

Dr. Andrew Berry:
Personally I would say there is small of them. But I think there is some states that have traditionally been selling the THC, especially the medical aspect. Physical stores that have been doing it for a while. And it's a tricky, tricky subject because it's not really regulated. So I wouldn't do it. I know the numbers are small. So you look at all the people that vape across the country in the world, you're saying, okay, only 19 deaths.

Dr. Berry Pierre:
Exactly and of course people always, well only have 19 people.

Dr. Andrew Berry:
Exactly. There's 19 people that got in a car accident today. But these are young healthy people. That's the thing. Okay. I mean these are people that shouldn't be getting sick, shouldn't in the ICU. There's gruesome photos online if you Google them of kids on ventilators, even one kid holding a sign that once you got extubated, I want to start a no vaping campaign. It went viral.

Dr. Berry Pierre:
This is definitely a topic. So I got to ask especially in your professional career, where you're at right now, where do you see vaping going from here? Because you're saying, you've got CEOs dropping out, you've got people losing a lot of money because of this, I don't want to call it a roadblock, but definitely there's bumps in the road. Where do you see vaping going?

Dr. Andrew Berry:
Well, on September 11th this year, President Trump wanted to ban vaping. Everybody's talk on banning flavored vapes because that's targeting those younger people. That’s the main target of their goal.

Dr. Berry Pierre:
Younger people aren't doing the non-flavored ones or is it just most of the time if it's flavored?

Dr. Andrew Berry:
I think they're getting a hook. I think a lot of them start on the flavor and then they advanced or progressed to the THC one. 80% of Juul sales are flavored, so the government is trying to hit the Juul market by stopping their flavored and they think if they can do that, they can stop the overall trend. My personal opinion from an economic standpoint is that this whole regulation, they'd probably will find some trace it to a couple companies, maybe a couple of chemicals, and that will wean out those companies and chemicals. And I think it actually may make Juul stronger because they don't have any THC products. It's all nicotine. So once they prove that their product is safe, I feel like a lot of kids will go back to it. (Wow). And it may get a little bit worse. That's my own opinion though.

Dr. Berry Pierre:
And I know especially because I know you talked about the almost three quarters of it being THC related. So we still got like that 25% that the nicotine related issues that are kind of still happening as well too.

Dr. Andrew Berry:
Correct or inhalational issues. I think some of these are having heat or caustic burns to the lung, sort of like a chemical pneumonitis. So that's on the differential. So the heat is, might be an effect also, but three quarters of them it is sure fire three quarters, I've checked all the numbers. Three quarters are usually men. Three quarters are usually younger under the age of 35 and three quarters. Usually THC is some sort of derivative. So those are the unhappy triad of things to avoid.

Dr. Berry Pierre:
Dr. Berry I wanted to thank you for really educating us and educating, especially me on a topic that is, like I said, as popular as it has been. Again, I felt like it just popped up out of nowhere. And then all of a sudden I see this crisis and almost every article that I read, I'm like, okay, alright. Write down my favorite again. I typed the vape again, nope. I typed the vape again, Nope. Read article. Everything just pop that in over. Thank you for helping enlightening us for such an important topic at hand that really does not seem to be, I guess by your words, does not seem to be going away anytime soon.

Dr. Andrew Berry:
No, I think it's just heating up literally.

Dr. Berry Pierre:
So before I let you go, I always love to really spotlight a guess. And like I said, I, I talked about it a little bit, especially in the beginning the fact that you got CV that's 24 pages. But tell people about just about yourself and where can they find you and what's next for you. Because like I said, I know you've got about a year and some change before you're out here, but clearly you're doing some things that I would love for our Lunch and Learn community, be able to follow it along. Tell us about your social media, any other ventures you may have coming up.

Dr. Andrew Berry:
I appreciate you letting me on. Basically, I'm not sure. Open mind. Just like the stock market, diversify your portfolio. You never know what opportunity you're going to get or were going to happen. Obviously, you never know. Obviously I'm set for medicine. I'd probably gonna do private practice, but academic twist to it. I like to publish on a lot of topics. A lot of my publications are not on the same topic.

Dr. Berry Pierre:
Yeah, which I know. I was like, wow, you were very wide range with it too. I know my fellows typically hyper focused, GI stuff, and I'm like, oh no, no, that's not even the case.

Dr. Andrew Berry:
Yeah. Some of the hot topics I like to hit because I think, well I talk about men to a syndrome when you're gonna see five this year. Might talk about vaping when you're gonna see five this hour. So I don't know, a social media, I like to follow a lot of things. An Instagram doctor pub med, and just something funny fitting. I guess Twitter I use sometimes mainly just to catch up on literature, but mainly Instagram. It's a great story. People want quick things as you do on your page. You've got a lot of links, a lot of quick things people are. It’s an inpatient market out there.

Dr. Berry Pierre:
Yeah. You right. Especially for attention. You gotta snatch their attention like, hey stop real quick.

Dr. Andrew Berry:
You've got to mix out audio, video, you gotta mix links. I don't know. You just got to keep it hot. No one wants to read about the same stuff. So that's the fact that you do all these podcasts and different people, different subjects keep the viewers on their toes, you know.

Dr. Berry Pierre:
Perfect. We would definitely appreciate your efforts. Remember Lunch and Learn community, all of his links will be in the show notes as well. Definitely follow him. I know you were talking about a YouTube page as well too. You have a YouTube as well?

Dr. Andrew Berry:
I have a YouTube page. I have a lecture that I gave a similar topics. I put it on YouTube. It's got video, audio. I got a little bit everything. You gotta hit all the markets.

Dr. Berry Pierre:
And remember Lunch and Learn community, if you want to watch videos, he's got stuff for you. If you want to just read, he's got a lot of stuff to read, I'm telling you. That's all I get. I'm not being facetious. There's a lot of stuff to read if you want to read. In fact, I was very interested and I have to get a read on the online symptom checker, I was like, oh, that's a topic.

Dr. Andrew Berry:
That's one of the topics I really like too. I have done some TV stuff with that and some of the vaping, it's a hot topic.

Dr. Berry Pierre:
What made you do that before I let you go? What made you like thinking, oh, you know what, we tackle there.

Dr. Andrew Berry:
Everybody, just like you and I know. Everyone, every day you're going to see somebody that comes and says, well, I looked it up online web MD, this and this, and we all have the same reaction internally, a little different externally. It just made me want to do it and I just checked the accuracy of these symptom checkers and let's just say it's not good.

Dr. Berry Pierre:
Not good. I love it. Here Lunch and learn community, please don't go to web MD and all these other places and click a couple of buttons and then come and tell me you have cancer. I don't want to hear it because web MD is always gonna sell high because they don't want to be the ones who say like, oh whoa, whoa we told them they had cancer and they didn't believe me. It was just a migraine. I guess that's all it was.

Dr. Andrew Berry:
Exactly. And now I guess right now a new study we could do, hopefully one of your viewers maybe wants to do this. You can check these injectors now for vaping. See if that's in a differential.

Dr. Berry Pierre:
It's so funny because as we've talked about it, I have not had one of my residents like throw it out in a different ritual.

Dr. Andrew Berry:
We can tell who's listening your podcast now so hopefully whoever does it definitely a listener.

Dr. Berry Pierre:
Exactly. So again Dr. Berry, thank you for really putting us on game. Putting the word out there. This is something that everyone needs to know and we'll make sure that happens. Such an important topic of vaping as it is.

Dr. Andrew Berry:
Thanks for having me. I appreciate your time.

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Let's talk about physician burnout... On this week's episode of the Lunch and Learn with Dr. Berry we have Dr. Erin Boyd, an Emergency Medicine physician & former classmate to try and help us answer the question is there a cure for burnout. Dr. Boyd helps give her personal account on physician burnout and how she is able to navigate this world of being a physician when it has gotten harder than ever.

Hear how Dr. Boyd chooses to look after her mental health as an attending physician and why its important now more than ever to make sure physicians take care of the number one patient THEMSELVES!!

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Download Episode 129 Transcript

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Episode 129 Transcript..

Introduction

Dr. Berry:
Welcome to another episode of the Lunch and Learn with Dr. Berry. I'm your host, Dr. Berry Pierre, your favorite Board Certified Internist. Founder of drberrypierre.com and CEO of Pierre Medical Consulting. Helping you empower yourself for better health with the number one podcast for patient advocacy, education and affirmation. This week we bring you a finale to our series on Physician Burnout. This has been a very telling and interesting look at the other side of our profession. First I have to obviously thank Dr. Nicole for starting these things off and helping us, educate us on what physician burnout actually is, just in the first place. And really spearheading the movement where we went back and said, you know what, let's look at what medical students go through. Let's look at what residents go through. And finally, of course, let's look at what some of the attending physicians who finished and look back and say, alright, this is what physician burnout is to them. And it's very interesting to hear the level and really the definition of how people describe it at these different levels depending on where they're at.
So definitely want to say thank you to all who have been listening that's far for the podcast and for listening for this amazing series. Again please, if you've not had a chance to check out our prior episodes starting with Dr. Nicole where we really hit home what physician burnout was and is really started from there. So if you want, again, from a numbers standpoint, it is episode 124, right? 124 with Dr. Nicole and then just moving on in to this finale episode with the one person that I can't wait for you guys here. This is actually Dr. Erin Boyd, who is an emergency medicine physician. She currently works at a trauma center. Most importantly, she is a former classmate of mine, to Nova Southeastern University. She has really taken a mantle, especially when it comes to social media and just her story on physician burnout because that was something that she really wanted to drive home.
And we'll talk about this today on a podcast about her personal experience with burnout and how she's able to dealt with it and how she's really used social media to get her out of the rut that the burnout usually puts a lot of our physicians and our residents in and now our medical students in. So I can't wait for you guys to this episode, which is another great one. Like always if you had not had a chance, go ahead and subscribe to the podcast. Leave us a five star review. Let us know just how much of an amazing job Dr. Boyd did, or just whether if you're listening to Episode 124 and just moving on up. Let us know how anyone has done thus far on the podcast with your five star ratings are greatly appreciated, especially if you're one of my Apple podcasts users. But if you're not, again, please subscribe, please download, please tell a friend or 10 to take a listen and get right on physician burnout. Like always, get ready for another amazing episode with Dr. Berry.

Episode

Dr. Berry:
Alright Lunch and Learn community, you just heard another amazing introduction from a guest who, you has rights that a lot of people can't claim. She's actually a former classmate of mines. So I'm definitely excited to get her on and talk about a topic that we've been talking about for almost four or five weeks now guys. So I'm definitely glad to get this person on because this is the reason why I've been following very closely and been watching and seeing the growth behind what she's been doing and it has been interesting is because it's really been centered on this topic at hand. Dr. Boyd, thank you for coming on Lunch and Learn podcast. Talk to us.
Dr. Erin Boyd:
Thank you so much for inviting me. Much appreciated.
Dr. Berry:
Sure. So the question I ask, and I always asked my guess because what tends to happen is I give a little spill in my introduction and people fast forward, who want to go right to the show and they want to go right to the meat of the conversation. So I always asked, well, tell us something about yourself that we may not necessarily know because we're going to get into all your business, but we may not know just about Dr. Boyd. Who is Dr. Boyd and why are you so amazing?
Dr. Erin Boyd:
Well you know, I’m just one of those people that when I put my mind to something, I get it done. And I wanted to go to med school. It took me a couple of years, but I got in and I decided I wanted to go ahead and start my family in med school. So I did. I had my kids in med school. I had one in residency. So I'm just one of those people that wants to have a goal and I said it, I just get it done and I don't let anything keep me from that. So that's kind of a big part of who I am and that sort of thing. So.
Dr. Berry:
And I love that especially because you touched on a couple of topics that really hits home especially for women in medicine. One, the fact that you wanted to do it and no one was going to stop you from doing it. And two, family. Because unfortunately, again, I understand I'm on the other side of this double standard that's sometimes frowned upon. Just going into a career that you're going to be busy and wanting to actually have a family, an actual life. People think that it's actually a crazy thing which still boggles my mind today.
Dr. Erin Boyd:
You're absolutely right. Yeah. I mean, I didn't go into medical school saying, okay, I'm gonna have a family and do all this, just one of those things that hit me. And at some point, if you want a family, you have to figure out when that is. And sometimes you just don't know when the right time is. I've counseled on this with students and residents and even attendings. Now that they asked me, when do you start a family? And I just tell them it's when you're ready. It doesn't matter if it's before school, after school, during school, it's when you're physically, mentally ready because then you'll make it happen. If you feel like you're in the middle of medical school and it's time, then do it. You’ll figure it out because that's what you want in your heart. But you're right, it is hard, as a woman because physiologically we're the ones that have to bear the children and that is what it is. Can't get around it. And if my husband would do it, that would be great. But he can't. So it's a factor that luckily women, we can do all sorts of things. So we've got to have the babies too.
Dr. Berry:
Yes you can. I love it. So we were talking about a topic which is really obviously now, especially when you turn on TV and you go to a website, you read a blog, has become extremely popular in the discussion of physician burnout. And I remember when I first started, this kind of series of discussions, I figured it was just going to be a one off discussion, just forgot what it is and then go away. And I remember being almost shocked at hearing just the level of death that it was really affecting so many different people and not just physicians but residents and medical, I was just so shocked. And that's again, that's why we started a series because I really wanted to hear everyone's really opinion on the subject matter. And then of course I obviously I know a little bit about you, our Lunch and Learn community may not. Talk to us about your familiarity with physician burnout in general. When you hear those terms, what does that actually mean to you?
Dr. Erin Boyd:
Well I'll tell you, I hadn't really heard this term. I don't think I remember hearing it in medical school. I didn't hear it in residency. And so I just started learning about, I think maybe the same way you described just through the grapevine here and there. Some articles come out and mentioned some little brief couple paragraphs about burnout and piqued my interest because it resonated with me so much. That's how I feel. That's how I've been feeling probably since, I mean probably, I mean medical school. Yes, but I really felt like second year of residency it really hit me and I almost felt like what did I do? I shouldn't have become a doctor. It got really bad just because I just felt spread so thin.
I love medicine but it was hard to work those hours. It's hard to work 24 or 36 hours straight, come home, try to be a mom and a wife and just try to be healthy. And I didn't know what to do. I mean, but I haven't, I guess you just pushed through. I didn't know what else to do. I had to keep going and so I started feeling that way but I didn't really put a name to it. I never talked about it. I didn't tell my residency director, I didn't tell any of my other residents because I thought I was the only one. And I think that's the biggest problem. We all think we're the only ones that feel that way. And as physicians we are so afraid of messing up. We're so afraid of looking weak and we don't talk about it.
And as a matured and grown in my specialty and I've been an attending now for five years. I luckily have had some close friends who are also ER doctors and we would start chatting and we would also feel the same way. And that connection that I made just talking about my feelings helped. And so I just think getting the word out and talking about it and letting other doctors know that it's not easy out there. We all feel this burnout stress and it's helped. And that's why I started my Instagram page. Honestly, it just was a way for me to connect, not just locally, but across the nation and even internationally. It's been amazing and it's been really great. So.
Dr. Berry:
It’s definitely amazing, your Instagram page and we will definitely make sure that it's highlighted in show notes because I need people to follow you for a lot of different reasons. I'm definitely, I'm going to spend the time little bragging on you towards the end. So I just want to let you know, unless you're a little modest, I'm definitely gonna brag on you because you're definitely a person that I really admire and I like seeing you do well and do great things especially with your message. Because I know your message and like I said, we were classmates and it's definitely something that's always the sight to see when you're like, oh, I know that person. And it's so funny because we were just talking about this before we started recording.
Just the amount of busyness that we deal with in our life as a physician that we've grown so accustomed to. I'm not sure if it starts in medical soon. Not sure if it gets hard and in residency and that we've grown so accustomed to that. It doesn't even seem abnormal to us. And I think you hit it right on the head. And I talked about this before in private previous shows that I think the biggest thing is that as a physician, we're so bad at telling people how we feel, especially our own colleagues. If I write a journal article, I'm going to tell every single person in the world, even if they don't ask me.
But when I'm not feeling well, when I'm not 100%, when I'm not even physically, but even mentally, when I'm sad, for some reason we keep all of that in. And it something that just continues to build and build and build until we really have no outlet. My wife, she's not in the medical field so it's very difficult to have these conversations when you leave the job, right? Because for those who know I’m an internist, during residency, even now, a lot of my days usually may end up with someone not coming home. And that's really not a conversation start over dinner. Those are thoughts and feelings that you have to keep to yourself.
So I definitely love that you hit home the fact that you were going through, what you felt was like, wow, this is overbearing, but you're looking around and it's one of those things where like, wow, am I the only one feeling this? Because no one else is verbalizing it. And I think that's what sometimes does a little injustice because no one else internalizes it. So when we're thinking, am I the only one who's ever experienced this? Am I weaker for experienced this? Will someone look at me in a different light if I finally say like, oh, hey, you know what, like I'm not feeling good either.
And what was interesting, especially in a reason I really earmarked this conversation and earmark, wanting to talk to you, especially as an ER physician because we, especially within our profession, we know when we look around the different specialties and we talked about people, again, we didn't even know what it was, but I guess now we deem it as burning out when we look at, people were saying, you know what, I'm done, I'm quitting. I'm out of here. ER, emergency medicine has always been one of the top related physicians positions associated with that feeling. Is that something that, especially because you didn't know about it before, but is that something that you may have thought about? Is that something, even going into emergency medicine, because I always asked at my physicians’ colleagues, why'd you go especially the women?
Dr. Erin Boyd:
I didn't know emergency medicine has one of the highest burnout rates going into it. I went into it legitimately because I enjoyed the action. I love seeing a little bit of everything. I can see kids, I see OB, I see geriatrics and cardiologists, see a little bit about everything. And I love that. I love being able to use my hands and do procedures. I love being able to make a difference, acutely right away. Somebody walks in and I can do something for them. And I love that. And I love being in the hospital setting. So I went into it thinking, wow, this is a great career for me. It fits me. I like to do shifts. So I go in and work 14 shifts a month or so, maybe a little more. I come home, on call. Perfect. Love it.
But again as time has gone on, I think the stressors in the emergency department, I didn't really consider, because I just didn't know and nobody really talks about it. So it wasn't like I was interviewing and everybody's like, oh, by the way, 65% of your colleagues are going to stop working because they hate it. Nobody really said that. So I'm like, wow, I've gotta be the only one. Everybody must love this. But we see, the emergency department sees probably people on their absolute worst day. People are coming in, people are dying. We see people who are extremely sick. We see people who don't have insurance.
And so they may have a lot of problems that I can't fix. I can't fix a lot of issues. And there's a lot of stressors from administration that I cannot control but I have extreme stresses to see patients pass, get them out of the emergency department pass with not many resources, not many nurses. And so there's a lot of pressures that I had no idea I was going to have to face. In a perfect world, if I can go in and help every single person that had, a true emergency, that'd be great. Probably 10 to 20% of what the…
Dr. Berry:
I heard that a lot too about the stressors that, not that sometimes aren't even in the clinical aspect on emergency medicine, physicians, but the social aspect, the administrative aspect, all of this is hitting you from, you can hit hard, hit face on the medical and the clinical, but you're like, whoa, I didn't expect this to hit, steamrolls.
Dr. Erin Boyd:
So true. I still love medicine. I remember, I've loved learning it and I like the medicine, emergency medicine. It's just there's so many more aspects to it I just didn't know. Just either, even if it's just irate patients or irate consultants or people yelling at me or administration saying you're not seeing patients fast enough when I'm seeing them as absolutely as fast as I can, but they don't give me C extra, CT scanners. They don't give me nurses. They don't give me beds to move patients into. Those are all things that have nothing to do with true medicine. But that's what probably frustrates me the most. And it may not sound hard, but it really takes away some of the joy of helping people.
I think part of it, you don't have a lot of control over, it's my job, I can't really quit my job. So most emergency jobs are had the same thing everywhere, no matter where you go. So sometimes you feel a little stuck. And I think when you lose a little bit of that control, failing over, your career I guess or whatever that can make you also feel a little burnt out if you lose a little autonomy. And even doctors love autonomy. We like just doing what we think is best and doing what's best for the patients. But at that gets taken away from us or we don't feel like we can do that. It makes it tough.
Dr. Berry:
What’s so interesting is that when, because we've talked to medical students, we've even talked to an ER resident and they, you can tell data, they're not saying it, but a lot of their thought process really deals in the fact that they're there. They're losing a bit of the control that they thought would have, as they move along their career. And I'm a hospitalist. For those who know that I work in the hospital city. So when she talks about time, you best believe the second I press admission, someone is clocking me and saying, when is this person leaving the hospital? And again, it is such a frustrating thing because you want to help those in front of you, but there's so many different roadblocks ahead of that quote unquote discharge time that stand in your way that for some reason we seem to be the only ones who can come to grips with it.
Unfortunately, because we're the face of health care, unfortunately physicians are or fortunately depending on how would you, where you lean. We have to deal with the brunt of, the angry and the upset. And then bad publicity that's socially with it. Definitely, something that beats you up, at time and time again and just adds on to the level of stressors that just if you were just doing clinical medicine, you're going to have stresses in it of itself. But when you add all of these extra things on here, unfortunately it takes the cake.
I gotta ask of course, obviously being in this position, as an attending physician now. Because it's funny because my medical students and my residents want to know, they want to know, hey, Dr. Boyd, does it get as get better once, I think a lot of us because we do this right of passage thing, which is, medical school and residency, uh, there are a lot of people who think that this is just what you're supposed to go through. And they think once you hit the promised land of the attending that it gets so much better.
Dr. Erin Boyd:
I will tell you my first year at a residency was probably one of the most depressing years honestly because I expected to hit the pinnacle of my career and it was going to be unicorns and rainbows and just, amazing. I get paid so much money and I'm just going to make all decisions and it's going to be great. And when I became an attending and realized that it's not, it's a lot of the same to be honest with you. I mean a lot of the same. You still stress out about making them right diagnosis like it did in residency and worrying about not missing something and making sure you're still the smart doctor. You still worry about that.
And then in addition you're like, all the other stressors I just talked about come more into play as an attending. Because you learn about it in residency. But I felt like it definitely comes into play more when you get a real job and then on top of it I didn't have anything else to really work towards. So when you become a doctor, you're working for 11 to 12 years, whatever it is on this climb to this pinnacle of being a doctor and board certified whatever you are. And once you hit it, you don't have anything else to climb to. I feel like that was a coping, I could just keep working towards the next goal. They didn't really think about how I was feeling and until I just stopped and have anything else to really work towards. All of a sudden I was like, oh my gosh, what else? So what else do I do now?
Dr. Berry:
Lunch and Learn community you can't see me shaking my head, I'm just like, ah, she hit me.
Dr. Erin Boyd:
You almost have to find yourself. You're like, well, what are my hobbies? What do I like to do? I mean, I'm just so used to like 12 years of my life or whatever it is. 11 years of this constant pure, a hundred percent stress. And then you're an attending in, you still have the same stressors, but it's different and you still feel like you don't know who you are, I guess. You know. I don’t know. That's how I felt.
Dr. Berry:
So what's interesting, I love that because when you're going through that climate, it's funny because you mentioned, what is my hobbies? But like a lot of times we don't even get time to do that when we're student in a residence. So for a lot of us, we really have gotten neglected the things outside of medicine, because we had to say, alright, I gotta pull all these eggs in this basket real quick, take care of my business here so I can get to that promised land of the mountain and then you get to that promised land the mountain, you're like, whoa, this is it?
Dr. Erin Boyd:
Oh, it was what I'd been working so hard for all these years. This is what it is?
Dr. Berry:
Lunch and Learn community I'll tell you this is a such a common feeling and thought amongst a lot of physicians and I think what's happening now, what you're seeing now is that we're being much more open, right? We're being much more like forthright and not keep it. We're not keeping it as a best kept secret anymore. We're saying like, and again, none of us are saying we don't like medicine. We all love medicine. It’s all of these extra things that have infiltrated and been placed upon and been forced upon us during the process that's soured the taste. And when we do get now, we were at the top of the echelon and people are looking at us and they don't understand why we're not all golfing every weekend.
Dr. Erin Boyd:
Just swimming in money and stuff, it's not like that. It's just, it's not. And I don't mean to sound like it's totally the worst. It's just so nice just to say it. And so many other people feel that way. But I just didn't know nobody ever really talked to me about it.
Dr. Berry:
Oh no, definitely not. I do academic medicine and I'm even starting to tell my residents now like, hey, I know you think once you graduate, it's all gonna be, and I know you think money is going to be like the go getter and it's gonna make everything happy. But I'm promising, if you're not finding that outlet. And now if you're not finding it, the benefit of the why now of why you're doing this, you're going to be very sad and when they offer you crazy money and you're still wondering why you're sad. Was there anything like, especially as a first year attending your fresh out and then you're filling all of these feelings, what was there to help? What did you do to deal with the stressors and the feelings that you were experiencing?
Dr. Erin Boyd:
So I actually sought out, just like therapy. I just going to a weekly therapist and it was probably one of the best decisions I ever did because it was a third party person. It wasn't like my husband because after a while, sometimes your partner, sometimes it's hard to just dish on them all the time, all that negativity. So focusing on just my mental health, because I was depressed. I had clinical depression. I had anxiety that I didn't realize as I had. I didn't have time to even think about it honestly because you're just too busy. You're too busy to even think about how depressed and anxious you are. So I focused on me which I hadn't done in years and so that was the best thing I had really done to just working on my mental health.
Because I think that's where a lot of this is, right? A lot of this is mental. You're physically tired but I think mentally you're exhausted. And the pressures of being a doctor, the pressure of keeping people alive. The pressure you can't miss a diagnosis. It takes a huge toll on you mentally. All the trainings that we do. And so that's just one thing I would recommend highly to anybody in the medical field is really take a look into your mental health. Because I think having somebody just to talk you about and learning, I didn't even know I was depressed until somebody told me.
Dr. Berry:
You’re 100% right. We read the books. We read the books. We noticed signs and we were like, not necessarily. Yup, that's exactly what happens. I love that you say, you know what, I had to focus on me because I think that's a big thing too. Of course it may sound crazy that people, no, I know doctors are so centered. No, no, we're probably like one of the most selfless people and we probably, again, especially I did primary care medicine before I did hospital medicine and I know for a fact that doctors are like the worst patients. They won't come for the wellness, they're so terrible. And the reason being not because they would purposely doing it is because they want to take care of everybody else they usually neglect themselves for later.
And what I love is that especially and I've joked about this before, as a physician, we're the one and only fields that has to be right 100% of the time. So think about that and then think about an emergency medicine physician. One of the fields, specialties that not only has to be right 100% of the time, but you have to do it much quicker than me. Like me, at least. I get some time. I can send some labs out and I can order a test. I can wait for some things that happen. You guys may have like 10 minutes, five minutes, your decision making has to be so quick and happens rapid fire. And again, remember we still talk about this clock right there. The administrators, they're still pushing this clock and they want you to ramp up faster and faster and faster.
So just imagine that level of stress. Like I said, when you go to McDonald's and they mess up your order, no one gets fired or from it. But if we miss a diagnosis, grandma doesn't come home. If we miss a diagnosis, you may not see your mom or dad. That's the level of stress that physicians, especially emergency medicine physicians, like I said, that's why I love you, because that's the level of stress you gotta deal with. So that's why I always commend my emergency medicine folks, because I know, I know it's tough.
Dr. Erin Boyd:
Yeah. You're absolutely right. Because I think you're right. Physicians are very selfless and we spend our whole. Every single day we're at work, we're caring for every single patient, and I think majority of us do. We put our mind, our focus, our energy into our patients so we don't miss something. And then you've got to try to come home and then whether you have a family or not, you got to put your time and energy into your family. So it's just hard to, in order to be a good doctor in whatever, its taken time to learn because you have to figure it out. What fills your cup, what makes you feel strong, what makes you feel whole. Because you can only give so much to your patients and unless you fill up, yourself I guess. And that's how I feel like I can make the right diagnoses. Because even on the days that I've worked, let's say seven days in a row, I've seen probably, sometimes 30 to 40 patients a day, emergency situations, I may miss something just because I'm tired. I'm just tired and I might miss something for that. So if I don't take time, I can't do that to myself because then I will miss something.
Dr. Berry:
Very true. And they're not exaggerating when I say it again as a hospitalist, we have bad days where I may have to see like 25 to 30. But this isn't, they're seeing that many patients every single day. So again, like I said, that's why I really wanted to make sure that we had a conversation with an ER physician, because I know you guys get beat up way more often and much more frequent pace than others, in other fields. So that's why I wanted to make sure, if we're going to talk about burnout we definitely have to be talking to ER physician. I know they're the ones go through it.
What I would say, especially now, this especially because we're about five years out from my attending status. If you had to look back and say like, hey guys, the feelings you're experiencing are true, are real, they're burnout. This is what I went through. But these are some tips, maybe not ways that preventing, because I've argued whether there's a way to prevent it. Well these are some tips that I would maybe give helps steer the ship away to help you out. What would you give to someone? Especially let's say that Dr. Smith, she's an ER resident, I think she's a third year and she's listening and she wants to know, talk to Dr. Boyd, how do I navigate what I know is coming to me?
Dr. Erin Boyd:
A couple things that I've starting to at least try to do is if you can work less, you should do it. I think again, as physicians we want to do, do, do and help out our colleagues and help out here and there. But if you financially or whatever can work less, you should not work the maximum out to make yourself crazy. So I've told my director, I said I've got to work less. Just even if it's two shifts less a month, it makes a huge difference. Just having some time off away from your job is crucial. You've got to have time to decompress. Just want one day off in between shifts isn't going to cut it. You need much more time to decompress. And that is the pet perk of emergency medicine as we do.
14 days a month maybe it doesn't sound like a lot, but some people work in 18 days a month or whatever. You don't get enough time in between those heavy days. I'm just saying no to extracurriculars if you can. So if you don't really want to do something, you just say no, don't do it. Whether it's a committee of some sort, even if it's just your friend wants to go out to dinner, just saying no and saying no, I don't really want to do that. If you don't want to, if you want to, great. But if you're just not going to fill you and fill your cup and make you happy, don't do it. Just find things that make you feel happy. Honestly, the Instagram page, I'm bringing that up again and again, it may seem silly, but it, it makes me happy.
It gives me a hobby. It gives me connected with people, which I really enjoy doing. It's opened doors to talking with some of the medical students in the area. I've found some female physician friends that we have a group now. We've started through social media. So I've found something that I liked doing. So finding things that you like, whether it's traveling, working out, whatever. Those are some big tips. And then, I've already mentioned my mental health. I still had to go to therapy. I make sure mentally I'm in the right space. My mental health is very important and it should be for all of us physicians.
Dr. Berry:
Everybody. Of course and obviously I'm maybe biased because my wife is a mental health counselor. So she stresses and she jokes all the time that we physicians are so terrible when it comes to taking care of our mental health. So I've been a champion talking, talking, talking to someone, getting those feelings out. Because again, I wish I could say every time I go to work, it's a great day. It's not. I wish I could say every time I go to work, the person who I was able to admit is able to walk out the hospital. It does not happen. And it in a normal person shouldn't be able to deal with the level of mortality that physicians, especially those who work in a hospital setting, have to deal with.
So if you know that's what you're going to, you gotta be able to like get your mental on correctly because it doesn't matter how smart you are, if your mental isn't where it needs to be, you're going to be lost and your patients are going to be lost. And the patients will always be the loser when you're not at your tip top shape. So I love those tips because I think it's not even specialty specific. It's really like, hey, you need to find out what you do well and sometimes you gotta do you alone.
Dr. Erin Boyd:
Absolutely. And this is on topic, physician depression, physician suicide, I mean it's higher than the general population. And again, this is not talked about. It's taboo. Physicians are medicating many times with drugs and alcohol and stuff like that. And it's not healthy. And we were losing physicians from our mental health because we don't take care of it. And I just like to stress that because it's helped me so much. And I know, I think part of that could be related to the burnout because we don't take time for it. So anyway. Yeah. I just wanted to add that.
Dr. Berry:
I honestly, I probably going to, I think that's where I'm hoping this conversation of burnout eventually leads us. Because now it's very popular to talk about physician burnout, moral injury and all of those things under the sun. But we don't really talk about that suicide aspect yet. (Yeah. And I think that's what comes down to it, right?). We don't really make it the hotbed we should, and again, what's worse is we're looking back, just like when we looking at this physician burnout thing, these are physicians who been out 15, 20 years and they're like, oh, you're tired. No, no, no, no. These are resident physicians who are just gaining out of practice maybe less than 10 years.
These are resident physicians who are still in residency because our medical students who are still doing medical students stuff and they're committing suicide. And that's a very scary topic. But if you don't address it right, if you don't even mention, it's like Voldemort out here, that's where the problem is. I love that you touched it because I really think and I'm hoping that this is where we eventually go. We start saying physician suicide, physician suicide, physician suicide. Just as much as we're casually saying physician burnout. (Yup). I think there's like an ICD10 code now for physician burnout. So you have to understand like, no, it's leading to a place that we need to be able to talk about right now. Right before our physician colleagues get there.

Dr. Erin Boyd:
Yap. I agreed.
Dr. Berry:
So before I let you go, I got to brag on you. So we again, classmates. Shout out to Nova Southeastern University. As a person who's been doing social media for, since probably since medical school. But I've always been enamored with social media and to the point I remember I used to get called in the office and hey Berry, make sure you don't do nothing crazy on HIPAA. HIPAA was always a big thing. I remember you joining Instagram specifically. First let's tell Lunch and Learn community how can they find you? What's your Instagram?
Dr. Erin Boyd:
Okay. Its @er.doc.mom
Dr. Berry:
Alright. And remember Lunch and Learn that will be in the show notes and you definitely need to follow her, like as you're listening to me. Go ahead and go follow her. (Thank you). And I remember when you first joined and I remember watching a video of yours and you were just saying like, hey guys, I'm just here because I just want somebody to talk to. And I remember being like so enamored with that because it was one of the first times I could see like, oh wow, this is a person who is really open and really open with what's going on and okay with being open. I think social media gets such a bad rap, especially in our healthcare field. It's getting better for sure.
It definitely getting better, especially when I see what medical students are doing now compared to what we used to do when we were medical students. So definitely getting better. But when I see you, I'm here, I have this page, I'm going to be talking and follow me. And I was like, yes. I'm definitely in following because I got to see. And it's been such an amazing treat just to see your journey now. Was Instagram something that you would, was it just one of the platforms you happen to like? Was there a reason why you chose Instagram as a primary source?
Dr. Erin Boyd:
I've always enjoyed just the format of Instagram and in my back of my mind, I wanted to maybe do some sort of blog sort of thing, but I'm trying to make a website and everything just seemed annoying. So one of my friends was like, why don't you just do it on Instagram? Just do like a mini blog. I guess I just found it easy to do, just started doing. And format just seems to work well. And I didn't really know there was actually a lot of physicians on Instagram, that I had no idea. So there's a great community there for advice on all sorts of topics. And so, yeah, I just found Instagram just to be easy to use, user friendly. I like the pictures and I can make post and just talk about whatever I want. And it's pretty cool. So.
Dr. Berry:
What I love is that not only do you do that, but you also take the time to educate as well. You also take the time to say, hey, this is who I am. But hey, by the way, and you know what, let me do some education right here. And I get asked, as a person who does some blogging, does some podcasting, does some videoing. Person who does all of these things. I just love that when I see people, especially my physician colleagues, because I'd be begging, I'd be like, you don't know how many times I have to begged on my physician colleagues, I was like please just open up one of these accounts. We need you out here as we could probably talk about this all day, I'm not gonna keep you on.
Just the misinformation that's out there. I need people like Dr. Boyd say like, no, this is what emergency medicine is guys. I don't know what you read. I don't know. Like stop reading what you're reading. Don't read it off student doctor dot net. This is what emergency medicine is. And I just love that. And like I said, that's why I highlight, I make sure like you're even on my notifications. I always know when you post it. Boom. All right. That would that because I need, because I want to know that, oh, where's she teaching us today? So I just wanted to take the time and highlight you and thank you for all that you're doing on this, that on the app and really all that you're doing for people that you may not even realize you're doing it for.
And I know you said you've been connected with a lot of people, but there's a lot of people who may not like press that DM, but they're following you and they're saying like, yes, hello with Dr. Boyd. I'm glad she's doing it and I'm going to keep moving along. So I just wanted to take the time and say your efforts and highlighting your struggle is definitely appreciated, especially from one physician to another.
Dr. Erin Boyd:
Well, thank you. I'm very honored that you said that. Thank you so much.
Dr. Berry:
So you're on Instagram. Are you on any other social media platforms?
Dr. Erin Boyd:
I’m on Facebook too. It's the same thing @er.doc.mom. You can find me there too.
Dr. Berry:
Perfect. The last one, not least, I'd always ask my guest this, how is what you're doing helping to empower others to take better control in themselves especially us physicians?
Dr. Erin Boyd:
Building a community on social media where we're open and we're not afraid to tell you how it really is, has been extremely powerful. Just the connection, I've made with students, premed students, regular students, resident, it's been invaluable to me and I think also to them just being open and honest, not afraid to tell people that I sucked today, I missed the diagnosis, I'm tired. I don't feel like doing, I'm just being so open and real with people on a big social media platform like Instagram. It's just building a great community that I'm really proud of. And I hope it continues because it's great. I wish I had this when I was going through school.
Dr. Berry:
That’s where I really want to hit home the point and there are people who are watching you who are feeling the same thoughts but are jumping for joy because now they know they're not alone. So Dr. Boyd thank you for really helping us enlighten Lunch and Learn community, especially from in the eyes of emergency room physician who I know takes a hit left and right and still, for some reason it keeps going back to work because you love what you do.
Dr. Erin Boyd:
I know, right? Somehow still do. And we appreciate y'all hospitalists because I know we beat y'all up a lot of times. We appreciate you guys. I couldn't do my job without my wonderful hospitalists so thank you.
Dr. Berry:
I call it the transition of care. Thank you for letting me be a part of this patient's care. I appreciate it.
Dr. Erin Boyd:
Yeah, sure. Yeah, good. Good.
Dr. Berry:
Dr. Boyd thank you and you have a great day. Like I said, appreciate all that you do and all that you do for here on the Lunch and Learn community.
Dr. Erin Boyd:
Alright, great. Well, thanks so much for having me.

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Let's talk about resident physician burnout... On this week's episode of the Lunch and Learn with Dr. Kristyn Smith an Emergency Medicine resident in Philadelphia to give us some amazing insight on the feeling of burnout at the level of the resident physician. Dr. Smith's current interest include health disparity reduction and cultural & linguistic competence for healthcare providers.

As we have heard already with our two previous podcast episodes (125 & 126) featuring medical students we know the effects physician burnout has at their level but it was great to hear Dr. Smith talk about how being much a resident is affected. She also does a great job providing actionable tips to help residents from all specialities manage burnout during training.

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Let's talk about my experience with physician burnout... On this week's episode of the Lunch and Learn with Dr. Berry I decided to follow up last week's discussion with Aprylle Thompson with my own personal experience as physician burnout.

Over the past three weeks we have heard from our guest discuss not only what physician burnout means to them but also how they have personally been affected. I didn't plan on jumping in the mix for the series but I after hearing these two amazing medical student's stories I figured to add my own experience to the mix.

No one is immune the effects of physician burnout and it wasn't until I finished residency that it began to takes it toll. Listen to this week's episode to find out how I overcame it.

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Let's talk about burnout amongst medical students... On this week's episode of the Lunch and Learn with Dr. Berry we follow up last week's discussion with Kessy Joseph with another fourth-year medical student, Aprylle Thompson, MS4.

Aprylle was born in Jamaica and decided to pursue medicine after her aunt was diagnosed with the crippling disease of Creutzfeldt-Jakob Disease. Today she talks to us about how her experience with burnout has affected her as a medical student & offers tips not only for medical students but physician as well.

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Download Episode 126 Transcript

Episode 126 Transcript...
Introduction

Episode

Dr. Berry:
Alright Lunch and Learn community just heard another amazing introduction for a number two, so this is actually gonna be our second medical student on a topic at hand that is extremely important. That is extremely, I guess becoming very popular now with this discussion of Physician Burnout. And because of the matter at hand of how we started a series out, we really wanted to make sure we reached out and not only talked to just physician, but we wanted to talk to residency medical students. So I'm thankful that we got a chance to talk to Aprylle Thompson today, who is a fourth year medical student who's going to be gracing us today in helping us with our discussion. Aprylle, thank you.
Aprylle Thompson:
Glad. Thank you for having me.
Dr. Berry:
So Aprylle, I always did the introduction. I have a lot of people who love to skip right to this portion here. For someone who skipped through and they say you know what, who's this Aprylle Thompson? Tell a little bit about yourself that may not even be typically in your bio and always ask, especially since you're a medical student. Let's talk about your motivation for going to medical school, your career aspiration goals and all that good stuff.
Aprylle Thompson:
Well, I'm a fourth year medical student from Ross University School of Medicine, which located in Barbados. My interest in medicine started from my junior year in high school. The reason being was because my aunt was unfortunately diagnosed with Creutzfeldt–Jakob disease. So my family had to care for her around the clock and as she deteriorated she became more dependent on us. And we have to learn about the process and what to do. And because of that, my interest was piqued and I wanted to learn more about medicine and treat patients on a more intimate level.
Dr. Berry:
I love that. And it's so interesting, especially for a lot of us who get into the field that a lot of times our first experience of medicine is a family member who really makes us appreciate the system at hand and really helps put us in that situation where like, you know what, I can be like that doctor. I always tell people about Dr. Gaston who was my pediatrician growing up. And I just used remember thinking like, oh my God, one day I want to be like that Dr. Gaston because I just seen the hearts he was able to touch with just his interaction of being a physician.
So we were talking today about Physician Burnout, which is again, especially for those who are in Lunch and Learn community. A topic that's getting much fanfare as of recently to the point where they're even classifying it as ICD 10 codes and all of these things there that are really trying to make it seem as popular as it is. And when we had Dr. Nicole on the podcast, she talked about how this phenomena isn't like a new issue. It's just gotten came out to light with that aspect of people were really being concerned about the onus of being quote unquote burnt out. And what I want to talk about today is really like how are not only physicians, but really how are people who are on the front lines, which our medical students. What's that onus like? What's their thought process? I like to start out just talking about as a medical student, what are some typical stressors that you face on a day to day, month to month basis just being a medical student?
Aprylle Thompson:
I believe the few stressors that we usually have, well number one is we have to impress everyone. By can go for the CEO of the hospital down to the garbage man. Not just that, as a medical student, sometimes we don't feel as if we know enough material to impress people. So we have that battle that we deal within ourselves. And then we have to also learn how to balance everything. Connect all the pieces together. So what I like to say is that we feel as if we really want to be at the table with everyone, but although we have the knowledge to get close enough, we're still not there yet. And then when you put in the hierarchy of medicine and what goes on in medicine, it just complicates everything altogether.

Dr. Berry:
And what was very interesting about that was, especially those who may infer, when we talk about the physician who is typically one who, again I say this all the time, that they're in a job where they're supposed to be correct 100% of the time. But a lot of times people, people don't realize too, to get to that point we face almost a daily struggle of I don't know enough. And I think and you said it right on the head, it's really bad in medical schools where we, I always say especially in on in a GME side, we train backwards, right? Where if you're a second year medical student, I start pimping you on stuff that the third year medical student knows. And if you're third year, I started pimping you on stuff for the fourth. For some reason, every time you get to a certain level, we expect you to know a level higher than you're actually at.
Aprylle Thompson:
Yeah, I've seen that.
Dr. Berry:
So question, as a medical student, and even when you're in the premed stage where some of the stresses that you've been facing, where they expected? Were you like, yeah, I'm probably going to have to deal with this type of stressors? Or was there anything like, whoa, I didn't realize medical students had it like that?
Aprylle Thompson:
Honestly, before I started medical school, I thought it would've been a walk in the park as ludicrous as that sounds. I thought it would like I would wake up every day. I'll go to the hospital. Helps sick patients. Get them back to their normal baseline and then go home happy. That's what I thought. I didn't understand that some days when it rains it will pour. And my thought process, what they're being sunshine and roses everywhere was obviously wrong.
Dr. Berry:
That’s so true. Do you have any family members in the health field prior to pursuing it?
Aprylle Thompson:
No. I was the first one.
Dr. Berry:
Same here. It's funny because most of my family, they all went like the business route and manager route. I was literally the only one who was even on the premed side. Didn't have any mentors on that side. I think it's so true that when you don't know what you supposed to know, sometimes kind of walking in the dark. I mean, a perfect example, I didn't realize until I was a, let's say a sophomore and somewhere undergrad. There was this test that you had to take before you went into medical school. I remember just walking into the career center and when Ms. Anderson, shout out to Ms. Anderson at Florida State. When she asked me, hey, what do you want to do? I want to go to medical school. Oh, have you been studying for MK? I'm like, what is that? Just to give people an idea that it's not uncommon for people who want to pursue a goal, but because they don't have the mentorship dare that they need to really be walking into, almost like the firing squad, but it kinda is. Especially in our system where we don't like to talk and we'll talk about that later too as far as how older physicians and people who have kind of been there, done that, don't really reach back enough to like say, hey, you know what you're going to get in medical school and you're going to have to deal with some of these issues that you may not be ready for. So we just want to give you a heads up.
Aprylle Thompson:
I think apart from that, with my id of the walk in the park, I think it's also the fact that TV shows don't do it justice either like Grey's anatomy. You think it's so happy and it is fun 24/7 but it's really not like that.
Dr. Berry:
Grey's anatomy, Scrub, ER, all of these. Yeah, trust me. Yeah. And they still funny. My wife can't stand watching those times shows with me because I'm like, I guess it was like I didn't need mumbling under my breath and I'm like, okay, alright. Sure that’s how it goes. For some of the stresses that you know that the typical medical student faces and then I asked especially because Ross University is an international medical school. What was that experience like? Not only going to medical school but going to medical school in an entire different country.
Aprylle Thompson:
It was honestly a great experience. But I think I have a little bit of leeway because I was born in Jamaica and my family is from Jamaica. So I felt like I was at home. I was in paradise.
Dr. Berry:
I love it because when you hear of the international medical graduate, I know a lot of times they're saying, well you're going to a medical school outside of the country, because we'd had even taken the fact that there are people weren't actually born in a country who are also going into that school as well too. So that definitely, I love that aspect of it. Now, as a medical student, what were some of the stresses that you typically faced? And just going from first year medical student all the way up in your last year now?
Aprylle Thompson:
Correct. My biggest stressor would have been balance. I mean, while I was in high school and college balance was a lot easier. But in medical school you have to learn that people will not spoon-feed you. You have to learn how to grow up and figure things out. And I had to learn how to balance my friends, my family, my social life and of course medicine. I believe that being a medical student or even a physician, it makes you realize that having just 24 hours in a day is not enough because everyone is pulling you in different directions and you're only one person. So you have to figure out how to break that up and split that up amongst everyone.
Dr. Berry:
I love about that. I think sometimes and it happens a lot, especially when you're a medical student, and I say, I always use a term like life be lifeing. Stuff is still happening, but you're in this, almost like this cocoon of being in medical school and having all of the pressures or responsibilities placed upon you. Sometimes you can't even really enjoy the typical experience of someone who normally would, you as a 21, 22, 23, 24 year old, in that range, especially in your 20s. I tell people my twenties were gone. My twenties were highlighted by me studying. And just what it is when you decide to embark on this journey. For sure, I think as a medical student, just having those pressures, not only the inside pressures that the school itself, places on this. But it's the outside pressures of friends and family and just life in general, that are still going on because unfortunately they don't pause while you're in it.
Now would you say, especially with some of the stresses that you had to face and some of the stresses that medical students typically have to face, what would you say, from a preparation standpoint, what was the position of your school? And the reason why I ask that is because when we speaking with Dr. Nicole, she talked about the fact that as a physician, as an attending physician, the systems are in place for us to deal with physician burnout. So, now that we bring it all the way back to the medical student, I wonder what that situation is like as well too? How well would you say you were prepared for some of the stresses that you had to face over your time in school, by your school?
Aprylle Thompson:
I believe my school realized that burnout was increasing amongst physicians as well as medical students. So the clinical student affairs at my school, they promote something that was called a self-care day. And with that, that's what made the day, students are able to focus from their clinical rotations as well as within the classroom. They're able to take that day off and they can work on their mental health, emotional health, and even physical health. So that's one way my school did it. I know other schools love to incorporate therapy in which students are able to have maybe 30 to 45 minute sessions with a therapist and talk to them about what's bothering them and ways that they can plan to help improve burnout or whatever issues the student might be facing at that moment in time.
Dr. Berry:
I love that especially because it seems like it's coming from the top above where they're recognizing like, hey, our students are being affected by the pressures of burnout. And I talk about burnout a lot when we do this general discussion. When you say the Self-Care Day and you're able to decompress and you just get away from it. How was that one day like for you? Did you feel like it was enough? Do you feel like it was a start for things that come? How would you grade the actions of your school?
Aprylle Thompson:
I believe it was very beneficial because usually it comes in at the right time. Usually the day before I'm at the peak of my stress. And just knowing that the following day I can stay home, sleep in and relax or even just go to the gym. And I could just figure out ways how I can start my week or what I can do differently to help decrease rate at which I'm burning out.
Dr. Berry:
Now I got to ask, especially being in this stage of a graduate medical education director and really an attending in itself. Was there ever any time where your attendings either notice or even worse, probably didn't notice some of the burnout associated symptoms in the medical students? Was there something that essentially had to come from the top? Ross essentially had to say like, hey, give these guys a day off because you guys are at work. What would you say in that matter?

Aprylle Thompson:
I believe students spoke to Ross about it because sometimes attendance can be very oblivious because if faculty have to deal with their own issues and what's going on with their patients, sometimes medical students are overlooked. But luckily for me, my program at Ross University, they're able to identify the issues that we have and whenever we speak, they listen. So I've been very fortunate to be a part of this institute that really cares about their students to help fix the problem that's on arise.
Dr. Berry:
I love it. And we hedge that a lot. But when you hear the term physician burnout and understanding that you're a medical student. So you're, a few months is about to be a physician who I guess walking into this field where this aspect of physician burning out is very real. What do you think about it when you hear the term?
Aprylle Thompson:
I believe the term physician burnout, it's very synonymous to the word overworked. So when it happens, we don't perform our best and when we can't perform our best, we're not able to treat patients to the best of our ability, which will increase the rate at which medical error occurs.
Dr. Berry:
I love it and I think you really hit it on the head because again, like I said not I have a problem with the term physician burnout, but I do think it's something that's masking problems at hand. And sometimes I feel like, especially when you tie the phrase of physician burnout, you're putting the onus on the doc. But not putting the onus on all of the other factors that got the doctor to that point. It just like, oh well, Berry burnt out, that's holidays. Berry burnt out, not realizing, well Berry burnt out because the hours are too long. Very burnt out because he couldn't take care of his patients the way he wanted to take care of his patients. Very burnt out because the frustration of maybe not getting paid enough will continue to grow, all of these different reasons.
But when it's titled Physician Burnout, all you hear is the physician is the onus and the physician is the responsible party associated with it. I'd definitely for sure love that definition because I think it's so true and it really cast light on a system that again, it has seemed to now trickle down and I'm not sure if it's was purposeful or I'm not sure if it was just a cumulative effect. But something that's kind of purpose all the way down to now the fact that you could be in training and still experiencing these symptoms of a burnout. Now as a medical student, I asked, you're a fourth year, you're about to be out of here. But was there ever times, especially in the mid before to self-care days and those things in that regard, there ever times you're like, yeah you know what? I'm feeling it right now. I guess this may be a little too much for me at the moment.
Aprylle Thompson:
I believe that time for me was while I was studying for my board examination specifically step 2 CK and while I was studying for my boards, I was also working in the ICU. So as you already know, the hours are very long.

Dr. Berry:
When you say ICS, oh alright.
Aprylle Thompson:
Yes, very long hours. So I had to balance trying to impress my attendance because as a medical student you want to be on the forefront. You want to show that you know your stuff. Apart from pressing my attendance after, make sure I impress my residents, whether that's just, I don't know, doing scutwork for them or being around the patient 24/7. Reporting back to them as soon as possible. I have to always be on my tip toes to make sure that I'm viewed in a positive light. Because as a medical student, your residents are usually they advocate for you. So if you impressed them, you can work your way up. And while trying to do that, I had to also learn as much as I can in the ICU. Because ICU is a whole another world, a different ballgame in medicine. And then when I left the hospital and I went home at about 8:00 or 9:00 PM, I had to still pull out my book to study until about one or two o'clock in the morning and then go out by four or 4:45 AM to get to the hospital by six o'clock and that cycle continued.
And after a while I started to feel myself burning out and I couldn't really tell my resident or my attendant because as a medical student, we're not allowed to feel that way because we're not officially doctors yet. And while I was feeling burnout at that stage, I didn't even in the fact that I still had to eat, I still had to cook my meals for the week. I still have to go to the gym, do my laundry. But with everything like that, it's very tough to talk to people about it.
Dr. Berry:
And most importantly, you still got sleep. And especially Lunch and Learn community, I really want you to have to really pay attention to this story because it is not an uncommon story. First of all, again, I'm an internist. I'm a hospitalists. I take care of patients all day in a hospital. But I 100% agree when Aprylle talks about the fact that ICU is a, just a different ball game, a different beast, a different mindset that it takes to really take care of the sickest of the sickest patients. I can 100% agree with that. And just this understanding, and she touched on a couple points where she talked about one, the hierarchy aspect of it, where the attendings who are there, you have the residents who are there and then you have the medical student who is there and understanding that the work that you have to put in to impress not only the resident but also the attending, on top of juggling effect that this is I'm assuming this is your first time in ICU, right?
Understanding that I'm having to learn on the fly while impressing all of the people who are above me. And because I may quote unquote medical, I've got to say quote unquote, but because I'm a medical student, no one recognizes that I can also be burnt out. Is definitely a quandary that a lot of our medical students I realize are facing, in this aspect of quote unquote training. And again, we shouldn't want to train our physicians to have to deal with that level of burden or stress. Because trust me in a light that when you're an attending, I could tell you wholeheartedly just so you can see some type of a light at the end of the tunnel. That level of work isn't there, but it's a different type of stress that you're going to be walking into.
Aprylle Thompson:
Yeah. You guys live the good life.
Dr. Berry:
Right. So it's one of those things where I'm becoming very keen now, especially with physician burnout, being discussed on a more and more aspect of it. Understanding that yes, as a physician. Because again, I used to be naive, I used saying, well when they talk about physician burnout, it was people who've been in the game, 10, 15 years and they were just tired. But then when I started walking around and I'm at a residency, let's see, five years now. So I'm five years out of residency and I'm seeing colleagues who are around my age exhibiting and talking about they're tired and done. So you can be five years out of training and already experiencing those symptoms definitely something needs to occur and change. When you're doing the ICU and you are recognizing like hey, I'm not sleeping. I'm not eating. I'm not, you're just probably not talking to friends. I'm not doing the things I needed to do to take care of my own. The support system that was there. Can you talk a little bit about it? Is this where the self-care day really came into play and really helped you or what was happening during that time?
Aprylle Thompson:
I believe I've been very blessed to have a big support system, specifically my family. From the moment I told you I wanted to go to medical school, they've been there with me from day one, whether if I had a bad day, if I had a happy day. For me, whenever I leave the hospital, the first set of people I call are actually my parents. We talk about my day, I try to replay how did they went. If it was good, they're happy. If it was bad, we talk about ways in which I can improve it tomorrow. And apart from talking to my parents, my fiancé has been a great support system as well. Whenever I've vent my frustration to him about what's going on in the hospital. He listens and he listens very closely and he helps me think about ways that I can distress ways that I can improve myself for tomorrow. So in that way, I don't bring the low from the previous day to the next day and it makes me feel 10 times better when I'm able to vent to my parents and my fiancé about what happened.
Dr. Berry:
Talk about this especially I want to hit you a follow up question. Is your fiancé in medicine or health or outside of it?
Aprylle Thompson:
It's funny you asked me that. A lot of people love to ask that. No, he's not.
Dr. Berry:
And the reason why I asked especially because you talked about how understanding he was is that sometimes a lot of our friends outside of our bubble don't really comprehend. The level of stress that we're dealing with. I definitely want to say you're very fortunate to have that person who can understand like hey, nope, she's on ICU this month. Yeah. I'm probably not gonna see her as much as I want this month. I'm not gonna make her feel guilty for not seeing her as much as I want this month. Those types of things that can build upon a relationship or hurt a relationship when there is that communication disconnect.
And especially having parents as well too. Like I say, because having someone to say like, oh my God, today was crazy. And just to be able to talk about it is definitely something. Because one, our typical conversations. We just can't really have all willy-nilly. Unless you're in the field, no one's gonna really understand. I had to see 40 patients a day and being served for 10. Then I got really understand it. But if they're able to be sympathetic to the thoughts in feelings, it really helps you and really helps leave this stress that is usually there when you walk into that building. Whether it’s a clinic, whether it’s a hospital. But be able to go home and have that stress behind.
Aprylle Thompson:
Exactly and that's why I think it's great that he's not in the medical field as well because when I bent my frustration to him, I just vent. And then that's that. I don't have to bring work home every single day.
Dr. Berry:
I love it. We talked about just the system in general, of just our medical training. And again, I have some personal thoughts about just training and especially in only being, going through the process of being a medical student and a medical resident right now and attending, but also now being decided where I'm also training as physician, be attendings as a program director. What do you think about just our system in general? Is it our system that's really set up for people to burn out? And especially when we talk all the way down to the medical student, is it just set up so that people are gonna burn out just because the way we do our things?
Aprylle Thompson:
I believe so because in this system with medicine, not all position, but a lot of physicians, medical students are taught by intimidation and sometimes we're not allowed to feel tired or we're not allowed to know something. And if that happens, sometimes we can be scrutinized by physicians. And the culture of medicine with that, I hope it changes sooner than later and students overwork themselves because you want to impress everyone. So we sacrifice our mental health, our emotional health, and even our physical health just to prove a point that we are good enough and that we are equal to everyone else.
Dr. Berry:
I love that. I can tell you that's going to be a quote somewhere. We're going to definitely quote something up somewhere. I love the word intimidation because it is such a word that unfortunately does not stop. It's one of those things where I remember being a premed student and feeling like if I'm studying with this person next to me, this person may be able to take my spot in medical school. So I had to be fierce, be tougher to try to get that quote unquote last spot. And then it's the feeling that does not change when you get to medical school. Where not only are you feeling the intimidation from your colleagues and I always joke this because especially in medical, I used to think we're going to be colleagues, I'm not your like enemy.
They still bring those kinds of same types of feelings into, that atmosphere. And then you walk into a system, especially for those who may know Lunch and Learn community, what typically occurs depending on the school, but some schools differ is that your first couple of years of medical school, you are essentially doing a lot of the bookwork, laying down the foundations from a basic science aspect. And then your last couple of years you're actually in the hospitals, in the clinics and awards, seeing patient direct patient care on a more, a full time basis. And for those who may not know Lunch and Learn community. But what happens is once you get into the latter years where you're a lot more direct patient care and then you're having to deal with residents or medical attendings who were either brought up differently or brought up in a certain way and don't really know how to get their point across without making you feel like you're lesser.
This is a very common problem for a medical students. And again you talked about the pressures, not only the pressures of board exam, but the pressures of oh, if I don't perform and resident don’t liked me, they gave me a bad grade and they tell the attendant to give me a bad, all of these things here that they have to perform on a day to day basis, 24/7. And that's a pressure that I always tell people most career professionals do not have to deal with the pressure that the physician has to deal with. So just even make that micro and think about the pressures that the medical student has to deal with and understanding every single day they feel they're being graded and if one day right, they're human. Because I think that sometimes gets lost. If one day they're human and aren't as enthusiastic as they were the day before yesterday, they can be docked points for it.
I think especially when it comes to physician burnout, because I think a lot of times I tell people when you have a physician who's burnt out and understand that they're not just gonna flat out quit, they're going to keep working. They’re going to keep seeing patients, they're not going to do it effectively. But they're going to keep on doing it. So when we talk about physician burnout and then what it can ultimately lead to, I think a very important topic and one that really I think probably should get much more fanfare than it is just the aspect of the physicians even committing suicide. And the fact that we don't have many people who are going into medicine as much as we did any more. Just this shortage that's around everywhere in that regards. What do you think about just those aspects of physician burnout, physician suicide, which is extremely high and as well as just the overall aspect that less people are going into medicine?
Aprylle Thompson:
Well, I believe in the rate at which physician suicides occurred. It's definitely at an all-time high. But I think for these people, it crosses the line of abuse. Reason being is because some people don't know how to distress. They don't know how to take what they're given, switch it up, and then find a way to relieve themselves. And that's because in the culture of medicine, we can't talk to each other because we're seeing as if we're less than or we're not able to keep up with the rest of the crowd. So because of that, we keep everything bottled up until we can't take it any more than fortunately some people they commit suicide because of that, because that's their way of getting away from all of the stress that they're dealing with within the workplace.
Dr. Berry:
Very poignant. I think you hit a home on another point. I mean, is sad is that physicians, we don't really talk to each other like that for that fear of being seen as less capable to do. And again, if you took the physician title away from us and someone just told you like, hey, I'm feeling down, I'm feeling bad about myself, I'm feeling depressed. People would automatically know, okay, this is the type of steps you need to do. But people wouldn't say that, okay, you're a less of a blank because of it. Well, for some reason when it comes to physicians and the feel that aspect of burning out, right? That automatically goes to the top of the head like oh, people are gonna think I'm less of a physician and I can't take care of the patients like I used to be able to take care of because of, I'm actually acknowledging this issues that I'm going through.
Aprylle Thompson:
It's funny you say that because I believe as physicians, sometimes we dub ourselves as being super human because even the burnout could just be from ourselves too. Because we actually look at one another as if we're greater than thou and we're not allowed to not know something. We're not allowed to feel tired. Because even sometimes the outside world, they don't see that. But we put it on ourselves and maybe if we can change that where it's okay to not feel fine, it's okay to let loose a little bit. Maybe that can help our culture a little bit. And the rate at which physician burnout occurs.
Dr. Berry:
Amazing. For the medical students, because again, you're almost added there. But if you could look back and say like, hey, if you want to, and I hate to say avoid it because it sounds like the system that we're in is going to be very difficult to avoid it. But if you want to be able to deal and manage some of the stressors and the symptoms of medical student burnout. Because I think that's the term that we need to really call it. What tips would you give to say like, hey, if you could do this and if you could do that, that could help you in the long run?
Aprylle Thompson:
Well I have a few tips. For one is, destress as much as possible, however you want to destress. If it's going to the movies or even a book, do what makes you happy. Secondly, I believe exercising is very important because as we all know, you'll have an increase in endorphins which will make you very happy and if you eat healthy, that can also change your health. And it can also make you feel better about yourself. Funny story is, I'm actually someone who loved burgers amongst other people. And after a while when you keep eating that you don't feel your best. But then whenever I changed my diet and I incorporate more fruits and vegetables, it's amazing how much clarity I have, how it improves, how I feel much happier. And I'm able to focus more. So if we're able to just exercise and maintain a healthy diet that can really help in the way that we react to burnout and how much we're able to tolerate before we get to that stage.
Dr. Berry:
Amazing tips. Before I let you go. Before we get you out of here, first of all, it has been absolutely amazing and your insight has definitely been something that I think is needed. Because I think is eye opening. I think as we continue to really highlight this phrase physician burnout, I think we need to make sure that we don't just start looking for problems once they become an attending and understand that a lot of these issues and a lot of the lack of support for these issues are happening as early as the second we start being a medical student. Before I let you go tell us about, especially because you're a medical student, so I love to hear about just your plans. What's about to happen? Where are you trying to match? Let's give all that stuff there so we can make sure we're on the lookout for you.
Aprylle Thompson:
So currently I'm applying for the 2020 match. Going through the hectic motion of getting my application done before September 15. I know a very big day. So I'm from Orlando, Florida. I hope to stay home, be with my family, but if I get matched anywhere else, I'll happily take a position there. So I love all aspects of medicine and as of right now, I'm loving internal medicine as well as general surgery.
Dr. Berry:
Okay. That's as interesting. I could tell you, I’m an internist right? You don't want me to know OR and I realized that very quickly that you want me nowhere near to OR. I just didn't have the mindset of a surgeon. I just knew it. One of the most important things that I tell anybody is just knowing yourself. Understanding like, oh, I like medicine, but that's not just have medicine I like to be. And so very interested that internal medicine or surgery still in the bread basket for you. So as a program director, I obviously definitely wanna wish you good luck on this upcoming match. I hope you get to whatever this by you're going to get. Like I say, it's a very different, internal medicine or surgery so hope you get to wherever you want to get to. But I want to thank you for sobbing vital podcast and really helping educate Lunch and Learn community on all your endeavors. From a social media standpoint, where can people find you, follow you, track your journey if they wanted to track your journey?
Aprylle Thompson:
So you can follow me on Facebook at just my name, Aprylle Thompson or on Instagram @cheecah_med. And you could also follow me on Twitter. I don't tweet as often as I should @ Aprylle Thompson. I don't have snapchat though.
Dr. Berry:
Sure. Okay. Alright. Appreciate it. Remember Lunch and Learn community, we always put all of these links in the show notes so you don't have to write anything now real quickly. We'll make sure it's in the show notes so that you can just click and then go right to Aprylle s page. Aprylle again, thank you for joining the podcast today and you have an amazing day.
Aprylle Thompson:
Thank you for having me. You have a wonderful day as well.

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Let's Talk about Physician Burnout... On this week's episode of the Lunch and Learn with Dr. Berry I sat down with Kessy Joseph, a fourth-year medical student from Ross University School of Medicine. To continue last week's discussion on physician burnout with Dr. Nicole we are going to get the perspective of a medical student on their perspective of the important discussion.

Kessy has career plans to pursue Internal Medicine, studied Health Education at the University of Florida and her research interests include the cultural views affecting health outcomes/decisions and food access in diabetes management. Kessy also discusses that in her free time she enjoys the sport of boxing and cooking.

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Download Episode 125 Transcript

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Episode 125 Transcript...

Introduction

Dr. Berry:
And welcome to another episode of the Lunch and Learn with Dr. Berry. I'm your host, Dr. Berry Pierre, your favorite Board Certified Internist. Founder of drberrypierre.com as well as a CEO of Pierre Medical Consulting. Helping you empower yourself for better health with the number one podcast for patient advocacy, education and affirmation. This week we bring you a guest medical student. She's actually our second medical student on the podcast who talk about physician burnout. Maybe you've not had a chance, please check out last week episode with Dr. Nicole Washington, Board Certified Psychiatrist who really breaks down the foundation of what Physician Burnout is. She helps explain that it isn't something that just happened within the past year, even though the news may make it seem that way and we really lay out the groundwork of what these next series of episodes is going to be like here on the Lunch and Learn with Dr. Berry.
So we are going to have a chance to talk with not only other physicians, but we're talking to resident physicians, those who just got out of medical school but aren't official attending status yet. And now we're even going to be talking to medical students because we realized after our discussion with the physician burnout that this isn't something that happens right when we're done at a residency. No, like we're getting hit over the head very early. As early as in our medical school days. So we have Ms. Joseph here who's in fourth year medical student. She’s at a Ross School Medicine and she's going to give her encounter on what physician burnout means to her. She's going to talk about some of the instance that she faced personally, how she was able to get over it. So I'm very excited for you guys to get ready for another amazing episode and listen to her words.
Again, whether you're a medical student, physician or whether you're a patient. And again, you're not going to be a doctor. Understand, and I talked about this last week, that if you don't think physician brand now affects you because you're not a physician, you are going to be sadly mistaken. Because physicians who are burning out aren't just quitting on a spot. No, they're working for a years on in within a depressed state, in the least effective state that they can be. And they're having to take care of your relatives and you don't want that to occur. So you want to know if your physician's experiencing some signs of burnout. That way they can make sure that they're taking care of you correctly. So like always, if you have not had a chance to make sure to subscribe to the podcast, leave us a five star review. Whether you're on Apple podcast, Castbox, Google play. I think Stitcher lets you do comments as well. So wherever you can leave comments and if for some reason a podcast app you listen to a podcast doesn't allow you to leave a comment, go ahead and come to the website LunchandLearnpod.com and leave a comment there. Just let us know how we're doing on the podcast. Remember to rate five stars and let's get ready for another amazing episode here on Lunch and Learn with Dr. Berry.

Episode

Dr. Berry:
Alright Lunch and Learn community just heard another amazing introduction. And this is a topic and again, if you caught last week's episode with Dr. Nicole, we are going to be starting a series of a serious topic, especially for not only you guys, the patients, the one who gets taken care of. Because this is really affecting the people who got to take care of you, which we kind of alluded last week. Again when we talk about Physician Burnout, it's not something that the physicians feel it and then they just go away. No, they still keep taking care of people, which means taking care of you, taking care of your mom, taking care of grandma. But with the energy that we got from last week's episode, I excited to expand it and really talk to all different kinds of stages of the physician.
And this week we have a guest who's a medical student. And it's so funny because again it wasn't too long ago that I was a medical student but I was surprised just by talking with Dr. Nicole the fact that now we have medical students are starting to feel that pinch, starting to feel that burned and those symptoms that really is a problem. Because if they're feeling it early what happens? I mean they want to quit early. So again Kessy thank you for joining today's podcast here on the Lunch and Learn community.

Kessy Joseph:
Yes, thank you Dr. Berry for having me. I'm really excited to be here.

Dr. Berry:
So I gave them a little bit introduction of your bio in the beginning portion. But tell them, just to listeners, because I got listeners who love to skip, go right into the main talking points where I tell them something about yourself they should know by now. Your motivation, even let's say you are regular now. Why are you going to medical school? All that good stuff there. Because I think that really ties home the fact when we talk about Physician Burnout.

Kessy Joseph:
So essentially just give a little of my background. I'm Canadian born, patient breed, Florida raised. There was a lot of different influences that happened throughout my life, but the most prevalent influence was definitely medicine because of my family background and just like the people I was raised around. But I didn't really want to go to med school until I hit about grad school. That's where I really started working in the whole clinics and seeing all the different populations and the management of different chronic diseases and I really piqued my interest and I was like, whoa, I think I want to be a doctor. I want to be the person that they come to help with their health conditions because I feel like once they start getting referred to like diabetes educator or the nutritionist, they is kind of get lost in the system. They don't really follow through, so why can't I be that person that can do all of that for them? As long as their primary care physician.

Dr. Berry:
I always ask my doctor friends, but especially medical students, if it wasn't medical school, what would you be doing? Because me, I always tell people my plan B, I probably would did something like on a computer side and you know, some engineer, something. It would just, it was either physician or I'm going in this direction here. Would you have still stayed in the health realm or what was the..?

Kessy Joseph:
I was thinking, at that time I was really into the whole health education behavior, like diet, nutrition, like community health realm. So that's really what I was interested in. But at the same time I also want to go to culinary school at the same time. So I don't know where I would've been right now.

Dr. Berry:
Okay, cool. I like that. Okay. We had Dr. Lauren on here who's culinary physician as well too. So I love that aspect of it. As I stress especially for physicians, I think a lot of times when we go in this route, sometimes we forget about our second and third passion because we think we can only focus on physicians. So definitely we want to make sure we still encourage, especially if you still like culinary and food and stuff like that, that we still go in that direction.

Kessy Joseph:
Right. For sure. I definitely agree. We'll get into it later, but that's definitely something I use for my therapy.

Dr. Berry:
I love it. Okay. Alright. So let's talk about it. Because I think when we speaking with Dr. Nicole last week, she talked about the aspect of the fact that medical students are facing a lot of stresses. And again, I'm act like I didn't, it's about eight years now. So it's been eight years since I've been in medical school. And I knew there were some stresses there. But let's talk about some of the common stresses that typical medical students are facing these days.

Kessy Joseph:
I would say there's definitely different stressors depending on the type of medical student you are. For me particularly, I'm considered an international medical student because I went to Ross University. So there are some stressors that aren't as prevalent as in the U S med students. But I think it still can be understood and related to. For everyone, I definitely think one of the main stressors is workload for sure. We have to commit so much time and energy this making sure we have this large breadth of knowledge. And then not only that, a lot of this knowledge is put on us on our own. We have to teach it to ourselves so that can result a lot of sleepless nights. A lot of…

Dr. Berry:
I remember those, we used to camp out in the library for hours. Even when I think about it now, I'm like, wow, I used to really stay in a library for like 12, 14 hours.

Kessy Joseph:
I just remember sleep, staying up all night before an exam the next morning. It's rough. It's definitely rough. And then is this like the succession of exams that we have every two weeks, every month, it's like never ending. And not only that, the step one and then the shelf exams and then the step two, step 2 CK, step 2 CS, it's like it never ends.

Dr. Berry:
And you talked about it because especially, I got a lot of friends who went to international medical school, especially Ross as well. What are some of that extra that being an international medical student, it weighs on you as well?

Kessy Joseph:
Wow, there's so many. Firsthand, just the fact that we had to go to school in a different country. We had to relocate our entire life to a country that's not as industrialized as the United States. So we had to pretty much adapt to sometimes not having access to water or electricity for a couple of days.

Dr. Berry:
Wow. Okay. Alright. That's definitely a stressor.

Kessy Joseph:
Yeah. And then also it's in the Eastern Caribbean. So hurricane season, definitely a tough one for us to the point where in 2017 our entire school was relocated to another island because it was damaged to that extent. So that's just some of the stresses. Is this the fact that after we do leave the island for clinical rotations we have to relocate from state to state, go into different hospitals just to complete all of our clinical requirements.

Dr. Berry:
Very interesting. I'm definitely glad you touched on it because I especially I love that the Lunch and Learn community understand that when your physician is standing in front of you, most times they have went through a lot of trials and tribulations just to get there. So we really need to, and again, I think sometimes of course I think I'm biased, right? I think sometimes the physicians don't get the amount of respect and credibility that they deserve. Because I don't think a lot of people, and it could be partly our fault because a lot of times we don't really tell our story. But I don't think a lot of people understand like, hey, during school I went out without water. That's a story that if my physician tells me that I'm definitely gonna make sure I listen to exactly what they're saying because clearly they did what they needed to do to get here. Definitely, thank you for that aspect there. Now let me ask you, before you started, I know when you made that transition, I want to go to medical school and before you actually got there, were some of the stressors expected where they're any new ones that you're like, oh I didn't realize it was going to be like this significant. Was there something that threw you for a loop?

Kessy Joseph:
Well, I definitely knew about the whole workload. I went to grad school. I knew a little bit about that already. But I was expecting having to be up all night studying this, studying that. So that was okay. But ' Very hard to the point where you let yourself go. You stop caring about your personal grooming. You don't eat. I just remember being on the Island, I lost probably like 20 pounds because I just didn't care. I'll just see you whenever I can.

Dr. Berry:
And again, Lunch and Learn community I'm telling you this is not a unique story. Because again, we're really not exaggerating. You’re spending majority of, if you're not sleeping, the majority of the day is spent studying something. So when you think about those extra maybe an hour or two or three that you have outside to not be studying or not be sleeping. Social life really doesn't shoot up to the top because lifestyle happens, family. So there's a lot of things I still got to occur. Again, I'm nodding my head because I'm like, yap, she is hitting it right on the head.

Kessy Joseph:
Yeah. I missed so many weddings, so many birthday parties, so many events. And it's hard because people just don't understand when you tell them, Oh I can't make it because school are like what? You weren't at University of Florida, you can make things, why can't you make things now? I don't understand.

Dr. Berry:
It’s a different type of pressure. And what was funny is, especially when you're talking to other physicians, you definitely don't even have to explain us. If I'm talking to another physician, they're like, yeah, I can't do it. Okay. Alright. I understand. Usually the people on the outside who don't really have the insight in, for them it is perplexing. You don't have time. Yes, I actually don't have time. I'm being dead honest with you.

Kessy Joseph:
Right. To the point where they think you're just lying. No, I would love to be there.

Dr. Berry:
I wish I could be there. Dr. Nicole says something about that last week where we sometimes even demonize our medical students sometimes when they ask for like, hey, is it okay if I get off early? Is it okay if I take off to go? There are attendings out there, my colleagues and I get on them all the time for it who are like demonized students for wanting life to still be happening while they're a medical student. Because again, it's one of those, oh, when I was your age, I had a walk in the snow backwards. BS, do you think that that school prepared you to face some of the stressors that you did ultimately face?

Kessy Joseph:
Not at all. They have their little lectures where there's this like, Oh, you know, if you ever need help or you're ever feeling any mental, like mental instability, we have resources for you. The whole spill. I feel like it's more to cover them. They never really tell you how to prophylactically prevent burnout from happening or what to do to make sure this burnout doesn't happen. Or is this like, oh, once you reached the edge of the cliff and you feel like you're about to fall off, reach us, contact us, we're here for you. So I feel like that's a little too late.

Dr. Berry:
Yes. And it's so interesting because your story isn't unique. I wish we could say it too. Even unfortunately, again, I'm in graduate medical education and we have these same things or like, yeah, we've got wellness programs and we offer this, we offer that. But again, I sometimes feel like it's window dressing as well. We're offering it so someone can't say we didn't offer it more than the active approach. Actively making sure our students' wellness and wellbeing and mental health and self-care. We don't do any of that. And especially when I was in school we have to do it. There was like a month break and then after that we did a test every single week. It was midterm, final, midterm, final. Every single week, which is crazy when I look back at it.
It's crazy that that's the system that medical school has really enacted and unfortunately I think it's a big reason why the trickledown effect is starting to occur. Because when I talk about burnout, when we talk about burnout just in general, I used to be naive. I used to think it was something that only happened to, you know, docs who've been around for 10, 20, 30 years. But as I got out and realized this was happening much sooner, much more of my friends, I'm like, okay, this is weird. Why are they starting to experiencing things and now we can see where some of the groundwork is being laid. And now the medical students, y'all can't even get out of school before it starts hitting y'all over the head. Knowing all that, how do you typically deal with just stress in general? Because I know medical school stresses a heap, but just stress in general.

Kessy Joseph:
I think really what helps me personally is because of my background in health education and behavior. So I do understand the different facets of overall health. The social, the mental, the physical. You have to make sure every single corner is pretty much covered. And for me, I just like to do things that make me happy. So I enjoy cooking. I enjoy baking. But right now I try to stay away from that because I usually results negatively for me as in weight gain. So I change it to a little bit of exercise. I started boxing. It's really fun. (Oh wow. Okay. But what got you into boxing?) I actually always wanted to box since I was a teenager because my dad would always watch boxing and I thought it was a really cool. I see boxing as an art. You gotta be really skillful and it's really cool sport in my opinion.
And I'm also really into gardening. I think watching something grow from nothing is the most beautiful thing. So this producing fruits and vegetables from this water and sun and soil is so relaxing. It's like making I guess your own little children. And I'm always so happy with the products that I produce. So it definitely makes me happy. And then just traveling and exploring and doing outdoor activities, being involved in my community. So this really getting myself outdoors and involved in things outside of medicine because I feel like people in the medicine field always are focusing on medicine and sometimes you just need to step away from that and clear your mind and see other things. It's not always medicine. There's other things in the world.

Dr. Berry:
I love that you said that because I think it is definitely something that I know a few of my colleagues really have problems with getting away from medicine. Because Lunch and Learn community I just alluded earlier, medicine is busy enough that you can't really consume a lot of your life if you let it. So I'm definitely glad that you're able to experience some of those outlets. And is that something that you had to learn to expose yourself outside of medicine? Was there something that you tried to incorporate even in your early stages of being a medical student?

Kessy Joseph:
I think this was subconsciously instilled in me by my mother because she always used to say like, don't stress yourself out because you know what, if something were to happen to you today, they'll find someone else to replace you.

Dr. Berry:
That's so true. The reason why it hit me is because I remember vividly, when I became an attending and there was a doc out of that hospital, he had been there for maybe like 10, 20 years. And he passed away. And I remember he got two emails, like literally just two emails, one email say, Hey, this person passed away. And another to say, hey, this is where the funeral was at. And that was it. You didn't hear anything about, and this is a doc who really put his time and effort to that hospital. And I remember just two emails was all that he got. Didn’t get a party. Didn't get anything. So it's so true that if you don't expose yourself outside of medicine, because of the way the system is, they'll just plug someone in behind you and act like you didn't put in all of the amount of amazing effort that you did.

Kessy Joseph:
Exactly. So that's why I always feel you've got to put yourself first before you can put any patient first. (I love it). You are just as important as this patient. If you're not functioning at your prime, at your 100%, you can't serve your community. It's important for you to just realize that.

Dr. Berry:
Very great point. Especially because I think sometimes we as a physician, we get in trouble because we think that, at the patient, yes, Lunch and Learn community, the patients, we understand that. But if the person who's trying to take care of you, isn't that their best? They can't effectively do it. So you have to take care of yourself for it. Just like when you're in an airplane and they tell you, you gotta put your own oxygen mask on first. It's the same premise. If you yourself isn't taking care of, to the ability you need to be taken care of, how do you expect to take care of others and in the most efficient way?
When you, especially as a medical student, when you hear the term physician burnout, as a medical student, how do feel about that? How do you feel especially because nowadays where I think has become such a popular term for some reason now and a lot of people, more people are bringing it up. A lot more articles are being published. When you hear the term physician burnout and you're about to walk and especially because it's not like you're on the outside looking in. You're on the inside. You are medical student, graduated, about to become one of physicians and you hear this term burnout. What does some of the thoughts that go through you?

Kessy Joseph:
I mainly think of it as this physician can no longer perform at their best abilities and this results in them jeopardizing the patient care. So essentially this physician no longer cares about what they're doing and there just there to be present because it's compulsory. So it was just like I'm here because I have to be here, but my mind's not physically here and I have no desire being here.

Dr. Berry:
And as a medical student, was there especially because when you talked about some of the stressors and you definitely had a lot of stressors to deal with as a medical student. Was there ever any times that you felt that you were at that point?

Kessy Joseph:
Almost definitely.

Dr. Berry:
Felt like, oh, is this hitting me too?

Kessy Joseph:
I was hit real hard during surgery. My surgery rotation, for those of you who don't know, surgery rotation surgeons in general is a very tough field. They wake up at ridiculous hours and they leave the hospital at ridiculous hours. They basically live at the hospital. I just remember it was the middle of my surgery rotation. I just moved to New York. So already that's a stressor in itself because New York is a crazy city and I was waking up at 3:30 AM every morning to get to the hospital at five and I would be in the OR all day just standing there, because medical students don't really do much in the OR.
So just imagine standing in the OR for hours and hours and hours and then I wouldn't get to leave to go home until six to 8:00 PM. So I get home at eight to nine. So do the math. If I get home at nine and I have to wake up at 3:30 I typically would what like go to bed at like 10-ish. So I would get like four or five hours of sleep every day. So that went on for three weeks straight. And most days I didn't eat. I remember one time I stopped to think about something and I realized, oh my gosh, I haven't eaten an actual meal in 36 hours. (Wow). That's insane. I'm literally running on a banana and Graham crackers from the patient pantry room. What is this? This is not okay. So that went off for three weeks straight and then right from there I went into an emergency medicine rotation and those shifts are 12 hours long. Four consecutive nights or days. And after my first week in the ED of four consecutive 12 hour shifts, I was done. I started feeling like I had no motivation. I had no interest of going to the hospital. I just couldn't. I was rethinking the whole medicine thing.

Dr. Berry:
Right then and there. Yeah. Lunch and Learn community, the two specialists that you just named are two of the specialties that suffer a lot from burnout. So again, she was a medical student. She wasn't even, it's like, so just to understand just how deep and pervasive that the feeling and association is.

Kessy Joseph:
It's rough. Very rough. And I just remember telling myself, whoa, what am I? No, I can't do this. I cannot do this. I literally wrote an email to the coordinator and said, I'm taking a week off. I can't do this. My mental health, I can't see myself going back next week and continuing to do this or I'm just gonna like slowly degrade and crumble into pieces. So I took a week off for myself, for my mental health.

Dr. Berry:
Now how was it? I guess the question is what was the initial response from your email?

Kessy Joseph:
She was actually very supportive because I have a good relationship with her. And also my school recently at that time was this launching a new initiative for mental health. So I guess it worked in my favor as well. So she was accepting. She's like, okay, that's fine. No worries. I'm happy you're actually taking the initiative to take care of yourself, your mental health, and I'll let the attendings know that you would like to change your schedule around and it was fine.

Dr. Berry:
What I love about that is she recognized that you are human. And I think that sometimes gets lost in the training of our medical professional that we're humans who are stepping into a field. And I tell everyone who listened to me that we want in a few fields that we're required to be correct 100% of the time because if we're only correct 99% of the time, that could mean your grandma does not come home. That could mean your dad does not come home. So when you're dealing with that level of pressure on a day to day basis and it's not being recognized that you're dealing with that much pressure on a day to day basis, you can definitely will. So I definitely give props to, it was an advisor? Who that was? (The coordinator). Coordinator, yeah so definitely props to who recognize like, hey, what we need to recognize like, yes, the mental health is going to be important if we want her to actually succeed. So definitely shout out to her for sure. And then during that week, what did you do? Was it just like you just disconnected or what was the?

Kessy Joseph:
So I had a ball. So I called, I had my boyfriend come down in New York. We traveled to Canada. Went to go see my family. We went to the zoo. We went to museums. We went out to restaurants. It was great. Like I just decompressed, enjoyed life basically. It was nice. It was definitely like me hitting the reset button and it was definitely needed.

Dr. Berry:
I love it. When you came back and the button was reset, were you completely like, I'm ready to go now. Was still some lingering effects? What was that feeling back that first day?

Kessy Joseph:
It was weird. I actually felt like I wanted to do medicine. Like, yeah, okay, I'm ready. Let's go. Let's start at least seeing these patients. I'm happy to be here. Let's save some lives. That's the attitude I had. It was great. I was really excited to be there versus a week ago where I didn't even want to get out of my bed and go.

Dr. Berry:
That’s amazing. Amazing to hear because again and that's what we want. That's the scenario that we want to see when our colleagues. Because again this is something that I have to tell my attending colleagues all the time like, hey, you didn't realize this is going gonna be a colleague and like a couple of years. Sometimes I think we get so hierarchy and the way we look at medicine is that we don't recognize like, hey buddy, you are actually a medical student. Whatever years ago you were like there's no way you could become a doctor without becoming a model student. So understanding like yes, this person needs to breed. This person needs to relax. They need to be able to have some mental clarity. It's definitely an important so definitely love the fact that you were able to reset. One, you're able to recognize you needed to reset. And then the opportunity was there and it was given to you. So definitely thankful for that aspect of it.

Kessy Joseph:
I'm just very lucky the fact I had the support system and the faculty that actually supports us taking care of our mental health. Because I feel like if I had attendings who were like, Oh, suck it up, just keep coming. No, you can't have a day off. Then you do realize most medical students won't finish medical school. So you have to be supportive. You have to show that you care about our sanity essentially. So you want us to become these great physicians, so you have to support us in taking care of ourselves to be great physicians. So I'm happy that I have attendings like that, but I know everyone's not as fortunate.

Dr. Berry:
Now a question that was post by Dr. Nicole was the aspect of the burnout we're experiencing. Is it a rite of passage? Is it a form of abuse? What's actually happening on such a level that when you tell your story from Ross University, I can relate your story from Nova, Southeastern University. From a systemic standpoint, why do you think so many students are really just experiencing these signs of burnout?

Kessy Joseph:
I feel it's difficult to say because I know for some students, they do get the whole abuse aspect of being in medical school while they're in clinical rotations where attendings are like pimping them from left to right, degrading them saying, oh really? That's the answer you're giving me. You're wrong. Go look it up. Blah, blah, blah. But personally, I've never experienced that. But I would say systemically it's really the fact that a lot of people who do go to medical school or kind of type A perfectionist. So whenever we do make a little mistake or whenever we do forget a fact or not know something, we beat ourselves up and forget that this is a learning process. We can't know everything. We were expected to make mistakes. So we can't just keep degrading ourselves and not being confidence within ourselves while we're on this journey to becoming a physician. And I think that's really one factor in this whole process of physician burnout.

Dr. Berry:
That's so huge and so key because it may hit it right on head the fact that a lot of us are such perfectionists. I always equate it to when like athletes go to college sports and in their homes, in their home towns, they were the man. They were that elite person. And then you get, go to college and then you're in a room full of other elite people. And you realize like, wow, my eliteness isn't as elite as I thought it was. And again, sometimes you get a reality check. You get that bad grade on that physics exam. You get bad grade on anatomy physics. You started getting Bio-Chem and all these things are happening. And you're like, your armor that you've been able to build up because you've been the elite of the lead as an undergrad, medical students just begins to get chipped away.
And a lot of us have not been prepared to deal with that. We just have not been prepared to deal with the strife that comes with not being a hundred percent perfect. So I definitely think that's, I mean that's really hitting right on the head. Why I think some of them are medical students are really starting to feel some of that burn. Again, and it does worry me because especially, I know you're a medical student, but I can tell you as a resident you're going to feel different levels of pressure. As an attending, you're gonna feel different levels of pressure and stresses. So I'm glad that you had that opportunity that I kind of face a little bit in, in your medical student career, in NOLA. Hey, these are ways that I can work my way through it because unfortunately, and I'll let the cat out the bag.
You're going to experience more. You're gonna experience not to say it, it's going to be worse. It's just going to be different. So having the tools to cope with it now are extremely important. So that definitely, I think you're doing an amazing job. Like I said, it's one of those things where sometimes you do have to go through it to see yourself on the other side and you already done that. But if you had look back, especially you're a spokesman now. You're at in your last year and you're looking to get out, what tips would you give to help students behind you either avoid if they can or I say deal with, I probably mean the better manage the medical students burnout?

Kessy Joseph:
I think as a medical student you need to manage your time and prioritize your time. Yes, you can take all the hours in the day to study. But trust me, those two hours that you decide not to study and do something else for yourself won't change your grade. You won't learn any much more.

Dr. Berry:
Yes. Talk about it. Lunch and Learn community I know it sounds like crazy, but trust me, I've got colleagues right now who are attendings right now who never could learn that concept. They felt that if they weren't studying to the last second to the last T they were going to miss the one question I was going to make them pass or fail the exam. Because that's just the thought process that was there. So again, even though we say like it's real real how some of the medical students feel.

Kessy Joseph:
I have yet to this point studied at the last minute and actually been questioned on any materials that I read the last 24 hours. It's only things that you know from months and months and months of studying that you're assessed on. So that I just really think people need to prioritize their time and also learn yourself. Learn when you're starting to not be yourself anymore. If you're always, if you're typically known as the happy go lucky, like really friendly person, always wanting to go to work, always wanting to see the first patient of the day and then all of a sudden you realize, oh, it's hard to get out of bed. You just want to sit in the clinic, not see any patients. There's something wrong with you. You're not yourself. Maybe you need to step back and take some time for yourself and reassess everything. See what can change in your daily routine to make you feel better essentially.
So that for sure is how to just to manage the burnout. And avoiding the burnout, I don't know any prophylactic measures you can take, but maybe integrate some exerciser activity or hobby you can do every week or spend some time with friends or family every week. Don't isolate yourself. I feel a lot of medical students isolate themselves. They just go to the hospital and then go home, sleep, go to the hospital, go home, sleep. Forget, they don't do laundry. They don't cook. They don't take care of themselves. Try to do something for yourself. I think it's important. Try to still humanize yourself.

Dr. Berry:
I love it. Before I let you go, I always ask my guests, especially because you're doctor now, right? You're my colleague. How can what you do really help empower others really just really take better control of their health. Right? Especially us the medical students, who really need to hear your work.

Kessy Joseph:
Wow, that's a good question. I've never really thought of how I can empower others, but I just think my words, seeking support and help from other people that's been through what you're going through. Really that's pretty much it. Find people you can relate to.

Dr. Berry:
Amazing. And where can others find you? This is actually a nice little side question. Because I think in this day and age where social media is extremely prevalent, this is just from a general social aspect. Because we talked about making sure we don't disconnect from people. As a medical student, understand that you're about to be a, you're a physician in a few months and understanding that your words, even though it may not seem like it now or are extremely powerful and people are going to want to hear or see or reads this kind of stuff that you do or follow. Are you on social media? And when I say on social media especially, I mean in your moniker of as a medical student about to be a physician.

Kessy Joseph:
Not necessarily, but I do. I mean if you want to see how I live life to be my stressors, I am on Instagram. Look at my great traveling pictures and all that great stuff.

Dr. Berry:
What's your Instagram so we can follow you, what’s the Instagram?

Kessy Joseph:
Its la.kay.jo

Dr. Berry:
Okay. Alright. Lunch and Learn community that will be in the show notes that you can follow the soon to be Dr. Joseph. And again, I joke because I always talk about as, I remember when I was doing my blogging as a medical student, social media wasn't really the thing that people did. So it was always very weird because I've been calling myself Dr. Berry Pierre since a medical student because I was like oh that's a foregone conclusion. So sure. So I had already skipped the student doctor moniker because I didn't need that attached to me anyways. One because I didn't want to have to switch all my stuff out when it came around to it.
But I was always talking about health and always and people follow me for again almost like eight to 10 years now under that moniker. So I always encourage my medical students to get out there and show yourself and let people know who you are because especially in this day and age where as a physician, you need to do things that help you stand out amongst the crowd. Because I always encourage all my medical students get a social media page, obviously one that you liked, right? If you like Facebook, get your Facebook. If you like Instagram, get your Instagram. If you like Twitter, whatever you like and understand that you're about to, you're a role model now as a medical student. Because I'm pretty sure you already getting those medical questions like, hey, how you do this. So I've already shared the questions already happened. It's like I say you might as well just go ahead and establish yourself and establish who you are as a brand as well.

Kessy Joseph:
You have a good point. And it's interesting because to be honest, as a medical student, I really haven't done as much social media because of time. There's really, I don't like to use my free time on the computer or on social media because I rather experience the outdoors.

Dr. Berry:
But take the picture of outdoors so we can see what you're doing. I want to see the cooking. I want to see where you traveling. I want to see all of that.

Kessy Joseph:
Okay. I'm gonna take your advice because I have more free time now. I think I'm gonna rev up my social media footprints. Is that what we call it?

Dr. Berry:
Oh yes it is. Yes it is. So again, first of all, I want to thank you. You are actually my second medical student on the podcast. So definitely shout out to you, especially because the journey that you're about to commence, because in fact we got time now, let's because you're in the process of the match, right? Let's give people a little inside look of what it means to go from medical student to resident. How are you, as far as that's concerned, where are you at? Just so people can know that they look out for you whenever that time comes around.

Kessy Joseph:
Alright. So my primary specialty of choice for this upcoming match is internal medicine.

Dr. Berry:
Yes. Ladies and gentlemen obviously I'm biased, right? Because I'm internist as well too. So I love when the medical students want to be an internist.

Kessy Joseph:
And obviously, like I said, I'm South Florida race so I'm looking to go back home. (Perfect). Really, moving forward I really want to focus on like conducting and doing research on community health and especially focusing on certain populations, different cultural beliefs and how that affects their health outcomes. That's definitely some of my career interests, but I'm all about primary care and that's the goal for me. And hopefully this upcoming match season goes in my favor.

Dr. Berry:
Especially as a Program Director, I know you've plan on applying towards Ontario region. Again, we would definitely love to see you there. So again, we're putting those positive affirmations out there and again, I always tell even if you don't want Wellington, at least as long as you match and get to where you get to. I'm happy because again, I love the journey of the medical student. I love the journey as a physician in general and I wish more people knew about the journey and knew what the journey took. Because I think it would really give people a lot more appreciation of just how hard it is to become a doctor.

Kessy Joseph:
It is hard. Very hard.

Dr. Berry:
So again, Lunch and Learn community again, we want to thank MS4, soon to be Dr. Joseph for blessing us, really with educating us on what the burnout process is for a medical student. We appreciate your kind words. We're sending nothing but prayers and wishes on your journey up in this up and coming match and make sure you lane at the destination that God puts you in.

Kessy Joseph:
Wow. Thank you Dr. Berry. Thank you so much for having me. Thank you so much for your kind words and your blessings and everything and positive energy. I love it. I thoroughly enjoyed speaking to you and being on your show. I hope to see you again. (Yes). Possibly. (Yes. Alright). It was definitely a pleasure.

View Details

Let's Talk about Physician Burnout... On this week's episode of the Lunch and Learn with Dr. Berry I sat down with Dr. Nicole Washington (For the Second Time - check out episode 62 to talk about a very serious topic of Physician Burnout. It is one that affects physicians at all levels of training and no one is immune.

If you think this is some new topic, Dr. Nicole wants you to think hard about saying that is your final answer. We talk about the history of burnout, common symptoms associated with physician burn out and why our medical system may be to blame.

This was an amazing conversation as we got to talk about what physicians need to do TODAY, if they want to prevent becoming the next victim of burnout.

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Download Episode 124 Transcript

Episode 124 Transcript...

Introduction

Dr. Berry:
And welcome to another episode of the Lunch and Learn with Dr. Berry. I'm your host, Dr. Berry Pierre, your favorite Board Certified Internist. Founder of drberrypierre.com as well as a CEO of Pierre Medical Consulting. Helping you empower yourself for better health with the number one podcast for patient advocacy, education and empowerment. This week we bring you a repeat guest with Dr. Nicole Washington who is Board Certified Psychiatrist who focuses and specializes in a treatment of high performing individuals and helps provide face to face services in the state of Oklahoma. But she also does some psychiatric services at Georgia, Louisiana, South Carolina, Texas, Virginia, Tennessee. So she's pretty much where you need to go and where you need to find her. And I bring her on the podcast this week to talk about a very important topic and I want to especially the listenership to understand that a lot of times we talk about the mental health and focused on the mental health and that focusing on the patient.
But now we have to focus on, well the person who's actually giving the advice, the physician. And unless you've been under a rock, you've probably heard the term Physician Burnout. Whether you read it, where you saw it in a blog, where you listened to it on a podcast and we're going to be doing a nice little dive into the psyche of physician burnout. Why it happens, where it happens, when it happens, and how you can actually deal with it. So again, this is an amazing episode. I was glad that she, I must've did something right because she came back for another go around for another talking with us. Again, if you don't remember, she was actually on Episode 62 of us. Can you know the link drberrypierre.com/LLP062 if you want to check out that episode. So check that episode out.
But after you do checking this episode out about physician burnout, and this is going to be the first of a series of episodes with different physicians and colleagues just talking about what physician burnout means to them and their personal experiences. So like always, if you have not, and this may be your first time. But if you have not subscribed to a podcast, make sure you subscribe to the podcast whether it be Apple podcast, Google podcast, Spotify, iHeartRadio, Overcast. We're pretty much there where every podcast outlets are. Go ahead and subscribe to the podcast. Leave me a review wherever you can as well too. Just let us know how we're doing. Let Dr. Nicole know how she's doing well on this amazing episode. I know you guys are in for a treat. So like always, you guys have a great and blessed day. And again, I'm going to see you on the next amazing episode here on the Lunch and Learn with Dr. Berry.

Episode

Dr. Berry:
Alright, Lunch and Learn community. Just heard another amazing introduction on a guess who one is kind of funny because not only is she a repeat guest but she was on episode 62 which she is a repeat guest 62 episodes later. So ladies and gentlemen, take the time to give a warm welcome back to Nicole for again blessing our podcast audience with a very significant topic that especially if you do a googling or you just watch TV. It's getting so much more I guess fanfare these days. Again, Dr. Nicole thank you for joining us on the Lunch and Learn with Dr. Berry.

Dr. Nicole Washington:
Thank you for having me.

Dr. Berry:
So we had your bio. We read your bio out. I got a lot of people where my listeners who like to skip the bio, go right to the main episode. So even if someone did read your bio, what is something that they may not be able to know about you that just happens to not be in your bio? Tell us something about yourself.

Dr. Nicole Washington:
I am an advocate for mainly people who just don't consume services on a regular basis. So whether we're talking about people with severe mental illness like schizophrenia. We’re talking about people of color who have all kinds of barriers about accessing services or even professionals. Because I think a lot of people think that because you are a doctor or a lawyer or whatever you are, that you've achieved that space. So what do you have to be stressed about? What do you have in need? What could possibly be going on with you that could be interfering with your mental health? You're making good money. You got a good family. You live in a nice house. People have a hard time with that.

Dr. Berry:
Trying to coping with that reality. What was so funny, especially when you say that, I see that happen more often, especially the cases of suicide, right? Especially witnesses like a celebrity suicide, death and everyone's almost like, oh my God, I can't believe that happened. How did it happen? Why did, it's like, it's almost a shock because people feel once you've meet a certain level of credibility or statute and for some reason those same things that happen to you when you're not at that status can happen to someone else.

Dr. Nicole Washington:
Yeah. And it happen that you make or where you live or any of those things.

Dr. Berry:
So I want to talk today about a very important topic. I teased it in the introduction, about Physician Burnout. And it's a phrase now, which interestingly enough, it almost has its own like ICD-10 code now. Because it has gotten such fanfare. But of course being on the front lines, as a physician, as a practicing physician, I really wanted to delve into these, especially these next few episodes on our series, just what is it? Who is experiencing it? Where did it come from? You being in the introduction, which again, I'm so thankful for. I would definitely like to start from there. Let’s talk about physician burnout. And just in general, what is it? What is that term we're hearing all of a sudden now?

Dr. Nicole Washington:
So the term burnout, even though it seems like it's become very sexy here in the last year. So it is a term that's actually been around since the early to mid-seventies. There was a book called Burnout: The High Cost of High Achievement that was written in 1974. From that book is where this term burnout came from. Herbert Freudenberger was the author's name. So he defined burnout as the extinction of motivation or incentive. Especially where one's devotion to a cause or relationship fails to produce the desired results. (Okay. Alright). I must say that again, extinction of motivation or incentive, especially where one's devotion to a cause or relationship fails to produce the desired results. And that is burnout. So you were once very motivated. You had a lot of incentive to do to be devoted to your field. You got a medical school. You had all the motivation and incentive in the world. You wanna help everybody. And you start to lose that motivation and you start to lose that incentive and then because you failed to get the results that you want.

Dr. Berry:
Oh, that’s deep. Remember Lunch and Learn community anytime a guest mentioned a book or anything, we'll make sure it is in the show notes so you can read that as well. When we talk about, especially in a sense from the physician standpoint, what does that even look like? A physician who's unfortunately losing their sense of self, I guess?

Dr. Nicole Washington:
When you start to experience burnout, it comes in different ways. So there's physical symptoms of burnout. You may have headaches or GI issues, muscle aches. You may notice tension, neck, shoulders. Sometimes people are emotionally exhausted. So you listen to everybody's stuff all day. Everybody needs you. Everybody’s pulling on you when you're burnt out. You just don't handle that as well. So you're emotionally drained and when you're emotionally drained, it takes away from your personal life. So it's then not just your day to day. It interferes with your ability to be empathic with your patients. If you're emotionally drained from people pulling on you and then it also affects you when you get home because you can't be a good friend, wife, husband, mother. When you just are drained, you can't take anything.

Dr. Berry:
That's very interesting point because I think a lot of times, especially when we talk about the physician burnout, I think a lot of times people think that it only, it starts when you clock in and it stops when you clock out. So as I loved that you had touched on it, that even outside of your work space, people are affected or your world just gets affected from what you're experiencing within the workspace.

Dr. Nicole Washington:
Yeah that's true. And then also with burnout, you can feel disconnected from your job. So you ended up having just this increasing sense of frustration and cynicism. So you just find yourself getting frustrated with patients about stuff or staff and making negative comments. You dread even getting up and going into work in the morning. Some people just go through the motions. They feel numb. And they have a hard time connecting with their patients in that way. That we did, which is for most of us the reason that we went into medicine because we liked that connection with people in that being able to help people and when you're burned out from your job, it's hard for you to remember why you loved it so much.

Dr. Berry:
Wow. That is a powerful words. especially in in the sense of a physician who tends to deal with, and I know you work with a lot of high level professionals, so in the case of a physician who tends to deal with that scenario where people are asking, asking, asking. I don't want to say taking, but again there's saying like, hey, let me give you my emotional burden. Sometimes let me give you the physical burden and please help me get this off of me. When you have a physician who that's really their job to deal with that, when do these issues start festering up? Is this something that 10 years down the line, 22 years down the line? When should physician actually should start being concerned about something like this?

Dr. Nicole Washington:
In med school, before med school. (Wow, way before). Yes it should happen in medical school. You should learn how to handle it because there are some of us who have really high stress jobs but then always lead to burnout. So it may be, for some people it is a reflection of how well they manage the stress that they're under. So if we learn how to set good boundaries with our careers. If we learn how to do great self-care and I mean real self-care, not like a spa day once a month. Because that's great. I mean, who doesn't love a good spot day? But real self-care. Consistent care about making sure that you're nurturing everything that you need to function well. So if we can teach that early, I think we do a better job of handling just the everyday stress that comes with our careers because of stress.

Dr. Berry:
Especially if you're a medical student having to learn to deal with, I guess what you're saying is the reality. The reality that yes, you're going to be in a stressful job. Yes, people are going to push and pull at you, but you have to be ready for it. Is there things that work better than others when you're first in that beginning process of trying to say like, okay, yeah, I think I do need to deal with something that's eventually going to come about?

Dr. Nicole Washington:
One of the problems that interferes with us in medicine, and I can't speak to other industries, but medicine for sure, we have a little bit of a disconnect. I guess we have a lot of a disconnect between what we are taught to teach other people to do for themselves and what we are allowed to do for ourselves.

Dr. Berry:
Oh, I like this. I like the direction we're going right now.

Dr. Nicole Washington:
I think it's our field that needs a revamp of how we look at our role and how we look at what we do. I mean, I can recall interviewing for residents, after residency, for jobs. And I interviewed with the CEO of a facility and he was going, you can make this much and then if work this many weekends you can make this much extra. And then if you take extra call you can make this much extra. And I said, if I don't have to work weekends, I can probably be okay with not making that extra money. I feel like that's not, I'm good financially. That is enough money. I don't need to keep chasing. I'd prefer to spend time with my family. And he said, well, I just don't know. These young doctors, kind of joking, but kind of not. You younger doctors, the old doctors would work 60, 80 hours a week plus, and they work every weekend. And I said, yeah. And they were all irritable and burnt out and their families hated them. The kids didn't like it. A lot of problems came with that. So I think the expectation has always been that you give 100%, the medicine and then you just figure it out where the rest of your life fits in.

Dr. Berry:
Wow. What I love about that because it's such a, I mean I'm a program director so I work with residents and I'll sometimes hear other attendings, these young doctors just they don't want to work as hard anymore. I understand especially if you're not in Madison, right? Our regulated work week hours is making sure that my residents don't go over 80 hours and I'm pretty sure some of y'all like 80 hours? So yes, they can go over 70 and be okay. That's how we typically look at it when you're in a residency. Again, I don't know these other industries. But in, I want to say the real world, it shouldn't be that way. So I definitely agree that medicine has definitely skewed our way of thinking. And unfortunately the teachers, the one who were supposed to be passing down good skills, good knowledge. Because they're still relying on that old ways, they do downplay the efforts of newer and younger physicians. Because newer, young physicians aren't about that life. They don't want to have to work a hundred plus hours just to please somebody.

Dr. Nicole Washington:
And I think that's great for them. I mean I think that's fantastic. Thinking about even I used to work in an academic setting and how difficult for a medical student to say, I know this is my third year in psychiatry rotation Dr. Washington, but my sister's getting married in Arizona, can I go to my sister's wedding? And I would say, absolutely go to your sister's wedding because I think that kind of thing is important and part of self-care is nurturing relationships outside of your career and being available for your family. But I also have heard other attendings and other departments say, oh they want us to go to their best friend's wedding. And I thought, well why not? I would want to go to my best friend's wedding.

Dr. Berry:
Right. If you weren't in this field, it would seem common sense. Of course you want to attend that wedding. But in our field is like, huh. They don't want to stay for 12 hours taking notes.

Dr. Nicole Washington:
Because to ask if they could go to a family reunion. Yes. They have the audacity to ask if they could go to a family reunion. They should go to their family reunion. So those are the kinds of things. And even simple stuff like how many doctors do you know who make regular annual exam appointments or take care of their own things because they have the patient's scheduled and it's an inconvenience and they have to fit. It's just so much that goes into Madison that you end up totally losing and putting everybody else before your own basic needs.

Dr. Berry:
Do you find the physicians who tend to err on that side where they're really gung-ho when it comes to medicine, they really do a lot of work in that field tend to have these same types of traits where the burnout comes a little bit earlier?

Dr. Nicole Washington:
I think a lot of it is just based on who you are and just your priorities and how you manage stress. I know doctors who work tons of hours, but they do so well at setting boundaries when they're not at work. And they exercise regularly and they take care of themselves. And they seem to do pretty well. But there are those of us who are not doing as great a job of managing our stress well and setting limits and boundaries. So I think a lot of it is personal characteristics that play a part.

Dr. Berry:
Especially with burnout, especially with our system of medicine. And we touched a little bit on it, how it is almost status quo to overwork yourself. And you almost seem like your outlay when you don't want to. What is it about just our system in and of itself that I guess takes away the fire that a pre, we'll even go down to our pre-medical student, right? That pre-medical students who all they could think about as one of the save lives. You know the personal statements, right? Take care of people, take care of people, take care of people. And then sometimes they're not even getting out of school before they're starting to say, I don't know. I don't know if this is what I really want to do. What is it about our system just in general that continues to fester that?

Dr. Nicole Washington:
Yeah, it seems like we do a really good job of just beating people down in general. We just crush everybody's spirits up front. I mean it's hard. I definitely know people and med student, being in academics and medical students who by the end of med school didn't even know if they wanted to even practice. And I have seen, a handful of students not go on to residencies because they said this four years of medical school took me down. I don't think my mental health, I don't think I can handle this as a career. This environment is so cut throat. So we talk about burnout on one end because just the job itself, just always having people lean on you and just the pressure of everybody's looking at you and then you have the Internet and anybody can make comments about you on the Internet.

You can't defend them because you know. There's all these things that just come with, even if the job is going well, but then you add in the negative cultural stuff and it just takes them down. I look at it a little bit like I'm not making light of anybody who is abused and going through an abusive situation. But I think if I have a person standing in front of me who is dealing with significant abuse, whether it be verbal, physical, whatever. And then in my treatment with them, I only focus on them and coping skills and let me give you an anti-depressant and let's work on your coping skills. Well, yeah, that person needs good coping skills. We all do. But I need to be focused on this some toxic environment that they're in that is abusive to them.

Not telling the lady who's abused. Well, we just need to work on your coping skills if you just had better coping skills. How about you do a spa day once a month? How about you make sure you turn your emails off at night? That's not going to change the fact that that environment is so toxic and some of our work environments are toxic. Not every environment in medicine is, but some of our work environments are so toxic and almost abusive to the people that work in them that talking about the regular burnout stuff, about self-care and all that, it's a moot point. Because I can go to spa days every day, but it's not going to change the fact, in this toxic work environment.

Dr. Berry:
I love that. Especially because I'm hearing it. And I'm thinking about, as a program director, I, being in the graduate medical education side, even now when I tell you that the burnout has gotten so, such a, and I don't wanna say popular, but because more people are talking about it, what's been happening now is this push on wellness. And I think it's so funny the push on wellness like, oh, we got to make them well. We gotta make sure doing real well. We gotta make sure you're getting sleep because it seems like no one really wants to talk about what, hey, your system is causing this, right? So, yeah, you can have a thousand different wellness efforts, but if you, if you don't have a thousand fixes to your system, especially. And again, I can talk candidly because I'm in GME, right?

If you don't have a thousand fixes to your system from that aspect of itself, it doesn't matter how many wellness retreats they go to. It doesn't matter how much sleep you give up. It doesn't matter how much hours they work because they're not happy. I guess that's really the crux of it. So I love that aspect because sometimes I think that's, and again, it's easy, I think when you're not in the zone, right? Quote unquote you're not in the club, right? When you're not in the club, it may be easy to focus on. I'm like, oh well, you know, they're just not coping well. Right. Oh, they got so much money, what they worried about? And I love how you talk about like, no, no, we gotta look at this system itself.

And I think that's something that really people don't really talk about when we talk about burnout. Because most of the burnout focuses on the physician. Why isn't the physician happy? Why isn't the physician deal, they got all the money, why can't they just cope how they need to cope. What did a quote unquote sad about? But I'd love that aspect of it and I can only imagine it. Like I said, I'm in GME. I used to be in private practice I guess in private practice stories as well too, they gonna see where that goes.

Dr. Nicole Washington:
Absolutely. My time in academics was very interesting because I do think that's where you make change. We make change with creating systems for our trainees so that when they get out and get into leadership systems, they will demand basically. I think a lot of our trainees, you know, millennials and people give millennials a hard time and all the millennials don't want to work, all that. I get it. I cannot ever blame somebody for saying I don't want to work 80 hours a week. I get it. I don't want to work 50 hours a week. How about that? If I don't want to work, I give you 40 that sounds good. I'll give you 40.

Dr. Berry:
Can I go back and forth? I've thought 40 was the norm.

Dr. Nicole Washington:
I can't blame younger physicians for having those expectations. And I think the culture will shift hopefully as we have these younger physicians taking over leadership hopeful that we will see changes that really changed systems and not necessarily, like you say, I focus on physician wellness and 15 minutes once a month in a lounge.

Dr. Berry:
Say hi and then keep moving. What's usually, especially because when we were talking about medical students at first too with the burnout aspect, what are they learning? What are they learning that's already giving them that idea? Oh this is probably gonna be that rough. And I think it goes back to the expectations that they had. Could someone argue like, well, Dr. Nicole, maybe they should change the expectations.

Dr. Nicole Washington:
I do think that's part of it. I think when you go into any situation with unrealistic expectations, it can be difficult. But we also still very much having medicine, even at the medical school level. You have your gunners and you have this culture of kill or be killed. And there still may not be this collegiate relationship among the students because they're all vying for, I need to do better than you because I want this spot. And then you create, now we have students coming in who have the pressure of knowing that we're no longer at a place when you and I were in med school, when there were spots to scramble into and there were extra residency spots that went unfilled. And so we knew we can probably find a place somewhere. It may not be, you think, okay well might not be my number one or two, I could probably find spot somewhere. But these students have the additional pressure of am I even going to be able to find a residency spot? So you hear all of that, so there's that stress from day one and the culture at our medical schools is still very old school. It's still very kill or be killed and it's still very, very competitive.

Dr. Berry:
You touched on it because I didn't even think about that how competitive it was when you are, I didn't even think of, I forgot about how competitive you had to be a and I hate to say you had to be it, but you had to be when you are premed and you are in those undergrads and you studying to get, you studying those MCAT four questions because in your mind you felt like if I missed this one question, that person next to me may get the spot that I want. And you are right, I think a lot of us forget and I don't want to say forget cause maybe we're never encouraged to do so, but I think a lot of us never turn off like, oh hey by the way guys, we're here now.

We’re in the school so we probably don't need to fight because again I went to NSU com, they changed the name. But in NSU com and we had 200 plus in our class. But still, even with that 200 plus, there are some, like you said, there's some people who they kept in themselves, they stayed by themselves. They didn't want anything unnecessary do with the majority of population who might been more, collegial and just kinda like buddy-buddy and together because we were like, we felt like, hey, we were already here. We don't need to work hard, let's work together. So, and then I think that process starts right over again when it's time for getting on, getting residency interviews and getting residency spots and then that process, when you become a third year resident, you're doing it all. So yeah, we do that even in premed.

Dr. Nicole Washington:
Yeah. And has met so many students, the medical students are concerned about not having enough residency spots to fill into.

Dr. Berry:
Can we show our, we're building a new medical school everywhere you turn, but…

Dr. Nicole Washington:
And we're not creating new residency spots to match the number of students they were turning out. So somebody who's going to be left without a spot. So then that creates even more competition.

Dr. Berry:
Yeah, wow. I didn't even think about it. Oh yeah. Okay. So our system, the way it goes, it's going in a direction where the spotlight is now kinda highland and like, hey, something is wrong. If you had to focus on and we've talked about different levels, if you had the focus on different levels of weights to correct, would you be more on the after their physician side and working in the medical system? Or would you be during the medical school aspect of it or even in the premed aspect to say like, hey, this is some of the reality. You're getting into, so please be prepared.

Dr. Nicole Washington:
I think I would hit the trainees, I would hit med students and residents. So I think for medical students, one of the things is, and I mean you could think back to your training. I know most med schools haven't changed. We don't do a lot of talking about the business of medicine and that side of medicine and we talk a lot about treating patients and we talk about, this is what you should do and this is what evidence says you should do and we need that foundation. I'm not saying we don't, but then as a student you don't have a good feel for what is the business side of medicine. What is the reality of what I'm about to jump into? What does it mean I want to do family medicine? What does that mean? What does that mean for me? Does that mean I'm going to see patients there in 15 minutes and they going to have less as long as the arm and is that what that means? Am I going to constantly feel like I'm not making a different, what is that going to look like for me? And I think we don't do a good job of pairings students with necessarily mentors who actually are out practicing in the fields they think they're interested in for them to really get a feel for, okay this is what it's really like. But somebody who's not going to scare you and say get out while you can. Somebody who’s gotta tell you the really bad things.

But these are the really good things and this is why I keep doing it and this is why I love it still. You need balanced people to give them realistic expectations and to learn a little bit about the business of medicine. For residents, I think the focus should be on just life and just living. What does your life look like? Because I think you're laying in residency a foundation of how I'm going to practice for the rest of my career. So I think they should focus on not only making sure they get the knowledge they need and get the patients numbers and I get all that, but how do you live life? How do you nurture your personal life in addition to your career? Because you have to have balance and the people that don't have balance are in trouble. They need balance and to learn that as a resident because that's really hard after for three, four or five years, depending on your specialty. You literally cut off our relationships with people you love and care about and you don't talk to your best friends and your family and you don't hardly go to church and get all fat because don't work out.

These things that all of a sudden you're on a 10 day and it's like, okay, go figure it out. Go figure out how be a normal person again. (How to reconnect). Yeah, go reconnect with people you've ignored for five years. No, it'll be fine. I mean you just have to I think help them and help them too with the expectations of what it's like to practice in the community. I trained in a program that we didn't have our own university system so we had to, we did all of our rotations mostly in community systems. And so we learned a lot about how that worked in reality but people I know who worked in closed systems, it was a false sense of what it's really like when you're out having to deal with managed care and having to deal with community based systems. And it just takes a lot of adjusting and getting used to and people think well this is not what I signed up for. This is not how I thought it would be because we don't train the residents a lot in the business part of medicine and how to function outside of resident.

Dr. Berry:
What I loved especially because we mentioned the business part of medicine. I've seen people, I think I saw the meme the other day where they talked about just the growth of administrators versus the growth of physicians in healthcare, especially in regards to salaries. Because again, when we talk about physician, we don't think money is evil over here. We like money too. And they talked about just the amount of costs as that's going towards the administration aspect, the business of medicine. But then you see the growth of physicians, not even a sliver of the mountain and I 100% agree teaching the business at multiple different levels will go so much further. Because I think sometimes a lot of times of, I don't wanna say sometimes but I don't want to say a lot of times, but sometimes the financial remuneration that they were expecting isn't there because they're not seeing that many patients. So you alluded to the 15 minute and I was once, I always like talking about the 15 minute because a lot of times people think, well my physician doesn't care about me.

They try to get me in and out and I promise you is not that physician care about you, is just that they are in a system that unfortunately rewards seeing more people. And if I have to, if I need to maximize my hour that I'm seeing, I'm going to try to see at least four. So I say 15 minutes where I'm really thinking 10 because I'm hoping I can get it in and out your room in five minutes because I did outpatient medicine. Honestly we had full disclosure, we had a person who came to our office who timed everything we did in a day. So they would time how long it took a person to come to the front desk, sign in and when they sign in how long it took them to get to the back from my inmate to see him. And then how long it took from my MA to see him from an MA put them in a room. And when they may put it in the room, how long it took for me to go to there and then for me to get out of there and then for never go to the front office and then for me to finish the note.

They time every single thing to the point where they even recommended switching, like how the room was set up because they're like Dr. Pierre if your chairs on the opposite side of the door and you got across your patient, I know it's crazy, right? If you had across your patient, they may ask you another question, that may take a couple of minutes. So you imagine that a couple of minutes times 50 patients, right? You could have seen 10 more. So I'll just like wow. So and when we talked about the business, there are people who really focus on a business aspect of medicine unfortunately at the demise of the physician and at the demise of the patient themselves.

Dr. Nicole Washington:
Absolutely. And I think the business and for the students and the residents, I think so many of us are made to feel guilty about being concerned about the money. And so they're labeled as not caring and we get labeled as being money hungry and all about the money. And they just want to turn more patients out so they make more money. They don't care about us. And that's not true. But I think in any of us, no matter what you do, you want to make what you can make and you want to be able to make for your industry what is a good living. And I think a lot of us are made to feel guilty in medicine. We shouldn't care about how much we make because we should just do it. And I think people have a false, so for students and residents I think is helpful to make that a little more normal or of conversation and understand that that's part of it. This is your career and that will play a huge part in your satisfaction in your career and your burnout. I mean that will play a huge part in all of that.

Dr. Berry:
I was reading some article that talked about how the businesses, the businesses at hand, hospitals, health administrations, because they know our love for the patient, right? Because when we talk about physician burnout, yes, the physician loses, but the patient ultimately loses as well. So when we talk about this, our love and care for wanting to take care of people, sometimes they use that against us and that's where this talk of all that doctor cares about his money comes from, it usually comes from people who are making money off the doctor. And they're like, well, you shouldn't be focused on that. And, and they know that because we love our patients, we care for our patients. We'll go the extra mile for our patients. We’ll spend extra time for our patients. We'll stay longer. We'll come in earlier. We'll do all these things that are unfortunately detrimental to us because of the goal of taking care of our own.

Dr. Nicole Washington:
We will not spend time with our families in the evening because we're charting from the day of the people we saw because we didn't have time to see all the people we needed to see, give them the care that we felt was really good care and chart at the same time.

Dr. Berry:
First of all, amazing episodes. Before I let you go though, is there any, especially for, let's say you've got a physician right now who thinks like, hey, you know what? I think I may be burning out and I think I feel like I've read enough articles, I listened to enough podcasts. I've seen enough videos. I think I may be ready. What do you tell them? Especially because again, you tend to deal with so many more high level professionals. What do you tell them? What can you say at this point?

Dr. Nicole Washington:
So I always call it crispy. For my own self, when I say oh, I'm feeling a little crisp. A feeling things are getting a little hard. I'm hard and on the outside. I need to do something. So the first thing is just being okay with it. Recognizing that you're human and recognizing what your signs are and what you need to do. I think I recommend that people take their vacation regularly. I think that helps. I worked at a job once where I had 330 something hours of PTO racked up because I never took leave. Because it painful for me to take leave because I would either pay for it on the front end or back end. Because I was either going to have to see extra patients before I left or when I came back.

So I just didn't take leave. So 300 plus hours, that's insane. Somebody should've said, girl, you better take leave and take care of yourself. So I would say make sure you force yourself to take your vacation regularly. Schedule time off, even if you don't go out of town and doing things fancy, just take some time to reset. So I recommend doing that for prevention and maintenance kind of stuff. But if you feel that you are getting there, I think you have to be very intentional about recognizing your burnout sides because mine may not be yours. I know mine are, my personal one is I get a little snippy with the people in my house and normally I'm not. And so when I, the people in my house, my husband will say, hey, hey, hey now you know, I didn't do anything to you.

And I go, oh my God, you're right. That's how I know when I'm getting to that point. And so when I am getting to that point, I take extra steps to do things during the day to pull back to give me chances to reach ours. I go outside and walk around. I make sure I take lunch away from the building. I do things, just little things to help me kind of decompress. I focus a lot more on my gratitude. Sometimes I get lax and I don't do my gratitude work like I shoot it. But at the end of it all, if that, if those little things don't work for you and go talk to somebody. Realizing that going to talk to somebody or doing therapy does not set you up for a lifetime of going to therapy.

Dr. Berry:
I think that's always people fear. If I got to see him one week, on my, I got to see him for the rest of my life.

Dr. Nicole Washington:
Yeah. And that's not true. I mean you can do brief therapists with people. I've seen physicians for very short periods of time. They had a bad outcome at work and they just needed to debrief through it is that we also don't do, which asks our burnout rate. You work with people. You lose patients, they die. You have to deal. Don't even get me started on people's secondary trauma associated with ER docs and child abuse pediatricians that are pediatricians and you just carry all that stuff. I mean that's a lot. Sometimes you just need to talk that stuff out with something and maybe that's once a month, maybe that's once every other month. Maybe that's just a standby on call. I had a bad case. I need to talk this out with you. But don't be afraid to link with a mental health person. It doesn't mean you have depression or bipolar and anxiety. It doesn't mean any of that. It just means you need a little help, which we all do from having.

Dr. Berry:
I agree. Before I let you go, I always like to spotlight our guests and make sure whatever they were doing, working on, the Lunch and Learn community can be privy too to try to help connect then. And like I said, we had you on episode 62. This podcast is definitely changed over the 62 episodes. We've definitely grown already 62 episodes. So we're so appreciative that you came back and touched out. And is there anything going on with Dr. Nicole that we should be looking out for. Any things you're going on, courses, books, whatever. Please let us know.

Dr. Nicole Washington:
Yeah, I guess since I have been on the show last, I have jumped into the podcast world and my podcast is called The C-Suite Confidant. So it is all about a c-suite executives, doctors, lawyers, high performing folks and the stresses they deal with, whether it be occupational, personal, and listeners have the ability to go to my site, drnicolepsych.com. And you can go to the podcast and you can leave me a question. So if you have a work issue or there's something going on and you go, I want to know what the psychiatrist thinks about this that's going on. And you can leave a voice message on the website and I will respond to people's questions on the podcast.

Dr. Berry:
I love that. Okay. Alright. And remember links we'll definitely be in the show note because that's a very interesting thing. I actually, I need like hop on your podcast so we can talk about the life of an internist program director and the stress they got. Let's make that, I'm putting it out on air right now so we can make that happen. (Absolutely). Especially sometimes you got to say it out loud, right? Beause when we talk about affirmation, right? You keep an affirmation inside so you don't try to disappoint yourself. But as long as you, if it's blurted out of there and now you got a whole bunch more people disappoint and you don't want to disappoint nobody. (Absolutely. Absolutely). And last question, how is what you're doing right now helping others, especially other physicians like really empower themselves to take better control of their health?

Dr. Nicole Washington:
I am all about us just taking our life back and taking our mental health into our own hands. I think we have just for so long worked really hard to pretend like we didn't have issues because how can we help people and have our own issues and that is super flawed thinking. But I just work through my practice, I work with physicians who are having untreated mental health disorders. I mean you mentioned physician suicide earlier, we think we lose about a physician a day in this country to suicide. But those are just the ones we know about. And those are just the ones that we lose. What about the ones of us who are out here suffering and depressed and anxious and every day they think, I wish I wouldn't wake up tomorrow. And those are the ones, because like you said earlier, it's not just about us, it's about the care we give to patients. And if you're impaired, you can't give the care to other people. It affects your patient care. So through my practice, I work with doctors in seven states now, South Carolina, Tennessee, Virginia, Louisiana, Texas, Georgia, Louisiana, Oklahoma. And I can work with them on addressing and a previously not dealt with mental health issues.

Dr. Berry:
Love it. What's the website again so people know how to find you? Where can they find you in any social media outlets

Dr. Nicole Washington:
I am on every social media platform at @drnicolepsych and at the website drnicolepsych.com and there's podcast, clinical services information there and so all you can find everything you need to know about what I have going on through that site.

Dr. Berry:
Dr. Nicole thank you for really enlightening the podcast audience to the topic that is very serious. Again, I know it's getting a lot of fanfare now but it's because it is extremely important and patients, especially those who are listening don't think that is just effecting. Because again, these physicians who are burning out, burnt out, still going to work. And they're still taking care of your mom, your dad, your grandpa, your grandma. So again, do not think that this is just a physician only problem. Please. Thank you for joining the podcast again.

Dr. Nicole Washington:
Thank you for having me.

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Let's Talk about Neurological Destiny... On this week's episode of the Lunch and Learn with Dr. Berry I sat down with Dr. Phillippe Douyon. Dr. Douyon is a board-certified neurologist and the Founder & CEO of the health, wellness, and technology company, The Inle BrainFit Institute®. Dr. Douyon is the first neurologist we had on the show and we talked a lot about the number one organ in the body, The Brain.

This was an amazing conversation as we got to talk about why he became a neurologist, how his initial encounter with the healthcare system has shaped his mindset on taking care of patients and his approach on improving brain health.

We also got a chance to talk about his book Neuroplasticity, his institute, and his app. Before the end of the episode, you will see why One Brain, One Body is more than just a catchy phrase.

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Download Episode 123 Transcript

Episode 123 Transcript...

Introduction

The fact that we only got one brain. It's probably, if you asked me the most important organ of the body. But if we don't take care of it, if we do things that in our teens, in our twenties, in our thirties that does not help it, then we're going to see problems when we get 40, 50, 60. It's not going to be surprised when we run into these medical related problems associated with neurological health. And that's really the theme I want you guys to get from here. We talk about health a lot. We talk about diabetes, cholesterol, blood. We talk about not smoking. We talk about all of these different things here. But understanding that neurologic health is extremely important. And that's why I love this episode because Dr. Douyon, who you know has already wrote a book. He has his own wellness institute that incorporates his neurological practice and he even has his own app in the app store or Google play, whatever that the android storage.

He has his own app there as well. You're going to get to hear a very well rounded individual who is a physician. Who really wants to put their patient care at the forefront, especially when it comes to neurological health. So, again, like always, if you have not had a chance, go ahead and subscribe to that podcast. Let me know what you think about this episode. Shoot me a five star review if you must. And you know, tell a friend and tell a friend. That's really the goal of every week. Just to tell one person. You don't even gotta tell 50 people. Just tell one person and then that's good for me. So you guys, you're ready for another amazing episode with Dr. Douyon.

Episode

Dr. Berry:
Alright, Lunch and Learn listeners. You just heard that amazing introduction from a guest. I'm very interested for you guys to hear because it’s something different. We actually haven't had someone not only from the show, from the specialty that to kind of talk to you about health in general. So definitely excited. Again, Dr. Douyon, thank you for joining today with the lunch and learn community.

Dr. Philippe Douyon:
Well thank you for having me. This is exciting to be on your podcast and I'm looking forward to this conversation.

Dr. Berry:
So I gave them your bio. First of all, amazing bio. But if someone, because I got some Lunch and Learn listeners who like to skip the intro. I don't know why they do it. They like to skip the intro and get right into the meat and potatoes of a show. For someone who skipped the bio. But maybe they read but they kind of glossed over it. What is something that isn't in a bio that someone may not know about you, but you would feel, you know what, if they walk away from this episode, at least I hope they know this.

Dr. Philippe Douyon:
Yeah, I think it's probably that, I would say that my goal is to really get people to reach their full potential. Especially their full neurological potential. I feel like that we have so many limitations that we put on ourselves and that we put on our patients in medicine. And I'm just really trying to empower people to live their best life and to get as healthy as possible.

Dr. Berry:
And you know what I love about is because I've had quite a few guests on the show. But I've never had one who really stressed the importance of the neurological potential. So I'm like very excited to get into that aspect, especially when it comes to health care and how that helps overall well-being. So definitely excited to get into that. So what made you, because again, I'm an internist. So what about neurology say, you know what, this is the field for me. What was it?

Dr. Philippe Douyon:
So it's a couple of things. I think my first experience with neurological disorders was that I had a cousin growing up who had epilepsy. I had a grandmother who developed Alzheimer's. So I got to see the impact that neurological disorders have on people's lives and their families. And as devastating as it was to see neurological disorders have a different impact than others diseases. I mean, it impact who you are at every level, the way that you think your strength or your ability to function throughout your life. And so I always found that fascinating. But I also grew up, I was born and raised Catholic and I probably don't track this as much analysis as I probably should to my parents. But you're taught that you are created in the image of God. And I think for us, the parts of us that are most God-like are our spirits and our brains. Our brains are capable of creating. Creating our external environment, our internal environment. Creating our lives.

Dr. Berry:
Obviously some of the history of they may not know is you've been well in tuned with the medical system in and of itself. Right? And it isn't as if you became a physician and that's when you kind of get enamored with it. You are on the other side as a patient and let's talk a little bit about that. And then really lead into how that's played out in your career thus far.

Dr. Philippe Douyon:
I think people when they first see me, they're like, oh, doctor neurologist, epilepsy specialist, author creator of this app. But what they don't know is that I've been a lifelong patient. I've been a patient since I was 18 years old. So my entire adult life, I'm now 40, so more than half my life. So I've gotten to see things from that perspective. And being a patient I think has made me a significantly better doctor. When I was 18, freshman in college a couple of weeks into my college career and I went to college on a tennis scholarship. And so to a play for the team then you have to undergo a physical. And so when I undermined that physical, they found something wrong in my urine. Initially they ain’t clear me to play on the team. But they did a couple of weeks later and we go on our first trip to go play at a tournament out of state.

And during that trip I'm playing my match and my entire body goes into one large crap and I just cannot move around and I can't move any muscles. And I ended up having to be rushed to the hospital. And probably about a month after that is when I was diagnosed with kidney failure. At the age of 28, eight days after walking across the stage at Carnegie Hall to get my medical degree to get my diploma. I walked into the halls of Columbia Presbyterian hospital here in New York to have a kidney transplant. And so I have been a lifelong patient and that I said, has made me a better doctor. It's influenced the way that I practice medicine. It allows me to relate to my patients much better because I understand what they want. I know what it feels like to have to face your mortality. I know what it feels like to take medications that don't make you so great. I know what it feels like to look in the mirror and not recognize yourself.

Dr. Berry:
And the reason why I love about that is that I think a lot of physicians, especially the ones who haven't been in a position where they've had to be on the patient's side. I think it does lose a lot, right? I think there's even they could be as empathetic as they want because they really haven't been there. Sometimes it is difficult for them to make that extra leap go that extra mile for their patient because they've never experienced it. So I was definitely interested because I know something like that right is going to help shape the career. I know something like that is going to help shape your want for your patient. And especially when you talk about making sure that you improve that neurological health, which is something I think a lot of people downplay unfortunately.

Because one, it's not something that you, you physically can touch. It's not sexy. It's not something that gets an entire month. In a different, it's not like that level of, I guess, “popularity”. Because that occurs, I think a lot of people downplay its level of importance. But again, I'm thankful that you're on the show today because I really want you to get the listeners together so they understand how important it is to really make sure you're optimized from a health standpoint, specifically neurological. It's has so many devastating affects when you are not. What are some of the things that you do that helps people improve from a neurological standpoint? When someone says like, yeah, I'm a neurologist, you have gone to neurologists, what do they typically do? So, because that way I want people to be in that driver's seat when they hear neurologists. What is, he's a brain doctor? What does that even mean? What is that?

Dr. Philippe Douyon:
So I take care of people that have a whole host of brain and spinal cord issues. So they can have strokes, epilepsy, seizures, multiple sclerosis, Parkinson's disease, headaches, back issues. And one of the things that I realized pretty early in my career and I've been attending now for about six years, is that the biggest impact that I had on my patients wasn't in prescribing medications or taking them to the operating room for epilepsy surgery. It was really when I got them to think very differently about their health, their life, and even whatever neurological disorder was going on. That’s where you truly empower people. And so I think in terms of taking care of our neurological health and really reaching our full neurological potential. There things that we can do that we'll certainly talk about. But the first thing that we need to do is to change the way that we think on a regular basis.

Dr. Berry:
I love it. Let's talk to them. I love the mindset. Let's go.

Dr. Philippe Douyon:
So every thought that you have gets wired into your brain and the more you continue to have those same thoughts, the more hardwired it gets into your brain. And whether those thoughts are positive or negative. And for most of us, we've got a default mode where we get a lot of negative thoughts throughout the day.

Dr. Berry:
Why do you think is the defaulted that way? Is it just nurture? Is it just, what do you, if you had to…why?

Dr. Philippe Douyon:
There’s a couple of things. So I tell people all the time that the primary role of your brain is twofold. One, it is to keep you safe and it is to get you moving. So let's talk about the first one to keep you safe. So in terms of keeping you safe, it means to minimize your risk. It means to minimize the potential that you're going to face danger. And for a lot of people, that means doing the things that they are used to doing because they know what the outcome of that thing is going to be. Right? So even when you talk about careers. People will stay miserable in a job forever because they have the security of that paycheck that comes in every couple of weeks. They have the security of whatever benefits that they get. Instead of really following what they are passionate about. And part of that is because they're trying to minimize their risks.

Dr. Berry:
So your brain will essentially say, you know what, I don't want you to try this new thing because I'm not sure what's over there.

Dr. Philippe Douyon:
Right. And we see that play out all the time. People take the same way home every single day from work. So the point that they can't even tell you how they got home. They went to sleep while they were driving which is potentially dangerous. So people do that in every aspect of their lives. They stay in relationships that are not healthy because they are scared of being alone. They're scared of potentially not being able to find somebody else. So people operate from the perspective of fear often. And so it's really about changing the way that we sing and recognizing that the best thing that you can do for your brain is actually just switch things up from time to time.

I'm a big believer in that you need to reinvent yourself every five or six years. I was giving a talk at a conference, a neurological conference about two weeks ago in California. And one of the speakers got up and said how he's been working on the same research for 50 years. And I thought to myself, oh my God, like you have been doing this same thing for 50 years. Oh, how incredibly boring and unstimulating and unchallenging does that. And I think when people make the same decisions every day, they take the same actions every day. And what I find most interesting is that then they turned around and asked, why is my life not changing? They have the same thoughts, make the same decisions, take the same steps every single day. And why is my life not changing?

Dr. Berry:
You know I love that because I think a lot of times people think that it's just a “self-conscious”. But you're breaking it down to the point that, no, this is like hard wired in. This is down to the tissue saying no, chemical wise, no, this is why you're doing the same thing over and over again. It's not a lack of willpower. No. Your brain is literally saying like, nope, you're not going to go that way because you don't know where that way goes.

Dr. Philippe Douyon:
Right. And when we do new things, that's when our brain actually makes new neurons, makes new nerve cells, makes new connections. That's when we truly expand on the potential that our brains have and that our lives have.

Dr. Berry:
And I love that of course I'm probably on social media so I know a lot of times you'll post a video where you're just in different scenes and you tell the viewers just focus on the scene behind. Don't even really like look at me, just focus on what's going on back here, just to generate new processes going on. So I guess, I'm definitely with you as far as this process is concerned. Now is that something that ledger path as far as the motivation? And the reason why I ask, especially Lunch and Learn listeners who may not, most physicians, we're pretty mundane. We're pretty boring. We pretty much do the same thing. Go to work. We prefer, we're hardwired to do that as well. You're in a situation, especially as a neurologist, which is very interested in, you do a lot more different things that I would expect from a neurologist. So let's talk about The Inle BrainFit Institute. I want to talk about that motivation. What was that about? Because I'm always enamored when I see physicians go a little bit different direction. Usually because their colleagues don't go, they get looked at as weird. What was that about?

Dr. Philippe Douyon:
So I think part of it kind of hit the nail on the head as doctors. Even though people on the outside would say, oh, you know, their jobs are so intellectually stimulating, they're making decisions that impact people's lives. All which is very true. But I find that us doctors, we actually don't learn new things. And often that thinking that we do right is billions of dollars that goes into research that you can deduce just by logical reasoning. And oftentimes they do the same research over and over.

Dr. Berry:
Lunch and Learn community, remember you can't see me but I'm literally shaking my head and I'm like, yup, yup. You're right. Yup. Yeah.

Dr. Philippe Douyon:
So we fool ourselves into thinking that we're learning new things even though that we're not. And we're not learning anything that's going to impact the lives of our patients today. If we're lucky, maybe it's used from now. And what I had realized was, like I said before, it was really where I had the biggest impact, was about getting people to change the way that they think. And getting people to exercise on a regular basis, say eat right, to find ways to minimize their stress, to constantly learn. Those were the things that when I was talking to patients about, that worth having the biggest impact on their lives. Because for most diseases out there, there are no cures. And we did debate why there are no cures for a long time. So we'll leave that for another topic though. But there are no cures.

But you can make symptoms better with a lot of lifestyle changes. And even if you couldn't with lifestyle changes, just by changing the way that we think about whatever disorder or disease processes affecting us can have a significant impact. And I know that both personally as a patient who's had kidney disease since he's been 18 and I know that as a provider. So for me, when I was first diagnosed with kidney failure, when I first had a kidney transplant, that was a really difficult time. I mean, I was angry, I was frustrated, I went through the why me, I did everything right. How could this happen? For a while my identity was wrapped up in my diagnosis and it wasn't until I started changing the way that I thought about myself and what was going on with my body that my life started to change.

And so, well, you know, I'll very openly say yes, I've had a kidney transplant, about kidney disease. There are times there are bumps in the road. And I sort of have to go back in for some maintenance work. But my identity is not wrapped up in that. That is just part of my story. And it's getting patients to see that for them also. Their identity is not wrapped, in whatever disorders affecting them. That's just part of who they are. And it can be a small part or it can be a large part. It's really part to that. But getting them to see that there's so much more to who they are and the only limitations on their lives is the limitations that they place on themselves.

Dr. Berry:
I love it. Especially shout out to the osteopathic physicians where I think A.T Stilll talks about, not defining your patients as , oh this is my diabetic patient. No, this is a patient with blank. And understanding that they are still a person. Because you're still a person, you know, you still have the issues going on here. You just happen to have whatever disorder you happen to have. So I definitely love the fact that you're able to even, especially at that age. Because you said at 18, right? And usually that's not an age where you're thinking that way. You're usually thinking of other way where you're angry, you're questioning, you're wondering why me. Usually that's the normal mode. Because I've got some older adults who I still can't get them to break out of that mode. So I definitely commendable that you are at least able to mentally make that mind shift that said, you know what, this is…

Dr. Philippe Douyon:
Process. That is doing some hard work and realizing wait a second, my life is not what I wanted to be. And recognizing that the problem is not necessarily everybody else around me. It's in the way that I'm thinking about what's going on in my life or whatever my life circumstance has happens to be in that moment.

Dr. Berry:
And as far as your institute, when did that come about? Why did it come about? Because again, the concept is what's so interesting to me because again you're I guess putting the brain first. Which is something you would think, but it doesn't happen unfortunately.

Dr. Philippe Douyon:
Yeah. So the wishing that came about is actually pretty interesting. Because I was two and a half, three years into being an epilepsy, attending of private practice. And I had grown my practice part of the practice significantly large. So the practice is like a tristate area practice, 20 epilepsy specialists, full of neurosurgeons and neuropsychologists and I was really one of the more successful doctors. Probably in the top two, top three successful doctors. The only one that was consistently more successful than me with the owner of the practice who started in the 1990s. And so they didn't really care for the direction the practice was going and was kind of like, is this it for me? Is this what my life is going to look like? I was watching some of my older colleagues at the time and seeing what they were doing and was like, I just can't see my life for me in this direction. Something needs to change. So I actually resigned, on the spot. No plan.

Dr. Berry:
I bet your brain was like, what are you doing? What are you doing?

Dr. Philippe Douyon:
My brain was like something, you should change it. And it was like slow down, you know? So the owner of the practice came to me and said, doc, even if half your patients go with you, it's so many patients that it's going to kill our practice. And he didn't know it was, I had no interest and at that point continuing to practice like a regular doctor. But he said to me, what is it that you want? And so I said, well I want the ability from a legal perspective to be able to open up my own neurology business. And so he said, fine. And he said, look, you do the epilepsy for us. And we continue to pay full salary pay benefits. You can open up your own neurology business and we'll even refer you patients. (Wow). And so I was like, alright.
And I knew, I didn't want your typical neurology practice where patients come to see you for 15 minutes. You up their meds and you send them on your way. So I've created a program where we create individualized exercise regimens for patients based on their medical and neurological needs. One of my offices at the time was right next to a health spa. So worked out a deal with the health spa where my patients did work out. They're underneath my direct and indirect supervision and I would just program for them. That's how we got started and since then have been able to move it to online.

Dr. Berry:
And what have been some of those benefits? Because I'm pretty sure as a neurologist, people are looking at you funny when you're saying no, no, no, I want to incorporate more than just the medications. I wanna incorporate a mental, their physical. I wanna incorporate all of these things while also dealing with the neurological thing I'm dealing it. What was that initial reaction from your colleagues?

Dr. Philippe Douyon:
I think a lot of people were skeptical and they were like, you know, what is he doing? He does so well in this arena. Why would take this kind of risk? But I was seeing the benefits in in my patients. I mean there were patients with refractory epilepsy. Seizing on three or four different months and you get them to eat healthier and you get them to exercise on a regular basis. And their seizure frequency would go significantly down. I was able to take one person off their antiepileptic medications than just control it with diet and exercise alone. Their anxiety and depression would significantly improve. Headaches would go away. And so I was doing the research, checking the literature, and with every neurological disease, exercise is really important and exercise makes these diseases and disorders better. And I started to learn more and learn a lot more about neuroplasticity. Exercise is the biggest promoter of neuroplasticity there is. That is our brain's ability to adapt, to learn and to heal. And so exercise should be at the foundation, I think of any medical issue. I mean, when we think about the diseases that have gone up in the last 30 years, it is sedentary lifestyle, obesity, diabetes and Alzheimer's disease. I mean these are all lifestyle disease.

Dr. Berry:
What I love about this is, and I think we would definitely want, I want to kind of dive deep in because you even wrote a book, right? Again, Lunch and Learn community members, I'm promised you this isn't your typical neurologist, right? This is the one who again, that's why I was like, wow, okay, hey, I think we need to like have him on the show. Because not only did you do that, where you started realizing I need you to incorporate the whole person. I need to incorporate how much activity are they doing, what they eating, when they're eating. I need to incorporate all of those things if I'm going to adequately treat my patient. You said, you know what, I need to do that. And then you wrote a book about it. Right? So, and then you alluded to it. Talk a little bit about this neuro-plasticity and the effects of exercise and everything else. And then let's talk about your book in general. What motivates you write a book? Because I know most of us position, right? We've got no problem writing journal stuff all day. And I joke to my colleagues all the time, I say, you know, all those articles, you write a great but your patients aren't reading that.

Dr. Philippe Douyon:
Right. I don't know. It's very rare that I read an article in any journal where I'm like, oh, there's articles about say saving life. And maybe I'm just a little jaded, but I just feel like it's rare that that happens. I think it's more for intellectual curiosity than it is the actual curiosity. We used to think that our brains, we were born with our brains and our brains never changed over our lifetime. That if anything it as we got older, maybe that these age-related changes, some degeneration or some neurological disorder would take hold and that would have a negative impact on the brain. Or we have some trauma that would have a negative impact on the brain. But now we know differently. We know that our brains are constantly evolving, that they are really dynamic. We know that our neurons and nerve cells that were capable of making new neurons in their cells throughout the life. And that's really what neuroplasticity is about. It's about the things that have a negative impact and positive impact on the brain. The things that cause our brains to make new neurons, things that cause our brains to lose neuron causes dysfunction of neurons. And a lot of those things are within our control. There are things that we do on a daily basis.

Dr. Berry:
What are some things that we do that benefit that and what are some things that we do that may cause some problems?

Dr. Philippe Douyon:
Exercise has huge benefit. Being sedentary, not being physically active actually kills our brain cells.

Dr. Berry:
Wow. Okay. Alright.

Dr. Philippe Douyon:
Oftentimes when I go and I'm giving talks, I'll give the story of a sea squirt, which is sea squirt when it's born, it's a fully mobile tadpole. And it's got a full functioning nervous system, brain and spinal cord. And within the first 72 hours of its life, its primary goal is to find a place that it can park itself and never move again. And when it does that, its body releases chemicals that cause its brain and spinal cord to dissolve. And it's eventually left with like this rudimentary nerve cell as a brain. And we see the same things happen and people let me stop moving, everything start to shrink, start to atrophy. And so exercise is really important to combat that. And I've seen 90 year olds who are physically active who eat well, minimize stress. So those are a couple of things.

Stress is a big one. Stress kills brain cells, especially in the part of the brain responsible for memory. And so people will often come to me and talk about how they're increasingly forgetful and when you talk about the things that are sort of going on in their life, they are under chronic stress. And we're all built to have to enjoy a short burst of stress. Chronic stress is not good for any aspects of our body and certainly our brains. It doesn't allow us to make new memories and all that cortisol and junk and adrenaline is also killing neurons. That's another thing that's really important. Constantly learning. Doesn't matter how old we get. You need to be constantly learning. I've seen so many people, we've had the same job for the last 50 years, right? And they can be physicians, they can be four years they've been doing that same thing. They've done a great job in their field. Most people would tell you that they are brilliant. But they retire from, what they were doing and three months later they are like completely demented. Because their brains never had a significant amount of reserve. They weren't actually learning new information. It just got really good at doing what they had always been doing. And once they stopped that, it was like they just fell off a cliff.

Dr. Berry:
What I love about this is because you're not mentioning like the alcohol and drugs, because that's what people always think. Which we know that it would cause problems too. But the fact that you're like no being sedentary, not exercising and being super stressed causes problems too. So I love that you're hitting home on those points. Because I think some of our Lunch and Learn listeners need to hear that. Because they need to hear like, no, no, no. Just because you think you avoid those couple things don't mean that you're not in trouble.

Dr. Philippe Douyon:
You need to avoid those things too. Those have a negative impact on the brain. Alcohol and drugs. But yeah, other things that we do on a daily basis. I tell people all the time that we need to have different conversations with different people. If we always have the same conversation with people who I think the way that we do, that’s not good for brain health, either. That's not going to solve any issues in our life. We don't necessarily need think with everything. But that perspective is invaluable. It gives us a different way of thinking. And because of that, that causes the formation of new neurons and new connections. So that's really important. And one place where we see that not having conversations with people who think differently from us, the negative impact that that has, that's in our current political system, right?

Dr. Berry:
The first thing I was like, the folks who…

Dr. Philippe Douyon:
The Republicans. They sort of stand their ground in whatever their ideology is. They don't talk to each other. So therefore there's no new solutions to any problems. So talking to people who think differently from us is incredibly important as well.

Dr. Berry:
Talk about the book. What was your initial thought process? What was your goals when you first decide and say, you know what, I'm going to write a book. I'm gonna write a book. Because of this theory, but not really theory, just practice of action. Like what was that like? Especially as a physician because I'm always intrigued at my physician colleagues who go out the box because I know what it takes to do that.

Dr. Philippe Douyon:
So for me, the inspiration for the book was definitely the patients I take care of. People that I serve in general. And when you think about neurological disorders and the devastating impact that it has on patients and their families. But I've spent the last, I don't know, maybe 10 years, 11 years when you include my training. Seeing how people with devastating neurological injuries have risen up, that they have fought for their life, they've fought for their independence. A lot of them have not let their diagnosis sort of define who they are. And so they were really the inspiration. It was the patients that were doing the work every day to change the neurological destiny. To change their life and to create their own life. And so, they inspired me to write this book and it was about why the things that they do have, the impact that had has.

Dr. Berry:
And for a person who is going to be going to be picking up this book, what should they expect to get out the book? In your mind when you were writing it and you're finishing it, if you had to point to one goal from the book, what would you say that would be?

Dr. Philippe Douyon:
First of all, I would say this, that one of the things that I've learned in writing a book is that a book is never actually finished, right? I mean, there was actually supposed to be probably another 10 different sections to this book. But when you're talking about things that have to do with the brain, for a lot of people, that's scary and that can be complicated. And so you don't want this massive book that people are going to be like, oh my God, I can't be that. Because book is never really finished. It's just when you decide, okay, this is it for this part, yeah, I'm going to put this part out first or if a publisher comes or whatever the case. But the thing that I want people to really take away is I want people to have a completely different relationship with their brain than they've had before.

I think for a lot of people, they don't give their brains much thought until something goes wrong. And our brains are like our muscles. If you want it to grow and evolve, you have to stimulate it. You’ve got to do so in different ways. You've got to take care of your brain. And my sort of tagline for my company, it's on all our t-shirts. It's actually on this t-shirt and our wristband, it says “One brain, one body”. Everything that your body, the way that you treat your body impacts your brain and everything about your brain impacts your body. And people don't necessarily realize that that is the case. A lot of physicians don't realize it either. So I'll get call it to see somebody who's had, whether it's high blood pressure, diabetes, Alzheimer's or disorder for years and that'd be like, oh, they're having some issues with their brain. And it's like, yeah, because this high blood pressure, diabetes or inflammation not only impacts their body has a significant impact on their brain and it's been damaging their brain this entire time.

Dr. Berry:
So the segue, when we talk about bringing health, and I'm such a big fan of physicians who go a different direction. You have your institute where you focus on the overall wellbeing of health. You have your book where you actually wrote a book, because most physicians don’t write books unless they're writing it for boring conferences that none of our patients actually go to. But then you went the next step and say, you know what, I'm going to create an app as well. Tell us the motivation behind the app. And ladies and gentlemen, the app is absolutely amazing. Is an IOs, is on the android platform. Please download it. Of course the links will be in the show notes for you to get that. Give it to your kids as well too. This isn't just an adult app. Kids can play in this app too and have just as much of a great time. So talk to us about the app.

Dr. Philippe Douyon:
Yes. So the book is called Neuroplasticity: Your Brain's Superpower. The app is called Dr. Douyon's Brain fit. And believe it or not, actually I don't play games. But I wanted a really fun way to teach people about how to food and exercise and other lifestyle choices impact your brain. And I thought a game would be a really great way to do that. Especially because everywhere you look, people are on their phones doing something. Either in the bus, they're on the train. They get a minute of free time, they're on their phones. And so I wanted to meet people where they were at. I wanted to find a really fun way to teach them, to influence their health and just get them to live, sort of help you lives. And I've used this app as a learning tool where I'm teaching students. So kids like elementary school kids, high school kids, and even full-fledged adults went on when I'm talking to them and everybody seems to really enjoy it.

Dr. Berry:
What has been some of the results? Is this something you incorporate as an overall process from a treatment plan with some of your patients? Is this something where you say, you know, I think you would definitely be much more apt to kind of going this route and using the app and kind of using that I guess the part of the brain to learn and to build up your brain? Like we exercise and we build up muscle when we're gaining weights, building up the brain is just as important.

Dr. Philippe Douyon:
I think games serve different functions and I think games are very much like books. You have different genres of games. And so this game, this app is definitely a puzzle game. It's a matching game. So you get to match healthy foods and healthy activities and as you match and as you go through the levels there questions that come up related to that particular level of that particular disease stages. People learning about that disease and how exercise impacts those diseases. So you know it's not necessarily. I don't make any claims like, oh this is going to improve your cognition, it's going to improve your memory here or anything. I prefer to think of this like, you know, when patients come to us and maybe you give them material to take home or even better than that. Patients come to us and we're educating them in the office.

But we are educating them about their diseases or their medications during a very stressful period where they are stressed out about what they are going through and how this is going to impact their life. Oftentimes a lot of physicians will use a lot of medical jargon and people in general don't understand healthcare with the way that they should. They're sort of healthcare illiterate and by no fault of their own, the system is sort of designed that way. So I think with the game, you meet people where they're at and you allow them to, when they go home on their own time, on their own terms, they're able to go back and access information that's going to effect the potential disease that they may encounter. And so the levels to this game includes sedentary lifestyle, includes hypertension and diabetes and works its way up to things that we think of as primary neurological diseases and the last level, level 40 is Alzheimer's disease. And the entire time they can just go in there and about how different foods and exercise and stress has an impact on all of this.

Dr. Berry:
I absolutely love it. So before I let you go. I like to call this my promotional period. Because we highlight so many different physicians like yourself are doing so many amazing things like yourself. I want to make sure that I allow that time to say like, hey, what are you doing? How can people get in contact you? How can they get into your world? So let us know, is there any more books? There's any more courses? What’s going on? And how can someone be intertwined with you?

Dr. Philippe Douyon:
So this book that just came on in April, Neuroplasticity: Your Brain's Superpower. The game Dr. Douyon's Brain fit that actually came out in November. I'm currently co-authoring another book now about perception with actually as a psychiatrist. So it's written from the perspective of a neurologist and a psychiatrist and it's about how we perceive the world around us and what influences our perception. I am working on creating an online learning platform for people so they can learn about their health and all the different things that impact their health. And so we've got a couple of couple of big things in the works. And The Inle BrainFit Institute, what we do is we create individualized exercise programs, continuing to grow that so people have all of those things to look forward to.

Dr. Berry:
Perfect. I absolutely love that. My last question I always ask my guests before to get out of here is, and obviously you hit home a lot of the points throughout. But how is what you're doing helping to empower others to take better control of their health?

Dr. Philippe Douyon:
I think our current healthcare system is a very passive one. I mean, people come to see us, it's like, alright, take this pill. They don't really have to do anything but take a pill. And we know that at best it's a Band-Aid approach. It's not really curing the underlying disease process or it's like let's take them to the OR. But it's not anything that they're actively doing themselves. And I think when you get people to move their bodies and get them to exercise, when you teach them about food, when you teach them how to minimize their stress, because they're learning, because they're actively doing, then you're truly empowering them. And I think when people aren't empowered, they can reach their absolute potential. They certainly can reach them neurological potential. They get a lot more creative. They sort of take their lives by the horns. And so I think we're really teaching people just how truly powerful they actually are. I get to see the brains of people from all the world, all religions, all cultural background. Everybody's brain looks the exact same way. And I think what that means too is that we are all capable doing really great things. All we need to do is remove the limit, the limitations that we put on ourselves and that society tries to put on us. And once we do that, I think yeah, we're capable of being truly great everywhere.

Dr. Berry:
Absolutely love it. Absolutely love that answer. Phenomenal. How can others get in contact with you? What are your websites? What are you links? What are your socials? What's going on? How can they reach out to you, follow you and go mission with you?

Dr. Philippe Douyon:
They can reach out to me through email. So PhilippeDouyon@gmail.com. They can reach out to me through my website, www.inlebrainfitinstitute.com. All one word. They can find me on Instagram. So they look me up. Just look at my name, Philippe Douyon, and they'll find me on Instagram. At Twitter, its @PhilippeDouyon. And they can also find me on LinkedIn and Facebook.

Dr. Berry:
Love it and again, members and listeners, all of these things will be in the show notes so you won't have to go far. And he's definitely, again, I know you guys thought, what is the neurologist going to tell me about my health? And clearly there's a lot, right? And I absolutely love that aspect of it. Even down to the neurological fiber, if you don't take care of yourself and especially from an active approach, if you aren't actively doing something, problems can and will arise and are rising because we aren't doing it. So Dr. Douyon, thank you for really helping the Lunch and Learn community members turn another chapter in their pursuit of learning and I'm helping them understand that from a neurological standpoint we stood out a lot of work to do, but we can do it.

Dr. Philippe Douyon:
Absolutely. And the power to change our lives is certainly within ourselves, within the way that we think. And our brains are capable of a tremendous amount of greatness and creation. So you gotta make sure we take good care of our brains.

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Neuroplasticity: Your Brain's Superpower: Change Your Brain and Change Your Life

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Let's Talk about Intermittent Fasting... On this week's episode of the Lunch and Learn with Dr. Berry I sat down with Dr. Cecily Clark-Ganheart. Following up last week's episode, we have Dr. Cecily's story who like many has had trouble with weight issues after childbirth but found a way to change her lifestyle for the better. In the discussion of healthy dietary change, the topic of Intermittent Fasting has become increasingly popular. With the popularity of a "new" lifestyle, we need expert opinions on what is safe & what isn't so Dr. Cecily has taken the time today to educate the Lunch and Learn Community.

By training Dr. Clark-Ganheart is certified both in Maternal-Fetal Medicine and Obesity Medicine and once she was able to incorporate Intermittent Fasting into her lifestyle and lost over 50 pounds. During the episode, we talked about all of the common misconceptions about intermittent fasting, who would benefit the most & who should stay away from the practice. You also find out how many hours does Dr. Clark-Ganheart fast (you won't believe it).

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Book Recommendations
Furmili S. ER, Ramos M., Fung J. Therapeutic use of intermittent fasting for people with type 2 diabetes as an alternative to insulin. BMJ Case Rep. 2018.
Varady KA, Bhutani S, Klempel MC, Kroeger CM, Trepanowski JF, Haus JM, et al. Alternate day fasting for weight loss in normal weight and overweight subjects: a randomized controlled trial. Nutr J. 2013;12(1):146.
Eshghinia S, Mohammadzadeh F. The effects of modified alternate-day fasting diet on weight loss and CAD risk factors in overweight and obese women. J Diabetes Metab Disord. 2013;12(1):4.
Dunlop EA T, AR. mTOR and autophagy: a dynamic relationship governed by nutrients and energy. Semin Cell Dev Biol.36:121-9.

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Download Episode 122 Transcript

Episode 122 Transcript...
Introduction

So I said, instead of me just telling you what I know from an internist standpoint, let me tell it from someone who's actually in the trenches physically. Actively doing it as we speak and having so much success to the point where she's lost over 50 pounds incorporating the lifestyle of intermittent fasting, low carbs. And guys, she fast for 18 hours a day. So again, first of all, full disclaimer. You do not start going all the way to 18 hours fasting. You have to work to get there and we're going to talk about that mental process and that mental transition of working up to get to the point where you can actually fast for 18 hours a day, lose 50 pounds, still incorporating a great diet. Things going to be another one, things going to be really highly requested because of the amount of gems that gets dropped during this episode. You guys are definitely in for a treat. Of course like always make sure you subscribe to the podcast, especially if this is your first time listening. Again, appreciate you listen to the show today. But if this the first time listening, subscribe to our podcast. Leave five star review. Four star review is okay. With five star review, letting us know how we did about today's episode in our discussion on intermittent fasting. Again, you guys have a great and blessed day.

Episode

Dr. Berry:
Alright, Lunch and Learn community. Just heard another amazing introduction from a guest who I'm actually very interested to talk to, especially for us subject as when we talk about nutrition that we've been doing for the past couple of weeks. I get a lot of questions about fasting and is it safe and what can I do to better my chances. So I say, you know what, let me get someone who, this is what they do. This is the expert. This is their field per se. Let me have them answer it and see if we can get there. So again, Dr. Cecily thank you for joining the podcast and getting ready to enlighten us because I know you're about to do that. Again, I'm excited. Like I said, you've been highly recommended. I just want to say I have had a few people are like, no, no, no, no, you gotta give a passing doctor on the show. That's what it gets.

Dr. Cecily Clark-Ganheart:
I'm happy. I'm excited to be here. And I love talking all things intermittent fasting and just how it pertains to health. I think it's a tool that people don't really think about and it's highly underutilized and it can make such a big difference in health.
Dr. Berry:
I love it. So we did a little bit introduction on your bio, but I do have listeners who like to skip passing, get right into the meat and potatoes. For some of who may have read a bio and then they are like, that's great and all that. What is something that may not be necessarily in your bio, but you want people to know about you and your journey?

Dr. Cecily Clark-Ganheart:
So what's probably not in my bio, my bio does talk about, and I won't rehash, it talks about my own health journey and things of that nature. How I got into intermittent fasting. It was basically the only thing that I hadn't tried before in order to lose weight. And then also combine that with the lower carb approach. And so for me, I found it worth very well. It was the first time that I had long sustaining weight loss without feeling like I was on some strict regimented program where I had to count calories or worry about stuff like that. And so for me, I think just in general there's a lot of misconceptions about intermittent fasting and I'm sure we'll get into some of those later. But it really is easier than I think what a lot of people make it seem like it really isn't that complicated.

Other things that I encourage people to do and that I've gotten into myself that's not in my bio, I think you also have to pay attention to the role of gut health. Just overall in our physical health, the gut microbiome. Some people say, our GI tract is like our second brain. There's so many different disease processes and signals and changes that all start in the GI system. So I think doing other like healthy eating habits to support a good micro biome is also important. So for myself, for some examples, I like to do fermentation and I like gardening and I ferment my own stuff at home. One, it's cheaper. Two, it's better than taking a probiotic because the probiotic can't compare to what you're getting in a natural from it for people used to eat all the time. And it's really easy. And I encourage people, once you start refining your nutrition, I encourage you to look at some other more quote unquote ancestral ways of eating and just see what people did before industrialization because all of the diseases that we are treating now in the medical system really are modern diseases. They're diseases of industrialization. So we used to die of different things before industrialization. (I love it). Now we're dying from a whole host of different things that have just been created by us thinking that we were outsmarting nature.

Dr. Berry:
Well especially because it's so interesting because first of all Lunch and Learn community, I need you to follow her Instagram because she actually will show you the fermenter process. So this isn't something that she's just talking, she shows you, oh see this is what I do. Now of course when you first look, that's interesting. But when you just listen and understand the process, okay. Because I think that's what always gets people anytime they have to make any type of change transition. Just that newness of it is very difficult for people. So when we talk about just fascinating, and even though like the fermentation and all that, when you hear those words, they're like, what does that mean? You mean I can't eat? That's always a big thing, right? I can't eat. So for a person who says, you know what, maybe I'm thinking about your intermittent fasting, but what is it? What would you say to that person?

Dr. Cecily Clark-Ganheart:
So the easiest way to describe intermittent fasting is just, it's a period of gut rest. It's a period where you are not intaking any food. You can drink water, but nothing with the caloric content that just allows your system to reset. That's how I like to describe it. Now, there's several different things going on when we say you're resetting your system. But it really is just simply, you just not eating for a period of time and you pick the period of the time. That's the beautiful thing. You decide how long you want to go for without eating. And that's why it's different than starvation because when you're starving, you don't get to choose when you eat again. You’re praying that food comes around so you can eat it. With the intermittent fasting, you can eat whenever you want. You're just making a conscious decision that you know what, for 12 hours, for 16 hours, for 18 hours, whatever you set your schedule to. I'm going to allow my body to actually have time to repair itself, to lower my insulin levels, to do some other beneficial things that my body's not able to do if I'm constantly eating every two to three hours all around the clock.

Dr. Berry:
What’s interesting, especially when people hear about the intermittent fasting, the time is always one of their biggest markers. It's usually how long I gotta do it and what can I eat when I'm not like or drinking on that process. Do you have any, especially when we talking about the different types of intermittent fasting, is there any pros and cons one way or the other in terms of if someone's a beginner or someone's on late stage? What would you, especially in the beginning stages for sure?

Dr. Cecily Clark-Ganheart:
Yes. I think if you're just starting off, probably the easiest to do, especially if you are used to a lot of nighttime eating and again, if you're a constant grazer, honestly starting off with just like a sunset to sunrise fast might be the easiest place for you to begin. Because I think it's intimidating for some people to hear that, oh my gosh, I have to go 18 hours without eating. One big thing to keep in mind is that sleep counts is fasting. So sleep! Use that time to not eat. So that's saying that you're going 18 hours starting at 8:00 AM. Do you know what I mean? All while you're working in things, if you stop eating by 7:00 PM and during the summer hours and early fall, it's still going to be light outside. That counts is eating. Getting your last meal in before dark.

So if you just did 7:00 PM to 7:00 AM that's 12 hours and you'd be surprised how many of us don't even go 12 hours without eating. That seems that should be natural. But if you are eating at nine, 10, 11 at night or say you ate at 8:00 PM but before you go to sleep you have to drink, name some sugary beverage, that's not fasting. It's your drinks too. If their calories in it or artificial sweeteners, all of that is not counted as fasting. So for a lot of people, if they can just begin with not eating after dark and waiting like even an hour or two after waking up in the morning before eating something, especially if you're changing your nutrition, you're going to see benefits. And so then after that, if you start with that as your foundation, then you just basically start extending after that.

So if you ate at 7:00 PM the night before, instead of eating at 7:00 AM the next day you push that back a few hours. That's how you're going to get your 16 hour fasting. And then keep going from there that you can get up to your 18 hours. There's all sorts of different terms. There's one meal a day. There’s people hear about the five two diet, which is just a play on intermittent fasting. There's several different things that you can do, but I would say rather than getting caught up in which method you're doing, just start with 12 hours and then as you noticed, you're not hungry. The next thing I tell people, if you're not hungry, don't eat. So don't eat at 7:00 AM just because it's been 12 hours.

Dr. Berry:
Because it's like the clock watching and in a second… (Exactly). 7:01, alright I will not going to eat.

Dr. Cecily Clark-Ganheart:
Exactly. But then I would ask you before you do that, are you hungry? Because if you're not hungry, why are you eating? And that's the whole thing. You have breakfast, lunch, dinner, two snacks and I got to eat on clock. Oh it's time to eat. Whoever told us in nature it was, this position of the sun is time to eat. You ate when you were hungry. So I think by starting just with that concept and getting to know true hunger cues that's going to help you just become a natural, intermittent faster.

Dr. Berry:
What I love that you talked about is, because I think a lot of times people will say, well I didn't eat anything. But then they'll neglect the fact that drinking soda, I was drinking juice, I was maybe I had a nibble here and there and we don't really realize how much we're actually eating and drinking after seven before seven. So I think sometimes is having that eye opening experience, wow, I'm really eating a lot after the times where I probably really shouldn't need to eat. Because I know a lot of my patients that was always that big, oh, I gotta have something before bed. I gotta have a snack, I gotta have something. It's something that they, quote unquote had to have that we'll tend to get them in trouble. So I love that aspect of just starting when the sun goes down, when the sun goes up, this kind of seat. That way they're not clock watching per se, because again, like I said, that tends to happen. The second they realize 7:01 hits, all of a sudden they're running for a meal. And I asking themselves that question, I wasn't actually hungry or was I eating because I'm quote unquote allowed to eat.

Dr. Cecily Clark-Ganheart:
Exactly. And so that's the thing. I mean it's about getting used to your true hunger cues. The other problem is because of a lot of the sugary-refined processed carbohydrates our hunger cues are truly off. And so I do this with my kids a lot too. They'll run up and they're like, I'm hungry. I'm like, okay, here I have like the fish that we made and Broccoli, there you go. Oh I don't want that. All right. I guess you’re not hungry. Because if you're hungry, you're getting eat what is in front of you. Right? I know when I'm hungry, maybe I would have preferred a salmon young for dinner. But you know what? That cabbage right there looks good too. And that's what we have. Somebody eat that, you'll eat when you're hungry. And so I think if you can get up or if you're picking at something and you're like, blah, blah, blah, or if the phone rings and now you're distracted for 45 minutes and now you're no longer hungry, you realize that that wasn't a true hunger cue either.
And so what I noticed a lot for myself and people that I work with is that when they start intermittent fasting, the thing they say is, I thought I would be starving at the end of my window and I've actually not. And so that's when we start having that conversation. What do you want to go longer? Because if you're not hungry you don't have to break just because it's the time. I'm giving you a time just because a lot of people do better with goals up front. Something very finite, but it's people realizing that once your insulin levels are coming down, once some of these other factors that mediate hunger, like growing, you know, or decreasing and etc. You don't have that urge to constantly snack either. And a lot of people are surprised by that.

Dr. Berry:
It was interesting, you talked about hunger cues. Does the fasting help modify them or does it, are we able to bring it to light and say, well see, were you actually really hungry or is because you're fasting now as you're hungry. How would you say that the hunger cues are affecting? And we'll even go back a little bit further. For Lunch and Learn community, you may not know, what are hunger cues and what are some of the things that you've seen, especially with the clients that you work with and even self as affected in one way or the other?

Dr. Cecily Clark-Ganheart:
Yeah, so I think the hunger cues, when we go back and we're talking about the gut, there's a lot of signals and different hormones that originate the gut that then provides feedback back to the brain to mediate hunger or not. I think of the famous experiment with the dog and the bell where it's like every time you were going to feed the dog, you ring the bell. And so then all of a sudden all the same physiologic processes would start happening if you rang the bell but didn't give them food. And that is an example of how our hunger cues can get intertwined with things that are external cues that aren't necessarily your body truly saying, I need to eat right now for nourishment. So it's just time or think about other things like stress.

Stress eating is a big thing. But you're not necessarily hungry when you're stressed, but you may eat when you're stressed because it either gives you relief, it either pacifies you with sugary food. Again, stress eating, usually you're not stressed eating out on Brockway, right? You're doing it on high. I mean probably not. You're better than me. That's not what I should say. You're stressed eating on things that are typically poor quality nutrient foods that have a high glycemic index that are very sugary and sugar triggers a reward response in the brain. So this may be getting a little too geeky, but I mean there's a chemical called dopamine. And so if that is stimulated that its makes us feel good, we feel better. So sugar can do that, but then that feeling goes away and I'm stressed again.

Okay, now I feel better that I had that piece of cake. Okay. But I'm still stressed, better than I had that extra. And so it can become vicious cycle like that. So there's so many other external stimuli that we are either getting rewarded from or mistaken as hunger. And unfortunately they tend to be the foods that are not the best for us. Then if we're talking about internally, some of the things that intermittent fasting can help do over time. We've already talked about insulin and that's also the same premise behind lower carbohydrate way of living or Keto in general. If you're not having to stimulate your insulin as often, you're going to have lower levels of that in the body. Insulin in itself, it signals storage so you can have a hard time getting rid of that or different things like that.

If your insulin levels are chronically high. So with intermittent fasting, if you're not eating, those levels are coming down. In turn, those work with other hormones in your body that when they're high they tend to produce hunger or produced cues to eat. By lowering those, because you're not eating as frequently. That's why we think any way people are not having that constant feeling of hunger because people will tell you the longer they fast, the longer they practice intermittent fasting consistently. Also if they are improving their nutrition, I still think nutrition is important as well in all of this. Over time they're less hungry and that's just uniform around the board.

Dr. Berry:
It is very interesting because I just recently myself went to a low carb Keto lifestyle type and you hit it right on it because really thought like I would be, because we ate a lot of rice versus everything else. I don't eat that no more. I really thought I'd be starving, but I get that's really not the case. Which is still surprising to me that I'm like wow, I guess I'm not as hungry as I as I though because I would remember the opposite where I'd feel like, oh I didn't have a meal. My meal wasn't quote unquote complete if it didn't have rice, especially rice. I always felt like, oh this meal, I'm not even quote unquote full yet.

The fact that I essentially token out away and that felling is in air. That was definitely a very interesting point as well. Because there's always gonna be attracted, right? Regardless of whatever lifestyle change you have. And I'm pretty sure you heard every reason in the book at hand. But I always get people when we talk about anytime we change it, is there any evidence behind it? They don't really read them but they always want to know of this type of evidence associated with fasting. I want to talk about your personal journey just in general just so we can kind of get that out the way.

Dr. Cecily Clark-Ganheart:
In terms of the evidence, so there is a lot of evidence for intermittent fasting. And so when we say intermittent fasting, again the research has looked at different fasting protocols. So for instance, you have animal models. Sometimes people are like, oh that's in rats and I'm not a rat. And I get that you're not a rat. But I mean also you don't necessarily want to start testing out something on six week old infants either. Right? So you got to start in the lab somewhere. I mean it's for human safety. But looking at the animal models, several studies have shown when you do kind of like the Ad Lib Diet basically meaning kind of how most of us prior to intermittent fasting kind of function. Ad Lib meaning you eat whenever you want and what you want as much as you want.

And so for some reason you decided to stop. So mice will do the same thing. So if they have chronic access to food, they've looked at their metabolic changes versus when they intentionally restrict the periods of time that the mice can eat. And so that's where they first started seeing some of these improvements in micro neurologic function in terms of rats that were showing maybe some signs of like Parkinson's disease and other neurodegenerative diseases weren't showing it as much as the rats who ate all the time around the clock. Looking at different inflammation markers that are associated with condition called metabolic syndrome, which basically several different conditions. They were showing that those inflammation markers went down, that they were having less visceral fat, which is basically fat around your abdomen. Central obesity as well as what we also call it. Those studies have shown that there are at a cellular level. There is something going on with the intermittent fasting.

That's where some of this research and at term or concept called autophagy has come into play, which is a basically a self-healing mechanism that the body uses to remove damaged proteins. Well, the body can only do that when it's not overloaded. But if we're eating all the time, the body is spending all its time in the feed state processing, so you're not able to get those levels. So that's where they think some of the therapeutic benefits of fasting come in. While this is not, I guess, science, if we just look at human culture throughout the ages, every major religion has fasting as a part of their dots. If you're looking at, I'm not gonna promote, tell people one religion versus the other, but I'm just saying if you look at religion in itself, a commonality is fasting and prayer.

If you were ill, you needed to fast for a while. We’re now starting to see some of that adamant, you’re a level, why that doctrine actually does make sense to have a period of time. And you'll see people quoted through history, Benjamin Franklin, one of best medicines, rest and fasting. I mean, people would set this off. This is not anything new. It's just we forgot, because we were more sophisticated now, whatever. And we have access to a lot of foods. So then to take it out of using that as a bridge to get into. You have human studies as well. One of my favorite ones, and I'll send you the link for it, talks about intermittent fasting in normal weight people. And so even though you know the clientele I've worked with, my patients are going to be overweight or obese.

I like this study because there's this concept that once you hit goal weight or normal weight, whatever that is for you, now you stop fasting. Because if you fast at a normal weight, now all of a sudden you have an eating disorder. But if you're heavy, it's okay because you got to get rid of that fat. But like once your BMI hits normal, why are you fasting? So this study was actually done in people of normal weight or who were just slightly overweight and they did a variation on alternate day fasting and they saw improved metabolic markers still because just because you look a certain way, does it mean that your metabolism and your inflammation markers and all of that are where they should be. It's just manifest it how I might manifest it. So for me, if I go back to eating very high sugary foods, I can put on 30 pounds easily. That would not be difficult for me. Other people just they don't gain weight but they still could drop dead from a heart attack. And you're like why? What happened? Because it doesn't mean that you're metabolically healthy just because you look skinny.

Dr. Berry:
That’s always so funny because I think a lot of times people are like almost perplexed when they see on the outside looks fit, look skinny, that has all of these other hypertension, diabetes, all these other medical record. For some reason it should be that to the obesity aspect. Oh, that's why you have that. But when a person is an obese, for some reason, I can't explain why.

Dr. Cecily Clark-Ganheart:
Exactly. And so that showed improvement in health markers for that. If we're looking at diabetes, granted it's only a study of three people, the reason the case series is impressive is because they took people who I belonged standing type two diabetes. So they were on insulin for years. And traditionally a lot of people are like, oh my gosh, what if I get diabetes once I go on insulin? Like that's it. It's just a matter of years before the amputation hits or before whatever hits. It's coming.

Dr. Berry:
That's so funny. Because I don't know how many times I heard that. That is…

Dr. Cecily Clark-Ganheart:
Yeah, it's just like people are like, oh well, all right, I gotta take this insulin now. I mean you might have to seek it for a little bit, but come on, let's look at your nutrition. So they did combined a low carbohydrate approach. So they weren't Keto per se, but they reduced their sugary intake. And then they did varying fasting periods and it was like, I think within nine months or something like that, I can't remember the exact time frame. Most of these people were off insulin and they were on high doses. Some on like over a hundred units a day. And they were able to come off insulin using a combination of a lower carb approach and intermittent fasting, which then goes challenged that dogma that once you have, and I'm talking about type two diabetes. Type one diabetes is a different thing that's a whole different mechanism.

But, so if we think of a type two diabetes is more of a lifestyle disease. They were able to show through changes in lifestyle that you were able to reverse that. And then there's several other studies that go over again, like autophagy and it's applications and potentially cancer therapy and protecting against some of the adverse effects of chemotherapy. So there's a lot of work in this area. And so I think to, for people who are referring to it, just as a fad. One, you haven't looked into it because it's not. There’s actually evidence behind it.

Dr. Berry:
What led you on the journey where you realize that you know what, intermittent fasting is for me or that's a way I want to go? And let's talk a little bit about your regimen. Because when I had Dr. Lisa Folden, she's been on the meal prep. And when I asked her, what are the issue that thing happens with meal prep. Is people, they Google and they see these images. Or they Google and they read stuff and they're like, oh, I can't do that. And that's always a big thing. Oh, I can't make my foods look like that. Oh, I can't stop eating for 12 hours. What was some of the events that led you on that path? What's your day to day now with that process?

Dr. Cecily Clark-Ganheart:
So what led me down that path was, when I had my second son in 2014. At the time of delivery, I was around like 260, 264 pounds when I had him. And so I was like, okay, I had been diagnosed with metabolic syndrome after all of that. And so I was like, all right, well I need to do something differently. Okay, I'm pre-diabetic. So we already know where this goes.

Dr. Berry:
Insulin, amputation.

Dr. Cecily Clark-Ganheart:
So I was like, okay, that's where I'm going. So I need to, I'm only pre-diabetic right now so I can get a hold on it. So that's what led me realizing I needed to make a lifestyle change. The problem was after that I did more of the same thing because I really hadn't heard of intermittent fasting yet at that point. So I mean, I did lose weight. I started like your traditional calorie counting, working out, running all of these things. And so gradually I was able to get down to just around 200 pounds and then the weight just started coming back. And so I was like, I was doing everything that I thought I was supposed to be doing and then I'm gaining weight again. And then I was like, well, if I'm just gaining weight then why am I even doing this?

I gained more weight. So around that time in 2017 though, I was like, okay, really though I need to figure this out. And on the chat board actually is where I heard about a book called Obesity Code and that's by Dr. Jason Fung. So I pick that up and read it and it actually made sense as to what he was talking about. And so I said, okay, well I'm just going to give that a try. And in his book, it's not his focus really. He talks about nutrition a little bit. That's not the main focus. It's to get you to understand the mechanisms of intermittent fasting. So I started with that, but then subsequently read a book called Deep Nutrition by Dr. Cate Shanahan that discusses more ancestral ways of eating. And so in a more ancestral approach is going to be lower and refined carbohydrates. So it kind of all still goes together.
So that's what led me to it. And then I was seeing results. For me, my typical regimen is closer to like an 18 hour fast each day. But sometimes I go longer or sometimes I go shorter. But that's typically what my period looks like. And then during my eating window though, I also don't snack or keep snacking to a minimum. So can I say I never have a snack? No, I can't say that, but I certainly make a conscious effort then if that day's going to include eating lunch and dinner to really mainly just eat a good lunch and a good dinner and not stack in between that. Because what we're thinking is if we're thinking that insulin has a role in obesity, and obviously there are other hormones, nothing's like that simple where it's X plus Y, you know?

I definitely admit that we're probably over simplifying some of the explanation. But at the end of the day, this is the premise of it. Every time you eat, you spike insulin. So insulin in itself, the insulin you make in your body is not a bad thing. It's just when you have it in excess. Because we need insulin to live. If not, that's where you start getting type one diabetes, right? So I mean, you do need it. But the problem is when you're needing it and increasing amounts, increasing amounts, and if you keep stimulating it all the time with frequent snacking, without doing gut rest, this leads to just higher baseline levels of insulin even when you're not eating. And so insulin signal storage, so signals fat storage, but it also can play into other signaling for inflammation. And then your high blood pressure or polycystic ovarian syndrome. I think of that as a disease of androgen. Excess meaning too many like meal steroid type hormones, which yes, but also insulin excesses at a key in that as well. So there's so many other things that insulin influences where it works in perfect harmony when your insulin levels are regulated and normal. But in excess, anything can be bad. Why? I still try not to snack during my eating window per se because I don't just want to keep. I don't want to do that.

Dr. Berry:
Is there any issue during your period as far as foods you try to stay away from, during that period as well too? Or is it because it's my period and I can go and I can go in blank?

Dr. Cecily Clark-Ganheart:
Agree. I still try to stay away from refined carbohydrates during my eating windows. So things that I'm going to eat are pretty much stuff that either grew from somewhere, or it's an animal, something like that. I've really tried to stay away from package food. And also I think a big misconception is that, diet pop is fine. No, those artificial sweeteners we see can stimulate worse than what just regular sugar would do. So it's not been saying, well I'm not eating. Because it says zero calories, but it still has that very sweet taste. I try to stay away from juices. I am not at my brother and I go back and forth on this all the time because he just lost his eyes at me. But I am not a fan of smoothies that you can tell me you make them however any kind of way.

Especially if you're buying them at a juice bar or something like that. Have you ever just blended pure Kale doesn't taste good. If that taste good, they have put something. I mean this is the thing or what I tell people is, think about an apple. So I don't know if you're having like a green apple smoothie or something like that. In a day, it is probably very difficult for any one person to eat five or six apples in a day. I eat one apple. But it's going to be difficult just for you to sit there and say, I'm gonna eat five apples. You could easily have apples in a smoothie. So again, I think there's a misconception that just because the sugar is natural, that it's fine. I think when we're eating fruit in its whole form, there's only so much of it that you're going to be able to eat. So you're still naturally limiting how much sugar you're taking in in a day. If you're eating it, you have to process all the refuge with it. You know you're going to get cool. But once you blend something, you can easily have two smoothies. Well how much went into that?

Again, I'm not saying have I not ever had a sweetened beverage, have I never had a pop since I've started intermittent fasting? No, that's not true. But I can tell you prior to intermittent fasting and changing my nutrition, it would have been nothing for me to have three or four diet drinks in a day. Thinking I was doing well because I was only having a diet drink and all of that stuff messes with your insulin. So on a day to day basis I try to stick with water, plain tea or coffee as the beverages I drink. I do brew my own Kombucha at home so I may have like a little bit of that here or there. I try to stick with real natural foods stuff not made out of a factory or plants.

Dr. Berry:
I love it. Because I think you answered my next question as far as different types of lifestyle adaptions you can also apply while on the intermittent fasting. Because I would assume especially with the clientele you work with, when they initially start it's the time factor. The hurdle that they go over. I'm pretty sure you probably do just as much as education when it's time to go when it actually is time for them to eat. Okay. That is time for eat. I need you to kind of look at the type of foods you're eating as well too. I'm not sure if saying it would offset their fasting is correct. I guess that's probably a good question. Can you have a bad faster who may go 12 hours, 14 hours, but because of what they do with the rest of the time, it offsets some of the benefits?

Dr. Cecily Clark-Ganheart:
So I think initially you'll probably see some improvement even if you don't change your diet right away because you're going to eat less of those sugary process carbohydrate foods. Usually if you're increasing the time between meals. So you may start to see an initial benefit. But I think we're, a lot of people hit plateaus from, because they aren't realizing, okay, now I need to focus on my nutrition. The other thing is because I see a lot of people who are hoping to become pregnant, we don't recommend intermittent fasting during pregnancy. So my thing is you gotta get your nutrition down because when you're pregnant, your nutrition is all that you have to control how much weight you're going to gain during pregnancy. Contrary to popular belief, we're all not supposed to gain 60 to 80 pounds when we're pregnant. You’re having a seven pound, eight pound baby, where did 70 pounds go?

I was like that too. I gained like 60 pounds with my son who was only seven pounds, two ounces. Like, okay. Clearly he didn't use all of that 60 pounds that I gained. So the thing is, I think we need to also focus on nutrition because that there's so many other benefits to having a nutritious diet rather than thinking of intermittent fasting as a mechanism that you can eat whatever you want. Honestly, I don't even have people do extremely strict carbohydrate moderation. I think people automatically assume, because I'm seeing lowering your carbs. I'm saying, you can never have another carb again. And I'm like, that's not what I'm saying. I have people who do fantastic on 20 grams or less of carbs a day. And they might love it and they feel great.

I have other people who come to me and the first time I see them, they're eating 400 plus grams of carbs a day. I am not going to get someone in a week to go from and sustain because again, this is about sustainability. I'm not going to be able to get them to go from 400 to 20 grams all in a week's period. So what I find is that even just gradually reducing it and people, a lot of people are shocked. They're like, oh, you have people who really eat, a hundred, 150 grams of carbs a day and you add intermittent fasting and they lose weight. I'm like, yes. And they're like, but you have to do, I’m like, we took away a lot of the processed stuff they were eating and now we added periods of gut rest. You would be surprised.

The next thing I'll hear people say is, well, they possibly can't be in ketosis if they eat a hundred grams of carbs a day. Well, if you're 400 pounds and you add intermittent fasting and you're eating a hundred grams of carbs a day, I can pretty much guarantee you are in Ketosis, right? Because it's this state relative to each. By everyone body compass. So I think we get into a lot of things and that intimidates people where it's all of these rules. And I just go back to, if we kind of simplify it, I tell them they can still have carbs, but I want their carbs primarily to come from vegetables that are in low glycemic index. Then I want their dessert now to be fruits. So think of fruit as dessert. To me, dessert is not something you have to have every day. That's just me.

So if fruit is now becoming your dessert, you can still have it, but you're not doing that every day. And then you're adding a period of gut rest, which is forcing you to mobilize your own fat stores. And I think just doing those different things, people actually see a lot of difference and they're surprised that how much a change they can note without feeling like restricted.

Dr. Berry:
Especially with some of the clients that you worked with, I think when you Google you hear some of the common questions and even better misconceptions and we've talked about a lot of them, but are there any others that you hear questions even sometimes bother your mind like huh?

Dr. Cecily Clark-Ganheart:
I know. So we already talked about the starving misconception. The thing that I find most interesting is the conception or question I get all the time. Can women fast? Women’s shouldn't fast? (Interesting). I don't get that. But yeah, men fast and, but then women can't fast. And I said, well that's very nice that in caveman days the men would give all their foods to the wife. Probably not. I'm sure they were both not eating together, but women can fast. I think the issue is that we are equating fasting to an actual state like Anorexia where we see when people have true Anorexia, you can have irregular cycles. It's the same question I've heard people say, well can women do Keto? Because don't women need carbs in order for their cycles to… So people will ask that too. No. Again, people are thinking that you're taking something, you're mistaking fasting with a medical condition and they're different.

So there may be, you'll see people who do intermittent fasting along with a more real foods, whole foods diet approach, who talk about this is the first time in my life that had normal cycles. Because they're self-healing their self correcting some of those issues. I think as with anything, and I don't think fasting is not any difference. If you take fasting too far to where you are now nutrient deprived. But again, most people, if you're still eating two meals a day, especially in the U.S. you're not going to be lacking calories. That's why I think we have to, we're not in the desert, you still have food. So you really don't, in my opinion, have to worry that you're not getting nutrients if you're really just cutting down from three meals a day to two meals a day. There are now hopefully better nutrition quality than what you were eating before.

Your nutrients should be fine. But yeah, if you take fasting too long and you're doing regularly 20 day fast or something of that nature, yeah, you probably will see a change in your menstrual cycles after doing that chronically. But with 16 hours of fasting a day, 18 hours, even one meal a day. If you're eating nutritiously during those periods, it really shouldn't be an issue for most women. So yes, women can do intermittent fasting. Women can do low carb. You can do both eating before you work out. So there's this concept that you have to have that free nutrition, before you go lift weights or run or if you work out in a fasted state. You will be surprised at how much better you feel and the results that you've noticed actually.

Bodybuilders tapped into this a while ago. Think Terry Crews. He lifts fast and when you are in the fasted state actually working out, you have the higher levels of growth hormone, which not to a point where it's going to be detrimental, but it actually preserves that muscle and makes it more receptive to during that recovery time period. Within, you may go and have your meals so you don't have to eat before you work out. Remember there's something called like fight or flight or adrenal access. So if your body is sitting there trying to process food while you're trying to divert. You're having competing processes going on. So you can work out fast and a lot of people, I prefer to work out fasted and I just feel better when I do it. Other people say fasting will slow your metabolism. It doesn't slow your metabolism either.

Just think about it again, fasting, we're now using it for therapeutic purposes or for weight loss. The fasting was just a period of people's lives because again, they stopped eating after dark. And then when they got up in the morning, they were either tending to work outside or doing something like they didn't eat as soon as they got up. So just by virtue they were fasting. If you go 12-hours without a meal and all of a sudden your body starts to shut down and go into some hybernation state, the human race would not be here.

All of these things that we think need to happen for survival. We've been surviving for years without doing all of these things that now all of a sudden (Feel we have to do) every two to three hours. So I think those are the biggest misconceptions that I see. And I think people really just have to realize, you will not die if you don't eat for 12 hours. You really well.

Dr. Berry:
I know you talked about pregnant women avoiding intermittent fasting. Is there anybody else who should maybe stay away from this type of?

Dr. Cecily Clark-Ganheart:
I would say during pregnancy we already touched on stuff. The time also with breastfeeding, that's not the time to try to do 16 hour fast or anything like that. Eating disorders. So if you have a history of eating disorders, you really want to work with your physician prior to doing that to make sure your issues surrounding that have resolved. Because again, especially if you may have had like anorexia or something like that in the past, we don't necessarily have data either way to say that it's going to make that condition worse or it's going to make it better. But I think you need to make sure you're being monitored by someone so that if they see that you're starting to develop those habits again, they can help get you into therapy or whatnot.

So I personally wouldn't recommend it for people with a history eating disorders. We talked about the case reports with diabetes and how it's used as a treatment. So it's not that she can't fast if you have diabetes. But again, you need to be monitored by a physician if you're doing that because you probably need medications adjusted. You don't want to go hypoglycemic. So the interesting thing is, and this concept I find interesting because when you do have studies of people who do prolonged fasting and maybe like an extended fast for like 48 hours or you know, whatever. If you look at their glucose levels, they actually are pretty low. Where if you were getting a lab result back, it probably would deem it as a critical lab value that their blood sugar is hypoglycemic. But you don't have symptoms of hypoglycemia because your insulin levels are low.

So if the insulin is low and your blood sugar is low and you're producing ketones, your body runs off of the ketones. This is also why a lot of people who are strict Keto will notice that they have natural low blood sugar levels because your body is using the ketones. So the same thing with fasting. So you're not going to be hypoglycemic or have symptoms in someone who is adapted like that. The problem is with intermittent fasting and a diabetic who has not adapted to having low insulin levels is now all of a sudden you think, okay, well I'm going to fast, but I'm still taking my same dose as the insulin. Now you have low blood sugar, high insulin, that's a different state. Your problem. Now you have symptoms of hypoglycemia, so you really do need to work with your doctor. It's the same way though, like when you start reducing your carbohydrates. I tell my patients, especially during pregnancy, if they're on insulin, I'm like, hey, if you have a change in your diet, I need to know that because I need to change your insulin. Your insulin prescription is based on your diet, so this is why we really shouldn't be surprised that changing your diet can read your need of insulin because I am prescribing you insulin based on what you’re telling to eat.

Dr. Berry:
A lot of time, I think especially my diabetic patients, they know sometimes we have to get on them. That a lot of times I'm not even necessarily prescribing it for the weight base, which is should be. When I'm prescribing it because what you eat and I got to come back your mouth and that's why you're on the dose that you're on.

Dr. Cecily Clark-Ganheart:
Correct. And so it's one of those things, it's like, well if you are going to start, I would say the same thing with low carb. If you are on hundreds of units of insulin and now all of a sudden you're like, okay, I'm going to go low carb. I'm not saying you shouldn't go lower carb. You need to call your doctor because that same insulin dose now is going to be probably not appropriate because now you've made a lifestyle change. So that's what you have to be careful about. And then especially type one diabetics because type one we've already discussed, you need insulin as a type one diabetic. You don't make it. So you really have to be cautious. That needs to work with the healthcare provider on that. And never would say anyone who's taking just general medication stuff. Sometimes we don't think about blood pressure medications, but there's some several different classes of blood pressure medications and some of them, not all of them, but work with making you urinate more, go to the bathroom more because you get rid of excess fluid.

When your insulin levels lower, that acts as a natural diuretic as well. You will notice lots of people who do intermittent fasting initially because eventually it equals out. But who lose a lot of water weight. They’re diuresing extra water. So again, your health care provider needs to be involved in this because they may need to adjust doses of medication. They may need to do different things. So it's not that you can't fast per se. And I know a lot of people are like, oh, I don't want to talk to my doctor about it because they'll tell me not to do it. But I mean go talk to them. Because the thing is, they may tell you not to do it, but if you tell them you are doing it, then they will adjust. They'll document all in the chart and you know, whatever.
But at the end of the day, you need someone to manage your medications. The other thing I would say is that this goes back into misconception time. But people get so worried about, oh my gosh, I'm taking my medication. Is that breaking my fast? If you are prescribed a medication, assuming that it doesn't say don't take on an empty stomach because you do have some medications which should not be taken on an empty stomach. Ibuprofen should not take in state on an empty stomach. Regularly you're going to have a GI bleed. So there there's some things that shouldn't be taken but I wouldn't worry about unless you're drinking your medication with a smoothie about your medication breaking fast.

Dr. Berry:
Good old green apples smoothie.

Dr. Cecily Clark-Ganheart:
Because eventually I'm never going to have a smoothie company endorsement. Losing my endorsement potential. But there a water company. That's what I need to find. I think a water company. That's something too, again, before you are playing around with your medications and not taking something or doing this or the other. You you really need to talk to your healthcare provider because that in itself can be dangerous not because of the fasting. It's because you're self-adjusting medication. And so that's something you need. And obviously this is not medical advice for you to go start doing anything. You should talk with your healthcare provider, but these are just some cautions that you should keep in mind.

Dr. Berry:
Always talk to your doctor. Especially I think in this day and age where there's so much information out there that could have some good effects or also some bad effects. Always want to make sure you're talking to a professional to make sure you get yourself in order before causing any problems. Before we go, I do love the aspect of highlighting my guests and all of the amazing things that they do. First of all, congratulations. I know you recently, just got certify Obesity Medicine Specialist. Definitely congratulations on that aspect as well. I like to call this like the Promo period where any books, any courses, any clienteles or anything that you wanted like say, hey like this is what I'm doing right now. Please feel free. Because I think when people hear this and they get enamored by the guests and sometimes they want to follow up and see what else guests can all kind of offer them.

Dr. Cecily Clark-Ganheart:
I think the easiest way to find me is my handles the same. My websites the same just across all platforms. So if you go to my website, it's www.thefastingdoctor.com. I'm also thefastingdoctor on Instagram and thefastingdoctor on Facebook. And I have a Facebook group and a newsletter so you could sign up for either, or. I'm going to this fall actually start launching two different programs. One's going to be like small group coaching for people who feel like they want a more personalized kind of approach. But also just a large group forum where we'll have basking schedules available and then host weekly Q and A's. So if you sign up for my newsletter or follow me on Instagram or on Facebook, any of those sites, once that's available, all the information will be there.

Dr. Berry:
Before I get you out of here, I always ask my guess this, how is what you're doing helping others to take better control their health?

Dr. Cecily Clark-Ganheart:
So I think how it helps it just realizes or helps people recognize that the weight loss and being healthy says it's really not some magic kind of thing where you, you need something super complicated to do. I think if you just focus on periods of gut breasts and trying to eat whole foods, things that are not in a package, I think those are the easiest places to start. And then in terms of adding physical activity, it could be as something like walking 30 minutes a day. You don't have to join a gym. I mean, not saying you shouldn't, I'm just saying though that people will have all these reasons like well they are able to lift weights five times a week, they have access to a trainer and they have access to this. And it's like you don't need access really to any of that.

You need access to quality foods and you need to give your gut a rest. And while quality food can be expensive, if you save the money from that one meal that you skipped, you probably then have more money available to buy more nutritious foods. So I think that's the take home. That is my message. I just want to realize and empower people to know that health isn't just for a certain group of people who have access to wealth or whatever. Health really can be for anyone. And probably some of the most healthiest people in the world are the people who actually have access to police.

Dr. Berry:
Very good point. I love it. I want to say thank you for joining podcast and really helping to enlighten on a subject that is gaining, I guess traction per say in just the everyday talk when people are making the transformation, transition to one, be more nutritious and they want to think of different ways to do it. This is definitely one of them. Again, thank you for taking the time out and much appreciated. Like I said, we will definitely be looking out for the program, for the groups. And again, remember Lunch and Learn community, all, every book, everything, every link she noted. We'll make sure it's in the show note so you don't have to write anything now. We'll make sure we get that to you.

Dr. Cecily Clark-Ganheart:
Thank you.

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Let's Talk about Meal Prep for Good Nutrition... On this week's episode of the Lunch and Learn with Dr. Berry I got the chance to talk with Dr. Lisa Folden. I love her story as she is a physical therapist in training but soon realized the importance of nutrition and the lack thereof was having on her practice as well as her personal well being.

Dr. Folden has her own practice Healthy Phit Physical Therapy & Wellness Consultants where she marries the art of physical fitness with nutritional behavior. She is on this week to talk about one of the most commonly noted but overlooked aspects of lifestyle modification which is meal prepping.

As I have made lifestyle changes of my own, I know how difficult it can be to not only make the change to better eating but then to plan out those better meals but Dr. Folden does an amazing job giving us easy & actionable tips to get our journey started. We also got a chance to talk about her book "Healthy Made Easy: The Ultimate Wellness Guide for Busy Moms” and her upcoming book on meal planning.

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Download Episode 121 Transcript

Episode 121 Transcript..

Introduction

So I figure, let's talk to someone who's been there, right? And really speaks about wellness and nutrition as a whole. And really is trying to hit it home. Out the park. I mean, when it comes to meal prepping and meal prepping for patients and her clients. This week we have Dr. Lisa Folden. She’s a licensed physical therapist, naturopathic lifestyle coach. She's a movement expert, women's health advocate, and she works to educate the general population on exercise safety as well as other aspects of physical wellness. And I thought it was very important to have her on the show because not only does she talk about the aspect of physical wellbeing. And obviously her being a physical therapist that makes a way, that may just as obvious, right?

But she understands and she had almost like an epiphany that because she was dealing with just one side of the table, she was only doing half the job.

When she wasn't educating her patients and our clients on the actual function of nutrition and how nutrition plays such a big role on the physical aspects of health. She knew she had to make a change. And right now she owns healthy fit physical therapy and wellness consultants in Charlotte, North Carolina where she works with clients of all ages, recovering from orthopedic as well as neurological injuries. She's also been featured on the Oprah magazine, Shape magazine, Lift Strong, bustle, because she's a writer as well too. She loves writing and she actually has her own book Healthy Made Easy: The Ultimate Wellness Guide for Busy Moms that we get the chance to talk to her about that as well as well as an upcoming book focusing again, hint on meal prepping.

So again, I definitely decided for you guys to catch this episode. Again, like always, if you have not had a chance to go ahead and subscribe the podcast. At least leave us a five star review. Let us know what you feel about the podcast. Let us know what you feel about the episode. And then, tell a friend and tell a friend as always go. Again, I don't expect you to tell 50 people, but as long as you tell one person, that's all I can ask for. So again, get ready for another amazing episode here on the Lunch and Learn with Dr. Berry.

Episode

Dr. Berry:
Alright, Lunch and Learn community. Again you just heard another amazing introduction. You know the theme this month, we're talking about nutrition. We’re getting ourselves together when it comes to the subject of nutrition. And of course you know I ain't the expert, right? So I bring experts onto, you know, now kind of get you guys to get myself right as well too because I learned just as much as you do. So again, Dr Lisa, thank you for joining today's podcast.

Dr. Lisa Folden:
Thank you so much for having me.

Dr. Berry:
So Dr. Lisa I got a lot of my guests and a lot of my listeners who like to skip right past the introduction. They like to fast forward, past stuffing. They like to go straight to the meat and potatoes, given the pan, right? If they just missed your bio, let's say to even read your bio, what is something that made me not be in your bio, but says, you know what? This is what really kind of expands the person who I am as far as Dr. Lisa is concern.

Dr. Lisa Folden:
Yeah, well, being in the health field, I obviously have a passion for helping people. I think most people in our professions do. But for me personally, I'm just so passionate about health and exercise and making things fun and making nutrition and life manageable. So some of the things that don't go on my bio, a little tidbits about me. Number one, I love to dance. Like I could dance all day and if I thought that, if I had a little more confidence in myself as a dancer, when I was younger, I would probably not be a physical therapist. I'd probably be a professional choreographer or dancer. Because it's something I love, I incorporate it into my fitness lifestyle because I enjoy it. But yeah, that that's, you know, one of my things, I'm a neat freak doesn't have as much to do with nutrition necessarily, but I like to have things organized. I read organizational books and I follow organizational logs. And I'm the type of person that gets really excited going to the container store. You know what I mean?

Dr. Berry:
Wow. Okay. I love this. Okay that makes sense. I didn't even know there are organizational books, but now I'm even more intrigued by that aspect. And again I think it calls to the discipline and I'm pretty sure, and we'll talk about it. I'm pretty sure you understand how important discipline is with the subject of nutrition and getting ourselves together. For those who may not know or still may be just kind of coming into their own, when we talk about nutrition and its overall benefits to our health. What would you say it is? The grand scheme of things?

Dr. Lisa Folden:
Well first I'd like to say I don't consider myself a true expert on nutrition. My education and physical therapy, we have some nutrition training, but it's not, I definitely, I'm not a nutritionist by any means. So I never like to tell my clients or my audience people that I'm working with that I am the authority on nutrition. But I have a good grasp of it. Just from my work experience and history. And then of course living my own life and trying to figure it out. So what I have learned is that nutrition is so much more important than we were taught growing up. It's probably, as it relates to weight loss or weight maintenance, it's probably 80% honestly. And that's hard for me because I'm like an exercise and like I love to work out. So you know, you get in that mindset for a long time like, oh I'll eat that, but I'll just work it off.

And that is no, not how it works. And I learned that the hard way for years and years. So I just think nutrition is, it's really primary. What you put into your body is, you're going to be a product of that. So it's, it's really important and it's hard in this country to find the right stuff and the good stuff. And sometimes when you think you got the right stuff, you read an article on Google that says not the right stuff. So it can be very confusing and very challenging. But it is very important to put at least a decent amount of effort into defining a nutrition plan and program that works for you, your family, your lifestyle.

Dr. Berry:
And what I love, and I think this is especially because we looked at it, you touched on it in the beginning is I think a lot of times, especially in when it comes to health and just health care in general, really just knowledge in general is that a lot of times, we kind of attribute the aspects of like, you know, having some type of degree or paper and at like sponsor us as experts when we all know job applications all day. Talk about what is your experience associated with what you're trying to do. And here, like especially in health, I see it all the time and you already know, it takes someone, they do a couple months of training and all of a sudden they propound themselves as this the expert de facto, right?

Unfortunately, there isn't. If someone follows them and someone believes they are the expert, that's where it is. So I don't think, I never put too much, I put some on this right. And onus of meeting certain degrees certificates or something like that to say like, Oh, I'm an expert. But I always put more focused on like, oh, are you in the trenches? Are you getting down and dirty when it comes to it? Because that's the person I want to listen to you. I want to listen to the person who's had struggles. I want to listen to the person whose hats assessors. I want to listen to the person who is then able to initiate and then pass that knowledge on.

Especially in Lunch and Learn community, I think that's always been a big thing for us, is understanding that those paper degrees is fine. But tell me what your life is about and that way. Because unfortunately most people are more likely gonna follow that type of person. A person who got whole bunch of degrees on the wall but don't talk about nothing, can't talk about nothing because they can't teach us. And I think it's interesting because you talked about the fact that you had to go through your own aspect of learning that, oh nutrition actually is the real deal. It was it because you are so active and you were able to balance it out. Was that someone you kind of leaning on the fact that you're so physically active and you are able to kind of get away with, maybe some of the nutritional discretions in the past?

Dr. Lisa Folden:
Well, I think it's probably most of us when you're an adolescent and you're exercising and moving all day and your metabolism has not yet come to a bit of a halt. You can live a lot more freely and do a lot more of whatever you want. You don't see the repercussions of it and then you're not even talking so you're not even thinking about it at that age. So for me, I was always very athletically built. Always very athletic in regard to the activities I chose. I ran cross country. I was a dancer in high school. So when I went into college, I think that was, that first shift, they talk about the freshman 15 and this and that. But I think that was my first shift and seeing like, oh, my body is changing a lot, growing up.

But also based on the foods that I'm eating. What was accessible to me, with a lot of stuff that I don't think I normally ate. And so I saw changes happening. Wasn’t able to pinpoint exactly what to do about it at that point. But that's when I became more aware. And it wasn't until I got into physical therapy school and I started learning a little bit more that I started to understand, oh, okay. But even still, I mean that was like 15 years ago. And you still, because of you know, the way that you grow up sometimes you still have this desire to like, okay, I can just work it out. So I played that game for years and years and I think it was probably starting to have children and then seeing real changes. It's like, oh, okay, I cannot eat the things that I was eating at the rate and the consistency that I was eating them before. If I want to be healthy and be able to function and not continue gaining more and more weight.

It all came to a halt I think with children. So I leaned on my youth and yeah, my activity level and then just not really understanding what was happening all the time. I did put on a little weight, which is fine. And I like to mention that I don't do a lot of heavyweight focused in my practice when I work with people for wellness needs. If you have a goal of changing your weight, I'm cool with that and we'll work with that. But I try not to make the primary focus to do with your weight because it can be so misleading. Some people are just naturally thinner, naturally smaller, naturally, way less. And it does not speak to their health as far as what they're putting in their bodies and what their body is able to do, what their lab work would say. So I don't focus heavily on that, but sometimes, oftentimes, weight is the most visible descriptor of what's happening as far as what you're eating. So for me, yeah, definitely seeing changes and fluctuations in my weight and then also when some activities that I could do before it became more challenging. And it's like, hold on what's going on here?

I don't remember needing this much water in a day. But now if I don't get my 64 to 98 ounces, something is wrong. You know what I mean? So yeah, just being more aware of those changes and seeing being their effects on my body.

Dr. Berry:
And when I look at, and I know you talked about being a physical therapist. I'm pretty sure with a lot of just on that aspect of your work and in seeing where you know and if a person's nutrition, isn't optimal. And makes that side of the job part of it as well. What were some of the things that kind of led you to say, what I think I want to take a more proactive role. Not only in myself but in others when it comes to nutrition.

Dr. Lisa Folden:
I was working, let's see, I graduated in some so long ago, 2007 from physical therapy school and I started out doing contract work. So I would just work at a location gym for 13 weeks or so and then move on to another. And I enjoy that because I have a tendency to get bored. So it's nice to kind of switch up my environment, switch up my caseload. I got to see adults and children. So I have a pretty wide spectrum. But what I noticed is when I kinda got into the field of and staying more consistently in a location, it just became like the same thing over and over again. So and so need for this. Run them through a program real quick and then six months later they're back for something else.

So I started to feel like a factory worker and I was just kind of repairing the same people over and over again. And it dawns on me, and this was around the time that I started contemplating starting my own practice which I eventually did. It just dawned on me that we spend a lot of time on rehab and no time on prehab. So I started… (Oh, I love that. Hey, alright, okay). It goes with our American system, right? We're not necessarily a healthcare system, we're more of a secure system. And so it became annoying and frustrating to me that I could probably instill some knowledge and people that would prevent them from having these injuries over and over and over again. And a lot of it, a lot of the injuries is of course related to weight or just poor nutrition in general.

And so that's when I contemplated to start more practice a few years later. I did and I immediately my practice is like wellness. We’re going to do physical therapy, absolutely. You get injured, I'm happy to help you. We're going to do wellness. So almost all of my clients know that we'll be finished healing their injury, the very acute thing that's happening in them. We moved right into, okay, what's next? It's like alright now, now the core is strong. How are we going to keep it that way? What are we going to do? So I just make that, my focus now is really getting people to consider how they don't want to come back for the same thing or deal with the same issues. So how we can sort of revamp what you're doing. And I do that a lot with my moms.
I have a fit mom program that I work with and I help women, especially after babies. It gets real challenging. Your whole world gets kind of turned upside down. And I have a heart for that because I've been through it myself three times now. And so I work with them on their nutrition and making things very simple, easy, creating some grabable meals, things that are healthy and fulfilling to their bodies that they don't feel like they're in the kitchen, slaving over, for hours and hours and hours. So, yeah, I just, all of that, you know, that whole experience and seeing people do the same thing over and over again, and me being there to facilitate it, it was like, this is insanity. Let me, let me figure out a new plan here. So.

Dr. Berry:
And I love that especially because the fact that, and I think a lot of times when we hear of nutrition, people always go to a weight. If your nutrition is bad, your healing's bad, right? If your nutrition bad and mentation is bad. There’s so many other things associated with nutrition that like weight becomes more of a byproduct more than the actual targeted aspect and goal. And so one of the reasons why, I definitely want to highlight here, is because obviously in this day and age we're in August, right? I had a previous guest tell me 80% of people who had new year's resolutions have already kind of failed and dropped them right in. They're already thinking about next year's resolutions. (Yeah. Unfortunately). One of the big things, especially when people start thinking about, trying to get better as far as with their eating right, is the onus and is the practice of meal prepping. And again, full disclosure, Lunch and Learn community members, I am going to be like kind of taking down notes as well because I have trouble with justice. The just getting behind the mindset of it. Let's talk about meal prep and why is this such an important aspect? Because I know you're big on it as well too.

Dr. Lisa Folden:
Yeah. I spent a lot of time meal prepping and revamping my meal prep process because it is more than a notion. I always tell people start small because it takes some effort and some energy and some thought. But I like to look at the idea of meal prep like this. You know, if you fail to plan, you plan to fail, right? And you have to take that same thinking into your food. If you are just going to fly by the seat of your pants. And that works for some people. So I don't, not the process. You have to find your own process. But most times if you're going by the seat of your pants on your eating, then you're not going to be eating good. And that's just the bottom line. If you're not planning out what are going to be my breakfast options this week, my lunch, my dinners, then you're likely ordering fast food, carry out, going out to lunch multiple days a week, or eating a bunch of snacks.

We’re human, right? And that is usually what it lends itself to. So for me, the construct of meal prep starts in the mind. It's like, all right, let's think this through. What do I know to be good for my body? How can I incorporate as much of that into my daily eating as possible? How can I avoid spending my money and eating things that are probably made from mostly, not great products and putting them into my body every single day? And so I look at it from that standpoint and then I create affirmations around it.

Dr. Berry:
We love affirmations out here. We love it.

Dr. Lisa Folden:
Right now on my bathroom mirror, I have like five or six affirmations associated with my eating. And one of them is my taste books are not more important than my physical health. Right? So sometimes I want some cheese cake or some Oreos and those things are fine in moderation obviously. But I know myself, I have a moderation problem.

Dr. Berry:
I love that. See, we're right here with it, right? We know that we can't even, like now we can't even go to, because we just don't stop.

Dr. Lisa Folden:
I can eat a whole, like a whole row of Oreo. So for me, I don't bring it into my home. Now from out somewhere and there's a cookie, oh, I'll take one, that's fine. But I don't bring those foods into my home so that my whole concept of meal prep just revolves around that idea that my being healthy and eating fuel and food that is good for my body and it's going to make my body work better is more important than that temporary satisfaction of a taste. And so I plan for it, I create affirmations around it. I write out a menu, I shop forward, and I meal prep and I go from there. And when I do step outside of it, because I'm meeting friends for lunch or dinner or whatever, it's not a huge deal because the vast majority of the time during the week I'm sticking within my plan. So that's how.

Dr. Berry:
So what would you say and you talked about preparation. What other benefits are really associated with those who are looking to get into meal prep, or doing meal prep or are in that process like you know, a lot of times, for us, we gotta mentally kind of put ourselves in that process first before we can take that.

Dr. Lisa Folden:
Yes. As you should. I suggest that because like I said, if you just, sometimes when you jump into it, it's like overwhelming and it's too much. But the benefits of meal prep, I mean they're numerous. Number one, you're more aware of what you're eating, right? So you know what's going in your body. If you're a calorie counter or someone who likes to be very mindful of how much they're eating. You plan it out. You literally portion it out. You size it out. You make sure you're getting the right serving sizes. Number two, of course you save tons of money. I don't even like to do the math sometimes. If I'm all not doing my meal prep, I check my bank account and I see what I've spent on carry out and like a week or let alone a month. I have a family of five so it gets real bad.

Dr. Berry:
Same here, same here. I got two twins and an older daughter. So we just can't just go out.

Dr. Lisa Folden:
It’s depressing to the bank account. So what I do, obviously you saved a lot of money when you meal prep. To me like I said, it just keeps you organized and you know, that speaks to my inner organizational person. I love the idea of knowing, all right, here's the kid’s lunches. These are my lunches. These my husband lunches. Here's the freezer prep for the next four meals. It saves time. Meal Prep can take you several hours obviously, but it saves you so much time during the week when you can come home, get off work and all you have to do is throw your dinner in the oven. You know what I mean? It's so easy if you can get up in the morning and get your kids off to school or wherever they're going and all they do is grab their already premade lunch out of the fridge.

It free up so much time. And for me the personal benefits are when you free up that time, then you get to do more things you love. Like spend time with your family, go figure right or shoot, lay out on the couch and watch TV if you want to. You know what I mean? It gives you the ability to spend more time doing things that you enjoy because now you're prepared and your week is set as far as your nutrition goes. So, of course the weight benefits, the nutrition, making sure you're eating good foods, all of that is there. But saving money and time and restoring memories and things that you don't always get to make because of our busy, busy lives. Those are the big benefits to me.

Dr. Berry:
I love it. I love all of them. But Dr. Lisa, you already know, and I'm pretty sure you probably ran through most of them. You going to have people, going to hit you with the excuses. (Yes). What are some of the more common, I'll call it misconception, but you know really what are some of the common excuses you hear for people who say, Oh, I can't, I can't do that.

Dr. Lisa Folden:
Oh, there's so many. Let me pick out my favorites. First, let me say, excuses are tools of incompetence. (Let's talk). Okay, so the reality is this, if you want something bad enough, you're willing to work for it. And I take that into every aspect of my life. Period. Family, schooling, education, career, nutrition, health, fit, all of it. It goes into every category. The most common excuses I get are time. It takes too long. I'm not interested in that. And I respect that one because time is valuable, for me too. And so for people like that, I suggest we take a small. Maybe instead of meal prepping once a week where you're spending three or four hours, maybe you meal prep twice a week. So maybe on Sunday you meal prep, a few things to get you through Wednesday and then maybe on Wednesday you meal prep, a few things to get you through, you know, Thursday, Friday or the weekend, whatever. I also suggest that people take time off. Like sometimes meal prep, it can be a lot when you're doing it consistently every week. So to give yourself a breather, take a week off. That week, just make sure you shop for things that are healthy and grabable. And then you plan your curiosity around sort of your healthier food options in your neighborhood or wherever you work or live. So there's ways to get around it. But that's the biggest excuse that I don't have time.

Another excuse I get is, their families. People who have like picky eaters with kids and I have a whole chapter in my book about that, so I'm ready for that one too. And it's just sometimes people don't, you know, we'll Google everything, right? I got a scratch on my arm or let me look this up. Sometimes people forget when it comes to meal planning and recipes and things like that. Use the internet, use Google, find some things that sound attractive to your kid. Find ways, if you know what your kids like, find ways to incorporate things they like into the meals so that you're not, you know, meal prepping and basically being wasted. So picky eaters can be tough, but there's definitely ways. I hide food, hide vegetables inside of food all the time.
My kids have no idea. You can say, my kids don't eat vegetables. I'm good for making them like a cheese and chopping up fine, yellow bell peppers and they have no idea, that way it blends in with the cheese. I'm all for that. I'm all for problem solving. But yes, picky eaters. And then I say the third most common meal prep excuse I get is, well, two, one people think it costs too much, which, you know, I can totally refute that it does not your fast food and your carry out is way more expensive.

Dr. Berry:
Way more. Quickly too. At least for me, I know one session and then I'm like, oh my God, what are we doing right here?

Dr. Lisa Folden:
Exactly. But that one is easy to get rid of. But the other one is for people who are single and you know, live alone or just don't feel like, oh, I don't want to eat that. I don't wanna eat the same thing all the time. Or I don't want to cook all of that food. And I totally get that. But I think that the single person, the person that just meal prepping for themselves has a great advantage. You have the opportunity to really switch your stuff up because you're making such small portion sizes and grocery stores have gotten real hip now. They got a lot of single serving options for you. So to me it's not really a reasonable excuse anymore because there are ways around it and there's ways to take a meal prep it, just pull out a couple for your week and then freeze the rest. And that can be a prep for later in the month or whenever. So there's ways to get around all of that. So I'm ready for all the excuses. But those are probably the top three or four that I get.

Dr. Berry:
It's a little incompetent. I love it. I love it. When you started and you made that transition where nutrition was important, where meal prep, was this like a tag team combo where like when you were making the nutrition turn, you said I need to do it while meal prepping or did that come at a different timeframe?

Dr. Lisa Folden:
That's a good question. They came very close to one another. Yeah. I think within the month or so of me feeling like, hey, I need to really step up my nutrition game. I think I was like, yeah, meal prep is just a natural part. It was sort of a natural progression to me. Because it was like for me, I'm a planner anyway, so it's like, okay, if I'm going to eat right, how am I going to make sure I eat right? It' I can't just rely on what's here because we're always gonna go for what's quick. So I may have all the healthy ingredients in my cabinets and refrigerator. But when I get off work and I'm literally exhausted, I don't want to make that. I don't want to stand in the kitchen. So I will order food. Post mates has been seen like the best and worst creation ever because I will post mate in a second. All of those. So for me, they came very close to each other because I realized even though I want to eat better and I know a little bit more about how to eat better and I shop a little better. If I don't have stuff already prepared, I'm going to still reach out to the stuff that's not great for me. So yeah, so they were close. They were close together.

Dr. Berry:
Now of course the minds are gonna want to know, what is Dr. Lisa eating when she's meal prep it, right? Like what? Because you do these Google searches, right? They got these immaculate looking meal.

Dr. Lisa Folden:
Let me just say a little disclosure here and people who will follow my Instagram. They already know this. I wrote my book last year and it's called Healthy Made Easy: The Ultimate Wellness Guide for Busy Moms and I touch on meal prep and exercise and tons of things in there. The sequel to that book, I guess in a way, and this was by popular demand, was a recipe book. And let me just say, I am about three quarters of the way through the recipe book that was supposed to be released in May and it has been more than a notion and it's because of just what you said, it is so hard to put out a recipe book that does not look like the stuff that you see when you Google. And I'm like, so it has been a huge stress to me to where I've been contemplating whether or not I'm going to release it. But yes, it can be overwhelming when you see these great looking whatever to flay.

Dr. Berry:
They have it lined up and some got chicken. Some type of protein, red meat. Then you got your asparagus you got, and I'm looking like, I look nothing like that. What am I? Okay. Alright.

Dr. Lisa Folden:
Well here's the thing. Neither do I. My stuff is simple. For the most part, I pretty much, I have this go-to garlic and herb seasoning that I use on almost everything and it's literally like I just buy it in bulk at this point. Because I can, I do not have time to be doing like 15 ingredients dishes. Now there's times when you want to splurge and go crazy or I saw this cool thing, I want to try it, but my regular, no. So my things are simple. At least two weeks out of a month. I am eating egg muffins for breakfast. It's so simple. I literally cracked 24 eggs in a bowl, sprinkle some pepper, and then I make a decision. Is it going to be bell pepper this week? Is it going to be a little Turkey or chicken sausage? What am I going to put in this egg? I scrambled them up and I pour them into a muffin pan, two muffin pans, and I bake them for 20 minutes on three 50. I throw those in a Ziploc bag and my kids and I and my husband, we grab them every morning for bread. I don't even want mine up.
Super simple. So everything I do, I try to keep it very basic. When I step outside of the confines of basic, I typically find myself annoyed or frustrated. So I put myself back in.

Dr. Berry:
Because it takes a little bit longer or is that the?

Dr. Lisa Folden:
It takes longer. The stress associated with it. It's like, oh I want, you know, you see this on Google and its like, oh this is a beautiful, I want to do that. And it's like, you know, it doesn't have to be that way. Just make some food that's edible and tastes decent and go for it. I tell my kids all the times, we are not living to eat. We are eating to live. Okay. (Yes). So everything is not going to be the very best thing you've ever tasted, but we're going to get through it. I try to make my food tastes good just as a disclaimer. So I try to keep it very simple dinners. I mean we tip, I don't do red meat and it's really just been a preference since I was like 12 years old.

So I don't eat red meat. I don't eat pork. But we have a lot of chicken dishes, a lot of ground Turkey or Turkey breasts, dishes, and then a lot of fish. So we do a lot. We have one fish meal at least every week. So this week we had a shrimp stir fry that was so easy. I literally bought the frozen raw de veined and unsheltered shrimp from my local BJ's and then I bought a couple bags of frozen stir fry vegetables. I put them in a Ziploc bag together. I sprinkled some low sodium soy sauce on them. It's my famous garlic and herb seasoning. A little bit of olive oil. I kind of wish the bag around, throw it in the freezer. Yesterday when I came home from work I threw it in a pan and we ate it. It was so easy.

Dr. Berry:
I love it because you keep knocking down now, time, come on.

Dr. Lisa Folden:
It doesn't take time if you do it wisely. It doesn't take a lot of time. Some people love cooking. So some people meal prep is cool. It's like an expression of their art and they don't mind being in the kitchen for a long time and making fancy stuff. And I'll say more power to you. I'm not that person. I cook because I have a family. If I did not have a family, I'm sure I will be ordering like hello fresh or one of those. And I often recommend that to people. I'm like, I meal prep. I think it's the best thing ever. But you know what, it's not for every single person in the way that I do it. So if you can afford it and fit it into your budget, order from a digital delivery service that you have researched and found their ingredients and their options to be healthy. Do it that way. And a lot of those, you still have to do the cooking and they just give you the fresh ingredients kind of prepped. So whatever works, I'm here for whatever works for you. And you know, everybody.

Dr. Berry:
I love it. I love it. I have to make that. Mentally, I see myself, I just haven't made that leap where I got in. Of course, but those who may not know. But you should already know. Like I'm dealing with the fact that like I'm still in my rehab process. I’m only got one leg. I'm just willing around in places, but like I already know mentally, once I get on my feet and figuratively, that's definitely gonna be the direction I want to go and go there. Because it makes so much sense and aware of it, if you prepare. And I love that I'm still thinking about that one line.

Because we got to eat. We know we eat. It's a surprise that I'm going to be hungry Wednesday night. I'm going to eat Wednesday night, so if you're going to eat, why don't you just go ahead and prepare the food now and not have to spend that money going out and eating and I'm 100% I here for that and we got here on record that she's going to be finishing her recipe book soon. So we're gonna keep pushing it. My friends know me, I will DM every week and like, hey, what's going on? How's that book going? Everything alright? We waited for the book to come out. So I am going to be on Lunch and Learn community. You don't have to worry about and that you gotta get that book out of it because it I think is definitely needed. Especially if people asking for it. You gotta give it to them.

Dr. Lisa Folden:
I will. I definitely will. And I appreciate the accountability. So I will. I will get it together.

Dr. Berry:
Especially in your line of work, when you're working with people and you're working with the whole aspect of wellness, whether it be planning and goal setting. What has been some of the benefits and what has it been some of the successes that you've seen thus far and the whole kind of onus of it?

Dr. Lisa Folden:
Oh, I mean, it's so many things. A lot of my clients who make the decision to transition to a lifestyle where they're just being accountable and being knowledgeable about what they eat, planning for and things like that. I mean everything. From the very obvious weight loss, inches lost, fitting into clothes they hadn't before to more internal and personal benefits. I have clients that are like, I couldn't walk from the back of the parking lot before, you know what I mean? Or I couldn't do the stairs without my knee rubbing or I couldn't even see myself getting back to the gym. So tons of tons of things when people make a decision that they're gonna change and do something to better themselves no matter how hard it is, that's the key.

We've got to get over that hump apart. Because most of the stuff that's worth having is harder to do. So once they get that mindset and we sit down and we set a plan, the positive results are just so many. There's just so many good things. And it'll be like, because everybody is not like, oh I need to be a size five. I got to lose this weight. Some people are very, very genuine about like, I just want to be able to chase my grandkids around. I don't want to be out of breath. You know what I mean? I want to feel better. I don't want to be sleepy every single day, all day. My clients come to me dragging sometimes. You know what I mean? I'm exhausted. I was up to two in the morning working.

I didn't have breakfast. I didn't go extra. It's like Jesus, I can't live, that's enough pressing way to live, for so long. So it just so many benefits to just getting that action plan set, getting your life in order. And it translates to everything we do. Every single thing. You are going to be a better worker, you're going to be a better husband, father, wife, friend, everything. You're better when you're taking better care of yourself. And it's a big part of the self-care journey, so big on that.

Dr. Berry:
I love it. We love self-care here. A love affirmations. We love preempting the inevitable and that's where the meal prepping and Prehab and everything else kind of comes in. And I know you talked, especially with your practice where you focus on you, obviously you have patients you know who have some physical ailments that you take care of and then you kind of deal with the ones. Do you also just take care of patients on just strictly who may not have physical ailments but like, oh I just need to get my wellness together?

Dr. Lisa Folden:
Absolutely. So I offer just straight wellness. Several people, they will contact me and they will say I want to get into the gym but I'm uncomfortable. I don't really know what to do. Or maybe I just lost a lot of weight and you know, now I want to kind of tell but I don't know where to go or what to do or how to keep it off or you know, I get all kinds of stuff. So yes, I take people straight for wellness. I also offer kind of a newer service is called a Mobility Visit. And this is a whole separate podcast, I'm sure, but I have a true passion for teaching people the benefits of stretching and mobility in their body with regard to the muscles and joint and, Oh God, I want to say maybe 80% of us like don't stretch unless we're maybe about to do something.

Dr. Berry:
Again, Lunch and Learn community, we do full disclosure here. I had to go to, I went to Disney with the kids, right, because that's what got to do. I'm in Florida. There's one of the rides or that wasn't even a ride. It was just some session that we went to. Where you got to sit like Indian style. I couldn’t even sit Indian style. I didn't even know how hard it was to see. I'm like, oh my, I used to be able to do this. And mind you, I'm going to the gym and I thought I was doing something but clearly I wasn't working the right muscles because I tried it and I couldn't do it.

Dr. Lisa Folden:
Some of the most athletic strong aesthetically perfect looking people are the tightest and never stretch. It's amazing. So I spent a lot of time offering a new service called the Mobility Visit where you literally come in, have 45 minutes, but I'll do a very quick assessment. And then I take you through guided stretches for every major muscle group in your body. And then we end with a little bit of soft tissue work just at the base of the skull, right in the neck. And people get up and they literally feel like a new person. And it's like this is something you could have almost all done on your own. But it's a service I've had to offer because people don't know how to stretch. They don't know how long the whole stretches. They don't know what position is best to stress stretch particular muscles. So that is one of the wellness services I offer. It has nothing to do with physical therapy or injuries necessarily. It's not a service that they can necessarily cover with their health insurance. But it's a wellness service that I offer.

Dr. Berry:
Clearly needed. I had to put my leg, let us stretch one leg out because I couldn't not do that any side. I'm like alright, okay.

Dr. Lisa Folden:
It’s very common though, especially among men.

Dr. Berry:
I said okay, I got to get myself, need to get this type of some type of yoga, someone need to teach me how to stretch. That's what it was. That like someone just probably gotta like try to do that like some online thing like you gotta probably like formulate like some a video step process. I think that would definitely do well for you. Before I get you out of here. Because again I'm very nosy. (Me, too. That's fine). Let's talk about healthy made easy and I want to talk about all of your business ventures because I'm always impressed by my guests and all the amazing things that they do. Like I said, they helped motivate me, they kind of get me together. Let's talk about that first book, the motivation behind that first book and obviously, and they were going to kind of spill the beans on every, again you talked about the mobility. Let's talk about everything that you're doing. So the people who are listening can know, where you're from here, location wise?

Dr. Lisa Folden:
So I'm originally from Detroit but I have been living in Charlotte, North Carolina, eleven years. So that's where I am and that's where my practice is.

Dr. Berry:
Okay, perfect. So what made you write the book? What was the driver forced, you know what, I need to get a book out here.

Dr. Lisa Folden:
Yeah. It's so funny. So a lot of things. I blog a lot, I write a lot. I've always been into writing, but usually short little things, essays. So what I was finding in my practices, I was repeating a lot of the same information, especially to my moms, to people who were trying to sort of organize their life and combat that primary excuse for healthy living right time. I don't have time to work out. I don't have time to go to the gym. I don't have time to meal prep, my kids this and I do this and work in that and that, dah, dah, dah, dah. All of that sounds like, you know what? I started jotting down some thoughts and I was like, you know what? I need to write a book. So this was maybe early 2018 and put it off, put it off, and then I finally just went to town.

I think I wrote the bulk of my book proudly in a two month timeframe because I was literally coming home from work just I was typing on my phone in between patients, you know, so it's called Healthy Made Easy: The Ultimate Wellness Guide for Busy Moms. And I say that, mom's a big market, but it's really for busy people. I mean honestly it's anybody who has a lot going on in their life and doesn't feel like they can make time to exercise. So I have a chapter on meal prepping where I talk about how to make it easy, what to do. I recommend some websites for recipes. I have a chapter on incorporating your children and your family into your new lifestyle, especially when you have picky eaters. Talk about ways to, you know, hide foods and make the meals attractive to children or to your spouse or whomever.

I talk about social eating. People don't recognize how challenging it can be to go out with your friends or family when you're trying to eat a certain way. And so I give some very, very simple tips for that. I talk about that. That's mostly the part of the book on nutrition. Second half of the book is all about exercise and fitness. So I have workouts in here, sample workouts for when you're taking your kids to the playground or you have your kids at a sports practice, give suggestions and tips and things you can do. I try to, I have a chapter talking about incorporating fitness into your everyday lifestyle, like making exercise double as family time. So you guys all go for a hike or things like that. Everybody involved because it's a lifestyle. Right? And if you go to my Instagram, you'll see my kids are on there with me exercising all the time because they see me do it and it's just a normal part of their lives.

I talk about having navigate gym equipment and I have some very unpopular thoughts on the unpopular opinion on some of the equipment at the gym. I'm more of a home workout person myself, but I do appreciate the gym but only for certain aspects. And then, the last chapter in the book talks about focusing on your fitness without comparing your journeys to other people. We so often, especially as women, and I think men do it as well. We see someone else and it's like, well I want to do that, I want to look like that. This is your body and your process and you need to want to look like you. And whatever byproducts of being healthy and fit is for your body will thankful for that. But trying to formulate a plan to look and be like, someone else is always wrong.

So I talk about that in the book. But I'm very proud of it. It's available on Amazon and through my website. It was my little labor of love and it took me a little under a year to complete. So that a good tool for people but especially for women, people with children, pets, if you're taking care of elderly, family members, you got a lot on your plate. It's a good book for you to understand you’re making time for your fitness. My practice here in Charlotte, it's called healthy fit, physical therapy and wellness. And I have a little spell fit, the normal way. It's actually spelled P, H, I, T and that was just a play on words, the P and the T for physical therapy. So, but yet we see clients literally ages zero to a hundred.

I see pediatrics adults. I consider myself a generalist. Though I do have a lot of work in the pediatric world as well as low back pain. That's a very, very, very common diagnosis that I get. So I do a lot of lumbar stability and core strengthening, things like that. And I'm here for all of it. I refer out if I feel like you know, what you got going on is a little bit more in depth than I feel like. So have some people I refer out to, but in general I see most patients. So if you go to my website, www.healthyphit.com. You can sign up for my mailing list and I have a free posture packet that you will receive via email. And that's been really good for people because most people don't really know what good posture is. When I see a client and I tell them to, let me see your best posture. What I typically get is some exaggeration of that posture.

Dr. Berry:
Yes. Lunch and Learn community, I can't see, but mentally I was actually, once she said that I was actually about to sit up. Oh she looking at my posture? I don't know.

Dr. Lisa Folden:
Whenever someone says posture, I'm like whoa. So I usually see some exaggeration of good posture where they're like in that military stand or you know.

Dr. Berry:
Is that even a good posture though? Is that? Okay.

Dr. Lisa Folden:
It is not. So I send out to sign up for my mailing list, I send out sort of a sheet that that shows you some of the common poor posture positions and then the best ideal posture. And the goal is to get as close to that as possible. Our bodies are our bodies. Everybody's not going to be the exact same, but just some general ideas and then some information about areas of back pain and what might be causing themselves. I like to share that information with people for free and that also have on my website, if you go to our shop tab, I have a couple of trainings. I'll have some more up. I have one that I'm working on now that is for like managing chaos in your life. Simplifying and making things smoother. But right now what I have on the site of training for people interested in physical therapy.

So I kind of go through that whole process of initial interests through school and then journey into private practice. And then I have another one. Yeah, that's a good one. I was fortunate enough to do a presentation for the North Carolina health occupation, students of America, their conference here. And so I basically did that presentation. So I just rerecorded it, kind of condensed it a little bit and offer it for people on my website, for a much reduced amount. And then also because I do a lot of writing and I have been very blessed to be featured in a lot of great places. Some of my tips on health and fitness. I have a Webinar that is up on my website right now recording that is for people who are interested in that. So if you're interested in having your blogs or you’re just your writing featured in major publications like Oprah or shape magazine or Reader’s Digest.

Dr. Berry:
Drop the names on it so they know you're not playing out here. Because I read the bio, they might've skipped the bio. Let folks know what just some of the places that you've been in so they know.

Dr. Lisa Folden:
Thank you. Yeah that webinar is for people. It's just five steps to getting your writing speeches but yes, I have been fortunate enough to be featured in the Oprah magazine. I was a big one for me because you know is Oprah is Oprah. I've been teaching in shape magazine. I've been featured on livestrong.com, Bustle, She knows, oh, there's so many. I mean I don't have my list in front of me, but I love writing and that is why I love writing and it's so cool because I'm writing about health and fitness related things and exercise. And so literally, I mean the topics from, I got emailed an article today from, what is it? I can't even recall, but I was talking about foam rolling. So I love to put my 2 cents out there about some of the latest health trends and give people tips and tools and things from someone who has some experience, with those things. So yeah, if you want to be featured and do that type of work, I have a webinar on that and yeah. And I'll have more, I'll be loading more as weeks go by just having to sit down and make times for recording.

Dr. Berry:
Too busy. I hear we gotta to get you like a VA or somebody to have direction.

Dr. Lisa Folden:
Just had that conversation. I totally need one of those. Put that in the show notes.

Dr. Berry:
We need. Because we can get the second book. You don't free up some of her time. So we need to be able to try to free up some of your time to get the second book out here. Love it, love it, love it. And you talked about the second book so this is going to be essentially a kind of a recipe book just based off the meal plan. Okay.

Dr. Lisa Folden:
Yap. So it's going to be just basic recipes that I'm going to right now the format I have is sort of a set section for breakfast, recipes, lunch, dinner, and then I'm going to have sort of a bonus section for kids’ lunch ideas. Because I tried to get very creative with my kids because I'm not really the sandwich maker. I get very bored with that. So I try to get creative with their lunches. And so sometimes when I post them to Instagram I have people like what is that? How'd you do that? So I'm like, you know what, let me just throw a few. So I'm thinking maybe five to seven kid lunch idea. So you guys have some options for that too. Because sometimes it's nice to make their stuff fun. You know, we'll do like Turkey dogs skewers with like piece of Turkey dog, some string cheese, Turkey dogs, cool stuff. You know, it doesn't take long. I'm not that mom, I don't have a whole lot of time. But sometimes I try to give them little cutesy ideas for that. So yeah, we're working on that. I'm gonna maybe if I say it out loud, I'm gonna set a tentative deadline of. (Let’s go, let’s go). December, by the end of the year.

Dr. Berry:
Alright. You heard it here and again, I'm one of the best accountability partners. I'll be in the DMs. I'll be in the comments like, Oh hey, Christmas is coming around. That'd be an amazing Christmas gift.

Dr. Lisa Folden:
I'm going to get it and I'm going to send you one, that’s what I’m going to do. That gonna be Christmas present from me.

Dr. Berry:
I love it. I love it. Before I let you go, I always ask my guests, how is what you're doing helping to empower others to take better control of their health?

Dr. Lisa Folden:
Well, what I hope and what I believe based on some of my client feedback and see that I'm leading by example. You know, I'm not just sitting here giving you a list of impossible things to do that I have not done or tried myself. But I'm actually being very honest. I'm being tried to be very honest about my own shortcomings and my own struggles with this whole journey of wellness and nutrition.

Dr. Berry:
It is a journey. I think that people need to realize that this isn't like a stopping go. The journey contained some ups. It does have some downs as well.

Dr. Lisa Folden:
Absolutely. And it's ongoing. So my goal is to just be authentic and transparent and open so that people can see that I'm doing this with them and leading by example. And I'm trying to do my part because my goal is to provide some level of inspiration. If it's just enough to get you at the starting block. We're doing something, we're going somewhere. But I teach people to be accountable for themselves and to recognize that your happiness, your joy, your health is only your responsibility. These kids that we love so much, they will drain every ounce of your energy and they don't care what you eat, okay? They'll find if you eat cheddar cheese popcorn all night and hang out with the people in your life that love you the most, are not necessarily checking for your health and it's your responsibility all the time.

So I just try to, I put it back on them. This is your life, your body, your health. You only get to do this once, right? As far as we know, at least in this space. So you gotta do it right? You're trying your best to do it right. And that does not mean perfect. Like I said, we all fall short. We all have tough days, weeks, sometimes a month, right? But the point is you get back up, you keep going. So that's my goal and I hope, you know, and I've had some people say it, but I hope that I continue to inspire people to do this on their own and just and take the reign and say this is my life and I don't have to be governed by what I was taught growing up or what I saw growing up or what the people around me are doing. I can carve out a plan and a direction for my life that I think is better for me and that's it. And I'm not better than the next person because I'm doing it. I'm just trying to be good to me. So.

Dr. Berry:
And where can people find you? Where can they track you down working stock and make sure when that book comes out, they know where to purchase. And again, remember Lunch and Learn community, all of this information, it will be in the show notes so you don't have to like write it down scurrying down. Now it will be in the show notes. But wait, where can they find a website? All that. I know you said it before, but for our late stragglers.

Dr. Lisa Folden:
So I love Instagram. I tried to limit my time on there, but I am on Instagram all the time. So that's at healthy phit. H. E. A. L. T. H. Y. P. H. I. T. That's me on Instagram. I'm also on Facebook. I will be honest, I do smaller interactions on Facebook, but everything that I post to Instagram goes to Facebook so you can see my posts there as well.

Dr. Berry:
Just go to Instagram. Some great pictures.

Dr. Lisa Folden:
Thank you. And Twitter is the same way. I don't really spend time on there, but everything I say that I can get to my Twitter page goes there as well. So everything is at healthy phit. And then, of course, my website, which is healthyphit.com. You guys can email me if you have questions. info@healthyphit.com and yeah, join my mailing list cause I send out my blogs, which is also on our website and I send out specials and you guys are the first to know and when I do release something or when a webinar's available and things like that. So.

Dr. Berry:
I love it. I love it. Dr. Lisa, again I want to, and I thought we'd talked earlier but I do want to show the graciousness of being able to take time and get me together. I get our Lunch and Learn community members together on a topic that is so important. Once you Google lifestyle changes, you know, meal prepping, nutrition is such a big thing that pops up and just the fact that you're able to simplify it and really give that personal touch. We really appreciate me taking the time to talk to us today.

Dr. Lisa Folden:
Thank you. I'm so glad you had me on. I appreciate it and I love your podcast. I will be a continued subscriber and listener.

Dr. Berry:
I love it. So you have a great day. Again, thank you. And again, guys, remember, she said December. So we gotta, we'll plan a campaign around November time frame to start like just dropping comments, and so we can get a good little Christmas gift like that. That's going to be us. We want that Christmas gift. We want, we want it the book to come out and again, again pick up the book is as on your website now as well as Amazon? (Yes). Right. Okay. I always tell my listeners if you can get a chance, always get the books off the person's website, right? Because Amazon, you know, they try to take all that money, right? Like so you can get the book off the website first, right? If you have to, right. If you gotta get it kindled out, whatever, that’s okay.

Dr. Lisa Folden:
I understand. We don't care how you get it.

Dr. Berry:
Just get it. That's probably the goal. We don't care how you get it. Just get it done. And you know, we're gonna appreciate you for it. Thank you again for joining the podcast.

Dr. Lisa Folden:
Thank you so much.

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Let's Talk about Ketogenic Lifestyle... On this week's episode of the Lunch and Learn with Dr. Berry I am back to start off our next round of podcast episodes focused on the topic of nutrition. At the time of the episode, I have currently made the transition over to a low carb ketogenic lifestyle and what better way to start the nutrition discussion than to tell it from a personal view.

Learn why I made the transition over to the keto lifestyle, why I hate referring to lifestyle changes as "diets" (Even though throughout the episode I still had trouble not doing it) and what the goal for me is.

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Download Episode 120 Transcript

Episode 120 Transcript...

Introduction

Dr. Berry:
And welcome to another amazing episode of the Lunch and Learn with Dr. Berry. I'm your host, Dr. Berry Pierre, your favorite Board Certified Internist. Founder of drberrypierre.com as well as a CEO of Pierre Medical Consulting. Helping you empower yourself for better health with the number one podcast for patient advocacy, education and promotion. Today we bring you Episode 120 and it is a solo episode with yours truly and we are moving along with our theme related episodes and for the next few weeks we're going to be talking about nutrition. Because for majority of my listeners, the majority of just patients out there in general, it is a huge topic. It is a huge area of concern, especially when we talk about controlling our health and getting our health together. And we're going to start off with a solo episode because I want to kind of talk about some of the things that I've been doing pretty recently.

Depending on when you're listening to this episode, as far as nutritional changes in lifestyle changes. Because again, it is not a diet. We're not talking about any diet related strategies. We are talking about nutritional and life base changes that need to occur to make sure that we have a very fulfilling and a sustainable approach to our health care. So we're going to talk about my transition to the Keto lifestyle, which again if you're listening to this in the month of August, just happened pretty recently. And it was something that I was always thinking about something that I was always contemplating, but it was with the issue of me going into the surgery and not being able to have any ability to exercise. It was going to be even more important that I stress my nutritional habit, which was bad of course, which is something I wanted to make sure I addressed before I can get back to the gym.

So again, listen for another amazing episode. Like I said, we're going to have a great slew of episodes coming up in the next few weeks. Hope you guys are there again and appreciate all the new listeners who have been recently following and subscribing to the show and sharing. And letting friends know and your parents know and your relatives know that being healthy is cool. And again, stick with me. Then remember, Empower Yourself for Better Health, that is the model here on the Lunch and Learn with Dr. Berry. You have a great blessed day and let's get ready for another amazing episode.

Episode

Dr. Berry:
Hi everybody, Dr. Berry here. So today we are having an episode that focuses on nutrition and I think for most people, especially those who follow along with the podcast. You like to hear a lot of the personal reflections every time we talk about the stories of, really important to get the personal standpoint from it. So today we're talking about my journey with nutrition and we're going to be talking about the ketogenic lifestyle. Which is again, I don't like to call it diet. Because diets aren't long lasting and they usually don't give us the result we want for a long period of time. So, and in here we always try to focus on very evidence based medicine related to a lot of the topics we do and ketogenic diet definitely happens to fall under one of them. So just a quick little recap of everything that's been going on does far.

As a person who has been working on losing weight. That was my goal in the beginning of 2019. It's still my goal towards the end of 2019. I definitely thankful to still be kind of on that track. In Dr. Brad's episode where we talk about the fact that 80% of people by this time have kind of fallen off on their new year's resolution. That has not been the case with me. So I'm definitely glad about that. But what occurred was the aspect of, and I've talked about this before, how important diet and exercises to losing weight. But then what happened a few weeks ago for those who may know or may not know. Again, if you don't know, you're going to know now. I recently had an injury where I actually had to have surgery and actually had to be non-weight bearing for four weeks, which essentially means that I'm not going to be able to exercise and do that level of physical activity for at least four to six weeks.

It really actually longer because even once I'm actually becoming weight bearing, because I broke my fibula. I can't even wear sneakers for another two more weeks after that. So at least six to eight weeks before I can even put sneakers back on before I can get back to kind of working out. Right? So here was this onus where we know the equation, especially when we talk about losing weight is diet and exercise. But now I've taken that component pretty much out of equation. So now all I can do is really focus on my diet to help me lose weight. And I'll be honest, and then this happens for a lot of people who do did an exercise combo. For a lot of us who do it and kind of do it frequently enough. You kind of cheat on the diet side, even though I know someone's going to hit me with the diets are made in the kitchen.

Yes, I know that. But like if I exercise enough, I don't have to worry about eating really bad that one day or two days. And that was occurring throughout this process. There are some days where I wasn't as efficient as I needed to be on my diet. Again, that just happens to everybody. The goal is when you have these trips and these obstacles and these bumps in the road that you know how to get past it, right? So I was very fortunate enough to be able to work out, to balance those issues and allowing the weight to still be decreasing. But now I've taken that aspect. I can't work out and all I can do is focus on my diet. And there's a wide range of different types of diets related options.

Again, like I say diet, but really is the lifestyle changes that need to occur and understanding, where I was at and what needed to be changed. I am Haitian, so growing up most of my meals were rice and something. And when I look back, the amount of carb load that was associated with my diet was so crazy high. It was a wonder that I lost any weight, right? Because carbs are such an important staple of my diet. So when I was looking to see, okay, what type of lifestyle change can I make that I think would have the biggest impact on me. This is when the ketogenic diet to shot up to the top. Because the ketogenic diet for those who may not know is a low carb, high fat, high protein diet. And it has lots of different benefits.
And we're going to talk about some of the benefits at hand. But it was one of those things where I said, you know what, if I know my bad issue, is the carbs, right? Why not go to a lifestyle that reduces that? Right? And Ketogenic Diet pretty much did what it needed to do, right? It said, hey, I want you to decrease your carbs and I want you to just have more proteins and more fats, which again was pretty obvious in nature here. And for a ketogenic diet, again, for those who may not know, those may remember of the Atkins Diet. That famous diet that people were essentially having almost a zero level of carbs and just like eating bacon and grease and all that. That's not the Ketogenic Diet. The Ketogenic Diet does take into account that just you're going to increase your fats. Yes, you're going to increase your proteins and have lower availability of carbs, but you're not going to be having those drastic amounts of fats.

Because again, there's all types of fats, all types of proteins. There's good ones and there's bad ones. Right? And what happened for a lot of people, especially when the Atkins Diet was very popular, was everyone was eating really the bad related types of fat. They weren't really eating any of the good related oils and fats that needed to be added to their diet. So that's why we had so many problems back then. So I think that's why the Keto lifestyle has took a center stage at this time because it's been more perfected. A lot of the related ill effects that you used to occur with that type of diet with the Atkins Diet does not necessarily happen, especially if you follow a good regimen.

So I want to take you what happened. So again, here I am, I can't have any of my typical o's I normally eat, which essentially was rice and something. That's essentially gone. And there was a lot of change over. Because again, I had surgery. I couldn't move anywhere. I couldn't do exercise. So I had to decide, wait, what am I going to start this diet? Hey, I might as well start at like right now. So once I started, once I made the change, it was pretty drastic, especially in the household because most of our meals consisted of that carbs. And I'll be honest, I was not a big vegetable eater, even on fruits are kind of, you know, sketchy. Especially, because I don't know if a lot of us realize how high carbs some of our fruits are, but fruits was kind of sketchy as well.

So I had to decrease some of my fruit intake and really increased my protein and my vegetables. Which was something that I needed to do anyways, but just never had. And again, I think I was going off some of the benefits of, the fact that I worked out a lot more than I needed to be. And there's different types of ketogenic diets. There's your standard diet, which again, from a percentage standpoint. And again, I don't like, especially for my listeners who may be thinking about starting on your nutritional support. Obviously, make sure you follow up with someone, make sure you have some professional help to get you over the hump. We're talk about percentages. When it talks about percentages, a lot of people have about, 20 to 30% of their food or proteins.

Again, a good 60 65% of their food, are fats, and then less than 10% is carb related. That's just in a general sense of things. And again, for most people who don't understand, why keto works? Our body typically breaks down our three, we have three types of nutritional support. Proteins, fat and carbs. Most of us have a pretty high carb diet. Most of us take in enough carbs. So that's what our body tends to use. So our body needs this nutrient, which is carbohydrates to energy. Really to make the body work, make the brain work. But if you're in a state where you're taking in a lot of carbs and you're taking a lot of fat, your body does not have to break down any of that fat for energy.

Because why? Because you're giving it enough carbs. So that's what tends to occur. So imagine you're eating enough carbs, you're eating enough fats and you need to work out. You need to do something. Your body is going to break down those carbs first and leave those fats alone. So what tends to happen over time is that you have this fat stores that continues to occur, continues to build up because you're giving it enough carbs that your body never actually has to go down to the fat. That's why when you go on these treadmills or these bikes, they usually have different settings, one for a carb and one for fat burning. Because it's a different level of energy needed to get to the fat burning. It knows it has to get through all of your carbs source first before it can even think about getting to the fact because your body just won't allow it for you to do the Keto Diet because that's essentially reverse.

Essentially I'm saying, hey, I'm going to give my body the bare minimum of carbs to use energy and burn off. Your body has no choice but to go after the fats much sooner. And for most people, that's where the weight loss occurs. Because not only are they usually, because they usually have a lower intake from a total calories standpoint. So they have a lower intake from a calorie standpoint and then because they have a lower carb intake, your body is having to go after the fats that are in their system much quicker. This is why you see a lot of the weight loss occur in patients on the ketogenic lifestyle because your body says like, oh I got nothing else to burn but fat. So I'm going to burn fat because I need this energy. And that's where a lot of that's where you see a lot of the success and results for people who are on this lifestyle losing weight.

That's the crux of, right? Again here at the Lunch and Learn community, we don't want to try to hit you with the grave details. Because that's not really important here. You want to understand why something is working, why something helps. Because that's really the name of the game. Why does this thing work? And that's really the reason why. Because your body is now forced to break down that fat that it was not forced to break down no more because you're going on a low carb diet. And there's a lot of different things that have been shown to help. For patients who are diabetic or pre-diabetic, because you're having less carbs that means you're having less of your insulin that's needed to be used.

So we've seen some benefits in our pre-diabetic and our diabetic patients. There's been studies that's shown that there's changes that improve for patients with epilepsy because of the ketogenic state that happens in your lifestyle. Patients of course had to be concerned because remember we're talking about increased fats, we're talking about increased protein. So you have a history of high cholesterol and stuff like that. You definitely have to be very mindful when you're on this type of a diet to make sure you don't really cause any problems and headache. Because again, like I said, every lifestyle comes with changes that need to occur. So again, I'm not telling you to eat nothing but bacon grease three times a day, but I am telling you, you have to be very mindful of what you're doing and what you're eating to make sure that’s not an issue.
So again, I'm just going to list a couple of other things that, again, these are evidence-based things that ketogenic lifestyle has been shown to improve. Again, it helps improve the risk factors of heart disease. Again, because you're losing all of this weight, are you dropping your blood pressure down? There's been signs of that some cancer, has been shown to have a slower growth rate because of. And we know cancer is a very nutritional base. Again, not to say that nutrition causes cancer, but we know that there are some nutritional diets that can help at least slow the process down. Patients with Alzheimer's disease, I talked about the epilepsy, Parkinson's disease as well, brain injuries, acne. So again, a lot of these things that are nutritional and hormonal related. We do see some benefit associated with the ketogenic diet.
So here I was, because again, back to me because we get up to the big thing. So here I was saying like, yup, I want to make this change. It's going to happen right now. So what did I have to do? So question RSE is, well Berry, what did you have to like avoid? What was your big things? For me, big things were rice. That was always a big thing for me. First and foremost, I was a big fruit eater as well and that was probably some of the bigger things. And again that occasional fast food. But these are some of the things that, again, some people would go look in your cupboard right now.

Just to list some of the things, I've had to avoid that, you're going to have to avoid, if you want to partake in this ketogenic lifestyle type diet. Sugary foods, soda, fruit juice, ice cream, candy, your breads, your pastas, your cereals, get a lot of your fruits are very high in carbs. Again, you could still have like berry, blackberries, strawberries, but you have to do it in moderation. Again, with everything is in moderation. So you have to do that in moderation. Beans, potatoes, sweet potatoes, carrots, any fast food, fried foods, get that out of there. A lot of your condiments, that's just no good. Some of your unhealthy issues, fats, vegetable oils, corn oil, canola oil, mayonnaise, ketchup, all of these things here that are high in carbs are high in sugar was a big thing.

Of course, I'm not a big alcohol person anyway, so alcohol, one that had to get out of there in that case as well too. So there's a lot of different things that, again, I don't suggest. Again, and we're like, we always do right. Always follow professional. I give you advice here but you know the terminology, you know the legal is, right? Don't follow me. Act like I'm not a physician and always follow up with some professional that can follow you along in that process. Again, these a lot of things that you have to remove out of your diet. If you really want to partake in this type of lifestyle. So again, this isn’t an easy process.

This isn’t an easy transition. It's probably the reason why it took me so long to make that transition. I really had to kind of be forced into doing so. Because again, I love my rice. I love rice. I can't, ugh, it hurts me. It hurts me when I can't have rice. It hurts me when I can't have bread. But because I understand the long-term goal of where I want to go with, that's kind of direction I'm willing to take. So what are some things bread that you can’t eat? And again, a lot of this stuff I was already eating in the first place, Meats of course, red meat, your steak here, your bacon, your ham, those Turkey chicken. That's still on the horizon. I used to always tell my diabetic patients, what gets them in trouble. Make it have a plate, 12 ounce New York Strip. And that's not the problem when it comes to their diabetic.

It's that roll on the side. It's that mashed potatoes on the side. That's what causes your sugar to raise. Again, your steak could be as big as your plate and that's not causing your sugar levels to shoot up. But that roll and that mashed potatoes that you have on the side is really, really the problems. Fish is definitely what, so what are foods that are good to eat that we can't eat on a ketogenic diet? You know, again, I hate to say diet, but whatever. Needs, we talked about fish, eggs, butter, cream, cheese, there's some nuts or say almond walnuts that are available. Healthy oils, virgin oil, avocado oil, coconut oil, avocados. Some, I love avocados that was definitely a good thing.

Most of your veggies are going to be in line and then a lot of your condiments. Again, I know you can't have like ketchup and stuff because of the high in sugar, but there's a lot of sugar free related stuff that you can have. Salt, pepper, all that stuff is still on brand to have. So again, yes, there's a lot of foods I can't eat, but there's still a lot of great foods that I can eat. So isn't that something that like, Oh woe is me, how Berry gonna survive because he can't eat his regular food. That's definitely not the case here. There's a lot of great nutritional support. But I think the most important thing, especially for person, in my case, a person who decides, this may be a lifestyle that I want to think of.

There’s pros and cons with it and understanding what good can happen, what bad can happen. There's always something you always think about. Understanding longevity. And this is where we're going to get on the soapbox aspect of this show. Understanding that when you're making a lifestyle, whether it be you're going to exercise more, whether you'd be, you're going to change in nutrition. Like I said, there's a whole bunch of different types of a lifestyle changes. Like I said, over the next few weeks, you're going to hear some various aspects of a nutrition. Because I want you guys to get a full picture of how people are doing it differently. Again, this isn't the only way to help lose weight. This is just one of the ways to help lose weight.
Because again, at the end of the day, the equation is simple. If you take in less calories. If you burn off less calories that you take in, you're going to lose weight. That's just the simple mathematics of it all. The question is how do you go about doing that? That's really the most important thing. You could be on this ketogenic lifestyle, but if you're eating, 3000 calories of stuff but you're not really burning off that many calories. You're going to have some problems. That's not a good aspect. It's all about making sure your nutrition is adequate and really adequate for you. Make sure that you, it can be in what, in three months, in six months in a year, still be doing that same process. Because that's where, again, Dr. Brad talked about it, right? Eight months later, you want to be eight months later still being able to say, yes, I'm still on that type of lifestyle.

And I've had people who, again, there's various different ways to do the ketogenic lifestyle. Some people do it where they do it for five days out the week and then two days they kinda quote unquote recharge their battery as far as the carbs are concerned. You could do it that way. But again, just like we've talked about, especially with Dr. Bollie, right? We talked about these cheat day, right? Don't cheat yourself. You can treat yourself but don't cheat yourself. Don’t think that you can be very good Monday through Friday and just go crazy Saturday and Sunday and then it all kinda starts over again. We don't want that. That is not healthy way of doing things.

And again, like I said, I can only imagine some of them. I've been doing it for probably like at this time recording about almost three weeks now. I'm definitely noticed a difference. I definitely noticed I'm not hungry anymore. I definitely noticed some changes that I think are positive benefit of minds. So I know its works. So again, in which was never the problem. It was never an issue of does this thing work. The question was, is Berry Pierre, in the mental mindset? Again, all last month, we've talked about getting into mindset ready and getting our goals. Why Berry in the mindset to do this? And I can tell you a few months ago I was not, but over time and you know I kept saying, I kept saying that aloud to the point I didn't want to call myself a liar.

And I finally did it and that's why I'm definitely happy. Like I said, I'm definitely excited to see over the next few months, especially once I get back to working out again. You know, what type of positive benefits we're going to see here. Because again, it is a transition. Like I said, every time I go on my kitchen like I almost like have to close my eyes because I see all of these things that I used to be able to eat that I don't eat no more. Right. All of these things that I used to be able to enjoy that I just don't enjoy anymore. I can't enjoy anymore. I w what I and that's really where a transition occurs. Right? Once you mentally make the decision like I want to make this leap in this direction. Right. You just got to do it right. And there's a lot of support groups.

Like I said there is a lot of different aspects especially for those who may be interested in the ketogenic lifestyle. There's a lot of different ways to do it as a lot of different supplements. Again, if you have any questions, concerns or you want to make the leap, make sure you drop a drop a note in the comments, make sure you go them a website, make sure you follow along. Because I'm on my socials everywhere. Instagram, Facebook, Twitter. I'm all at Dr. Berry Pierre, all of them. So follow me, drop me a message if you have any questions or concerns along with that process. If you are in my Facebook group as well, that's another place that you can ask your questions as well, especially if you have any questions regarding at least to ketogenic lifestyle and what the process is going through at this moment here.
And like I said, I'm hoping. I'll say it on the prayer out loud and maybe with answer. I'm hoping to get it one of the foremost maybe like a ketogenic expert on this. Everyone, when you're an expert, it just means that you've done it longer than everyone else or you just read up on it. So I hoping to get an expert on Ketogenic lifestyle, maybe like a dietician on here to kind of talk to us about that aspect as well too. Just so you can kind of get a little bit more of a formal approach. But I really wanted to give you a personal aspect to kind of start the month. Because again that's one that seems to translate well with you guys.

You guys like to hear the personal stories, which makes sense. You want to make sure that the person who you know is up here, expounding knowledge, actually has some sense, isn't like a robot doesn't follow their directions. So again, love everyone for their support of the podcast. You guys have been absolutely amazing over this past year. Continue to listen, continue to share, to subscribe and leave your ratings. I love those ratings. Like I said, I love when you guys show that I'm actually doing a good job. Because sometimes you never know when you're up here talking into a microphone by yourself. So you guys have a great and blessed week. Like I said, I'm excited for the next month or so as far as some of our podcast guests, and I think you guys will be excited as well. Have a great and blessed week and see you next week guys.

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Let's Talk about Having a Healthier Life... We end our series on self-help & motivation this week with our final episode of the month of July. This week we are blessed to have Dr. Donna Hamilton on the Lunch and Learn with Dr. Berry.

Dr. Donna is a 4-time best-selling author, speaker, workplace well-being strategist and CEO of Manifest Excellence, LLC, a health promotion company that helps CEOs create happy, healthy, productive workplaces where that make it easier for people to do the job they're hired to do.

Dr. Donna took the time out to teach us how to create a happier & healthier lifestyle. She starts by teaching us what it really means to be healthy, talked about some of her personal struggles with health and what were 5 key areas that seem to keep a lot of people down in the pursuit of optimal health. This is another episode where you are going to be learning a lot about yourself & hopefully will know what tools you have been missing.

If you haven't already check out episode 118 to learn how Dr. Brad helps us eliminate all excuses & face the fear of failure head-on.

Remember to subscribe to the podcast and share the episode with a friend or family member.

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Sponsors:

Lunch and Learn Community Online Store (code Empower10)
Pierre Medical Consulting (If you are looking to expand your social reach and make your process automated then Pierre Medical Consulting is for you)
Dr. Pierre's Resources - These are some of the tools I use to become successful using social media
My Amazon Store - Check out all of the book recommendations you heard in the episode

Links/Resources:

Complimentary self-care guide
www.WellnessYourWayBook.com
www.manifestexcellence.com

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Download Episode 113 Transcript

Episode 119 Transcript...

Introduction

Dr. Berry:
And welcome to another episode of the Lunch and Learn with Dr. Berry. I'm your host, Dr. Berry Pierre, your favorite Board Certified Internist. Founder of Drberrypierre.com as well as a CEO of Pierre Medical Consulting. Helping you Empower Yourself For Better HealthTM, with the number one podcast for patient advocacy, education and empowerment.

Today we bring you another amazing episode with Dr. Donna Hamilton, who is going to be getting us right in the mindset of health and how to stay healthy and really how to get healthy. And this is really purely, truly, especially from a mindset standpoint because if you've been following along, we've talked about, we've had a series of episodes this month where we really wanted to focus on how our mindset plays such a huge factor in keeping us healthy. I started them off with the self-reflection. Then we had Dr. Michelle Clay talked to us about stress and stress relief.

Then we had Dr. Brad pretty much kinda knock it out the park talking to us about how we don't have any more excuses and how we need to reach in actually attain our goals and get failure out the way. So that was definitely one of the highlights of this month. And we're going to end it with Dr. Donna Hamilton. And of course like always I would like to, you know, do a little quick little bio. So y'all know all these amazing people I have on here.

She's a four time bestselling author, speaker. She's a workplace wellbeing strategist and CEO of Manifest Excellence, which is a health promotion company to help CEOs create happy, healthy, productive workplaces that make easier for people to actually do the jobs that they're hired to do. Right? Which makes sense. She offers services to help driven professionals get unstuck and become unstoppable.
Her consulting courses, coaching, trainings and books use holistic and trauma-informed strategy to help their clients decrease stress, improve mindset, strengthen resilience, and increase productivity.

So again, that makes sense. Right? It makes sense that I would kind of end this series with someone who kind of wraps everything we talked about for the month, in like a boat. Right? And for everyone who has been following along. Who’s been given such amazing support, thank you for all you doing. You know, kind of keeping up with me. Like I said, this is National Minority Health Month, right? But again, when we talk about Minority Health Month, this is something that I want you to be talking about it in August and November, back in June. I want this to be a 24/7 or deal, making sure where our mindset is correct. Because again, your blood pressure isn't gonna go down if your mindset isn't there or a cholesterol isn't going to go down, your weight isn't going to go down.

All of these things: your stress, your anxiety, all these things aren't gonna work unless we include the mindset aspect of it. So definitely thankful for having Dr. Donna on to kind of help educate us on just really staying healthy in general. And then you guys are in for amazing treat like always. If you have not had a chance, go ahead, subscribe to the podcast,l leave a five star review and tell a friend to tell a friend. Like that's the most amazing thing about you guys is that you actually are doing that, right? So we're getting more and more of viewership. More and more listeners to the show as we move on from week to week. So definitely thankful for all you guys support. You guys have a great and blessed day.

Episode

Dr. Berry:
Alright, Lunch and Learn community. You heard another amazing introduction to personal friend of mine. But a person who I've been following along for about three plus years now. Some give or take and all we've been talking about, self-care, self-reflection, getting in the right mental mindset to get healthy. I figured, there was no way to really end this month without having this special guests on, right? So Dr. Donna please, first of all, thank you for joining the Lunch and Learn community today.

Dr. Donna Hamilton:
Thank you so much for having me and thank you for having this topic. It's one of my favorite topics. So thank you, thank you, thank you.

Dr. Berry:
So Dr. Donna unfortunately I got a lot of folks in my Lunch and Learn community who loved to like skip my intro. I don't know why they like skipping the intro. I guess they don't like hearing the music and that's okay. Right? Because I always give my guests another opportunity to kind of say like who they are. Maybe something that you know is not necessarily in the bio but just so a person who's just listening maybe for the first time and say well, who is Dr. Donna and why does Dr. Pierre love her so much.

Dr. Donna Hamilton:
I get it because truth be told, I'm one of those people who tends to skip. I'm like, let's get it and at the same time context is everything. So hi! Lunch and Learn community and listeners. I am Dr. Donna. I started my career as a board certified community pediatrician and I transitioned into a workplace well-being strategist. So now I do two things. With my company Manifest Excellence, we help CEOs create happy, healthy, productive work families and make it easier for people to do the job that they've been hired to do. We offer courses, coaching and consulting. We also have services direct to individuals. So some people say that's great, but I need to do something outside of work. I also help super achievers who usually are kind of able to push through everything. We help them when they hit the wall. And so we helped them create their own personal plans that they can give back in their group and start to function at their best in mind, body, spirit in life.

Dr. Berry:
Perfect. And you know that again, I think that's definitely an amazing segue, right? Especially when we talk about the topic of health. And this is how I think I have to ask just a basic question. Right? And again, it almost sounds silly, but understanding, I'm a physician, right? So they may come second nature, but to someone else who is really trying to turn that corner and whatever that health goal is, right? Trying to obtain that. Why is being healthy really so important? Why is that such a big thing for us?

Dr. Donna Hamilton:
Yeah, that's a great question. I agree. Some people may say it's simple or silly, but it's not, because we have to start at the beginning. And you and I were both our primary care doc. So we tend to think like, let's get the basics. And we know that we don't, not everyone focuses on health. The word health is a lot more than not to being sick. And sometimes when people say or hear the word health, what they really are thinking, at least for adults, remember my background is in pediatrics and so that is, I translate a lot of those sensibilities into adults now. A lot of people say healthy, what they really mean is not sick. The word health literally means whole. W. H. O. L. E. That's the root of the word. So I guess way back whenever we created the English language and someone chose the word, what they were describing was someone who was whole, W. H. O. L. E. They were functioning at their best in their entirety. That's what being healthy literally means. And that's why it's really important because you cannot be sick but still not be functioning well. Not feeling well physically, mentally or emotionally.

Dr. Berry:
I think it's extremely important, especially when you touch on the different aspects of it. Because I love that you did that because I think a lot of times the common knowledge is for, especially from a physician to really maybe focus on one aspect, right? Maybe just from a physical standpoint you look healthy but maybe we're not going to address those other aspects of it. How important do you feel making sure that not only the physical, the emotional, the mental, the well like all of that plays a factor in making sure we are completely healthy, which is obviously the whole?

Dr. Donna Hamilton:
That it's crucial. The way I described it to adults is, in pediatrics or if you were dealing with a child, whether it's your child or a family member or someone in the community. Intuitively we know this. So we wouldn't look at a child who is physically doing well and thriving, but they had behavior problems or they were depressed or they were acting up and acting out. We wouldn't say that child was well or healthy. We know that there was more to deal with it. If they were homeless, if they had social issues. We would know that something needed to be addressed. But for some reason, and I don't know what the age is so to speak. Somewhere expectations get lowered for adults.

People say, well, you know what, I'm not overweight and I don't have any scary diagnoses and they ignore everything else and that doesn't ignore it, doesn't hit their radar. I'm still somewhat amazed when I have these discussions with people and I walk them through. Being healthy is really functioning at your best in mind, body, spirit and enlightening and they're like, oh yeah, that makes sense. So that's the essence of wellbeing. That's another, that's one of the reasons that you will see that. I still talk about health, but for my understanding, the way I'd use, I use health, wellness and wellbeing interchangeable because they all are trying to describe the same theme. Unfortunately the way we tend to be in our society, people like to try to streamline it. So people first started using the word wellness because folks stop using health to mean like in its entirety.

So people start saying, I'm going to talk about wellness then. So people understand, I mean function at your best in every way. And then people started to use the word wellness to mean like nutrition and maybe fitness. But again, it’s part of wellness, but they kind of just, again, they got away from the sense of it means functioning in your best in every aspect. So now you'll see that a lot of people are talking about wellbeing and I'm hoping we get to it at wellbeing. You know what I mean, like we get it that people stop trying to streamline away this concept of functioning at your best in its entirety. Because like I said, we'd know what we wanted for our children. I don't know why for some reason for adults, people stop wanting it for themselves or for each other.

Dr. Berry:
Oh, that's a whole, okay. Alright. I love it. I love that point. Question. And of course I asked this as an internist who takes care of the 18 and up, how would you rate really our ability to even teach that message to others as far as just being overall healthy in the whole fear of it?

Dr. Donna Hamilton:
You know that depends on a lot of different paths. I think it depends on your specialty. I think it depends on your, you know, so whether it's pediatrics, whether it's Med, Peds, whether it's family medicine, whether it's internal medicine and you train thinking, I'm going to be a sub specialist or you did internal medicine thinking you're going to go into geriatrics. So I think it really depends on how you were trained, what you were trained in and in general what you bring to your job, which is like any other specialties like any other profession, it's what you bring to it. I would say in general, and it might be a little bias but also can be correct. I think in general, pediatricians are the best range because and I laugh but it's true, but it is part of how we are training, especially for General Ped and community pediatric, which is how I was trained, so we are truly trained in the bio psycho social model, like to really take a good history to make sure that we're assessing developmental.

I mean if you think about it, part of the pediatric paradigm is medical home. That's become part of the adult medicine paradigm. But it literally was started in pediatrics in the 60s the idea that your doctor is your team leader and we're going to make sure that we're keeping touch. I'm keeping track of everything that you need in order to be healthy, but there's like you said, a lot of family medicine people, a lot of internists who do take care of adolescents and young adults, they tend to be focused in into more that what a wellness and preventive aspect. I'm hoping that as a society, understanding the importance of prevention. That more doctors will get better and have time connect the other piece you can be trained because we actually all are trained. Let's be honest, we all are trained in this. Then you get the specifics and the logistics of your job where depending on where you're employed and how, who's in charge of your schedule, you don't have time to practice good medicine.

I mean, we know we got plenty of phenomenal of what they do and people don't give get enough time to take care of their patients. And I used to, when I retired my clinical practice. And that was one of the reasons it was very challenging to practice what I knew was best for my patients. And I used to talk at the administrators and the scheduling people and say a little tongue in cheek, but seriously, you know, patients don't know they're only supposed to have a 10 minute problem. Yeah. Patients gonna come in. Whether you schedule me for five minutes, 10 minutes, or the 30 minutes that I need to adequately address this issue, that's how much time it takes to look, to take care of the patient.

Dr. Berry:
I love it and it's very definitely interesting point that I didn't even know about as far as the medical centered home starting with children, which makes sense. But, and you're right, like in a primary care setting, that's definitely been this new model that's come around where they really are trying to encapture a patient's health care even when they leave the office, which sounds like why weren't you doing it before? But like that's definitely the movement that's happening.

Dr. Donna Hamilton:
Absolutely. And it's what we need. It's a win-win for everyone. Patients need that. Especially when we're not feeling well. When you're not feeling well or you have a family members not feeling well that you don't even have enough as much energy to coordinate and organize everything. You don't even know what you're supposed to do most of the time. I mean, you and I, we're fortunate we're physicians. We have friends who are physicians. Yeah, so we have a basic understanding of what's supposed to happen. But again, you know, you're not a pediatrician. I'm not an internist. So if I'm dealing with an adult medicine cardiac issue, I still maybe don't know all the things that are supposed to happen and what all the balls that need to be juggled so to speak. That's where your family home, your medical home comes in and most doctors who care about their patients, which is most of us, especially in primary care. (Shout out to primary care). By the way, to all the listeners out there, it's really important for you to have a primary care doctor, and I say this because you and I know a lot of people don't, especially people who tend to have more medical issues.

Let's say it's a cardiac issue or it's a renal issues, kidney issues. They don't see that specialist a lot and they'll keep going there. Even women who are healthy, they'll tend to go to their gynecologist. I have a doctor who is gynecologist. Shout out to all the gynecologists we love you. They'll be the first to tell you that they are not primary care doctors. Their focus is on women's reproductive health. And so you need, and I really use the word need, but in this case I'm going to, well it's highly, highly recommended.

Dr. Berry:
Highly, highly recommend. Dr. Donna has stamped it here on the Lunch and Learn community. Go ahead.

Dr. Donna Hamilton:
Highly recommended, your medical and your self-care team. You have someone who is your primary care doctor who's not a specialist. So for adults that would be an internist or an internal medicine doctor or someone who is family medicine doctor. And for children that is a pediatrician. Yeah. They're also family medicine doctors who do take care of children. So it would be a pediatrician or family medicine doctor who takes care of infants, children and adolescence. I know you love track, but this is all important.

Dr. Berry:
All important. No, no, that's okay. That's the Lunch and Learn community is here to learn and listen. So they going to take everything we give them. (There you go). Now question. And when we talk about being healthy, right? And at the time we're recording this, I'm in an issue where I'm struggling with quote unquote being healthy. I actually, for those who followed me on Instagram, you know that I suffered an injury chasing after my son. Right? And now I am in the rehab process of a surgery that I recently had got done. And I see the mental changes that have happened just based off that. When we talk about just some of the struggles that are associated with just being healthy. What are some issues that you kind of run across, you seen in some of your patients on the time of time basis? I said like, wow. It seems like everybody seems to be dealing with the same related issues.

Dr. Donna Hamilton:
Oh, that's a lot. You know, I would, I'm gonna go to a core, something you touched on. Mindset is a really big piece. That's kind of a trendy word right now. The way I teach, we talk about mental, the mental arena, which is your thoughts, your beliefs, your expectations. So that mindset piece is a really big one. And that can shift if you're having a physical health challenge. And the mind and body are in constant communication, right? So you might actually be feeling good and tend to be more positive and with your expectations about life and your health. And then you ended up with a physical health challenge and then your mind starts to awfulize, right? And you're like, oh my gosh, what can happen, to cover or you just don't feel as good. So that's one of the common, common themes where people who are dealing with any type of health issue, it's that mindset piece and the, it really the expectation that they're going to be healthy, especially as they get older.

And notice I didn't say old, it's older. So people in their twenties who start getting into this belief. You know that they're old, they're starting to fall apart and anything, anytime something goes wrong it's like, oh I'm getting older. And I look at was like on so many levels we have to stop that. First, because sometimes you're like half my age. But also there is a big connection between our expectations and our biology of belief. Which we can have a separate discussion about that. But a lot of times we start to focus on the negative and we still, we look for the negative instead of focusing on the expectation of being healthy or recovering or getting better. So those are some of the common pieces that I see. Again, it's a focus on illness instead of wellness and what we can do to feel better to get better. So whether instead of focusing on, okay, so how can I recover quickly so I can get back and do whatever. People are wondering, how long am I going sick? How long is this going to hurt? It's spoken on the negative instead of the positive expectancy. Does that make sense?

Dr. Berry:
It makes total sense and I love it because we had a recent guest, Dr Brad on here who kind of talked about how a lot of times we focus on the failure aspect instead of focusing on the goal and the win. So that makes complete sense, right? If we get sick and all they're doing, we're focusing on the sickness aspect of it and not the aspect of getting better, then it's going to take a long time to get better. I had decided that makes total sense.

Dr. Donna Hamilton:
Our brain and for people who are listening, I don't want you to beat up on yourself that this is your tendency. We're wired this from a neurologic perspective. We have what's called a negativity bias and there's a lot of reasons for that. The very short version, it's helped us survive. So if you are walking out in the street and I'm making it up, you want into a bear, I live in the Poconos so this actually can happen. You want to remember every aspect of what you know puts you in danger so that you don't do that. So that's our mind is wired to focus on these things. And so it does take some energy and effort to shift to start to focus on the positive. But it's a payoff because you might be improving and not even notice it.

A good example is pain. When I was practicing and kids were a little bit different. Fortunately I didn't have any too many children who had chronic pain. But I did have some older adolescents who had some chronic illness. We would teach them to focus. If we gave them some pain medication. Instead of saying, well, how much does it hurt beforehand and how much that just hurt now? We would ask them to focus on the pain relief because it made them start to say focus. Although this is better because if not, people are still focusing on how much it hurts instead of is it feeling better. How much is it feeling better now? And you train yourself to focus on feeling better, getting better, you know? So in your case, for someone who's having a mobility issue, if you hurt on your leg or your foot, instead of focusing, I still can't fill in. I still can't walk without a limp. I still can't go up a flight of stairs. It's like, oh no, what? I walked across the room today before it started hurting. And the shifts start to help us focus on being better and being healthier and looking forward. Because our energy goes where our attention flows. So we see and we attract what it is we focus on. So let's focus on what we want instead of what we don't.

Dr. Berry:
Oh I love that. I love it. Dr. Donna, you've talked about a key arenas really affecting our health. What would you say they are? Like some of the key arenas really affecting our everyday health. Whether you're an adult and I know you deal with children but working with adults now.

Dr. Donna Hamilton:
So whether you're an adult or child, the key arenas are the same. There are five and I don't get caught up on the number because depending on who you listen to, they'll define them in different ways and they'll give them different needs. But the concept is that we are talking about every aspect of affecting your health and wellness. So for this conversation, I teach the people, I've worked with five arenas. The first is the physical. So that's what you would think. It's the body. It's what you put in your body, on your body, and anything that affects anything that's tangible. Those are all aspects of the physical arena in your life and your health. There's the mental arena, which we touched on earlier. Those are your thoughts and your beliefs, your inner voice. So you can see that for a lot of people, they may look good physically and their mental arena is off.

And we're not talking about mentally ill. We're talking about people who are chronically critical of themselves and others beating up on themselves. They awfulize, you know, if you say can be done, they're the first to tell you 500 reasons why there's no way, why they're definitely gonna die. So that would not be a healthy mental. The next is the emotional arena. Those are your feelings, which is different than the mental arena. That's a very important distinction. The mental arena. It's about thoughts. Your thoughts and beliefs are not the same as your feelings. And many, many people don't like to play in the realm of feelings. So that emotions - happy, sad, fear. So that's the emotional area and you can see why many people like to avoid that because some of those feelings are uncomfortable. But that's an important part of being healthy, addressing your emotional arena.
The next is the social arena and this is a big one and many people overlook it. Your social arena is what gives life variety and spice. So those are your habits, your hobbies, your money, your relationship, your job. So in medicine, for any positions who are listening, we talk about the bio psycho social. When we take a social history. For other listeners who aren't in medicine, that's why when you go to your primary care doctor, especially for first visit, they'll ask you what do you do? What do you do for a living? Are you married? Are you single? It's not just being nice and establishing a relationship though that's important too. This gives us a picture of all the aspects affecting your life. Because your job, your money, your, your habits. Whether you smoke, whether you text and drive. All of these affect your overall health and wellbeing. Your sleeping habits, all of these come under the social aspect of the social media.

And the lesser arena is the spiritual arena. And that's not religion, but religion does fall under this. The spiritual arena is around on your purpose, your mission, what gives your life meaning and how you make sense of it. That's also very, very important. Not only from quality of life because you can have everything looking good in those other boxes. So you're physically healthy mentally, emotionally. You got a job that you love and healthy relationships, with money. And you're still feeling like your life has no meaning or purpose. And so remember we said being healthy, as functioning in your best in every aspect. If you're walking around feeling like your life has no meaning or purpose, you're not really living your best life. You're not functioning at your best. That's why that spiritual arena is really important. It also becomes very important if you end up getting physically ill.

Because if you're unconscious or unspoken belief is, nah, doesn't really matter and your doctor is saying come on, you've got to get your blood pressure under control. I don't know what's going on. If you don't get this under control, you're going to have a stroke. You could die. And if you're really trying to like, oh well and you're not depressed. I'm making a distinction to people are depressed. But people will really kind of have this existential. Oh well if I live, live and I don't, that's fine. You're not going to be motivated to take stuff better. So all the arenas are connected. And so with my coaching clients, many times I will tell people, if you're stuck trying to make progress in one area, you would benefit from starting with another arena. So for a health thing, if you have tried six ways from Sunday to lose weight and it's not working, many times we find success when we start in another arena and start addressing that arena first.

Dr. Berry:
Oh I love it. And Lunch and Learn community, I tell you every time, I think I say it's a week now, every week. I selfishly learn just as much from the guests as you guys may be learning as you're listening to this right now. So I'm definitely intrigued and remember, we do show notes so you don't have to like write anything down. You will get a chance to kind of have everything kind of written in a nice little pdf format so you can get those five key arenas. And I think Dr. Donna touched on it very well that you could be doing great in three of them, right? But those other two could be the reason why you can't lose weight. The other two could be the reason why your blood pressure isn't going down. The reason why, you know, you're not having good communication in your relationship. But also so I definitely love the fact that, you know, they really are together and again, we're not trying to prioritize one or the other. We're just trying to say, yeah, you got five that really can affect it one way. Thank you Dr. Donna for that aspect.

Dr. Donna Hamilton:
Yeah, they're all related. And like I tell people because we do workplace wellbeing, I see that a lot. So here's another way that's common. When you ask what are some things that we see are common, very, very common. So people will be stressed at their job for fill in the blank reasons. Not enough money, too much demand. Bully boss. They’re stressed out at work. They go home. They can't turn it off or they're still stressed out. So one, it might end up affecting their relationship, their arguing with their significant other, or they're kind of snippy with their kids or they're feeling guilty because they're not spending time with their kids. If that doesn't happen, then they're wondering why. Maybe they can't sleep well, they just, they're having sleep problems because the stress from work. And I'm not saying this is always the case, but here's a common scenario.
So the stress from work is disturbing your sleep and then they're wondering why they're gaining weight. Because sleep disturbances can affect your weight or they're wondering why they're having trouble controlling your blood sugar. Because if you're not getting enough sleep, that can be a factor. So this is a scenario where sometimes the key to affecting change is dealing with work stress. It might be getting another job. It might mean having a fierce conversation with your manager. But the issue might not be getting more disciplined and not what you're eating. It may be, in this case we got to do something about that stress job because that's the one that is wreaking havoc on your physical wellbeing.

Dr. Berry:
I love it. And I think, and I especially think this segues perfectly to kind of our next point. Because obviously someone's not going to be able to Google how to get healthier. Because it's different for everybody. What do you think about the importance of having really individualized plans and goals for each individual person in their pursuit to become healthier?

Dr. Donna Hamilton:
I’m a huge fan. So much so that I've wrote a book entitled Wellness Your Way. It's literally about making it your way because one size doesn't fit all when it comes to health. Now that doesn't mean that there aren't common themes and patterns. I mean that is the case. But depending on what your underlying issue is, depending on your age, where you live. There's so many different variables that you may have to have a customized plan. You will get better benefits if you have a customized approach to that. And what works for your friend may not work for you. I mean, we tell patients that all the time. If nothing else with prescription meds, right? I mean, we have many times, well my aunt had so and so and she had this, so I'm gonna take that thing and we'd like, don't do that. That's an extreme example, but it happens, right? It's all things.

The other piece that's very important. What worked for you 10 years ago, five years ago, might not work for you now. So it's not just customized from person to person. It's customized for point of life for you. You know, you may have had a health issue that a new diagnosis. You may have had a baby. I mean there's so many different variables that's going on. You may have a different job now, so you know, you can't take certain medications because they'll make you sleepy and you can't do that yet. There are just so many different variables. That's why it's so important to have a customized approach for you now. And the best way to do that, again, going full circle, that's my I having their primary care doctor who you know and trust and who knows you. That's why it's so important because they can help customize what you need now.

Dr. Berry:
Oh, I love it. And of course they can pick up your book. The book was called again, I'm sorry?

Dr. Donna Hamilton:
Wellness Your Way.

Dr. Berry:
Wellness Your Way. And remember Lunch and Learn listeners, the link will be in the show notes as well too so you can pick that up and we'll make sure we support Dr. Donna and especially helping enlighten this community. Again, I'm enlightened. Like I said I'm, I've got the five keys like ready to make sure like I'm maximizing my approaches in every single one of them. So again definitely appreciate that aspect of the education today. Before we let you go, because I know your time is busy but couple of things I want to talk about. Because we talk about mindset being a very a buzz wordy type terminology these days, right? But what do you think about health, being healthy in self-care? Is that one in the same way? What do you think the relationship is with those things?

Dr. Donna Hamilton:
I'm a big fan of distinctions in words and so health and self-care are different though they are interconnected. Self-care is what it sounds like. It's the way you take care of yourself or it's part of how you become healthy or how you maintain your health or how you become healthy. And so self-care helps you achieve your health goals. Likewise if you're healthy or not, your degree of health and wellbeing. That can affect your ability to take care of yourself. A very basic level, if you are feeling so ill physically warned him that you can't get out of bed, it's more challenging. You take care of yourself. You’re either not feeling well. Mentally, not up to it or physically you can't get up and go take a walk. So that's the one. So they are different but they are intimately related.

Dr. Berry:
And do you find any common misconceptions or issues that kind of prevent people from making sure that their self-care is where it needs to be?

Dr. Donna Hamilton:
Oh absolutely. The biggest misconception is that self-care is a luxury and it involves luxury items. Yeah, I love a mani, in spa day as much as the next person, I'd love it. But there's more to self-care than massages and mani and even meditation. Those are some of the common things people they gotta take care of myself and you're spotting. You take care of myself at the learn how to meditate. These are all examples of self but self-care is, it's broader than that. And we have to encourage people to look at self-care in different categories. Self-care. It doesn't have to be this separate thing that you make time for. You can have small spurts of self-care that are quick and easy. You can have longer spurts of self-care like a nice vacation but you can also have self-care but you do in the moment at work and also self-care isn't always the juicy fun stuff.

Self-care is going in for your annual exam. Self-care is making sure you get your cholesterol level under control. You know self-care is going to the dentist and having your eyes checked right. Those are acts of self-care too. Self-care cannot be having a plan to manage stress at work. It can be making sure once an hour you get up and you walk around if you have a desk job. So there's lots of different ways that we can create self-care that are not these luxury things that you have to add to your schedule.

Dr. Berry:
I love it. And first of all Lunch and Learn community. You know I love that Dr. Donna. She has told you to get your regular annual visit like three times today and I'm loving every single time she says it because I am 100% here for it.

Dr. Donna Hamilton:
Yes, thank you. We have to start with the basic and Dr. Berry knows I'm a big fan of acknowledging and then be real. I'm not saying that it's easy or necessarily pleasant to do. That does not change that it's important to do. So it's important. That's why you listen to this podcast. Actually listening to this podcast can count as self-care depending on your intention and the spirit with which you listened to it. And I'm sure most of you are listening to it with the intention of learning information about your health. That's taking care of your mental arena. You're filling in your mind with healthy beliefs, accurate information from trusted, valued physicians in healthcare providers. Because Dr. Berry, he's not just going to bring you anyone. He's going to bring people know what they're talking about.
So that self-care. Because it can be confusing these days to have good, reliable, trustworthy health information. You know doctor Google, we love it. But that isn't the best way to get reliable health information. And by not the best way I would say don't do it. Unless it is taking you to a trusted website, of a trusted physician you know. So this counts as self-care, especially if you put the information that you learned into action. Take one step, like one step. And that is counts self-care.

Dr. Berry:
I love it. And before we let you go and the last question I always employ to my guests, how is what you're doing? How can what you do to help empower others to take better control of their health?
Dr. Donna Hamilton:
What we teach literally is around knowing what you need and then advocating and taking appropriate actions. That is a core of what we teach at my company. A core of my approach when I work with coaching clients, it's around giving people the information that they need and then inspiring them forward. That is, people say, don't tell your secret sauce, but I'm going to share that with them. That's part of my secret sauce. And Dr. Berry knows I'm big on inspiration and motivation and that's not a Pollyanna sort of way. You know, because doctors, we tell people what to do and we tell them how to do it right. So think about a prescription, take two pills. That's what to do. Take it, you know, at bedtime, a little bit of food. That's how to do it. The Art of medicine is inspiring people to do it and that's a big piece of what we have to do. And that's why you'll find, and people who talk to me and follow me, we'll find that I focus on what's to do, not instead of what not to do.

We talked a lot about that. I will share a lot of inspiration and uplifting information because people need that now more than ever. It's easier to take action, take care of yourself when you feel like there's a purpose. So that is a big piece of it. When you start to think about your five arenas, you start to think about, well how am I doing in each of these areas? What's working? What needs some work if feels so much more manageable for starting to feel more manageable than, oh my goodness, what's going wrong? What my doctor said, all these numbers of bad, blah, blah, blah, and I'm afraid I'm getting old. And all that negative self-talk that can actually put you into. It can shut you down. Part of a stress is a freeze response. So people talk about fight or flight, which a lot of your listeners may have heard of.
There's a third part that people don't recognize, which is freeze response. It is a physiologic response.

So we get overwhelmed. We shut down because we think like our mind and our bodies are programmed so that it kind of, it feels like it's keeping us safe. It doesn't always, but so we keep people inspired and motivated with information and to know that they're doing what's best for them. To understand how to get advocates and how to get good healthcare to support them. Because you don't need to be a doc. That's the other thing I tell people. I mean, we want you to have a medical literacy. We want you to understand what you need. But we train a long time to learn all this information. You don't have to take on all that responsibility. And I say this, everyone who the recovering control freaks out. Raise if you’re listening, tell the truth.

I'm raising my hand to, you like to have control because then they'll say. That's a lot of responsibility to put on yourself. Also not realistic. So get someone who can help you. Take care of yourself. And that's that empowered piece. So you know how to talk to about. You know questions asked. You know how to advocate for yourself. But then also you can trust them to help you achieve your goals and that's how this all comes together. So it makes it easy. You have to help your doctor help you and that's how we help you. You keep you up lifted and educated so you know what to do and what to ask for.

Dr. Berry:
I love it. I love and Dr. Donna thank you for definitely knocking out, knock in that question out of the park. Absolutely an amazing, and again, Lunch and Learn community knock down is when someone that we've been friends for going on three plus years now and every time I see Dr. Donna is, and again this is not just fluff like she is really inspiring. She is really being positive. She's really making sure that you are in a right mindset to be able to move forward. So Dr. Donna, thank you for joining the Lunch and Learn podcast and really help educating us and getting us together. But before I let you go. And again, I keep saying that, but this is a timeframe that I like to show off my guest. I'm very fortunate enough to know some amazing people doing some absolutely amazing things.

Dr. Donna hinted at a little bit when she talked about her book on this your way. Dr. Donna I want you to kinda take the floor, let people know what you're doing, what you got for them, books, courses, whatever that is, please let them know now, because I don't know if Lunch and Learn community realizes there's like no, like this is actually like a big dog right here talking to you. That's why I always give the opportunities like, no, just let these folks know like who you are. And they said, ok. Yeah, yeah. That's Dr. Donna Hamilton.

Dr. Donna Hamilton:
Thank you Dr. Berry. Yes. So as we talked about in the beginning, for those of you who skipped, right, and I am a four time bestselling author. I'm an international speaker. I have been featured on ABC, NBC, CBS, NPR, et cetera, et cetera, et cetera. So my information is out there and not that we need to have it validated by others, but I'm doing something that other people find valuable. So that's Dr. Berry mentioned you can get my book Wellness Your Way. He's going to have a link to the site where you can go to get an autographed copy for me and it's on Amazon. We are in the process of shifting over some logistics. So if you run there and its listing is not right there right now, don't worry, it's getting up there. What apart through our company manifest excellence, as we mentioned, we do work site wellbeing consulting.

One of the pieces of we're very, very excited about as we're rolling out new trainings and courses for managers and CEOs around trauma informed leadership. We're really excited about this. But people may not realize it, but about two thirds of every adult has survived at least one childhood trauma or what we call in pediatrics adverse childhood event. And then if you add, when they get to be adults, you add so-called regular traumas like car accidents and having surgery or so by having a fire. That's a lot of the workforce that is walking around having survived a trauma and so a certain subset of that has may have post-traumatic stress or they're just, they interface a little differently. And we are teaching employers how to have a trauma informed workplace. So we can talk about that a separate podcast. We're teaching people how to be trauma informed with each other so that we all have workplaces that help us get our job done instead of causing us to shut down and be more stressed and less healthy.
So we're really very excited about that. I also have a gift. I want to make sure that your listeners have. If they go to manifestexcellence.com/chooseyou. We have a checklist. This is not about trauma informed. I should've mentioned this earlier. This is for what we're talking about today. It's a self-care checklist. There's so much out there around how to be healthy. Even after listening to all this information, you still say, but where do I start? So we've put together a nice short sweet document that goes over some of the key healthy habits. They'll give you the most bang for your buck. So whether there's certain habits that whether you're trying to be healthy, address diabetes or weight control or whatever, is there certain habits that will give you health benefits across all the different arenas. So we have that list and it's combined with a nice checklist and you can write your notes down and you know what to talk to your doctor about.

Dr. Berry I said I'm really big on that. And a lot of times we have all these wonderful ideas and then we go to the doctor's office and the patient doesn't remember anything they want to talk about, like not one thing. And so we have it all in one document. We've got prompting questionnaires. Some of my health goals are blank. I want to talk to my doctor about blank. Doctor can help me with, you know, so please do that for yourself. Again, we want you to be empowered, but we don't want you to be burdened. So we are giving you the tools so that you can help your doctor help you.

Dr. Berry:
I love it. Absolutely. Oh, okay. Say it again. That's why I love to have amazing guests who bring us stuff. Right? So we're going to actually leave with stuff to be able to kind of get onto the next level because Dr. Donna said correctly. We can tell you all we need to tell you, but you still have to take that action, right? So I want to make sure you download this checklist that take action, get healthy, get to your doctor, get that wellness appointment done and over with, right? So you don't have to have Dr. Donna come after you because you have not done it yet.

Dr. Donna Hamilton:
It would be to encourage and love you for. That sounds healthy and like fluffy and all of that. But I always do. I tell people, most people do a good enough job beating up on themselves. They don't need me or their doctor beating up on them. So we are going to come behind you and courage you forward and say what's going on? If I did imitations better, I imitate, a nice loving, caring grandmother voice or something like that to inspire people forward. Because most of us know, especially if you're listening to this podcast, you are learning what it is to do. So we just have to help you get out of overwhelm so that you can do it. And that's part of my expertise. Helping people move from the stuck to unstoppable.

Dr. Berry:
I love it. And what's your website again so people know where they can find you?

Dr. Donna Hamilton:
Go to manifestexcellence.com and that's where we'll have all the workplace wellbeing information. There's lots of blog posts you can go and we have, I want to say about seven years worth of blog articles about self-care. How to be healthy at work. There's safety. There's a lot of information there. If you are a CEO or manager and you want to bring us in to help with your, to do lunch and learns at your office or to do checkups for your employee wellbeing program, you can contact us there. Or if you are an employee who wants simply some information about how to be healthy, you can contact us through there and they'll get the information to us. And for the guests and for the gift, it's manifestexcellence.com/chooseyou. That C. H. O. O. S. E. Y. O. U.

Dr. Berry:
I love it, Dr. Donna. Again, I can't thank you enough for not only such an amazing discussion today on health, but really accumulating an amazing month of podcasts that really focus on, we're not just talking about blood pressure. We go, trust me, I've got plenty of podcasts that talk about that, right? But like we want to make sure that we're hitting home the fact that you're like, no, your mindset, I got to get right. If you want to get healthy, we’re halfway, we're already on the other side of halfway towards 2019 and depending on when you're listening to this. So you can start today if you didn't start the first six months. And Dr. Donna you had been such an amazing job and definitely thank you again for joining the Lunch and Learn community. Educating us. Getting us together. Like I said, even though I thought I was a little bit healthy, I'm going to make sure I take myself to the next level.

Dr. Donna Hamilton:
That's right. We need to aim high, be healthy. Function at your best, in mind, body, spirit, and life. Aim high.

Dr. Berry:
Thank you Dr. Donna.

Dr. Donna Hamilton:
Thanks Dr. Berry.

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Let's Talk about Goal Setting and Fear of Failure... On this week's episode of the Lunch and Learn with Dr. Berry we have Dr. Brad Bellard, a phenomenal peak performance coach, who is driven to help professionals maximize their potential, so they achieve more success and fulfillment. Today Dr. Brad is going to drive home the mantra NO MORE EXCUSES. Dr. Brad is a best-selling author and sought-after keynote speaker, delivering impactful messages on topics including performance, purpose, and his personal story of going from ordinary to extraordinary.

We are very fortunate enough to get Dr. Brad on this week's episode of the Lunch and Learn community because he is ready to help us all get out of the cycle of unfinished goals, help us battle the fear of failure on our health journey and gives us tips and tricks to make sure our goals become reality.

If you haven't already check out episode 117(drberrypierre.com/llp117) to learn how Dr. Michelle get us out of these stressful situations in our lives.

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Download Episode 118 Transcript

Episode 118 Transcript...

Introduction

Dr. Berry:

And welcome to another episode of the Lunch and Learn with Dr. Berry. I'm your host, Dr. Berry Pierre, your favorite Board Certified Internist. Founder of Pierre Medical Consulting, helping you empower yourself for better health with the number one podcast for patient advocacy here with the Lunch and Learn with Dr. Berry. Bringing you another episode. This is Episode 118. We have Dr. Brad Bellard who is an amazing, phenomenal performance coach who is going to get us right this episode. A lot of times when we talk about just the aspect of goals and achieving goals and what that means, I think a lot of times we kind of set people up for failure, right? And especially in the health space where we set patients up to say like, hey, you gotta stop smoking in three months, or hey, you got to lose all this weight. Or you watch your cholesterol. You gotta do all of these things that we set expectations on our patients.

But a lot of times we don't actually train our patients to achieve those expectations. And Dr. Brad, who is an amazing speaker, he has a YouTube page where we're pushing him to hurry up and get a podcast because he needs to be on a podcast. Great blog as well too, who is going to really educate us and get us right on the correct mindset to make sure that not only do we have goals that we want to achieve, but we know how to succeed in getting those goals and we know have to deal with the missteps that are likely gonna be in the way on your route to those goals. So just a quick little bio. Dr. Brad is a double board certified sports medicine physician. He's a peak performance coach, as well as a non operative sports medicine specialist.

Dr. Brad helps injured active individuals, avoid surgery, decrease pain and improve function. He's also served as a team physician for multiple professional teams including the NBA Dallas Mavericks and as a regular guest on Dallas, ESPN radio show inside sports medicine. As a peak performance coach, which again, I'm telling you like even though I know he's a sports medicine physician, like this is really where I think he excels and this is where I've been at narrowed by his growth. As a peak performance coach, Dr. Brad helps driven professionals maximize their potential so they achieve more success and fulfillment. Dr. Brad is a bestselling author, sought after keynote speaker delivering impactful messages on topics including performance purpose and his personal story on going from ordinary to extraordinary. Again, if you're listening to this in the month of July, you know, we are all about self-reflection. We're all about our mental clarity, mental health.

I knew I'd be doing you guys a disservice if I did not tell you the aspect of achieving goals and setting goals and how to actually be successful at them. Dr. Brad actually drops a statistics bomb that actually kind of, you know, floors me throughout the episode when we talk about New Year's resolutions because you know, obviously if you're listening to this in July and you made this new year's resolution in January, if you look to the left, look to the right, one of your partners isn't talking about the new year's resolution, right? And he told me the amount of people who actually drop off by like February, March, which is absolutely crazy. So be on the lookout for that little tidbit. I mean, again, you're going to hear about his book, you're going to hear about a coaching program that he's got coming up and we're definitely excited for.

And again, following this episode, I want you guys to follow him and I want you to pester him and to make sure he gets this podcast out because it's needed. We need a voice like his in the podcast space and I'm definitely excited for that to come whenever that does come around. But we're going to push it to be sooner rather than later. Again, like always, if you're not done, so go ahead and subscribe to the podcast. Leave me a five star review. Go ahead, follow Dr. Brad and know how much you learned and gained from this week's episode because again, I was sitting here like writing mental notes myself, and this is definitely an episode. I'm going to be going back and forth and drawing inspiration and drawing knowledge to make sure I'm achieving all the goals that I set forth to achieve from this year and here all forth. So again, another episode here on Lunch and Learn with Dr. Berry. Subscribe on all your favorite social media outlets, whether that be Instagram, Instagram stories, Facebook, Twitter. I'm on all of them. So wherever you are sharing it, I'm likely there. If you mention me, I'll definitely make sure I acknowledge on the support. You guys have a great and blessed day.

Episode

Dr. Berry:

Alright, Lunch and Learn community. You just got a chance to listen to another amazing bio. I think I say this every week, I'm blessed to be able to know a lot of people who are doing some amazing things out in the health world and community and those who are willing to kind of reach back and educate Lunch and Learn community on all the amazing stuff they're doing. So again Dr. Brad, thank you for joining today's podcast.

Dr. Brad Bellard:

Dude my absolute pleasure. We talked about this before we got on offline, but you know, it's an honor and a privilege to be on here because I've been watching you. We got a lot of mutual friends together and we speak similar language in terms of being able to promote and improve other people's lives in very different ways, whether it's mental health or whether it's personal growth or whether it's their physical health. And so is my time we got together, man. So I appreciate the fact that you reached out and I'm excited man.

Dr. Berry:

And you know what I love about that is that, because I think a lot of times when people talk about growth in those different areas, they talk about it as if it's separate, like separate entities just kind of like run in parallel but not realizing to be really whole, right? Like you've got to have all of these things kinda in line. Right?

Dr. Brad Bellard:

Well, and you said it dude. We really separate our physical health from what's going on in our mind? And to me, you can't reach a certain level of physical health until the mind understands where it's trying to go and believe that it's possible to get there. So yes, it goes hand and hand. For somebody to maybe look like they're in great shape, but mentally they're not there, they're stressed. You may not see the toll that the stress has taken on internally, but you know, that's conflicting. So really ultimately like you said to be oh, and you've got to have the mind antibody right together. So now you, you hit the nail on the head.

Dr. Berry:

I have a lot in my Lunch and Learn community members who like to skip past the intro. So they've been, maybe they didn't catch your bio, right? For those who did it, tell a little something about yourself that maybe isn’t in the bio but like, you know, really says like who Dr. Brad really is?

Dr. Brad Bellard:

Man, at the end of the day dude, I'm just a guy who was at the, you know, just really came from ordinary beginnings in the Houston area. Had no aspirations of becoming a doctor, had people who believed in me much more than I ever believed in myself. And I was crazy enough to believe it. And over time, you know, became a physician but always had this ‘its’ Dr. Berry, that there was something else that was a voice that was waiting to be heard about really the story of my life and how being able to maximize your potential and the way people tapped into my potential so that I can eventually become more than I ever thought I could. And even, you know, try to excel to become more, really try to convey that message to other people, man. And I've been blessed to have some success in a lot of different areas. You know, I served as the assistant team physician for the Dallas Mavericks for multiple years. Radio is something that's been a passion of mine as I've been on ESPN radio as a cohost for them on a show that we do here in the Dallas area. And you know, I'll do some speaking, bestselling author and all that stuff. Don't really talk like talking a whole lot about that. But I do bring it up only to let people know what's possible. That's really the only reason I do it.

Dr. Berry:

I mean, sometimes Dr. Brad you gotta let people know you're not playing out here too. You know, I mean, because sometimes people don't respect the amount of work you put in, right? Until you start you know, listing out the CV out, right? Sometimes we got to list to CV and I'm a 100% champion for listing the CV out when need be.

Dr. Brad Bellard:

Oh listen, some time, you've got to check folks. Just so they know who they talking to and you know when I get that feeling, yeah. Every now and then I gotta put a couple of pointers out there and some reminders. But for the most part, man, me, dude, I'm just a chill dude trying to make people more successful in the field than they are now.

Dr. Berry:

So what do I want to talk about? Because I'm very interested in all that amazing stuff you do. When we talk about peak performance coaching, when was that time in your life when you knew that you know what I needed to make this direction shift. I'm not sure if it was a turn im not sure it was a change, but I just needed to go in this direction. And then how did you end up becoming the peak performance coach? Because I think Lunch and Learn community, I really want them to kind of get ahold of, right? Especially because we’re in July. Right? And I know we’re in July, but depending on when you listen to this, a lot of y'all talked about New Year's resolutions in January.

So I know a lot of time this is when those New Year's resolutions, you know, people stop talking about it. People stop bringing it up. Right? So I kind of want to know what was your transition, when you say, when you realize, oh I needed to do something more. Because I think you kind of alluded to it, like I was doing okay but I wasn't 100% fulfilled. And then when you say, you know what, I'm going to take this mantle and drive people to not only drive myself, but then now I'm going to turn around and drive others.

Dr. Brad Bellard:

Yup. Yeah. So first of all, you talk about those New Year's resolutions, man. There was a study that came out recently that showed that about 80% of people before February hits already dropped the resolution. So you gave a lot of people a little more of a time. And I know they might be dropping off now, let me tell you something. If they stuck with it until now, they're probably gonna stick with it. But before, a lot of people that happen about five, six months ago. But no, man you know, so I believe everyone's present and future in some way connected to their past. So really it just comes down to my story. You know, when I was younger, my brother was a large motivating force in my life. He was at the time an entrepreneur and he was trying to get a business started.

And so he had people in his life that were pouring into him about how to see yourself, how to have a better self-image, how to succeed in these success based principles. And my brother was 12 years older than me, so he directly kind of fed that into me. And I was just kinda, you know, all ears. And at the time I was a young athlete trying to play basketball and I would apply these principles. And so I started seeing that these things work because unfortunately I just didn't get this from my home, nothing against my parents. They were just, they didn't speak life into us like that.

Dr. Berry:

Do you sometimes find it is that they don't know how or the foundation isn’t there to be able to build and teach those methods just aren't there for them?

Dr. Brad Bellard:

I firmly believe, at least my parents. I think most parents, they want to try to do the best they can for their children, but they're ignorant to how it works. And when I say ignorant, not in a bad way, but they just literally lack the knowledge of what it takes. No one poured into them into that way. So how would they just wake up one day and be able to share with me principles of success or being able to believe in myself or be able to believe that things are possible. So, you know, they did their best and I'm grateful for that. But you know, my story from early on was a story of one in which people believed in me much more than I ever believed in myself. And you know, I'm a hard headed, I guess it never really started sticking until later in life that I would look back and look and be like, you know, I actually did pretty good in that area.

Maybe I can apply this to other areas of life. And so the same thing happened in college. I mean, I could've swore I was gonna fail College. I mean, I just knew I was gonna fail. My first semester in college I was so fearful. It really forced me to study because I was so fearful. I was gonna fail and I did well. And it was one of those things like wow, those realizations. Like, man, if I apply myself, I'll do well. And again, I just had people, dude, I mean, I'm so blessed because there was a professor I had who just saw more than me. And then she invited me to try to be a part of extracurricular activities. And I was like, why does she keep talking to me? Why does she keep trying to include me in all of this stuff?

And I'm so grateful now because she saw something in me. And so that led to speaking for the first time in college. And I remember I dressed about four to 500 people in it. And something happened right there, man. And I said, you know, I've got to do something with this. But I went along my career in medicine and successfully graduated from medical school. And then, you know, became a doctor. What happened was, despite the fact that I've successfully achieved, you know, what I wanted to do in my professional career, I found myself and what most people would consider successful in life, you know what I mean? I mean, I'm a doctor, I had started a little small home business. I wasn't fulfilled dude. And I couldn't figure it out. I was like, why? Why am I still, why do I feel like is this it? It's like, I actually got to where I wanted to go and I'm like, this is it.

Dr. Berry:

You know that's very interesting because when you talk about from an outward appearance, the degrees were there, the business was there, the business is doing well, but on the inside it was like, something's not 100% right. Like I'm not 100% but happy. And that's a very interesting perspective because I think a lot of people don't do enough reflection on themselves to realize like, that's probably it. You're missing something and that's why you're not happy like you want to be or in that regards.

Dr. Brad Bellard:

Well dude, think about it. It's hard taking a look in the mirror and being honest, dude. You know? So when people feel a certain way like that, they feel unfulfilled and I know exactly the feeling because I ignored it for so long that for most people who ignore one or two things is going to happen. They become numb and then they'll just make excuses and then eventually they'll just kind of get stuck where they are and then we won't be able to see a way out. (And more excuses become regret). Yep, that's right. And then the regrets become other excuses to justify why you haven't gone after something else. I try to address why you're dealing with that. So it's hard looking in the mirror. Dude I get it. Like I was there. And you know, I mean at the time I'm thinking like, dude, I put all this work time, money in and you know, listen, med school, ain’t cheap Dr. Berry, you know it. Starting business ain't cheap.

So you know, I'm sitting here like, why do I feel like this? And so, you know, I get that, not wanting to reflect because reflection hurts, but growth requires reflection. It has to, because if you can't recognize and be aware of where you are now, there's no way you can kind of say, well, where do I want to go? I don't want to fix this. (I love it). But to answer your question, so it got to a point to where I was struggling with two things. One, I was unfulfilled. Two, I knew I was actually under achieving, people say under achieving?

Dr. Berry:

Interesting, okay. Alright. Hey, Lunch and Learn community, you gonna see my eyebrow, hold on, alright.

Dr. Brad Bellard:

But here's the deal. We all have this personal gauge of how whether we know we're actually living up to our potential. When you look in the mirror, whether you're doing what you can or whether you're falling short. And so because I kinda got stuck in a rut, I really wasn't trying to advance my practice. I really wasn't advancing my business. It all looked good again on outside looking in. But I became so frustrated. It all came to a point where I was like, I've got to change. I've got to do something. And to be a hundred percent honest with you, man, I wasn't doing what I needed to do spiritually. I wasn't doing what I needed to do as a husband, as a father, as a doctor. I was trying to figure out what my purpose. I didn't know. I mean, I was like, because obviously what I did here in my career was not scratching it, so to speak, to try to figure out, man, is this it? What else am I going to do? I got fed up man.

And that frustration and pain led me to really, really invest in myself and figure out what I needed to do to take things to another level. For me, one, I had to discover my purpose and two, I really had to start applying a lot of those success principles, those faith based success principles in my life. And when I started doing that with the help of other people in my life, people, coaches, mentors, I started to see things changed in a drastic way because of that. You know, like I said, I've been blessed to have some success. I said I have to pay this forward. It is not a question I'm obligated for people who were where I was, you know, man, is this it? What am I doing? I'm a successful professional, but like I'm stuck. Now I gotta wear the mask in front of everybody else because I just got to do it, right?

But internally they're like, dude, how did I get to where I am now? And I'm still stuck. I don't know what's next. I know there's more to life. I know I want more. I just don't really know how to get it. And you know, I've been able to develop some systems and tools to be able to help people do that. So that's really how the whole peak performance started was I was like, dude, let me go back and look at what I did, really define it and turn it into a way that I can voice clearly to people with my help. How to start living a life of purpose and peak performance.

Dr. Berry:

I love it. This is what they need to hear. Like I said, the 80% of people fell off in February. (That’s right). Maybe if they heard something like this in February, you know, they'd still be around in July. Right? (That’s right). I think, and it sounds like that's a very big motivator for you, right? Like getting, you know, people to really turn their goals into reality, right? And really pushing it because if it worked for you and I think it was interesting because you talked about a mass and I think a lot of times when we talk about people wearing masks, sometimes they don't realize that successful people do it too. And I say successful in quotes because success is usually, you know, an outwardly appearance, the degrees, the money, that's all they usually can draw from because they don't really know what’s going on the inside.

Dr. Brad Bellard:

Well look, I'll say this, if you know you're wearing the mask and you know, internally something's hurting, that's actually a good thing. Here's what's scary is when you're wearing a mask and you don't even know it, and you'll know what I mean by this. We're both physicians. Somebody has got hypertension, they don't feel hypertension. You can't feel hypertension. I guess what? You can't be like, Oh man, my blood pressure's just hurting me right now. You'll do that. But guess what? It's killing you on the inside. And so if you're aware enough to know that something's not right, like dude, you know, I'm just not where I want to be being 100%. That's a good thing. It's just time to address it really. And I'm here to let you know, number one, it's possible to achieve what you want. And number two does a way to do it and three, there's someone here to help you do that.

You know what motivates me, man? (Talk to me, let’s go). Here's the deal. So many times we want better for ourselves and I get it. Dude, that's big. That might be like an initial self-motivated. That was probably my initial motivator. Like, dude, I'm going to do something. I'll start. I'm going to do something. What motivates me now and what will create lasting motivation and service? Dude, there are people out there who are currently right now where I was years ago where I'm like literally gripping my head, trying to figure out I am not where I need to be. So it's more trying to find those people and it's my personal obligation to serve. And find those people because if I can get in front of those people and help them, well then I've done my part, but see it's not about me anymore.

And when you get to that point in anything that you're doing, which I encourage people to find whatever that is for you. Find something that's big enough in your life that if you don't do it because somebody else will suffer or someone else will suffer because you don't do what you're supposed to do. That is a motivator. We'll let ourselves down almost a hundred percent of the time. We know somebody is, oh dude, but we know somebody else is relying on us and you're not doing what you're supposed to do. That hurts. So yeah, that gives me up, man.

Dr. Berry:

Definitely a good point here. What do you think stops people? What do you think, in your history of your career, the people you work with, what do you think stops most people from really achieving what they really want? Because we talk a lot, right? In January we're hype. (Yup). But what happens in February? What happens in March? Now people fall off so much. Right. What's been your thing that you've run into like often over and over and over again?

Dr. Brad Bellard:

One word, man. Belief. I'll keep it real simple. And you could just, you and all the listeners, man, I can just let this marinate. If you believe you could do it, you'd be doing it or you would have done it already. (I love it). Let me think about it. If you really, really, really thought you could start that business, you would have already pulled the trigger. That would not have been an excuse. We were talking before this about me podcast and for some reason as a belief issue of why I haven't taken action to actually start my own podcast. I do all the other stuff and it really, I mean there's no excuse for me because I've got so much content and stuff out there.

Dr. Berry:

And Lunch and Learn community, I'm telling you, he got so much. Like don't have to do a new thing for nothing. He can just, I'm just going to take this idea from here. I'm going to take this out from here and he probably has a couple months’ worth of stuff right now.

Dr. Brad Bellard:

Oh dude, almost a year's worth of stuff. And so you know, here's what you'll find is pure honesty from me. I'm not perfect. So when I'm telling you about something that you know, so you asked me like what stops people? Saying stuff that stops other people, the same stuff that stops me. The thing is I become so aware of what it is now that I can talk about it and I've been able to say, okay, well it belief is the issue really with intention. Use that to my advantage and believe something to turn the goals and the wants and the desires into reality. But what stops people man, is that there's a belief issue. Most people don't want to believe that, but it's the reality man. I mean, you know, if you believed a hundred percent you can do, you'd already be doing it all.

Dr. Berry:

I love it. And you've talked before especially about achieving goals, right? And you've given tips like this. Again, like I said, I followed Dr. Brad on IG, on Facebook, on YouTube, and on the blog. And he's talked about three tips for achieving goals, which I love. And I really want him to kind of, you know, it really hit home, especially for you guys who are in the middle or in the beginning or are starting or towards the end of your health journey, whatever that is, right? And he talks about these three tips as far as achievement and goals, right? Number one is eliminating excuses. And I love that. I love the elimination of excuses because I find that a lot of us, you know, we, they come out of nowhere. And when sometimes we make up our own excuses. We don't even give people time to like, well, that's the reason why you ain't doing it because of this. Like we have our own excuses kind of get away. The elimination of excuses like it sounds easy, right? (Oh dude, sounds too simple). How have you helped people eliminate excuses? Honestly, what are some of the funniest excuses of you've heard in the past that like, come on man?

Dr. Brad Bellard:

I could have you rolling on my own excuses, man. You know what I’m saying? I mean we thought about this podcast, let's start there. I've got all the tools and everything in the world. Just start a podcast and I have it. Ultimately, people want change. But there are three things that, or pretty much mandatory that I've seen to really kind of take big picture to achieve change, to have transformation, achieve your goal, however you want to label that. One is mindset. In that mindset, and that's a big word. But like, you know, positive mindset. (Especially because a lot of us have negative ones). We have negative mindset. So mindset, under that mindset is belief. So really your internal thoughts. So let's just say mindset – one. Second is clarity. I think people, most people don't know what they want.

They know they want something different, but I don't know if they know what they want and you can't really start moving. You can start moving away from something, but to really be purpose driven and get to what you want, you have to then start moving towards something but people don't know what that is. So clarity or vision. And then the third thing is you got to have people, man. I thought for the longest time I could do things on my own and that was one of my roadblocks. I'm just going to wake up and be able to just do this stuff. But you need people and there's various types of people you need. You need someone who's, you need people around you. You need your tribe of people who are going to encourage you. You need a mentor or coach or somebody who's been there already to now guide you along the way.

Dude, there’s a Harvard study that showed that 95% of where you'll be in there, your results in life is as a result of the people who around. 95%, this is a Harvard study. So you telling me you don't need people, you want to continue to be like, I wasn't a pastor, I don't need people. I don't need a coach. I don't need a mentor. You know what ads put my prior to the side dude, because I wanted more out of life. And so that's really what it is, requires mindset, clarity and people. And that in a big picture will really help people to get what they want. That'll help them eliminate excuses and to do anything else. If you'd look big picture, that's what it is. Now I'm here to let people know I'm a person that can help you to do the other two things, which is the mindset and the clarity. So yeah.

Dr. Berry:

Your second tip was having a strong why? Why is that so important? Why is it so important for a person who wants to achieve their goals to like really have a strong why?

Dr. Brad Bellard:

You’ll quit. You'll quit, dude. You know, you gotta eliminate excuses. You've got to have a strong one. I mean, and I know what you're talking about, you know, to achieve any goal, do you got to be able to eliminate excuses. You got to have a strong one. Look man, if being excited about something is only going to last so long, dude. Because at some point you're going to get punched in the mouth. You're going to get punched in the gut. And the question is, is what I'm going after worth getting up and feeling that again. Because you may. (Okay). That why has to be, dude, it's gotta be deep enough to get up again man. You modify, bless your listeners right now. (Please do). Dude, there's a book that is called Start with Why by a guy named Simon Sinek. It was one of the books that changed my life.

I've got about 10 books or so that have just been, you know, those game changers in life, right? It's called Start with Why. And he talks in that book about companies that have not just like extra ordinary companies, companies like where do you like this company or not? You can't deny they've done well and created a following and community, but it was Apple. They talk about big time companies and how they did that and how you can relate that start starting with why to your life to be able to achieve more, be more, do more. And when I saw how powerful the power of why is man, I said I need to know the reason why I'm doing almost everything in my life. If I can't give a reason of why I'm doing something with intention, maybe I don't need to be doing it or maybe I need to figure out why, why I'm doing it instead of just living haphazard, man.

Dr. Berry:

I love it. Okay. Alright. And I see, listen I told you. I told you we learn it today and obviously for those who may be driving, you know, listen to wherever you're listening to, I will make sure all of the links that Dr. Brad talks about will be in the show notes as well too. So you don't have to like scary down there. Right? Because I’ll make sure we have a link to that as well. The last time we talked about a solution based mentality. What’s that?

Dr. Brad Bellard:

It's the difference between when, so solution. In order to have a solution there's got to be a problem. I think we can all agree like in order to have a solution that means that you're solving a problem. So by means problems are inevitable in our lives, but there's a difference between when a problem comes and immediately saying there's no answer to it or having the solution based mentality where you say, okay how can we fix this? It's the question of how, how can, when you start to ask yourself questions like that, the mind opens up to a possibility of how it can happen.

I mean just as recent as the other day I was talking to my wife and she's out of town and she has some car trouble and so she went, got it checked out and it was a certain amount of money and she was like, you know, what are we going to do? I said, well hold on, hold on. How can we figure this out? As soon as you start to think that you start to think of possibilities. But if something happens and you immediately like, dude we're done. We can't do anything. Possibility has been ended. When you're on your way toward any goal, if you're trying to achieve anything in life, there's going to be problems. I can assure there's going to be obstacles and when it happens you have to say, how can I move around this? How can I, because it will empower you to think about things that you didn't ordinarily think about before. Once you are presented with it. But don't just write off any other possibilities because at that point you'll stop.

Dr. Berry:

That makes so much sense. Once you've come with that initial thought like, oh my God, this can't be done. Your brain is not going to even think about other ways that it possibly could be done because you've already quit before the race even started.

Dr. Brad Bellard:

Dude questions just in general or is this big? I mean you start asking yourself questions. That's, you know, you talked about self-reflection, like being able to reflect. A lot of that is just asking yourself questions. I mean one of the biggest questions I ask people is, what do you want? Like, I mean that's a big question Dr. Berry. But most of us, I don't think we think that we can get it. So you talk about beliefs, that's why we don't even address what we want because it's like, well I kinda gotta go to work. I kinda got to do this. Like okay, I get that. But what do you want when you really site people what they want, that's when you can start moving towards something because you can define what you want. That's that clarity piece I was talking about earlier.

Dr. Berry:

I don't think it will be complete. Right? Especially in the space of, you know, helping people achieve their goals and talking about the goals, you know, that they have. Right? Without talking about the aspect of failure and you do talk a lot about failure and really the fear of it. But most importantly you're talking about like how do you get over that, right? If you guys, like you said, I think that failure is kind of rooted in their belief, right? Some people believe the failure before they believe their goal.

Dr. Brad Bellard:

Dude, failure is so powerful. Think about it. If you have a goal that's something that you want to do, oftentimes the fear of failure will stop you from taking an action toward it. I mean, think about it. Our Egos are so fragile, to get hurt. No, this is real. Our egos, (Talk to them). No, no, no. I'm talking to me too, man. Our egos are so fragile and we don't want to feel the pain of not achieving something that we don't even have yet. That we don't even, we don't even like, it's not like we're losing something, but we're trying to go after something. You ain't even have it. I'm not even going to go after what is this, that and the other half. But you ain't have it yet. Like we're so concerned of how we will feel when we fail that we won't even move.

Dr. Berry:

As you can see my face because I'm like, yo, yo, he hit me right there. Yeah. It's a lot of us who are walking around. Like you say, we won't even start the race because we're already thinking about, oh, happens if I fail going towards the end of the track.

Dr. Brad Bellard:

You know, what are people gonna think? What's going to happen? People will think, let me tell you, they'll probably think things that you even have in mind of what they're gonna think, you know? So that's where we go back to that why question is whatever you're going after. Is it worth it? Is it really worth it? Sometimes fear, like I was talking about before, you know, I was so fearful that I was going to fail. It really pushed me to go. Sometimes it can be a push, but if you're so fearful that you're not taking action, that's when it becomes a problem. We're all gonna face fear. The question is this, what are you going to do when it happens? Are you gonna have a healthy response to fear? Fear is part of life. But oftentimes we are factored in as opinion. So there's fact, okay, there is a fact that maybe you failed a test or a fact that maybe you didn't make money in this first business.

That's fact. Your opinion of the fact that you'll never be able to do it again is not real. So then it becomes that fear is now a choice. You choose fear. Danger is real. Danger is real. Dude, look, if a lion comes up in this room right now, like I'm feel like I'm in danger, like yes, I will. It's time to run. I'm fearful because I'm in danger. But starting that business ain't nothing going on. I mean, what's gonna happen to you? It's not like you're going to have a heart attack, you know? It's not like you're gonna, so now it's a choice. So you've gotta be able to, to address it and know that it's there and then deal with it in a healthy fashion.

Dr. Berry:

Amazing. And again, like I said, touched on, and I love the fact that a lot of us that you talked on are, a lot of us are choosing, right? Where we're choosing fear, we're choosing this fear of failure and we're not even starting, right? Because again, that that fear is going to be there. We expected to be there and for yourself, it actually helped push you forward and motivate you towards your goal. But for some, unfortunately, maybe again, you say 80%, wow that 80%, I've been thinking about that number this whole time like wow 80% really drops off by February. Wow. A lot of us like have chosen I, this is the route I'm going. You know what? I know I was hype in January, but I'm good on that now. I'll see y'all next January.

Dr. Brad Bellard:

Let me talk about resolutions for a minute. Again, I just want to bless the people who are here because I get it man. Like people, I think most of us have goals now. I think most of us have things that we want to do. We may not say the word goals because it might scare some people because they know if they failed, then they know they fail. They're going out and go. But we have things that we want to do. Let's just put it that way. If you don't, people will go to the gym. Let's just take weight loss for a second. Say, man, you know I'm going to lose. I want to lose 20 pounds. And so they'll start putting in action. Like I'm going to go to the gym, I'm gonna put all these actions. But the one thing they miss is mentally being there before they ever get there.

So you have to have a self-image of having lost 20 pounds already to be able to continue moving. You know, we are where we are right now because we had an image of ourselves at some point in our life to be here now or else we wouldn't be the people that we are. I mean that's just how it works. So if you want to lose that weight, believe you've already lost it before you even start. But you know that takes work. That takes the, it takes exercise, it takes mental exercise just like it does physical exercise to get there. But it's the mental exercise that people don't implement, which is why after two weeks is too hard and is just, you know what, I'm not going to go to the gym anymore.

Dr. Berry:

Oh I love it. Dr. Brad you have really put a charge, not only Lunch and Learn community, but also myself. Like I was, I said, you know what? Maybe I can go and do this thing too. Like maybe, because now I'm like, wow, this is something I was holding myself back. Even though, I know especially Lunch and Learn community they talk all the time like “ Dr. Berry what else can you do?” I don't want to limit myself. I love this process of going through the steps, right? Going through the steps of recognizing I want to do something different. Recognize it. Alright. These are some of the steps that may hinder me, but because I know my why, I'm going to keep moving forward. And yes, that monster of failure in the shadow, but I'm not gonna let that monster stop me from getting to work. Right? So first of all, thank you for such an amazing educational lesson. Like I said, we are definitely hype. and you were definitely person Like, yeah, I gotta make sure I get him on a show because I don't know if people realize how amazing this guy is. So I said, let's get him on one way or the other.

Dr. Brad Bellard:

Well, I'll tell you Dr. Berry. One of the things that I love that you say is empower yourself for better health. I think so oftentimes some of our patient base, they look to us for all the answers. And we can have answers, but we can't result for you. You know what I'm saying? I can't result for you. I can't get your blood pressure down. I'm an educator and I and I will educate you and guide you, but I can't do the work. Now what I like about most of our patients that come in to see us. When I say us, doctors like you and myself, is that, yes they're taking an active role by seeing a doctor. But if you're saying, hey listen, you know, we've got to get your blood pressure down, that's a goal. And so they need to be empowered.

And I love the fact that you are creating content to empower people to ultimately hit their health goals. Your health is important. And so thank you for this podcast, dude. Thank you for having me. I hope that what I'm talking about here will help the community of listeners who listen to you and be empowered and take the information and knowledge that you're giving them, including what I'm giving them. To be better patients so that they can be better people so they can have better health. You know what I mean? But you're doing exactly that, man. You're empowering people. But I challenge everybody who's listening to this to take the information. (Let’s go). Yeah. So take the information that Dr. Berry's talking about and let's use it. See, he doesn't provide this content just because he likes hearing himself talk. Okay. I mean we want to create change.

So we challenge you to take this information so that you can hit your health goals. So then you can take back control of your health, which is another thing that he says is take back control. We can only do so much, but in our passion and in our purpose, we deliver this information. But there's going to be up to you to take action so that you can have a better life. And listen, at the end of the day, it's worth it. I mean, what is it going to feel like to be able to, to not have to be on the medication anymore? What's it gonna feel like to lose the weight? The knees feel better? What is going to feel like to be able to wake up knowing that heck, you just achieved your goal of losing 10 pounds?

What's it going to feel like to be able to know that you're serving as a phenomenal example for your family and others around you of what to do? We talked about 95% of who we become is a matter of who's around us. Seeing what we don't oftentimes understand is the decisions we make for our own health is having a profound, maybe more drastic effect on those people around us. Your family, your friends. (Oh, yes). Whether you're a grandparent, parent or just a friend of someone you serve in some kind of way. Whenever you make decisions on your health on a daily basis because there are around you. So realize it's not about you. It's not always about you but the decisions you make more have effect on other people around you. So I challenge you guys to listen to what Dr. Berry says. Apply it. And I mean, dude, you're a blessing dude. So I appreciate you.

Dr. Berry:

Must appreciate them. Amazing words and we'll definitely make sure we get that written down somewhere so we can post that on IG. So cool. Before you go, and because I have such amazing guests and it's amazing. I'm in a circle that, especially a circle of physicians who are not only killing it in health, but we're just killing it in general, right? Like I always, I always leave this time say, alright, Dr. Brad, please tell the people what are you doing? Please tell them, you know, books, courses, whatever you have so they can be connected to who Dr. Brad is and they can see why Dr. Berry feels like Dr. Brad's so amazing. What's going on right now? Talk about the book, talk about the… let's go.

Dr. Brad Bellard:

Yeah, man. Listen. I'm extremely excited. Like I said, my passion is all driven towards service man and trying to get people to a place to where they really can maximize their professional and a personal potential via faith-based principles so that they can achieve more success and fulfillment. That fulfillment word is really big. So everything I do is really centered upon that in terms of things that I do as a peak performance coach outside of my practice. So I've got a book, I've got a bestselling book called Elite: A Modern Success Guide to Purpose and Peak Performance. And it literally serves as a guide for people who are looking to achieve more, be more and live more. So we've got the book. We talked about three things earlier that everybody needs to some sort of transformation, mindset, vision and people, that's MVP.

So I've got something I'm extremely excited about. You know, a lot of people are kind of pulling from me here, there to work with them or coach to help them hit their goals. What's really cool is I'm creating a membership so that people can literally have access to me month to month to learn and implement a habit that will help them become the person that they always want it to be and sustain it over time. So I'm literally going to be your accountability partner. I'll be the person who coach you. I'll be the person who encourages you on a month to month basis as being a member of the MVP nation. So that's going to be rolling out really, really soon. And then, you know, I do some speaking man, people can always check us out. You can follow me at Dr. Brad MD. That's D, R, B, R, A, D, M, D. Even in my sports medicine practice we're doing some big things on the radio or in there. So I had that earlier this morning. So today's kind of been a media day.

Dr. Berry:

I love it. Media day. I’m proud of media.

Dr. Brad Bellard:

There was media day, man. So check out what we got on there. Should I talk to him about the free video? (Talk to them. Let’s go). Yeah. So listen man, I got a heart to give. So for anybody who's looking to turn their goal, talk about goals here, people who might have some health goals, any goal that you have. If you're trying to create that goal into reality, I've created a free video. It is literally free. Like it's not like this dude is like talking crazy like no, it's free, it's free. And so it's a video training. It's about a little less than 10 minutes long and it's called the Results Formula. And so I talk about that results formula and how you can apply it to your life. And that's at www.resultswithdrbradmd.com. I'm sure you'll put it on the notes (Definitely. Go ahead). And if you go there…

Dr. Berry:

In fact, Lunch and Learn community, If you text Dr. Brad MD at 44222 I will make sure that links directly to you.

Dr. Brad Bellard:

Man. Dude, Dr. Barry, man. Look man, it's been a pleasure man. We have to chop it up some more just offline.

Dr. Berry:

Yes, yes. I'll tell them about the bread aisle before we started. I was like, hey man, I've been waiting to talk to you. There's certain people that you just see their energy and you're like, okay, yeah, this one. Yeah, he's gonna be a problem, right? A good problem, of course. This one right here. Let me keep an eye on this one right here. Tell you Lunch and Learn community, I follow him on YouTube. We're going to get him to do his podcast. We already got on him.

Dr. Brad Bellard:

Yeah. The accountability has come. I feel it now. I gotta I gotta get up out there man. And you're going to be on that podcast. We'll just go here and get ready.

Dr. Berry:

Love it. And again, I follow on YouTube and make sure when you follow him on YouTube, make sure you hit the little notification bell. So you know, every time a new video pops up, you knew it. When is your, Tuesdays and I'm an eastern standard time so I don't want to say the wrong time.

Dr. Brad Bellard:

Yeah. On my Facebook fan page and even on my personal page, I do something called Tuesday topics with Dr. Brad is where I deliver a lot of content to help people maximize their potential. And so that's at 7:00 AM central standard time. So that is 8:00 AM your time.

Dr. Berry:

Okay, perfect. So if you think about the amazing stuff that he gives you for free, just imagine you know what's in that membership site. I just want you to like, like again, he didn't even cut me a check. Right? I'm just telling you the amazing stuff that he gives away for free. When you talk about achievement, when you talk about goals and fears and just personal growth. And if he's given it for free, I can only imagine what's in his membership site.

Dr. Brad Bellard:

Dude, I'm so excited about this. Like I said, because it's hard for me to do what I do on a one on one. It's only so much time in the day. But being able to really bless the masses but still serve as that as that coach from. Oh man, I do, I literally cannot wait until I launch this. My guess, it's probably going to be toward the end of this month, beginning of next month.

Dr. Berry:

Can’t wait. And honestly one of the reasons why I even did the podcast, because I was like, yeah, I could talk to a person one on one in the clinic, but I want to talk to people, right? I know more people need to hear what I'm saying. So that's why I'm definitely a fan of the membership site because unfortunately, you know, we're not making more time. Right? We only got 24 hours on a day. We're getting pulled in so many different directions that you sometimes will, I don't want to say do a disservice, right? Well, if you're only focusing on one person. You're not able to help the 20 people who maybe in New York and in Florida, in Montana, and all these other different places because you're just situated in one spot. So definitely excited. Please let us know when this membership site goes up so we can let the Lunch and Learn community get on that ASAP.

Dr. Brad Bellard:

Will do, man, I will do. Dr. Berry, man. I'm telling you, it was a blessing. It's an honor. Anytime somebody to say, look to do that, I'd love to talk to you more and more importantly, dude, I mean to be invited to address your audience of listeners. That's literally an honor, man. So I love what you're doing. You blessing folks, dude. Your impact is probably more than you realize. I told you that already before we got on. Your impact even on me just seeing what you're doing has been significant, man. So I hope the people who are listening to this know just how significant you are and your information as far so keep doing it, man.

Dr. Berry:

Appreciate that. You have a great one.

Dr. Brad Bellard:

Alright, brother.

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Let's Talk about Stress... On this week's episode of the Lunch and Learn with Dr. Berry we have Dr. Michelle Clay, an empowering speaker, two-time best-selling author and holistic physician who specializes in the release and management of stress and its associated symptoms simply and naturally. Her life mission is to empower people experiencing challenging life circumstances that do not change with tools to transform their lives from stressful, unbalanced, and unhealthy to happy, harmonious, and purposeful.

As we continue the theme of personal growth, self-reflection and mental clarity the Lunch and Learn community is blessed to have Dr. Michelle educate us on the subject of stress. Most importantly we tackle the problem head-on and learn some amazing tangible ways to make sure that we turn our stressors into success.

On the show, we will learn just what got Dr. Michelle started in the field and how she has been able to help others break the cycle of misery that their personal stressors have caused. Also, listen out as we talk about a future even Dr. Michelle is hosting and how you can be apart of the festivities.

If you haven't already check out episode 116 so you are aware of all of the slate of episodes coming this month.

Remember to subscribe to the podcast and share the episode with a friend or family member.

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Conquering the Chaos by Dr. Michelle Clay

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Download Episode 117 Transcript

Introduction

Dr. Berry:

And welcome to another episode of the Lunch and Learn with Dr. Berry. I'm your host, Dr. Berry Pierre, your favorite Board Certified Internist. Founder of drberrypierre.com. CEO of Pierre Medical Consulting, helping you empower yourself for better health with the number one podcast for patient advocacy here with the Lunch and Learn. This week we bring you an amazing guest. We have Dr. Michelle Clay who's an empowering speaker, two time bestselling author and holistic physician who specializes in the release and management of stress and associated symptoms simply and naturally. Her life mission is to empower people experiencing challenging life. With tools to transform their lives from stressful, unbalanced and unhealthy to happy, harmonious and purposeful. Dr. Michelle is frequently called upon to give her a refreshing perspective on ways to really stress and recharge health, enabling clients to live a free life of purpose with passion.

Through her company, FreeLife7, her work and enhances people's lives by harmonizing all dimensions of wellness through coaching programs, retreats and seminars to help burnt out and busy professionals and high stress and high strong, high performers. You guys know who you are. Create their sense of calm, clarity and confidence, a mindset for success. And guys, I’ll be honest with you, I listened to Episode 116 where we talked about the self-reflection and the importance of self-reflection. I thought it was extremely important to really talk about why a lot of people need that self-reflection, right? Because the everyday stresses of life is kicking a lot of you guys’ butt, truly and honestly. And when we talk with Dr. Michelle today, you'll hear instances where the mental stress is causing physical manifestations and we talked about how the physical stress can cause mental ramifications, right? So it's definitely a relationship that if it's not in tune, if you are not ready to not only accept stress, because stress is coming, there's no way you can avoid it. But when it does come, be able to manage it.

And I think as a keyword, we don't deal with stress, we manage stress, right? So it'd be able to manage that stress and then use it for your betterment. We're going to be in trouble, right? And unfortunately I take care of a lot of patients who the stressors of life - job, work, family relationships has beat them down to the point that they're physically sick and we don't want that. So again Episode 117, we have Dr. Michelle Clay. We're going to be talking about stress all throughout this episode. I want you guys to really pay attention and really get some tips to learn how to de-stress and declutter your life for the better. So like always, if you had not had a chance, make sure you subscribe to the podcast. If you're on apple podcasts, leave with five star review and let me know what'd you think about Dr. Michelle’s episode. You guys have a great and blessed day.

Main Episode

Dr. Berry:

Alright, Lunch and Learn community. So you just heard another amazing introduction from a guest that I've been waiting in the background to get onto the show for quite a while and I just felt this was a time this was right. And when you listen to this, you know, National Minority Mental Health Awareness Month. When did we talk about the mental health and talk about what makes it so that you can actually have good mental health, right? Like this is one of the key factors that will determine whether you have good mental health or not, right? Which is stress. But lo and behold, Dr. Michelle again, thank you for coming onto the show for the Lunch and Learn community and educating us and gracing us with your presence.

Dr. Michelle Clay:

Thank you Dr. Berry for having me. I'm so happy to be here. I'm so excited. This is such an honor.

Dr. Berry:

Dr. Michelle, I gave introduction and other intro. I do, I already know I got some people who like to skip to introduction and come right to the main story. So for the people who do that, because we know we got those people who like to skip the line, tell them something about you who they may not be able to read this off, getting off your bio, right? Who is Dr. Michelle?

Dr. Michelle Clay:

So, I think since people really want to know about stress and what they can do about it, because stress is such a problem. I'll tell you something about me that people might not know what led me to talk about stress and focus on that, in mindset so much. So many people have had struggles just like I have in this new day and time. There are a lot of blended families. There are very few traditional, what we call traditional families whereas the mother, the father, and they have their kids and they live happily ever after in one house. Until death do us part with the husband and wife. But that wasn't my story. That isn't my story. So you meet someone, you fall in love, but when you fall in love with them, everything else follows that. Past relationships, unforgiveness, past hurt, past wrongs. And this is if I inherited that, which was not even mine.

So the next thing I know there's a tug-of-war of back and forth with my honeybun’s child and co-parenting was nonexistent. It's still non-existent. I'm in the middle of trying to support my mate and also act as if I'm kind of like a surrogate mother for lack of better terminology. And the moms, I do not want you to fuss at me. It was a lot of struggle. There was jealousy. There was anger. There was rage. There was constant court dates. There were constant motions filed. There was the police called. It was all of that. And though I consider myself a super wonder woman, and I know some of my sister's super wonder women are listening, you just can't juggle it all. You cannot carry all that, is your responsibility as well as be supportive for somebody else. And I began to buckle - my health deteriorated.

And I'm very, very health conscious. I'm a vegetarian. I eat a lot of raw foods. I juice a lot. But even in that, I was still experiencing the symptoms of stress such as gallstones, chronic tension in my neck and in my shoulders where I could not even turn my neck all the way over, all the way to the left, rather. Lower back pain, hair thinning and falling out. And it didn't make any sense to me at all. So I really encouraged people to follow my story and really get in tune to what is going on with them. This chronic stress can lead to or worsen present medical conditions. Maybe everybody knows that and maybe they don't. I don't know. But I hadn't been diagnosed with anything and even I had uterine fibroids and they grew, (wow). Yes, I have been keeping my uterine fibroids at bay for like 14 years, doing a lot of natural therapies. But when that stress came down on me, then I could feel them growing where my acupuncturist said, “oh no, you need surgery”. Yes. And I had surgery and guess how many I had?

Dr. Berry:

I heard stories of women with multiple fibroids. How much?

Dr. Michelle Clay:

I had 20 fibroids.

Dr. Berry:

Wow. Wow. Okay. Okay.

Dr. Michelle Clay:

20 fibroids. Yes.

Dr. Berry:

I don't know if people realize, especially when it comes to fibroids, it is a hormonal component associated with the growth of fibroids and obviously stress being in a situation you're in, definitely didn't help those hormones, I'm assuming.

Dr. Michelle Clay:

Absolutely. Chronic stress will affect your estrogen, your testosterone. It will affect the entire endocrine system to include insulin, which is a hormone. So absolutely.

Dr. Berry:

Now when you were going through this time period, where kind of distress was just kind of being put on top of you and day after day, week after week, did you feel a lot of these other medical conditions that kind of rolls up, kinda ashes or were they always there and stress just kind of made it worse? What would you say one way or the other?

Dr. Michelle Clay:

The fibroids had been there, but my fibroids, they would shrink and come back, shrink and come back. But never that large. But the gallstones I never had before, I never had that. And the muscle tension where I couldn't turn my neck all the way to the left that had never been there before. My hair thinning and falling out - I had that before, but only when I had a perm. But I have been the natural system now for, let me see for 17 years (Alright.) So wasn’t it either. But especially at the time when I developed the gallstones, I was only eating raw at that time. I wasn't even eating any cooked foods.

Dr. Berry:

That might precipitated those gallstones. Wow. Okay.

Dr. Michelle Clay:

Exactly. So you know, they say that there's an increase incidents and gallstones with the F's. If you're fat forty and female. I have the 40 and the female together. But the fat, no.

Dr. Berry:

And I can tell you Lunch and Learn community, definitely, Dr. Michelle is a tall lanky, tall lanky individuals. So yeah.

Dr. Michelle Clay:

That's funny.

Dr. Berry:

You know and what's interesting, especially in when we talk about stress and obviously we're going to get into it, seeing that the stress that unfortunately you weren't even directly responsible for. Unfortunately, was being thrust upon you, was causing a lot of undue aspects of you're just a medical and health and well-being. Is that something that you seem to be pretty common? Like a lot of times it's not even something that we're directly doing that's kind of resulting in all of the issues that stress is causing upon us?

Dr. Michelle Clay:

Absolutely. Because according to the American Institute of Stress, the number one cause of stress in America is job-related. And so that's definitely a place where you don't have any control, especially if you aren't the boss. But even if you are the boss and you have employees, you don't have control over what your employees do or what they don't do or how they respond to situations. So what's really important about to me about stress management, is that you manage it. You tell your mind what to think and don't allow whatever situations are going on around you to dictate how you feel and how you respond. We always have a choice. Now, trust me, I did not come to this overnight because still in my mind I would kind of position myself like the victim, like, “oh my goodness, if this weren't happening then I wouldn't feel like this.If this situation weren't present, I wouldn't feel like this.” You know, all these, what if’s.

But when I eliminated the language and the perspective of the what if and looked at my hand and my head and my heart of what I did have, then that gave me the power to take control back of my emotions and my response. And so I'm going to tell you, I'm going to give you a brace report. I just went to my massage therapist on Sunday and she said, oh, Dr. Michelle, what have you been doing? Your muscles are so pliable, I can get my fingers in deep, doing my work.

Dr. Berry:

Yes. I love it. I love it. Dr. Michelle for the Lunch and Learn community members who, you know, obviously heard your story and I'm pretty sure a lot of them would probably like, like myself, kind of shaking my head like, yeah, she's so right. Yep. I know exactly what she's feeling. When we talk about just stress in general, right? What do you tell the person when they say, Dr. Michelle, what is stress? What does that even mean in the grand scheme of things?

Dr. Michelle Clay:

So let's be clear about something. Number one, a lot of us have grown up with the idea that stress is a bad thing and that is a sign of weakness. You're not strong, you can't handle things, you can't handle life. First of all, stress is a positive thing when it comes in spurts. Is not an emotional response. It is actually a physiological response that is built in for our survival. So for instance, if you have a presentation that's due, if you are driving on the road and someone suddenly slams their foot on the brakes and you have to react very quickly for your survival, then your stress response is going to be activated. And that starts in the brain. And in the brain there are many parts of the brain, but one part in particular, the hypothalamus is activated, which then activates the pituitary gland, which then sends out hormone to activate the adrenal glands to produce more of the hormone which people know as our stress hormone - Cortisol.

So Cortisol will then in turn activate things where digestion won't be taking place. Because if you're trying to survive, you're trying to run away from someone robbing you. You're trying to avoid life accident, you don't have time to digest foods. And then it'll also cause more blood to flow in the larger muscles of your body, like our size and that type of thing. Getting ready to run. So when they say fight or flight, it's for our survival. But the problem becomes when that response is activated constantly on a chronic basis. So those body processes that we don't really need in the moment for our survival, guess what? Those things have decreased activity on a chronic basis and that's what causes the problems that we have.

Dr. Berry:

So in the short run, you know, you need to stop those breaks, you need to run away. You need to do something. It's a good thing. (Absolutely.) But unfortunately you said in the long run is where we get in trouble. Consistent aspect of like, okay, this has happened. Like, like you said, when we talk about the jobs, like every day I go to a job, every day I want to deal with the same stress over and over and over again. And that's when we kind of run into trouble.

Dr. Michelle Clay:

Correct. That's correct.

Dr. Berry:

So I guess the question is why, and I hear this all the time, I hear it was a lot of my patients, they always say, well, I could just deal with stress better. Right? Like what does that even mean? Are some people more affected by the quote unquote everyday stressors of life and can some people handle it better than the others? Or is that just been like innate within them? How does one be able to deal with stress?

Dr. Michelle Clay:

So studies have shown that people who went when they were in utero, their mothers experience a lot of stress, then they have a different type of stress response. However, with that being said, that is something that you can manage and overcome. For instance, with therapy, with counseling, learning how to read, just different types of coping techniques and strategies. Now, I'm not a therapist, but I have some stress-releasing strategies on my own. But I always believe that what is necessary to do is get to the root of a problem. So while you may need some strategies for the day to day, if you know that you have come from an abusive household or that your mother experienced some kind of trauma when she was pregnant with you, then I definitely recommend therapy.

Dr. Berry:

Interesting. And I'm definitely that strategy kind of touched on that because I think a lot of times when we hear these people talk about, well I can deal with stress, you know better. And you know, this stress is worse than others that we do have to kind of look within. Right? It's usually some intrinsic reason why you yourself is able to deal with stress, but maybe your brother can't. Maybe your sister, like even people within the same kind of household can sometimes deal with stress on a better level than others, right? And it's weird to say deal with stress, because I'm not even sure if that's the correct way we should be saying it, but I guess you'd be better off to tell it. Is it a good thing that you can deal with stress, especially on a chronic basis? That's something that you've seen that helps people in the long run better?

Dr. Michelle Clay:

I wouldn't say deal. I would say manage because every day you can be triggered by something and you made a good point there, Dr. Berry, as far as people can live in the same household and maybe a sibling reacts to the same situation in a different manner. Now, that can go back to what was happening in utero. It can also lend to what is happening in the brain because chronic stress affects your brain, different areas of your brain. For instance, especially the prefrontal cortex. I really love to talk about that one right there, because that particular…

Dr. Berry:

Educators, that's why you're here because we need the education. So please, please go ahead.

Dr. Michelle Clay:

Yes. The prefrontal cortex, which is the front part of your brain, like where your forehead is. So that deals with higher cognitive functioning. So that's going to be long-term planning, perception, executive functioning, things like that. So chronic stress really affects that area of the brain, decreasing the activities. So let's say that you're in the same household, the same situations are happening, but the brother activity isn't responding in the prefrontal cortex the same way that yours. So that's something that you have to consider. But I always feel like this, that anything can be managed. I don't like to use the terminology deal because it says if you kind of just live in and they ignore it. (Right, right.) And accept what is happening to you even though it's not optimal for your wellness and well-being. So I really, words mean a lot words mean a lot because we can give life to whatever it is that we speak. So that's why I say manage and then you come up with a plan and a strategy, then you will be able to manage better and better until the next thing you know you're like, “that thing that used to set me off, I'm good. I feel calm. It doesn't affect me like that. It doesn't shift me. It doesn't shift me from my position.” When you know who you are, you know your position. Then whatever anyone else is doing, it doesn't shake you or shifts you.

Dr. Berry:

I love it and I know we talked about especially like with whatever that thing is, right? We talked about the job being a big contributor to a lot of people's stress, right, but the people that you've worked with and taking care of, what had been some of the common reasons that they say stress them, right? Like, you know, I got some off the top. I always, I'm thinking money, right? But what are some of the things that you run into that say, “Oh yeah, a lot of my clients usually have this issue and that issue “as far as what's the initial cause of such stress?

Dr. Michelle Clay:

Number one is going to be the job. They either feel like they don't make enough money. They may experience micro aggression on their job. I've known a few people where it was so severe they had to file a complaint with EEOC. (Ok.) Yes, yes, yes. It can get very serious and very deep. The other things: feeling unfulfilled. Especially most of my clients are 40+, like between the 40 and 55-year-old range. And you get to a point in your life then when you look around and you're like, “okay, am I doing what it is that I plan to do? And if I'm not, is it fulfilling me? Do I feel like I'm on the right track? Do I feel that I'm working in my purpose? Do I even know what my purpose is?” Then in that 40 to 55 range, a lot of times we're talking about divorce. So job, then money and then relationships. (Wow, ok.) Yeah.

Dr. Berry:

Now that age, especially very interesting that you kind of mentioned that age. Is that where the typical quote-unquote midlife crisis, if that's, and again, I don't know if, is that an actual thing? Is that where that kind of comes about when we talk about the quote-unquote midlife crisis where people are starting to evaluate their life?

Dr. Michelle Clay:

Yes. But in my experience, in my personal experience, I feel that men and women respond to that differently. Now I had a little moment, I'm going to own it because I think it's important. Yes. I feel it's important to be very transparent with people because often when people are going through things, they feel alone and they isolate themselves and therefore they cannot get the help and support that they need. But I did have a moment where I felt like, I feel a little bit down. I wasn't clinically depressed, but I did have somewhat of a depressed mood where I felt like I should be further along than where I am now. This is not how I envisioned my life to look when I was 25. Actually, there's nothing in my life that looks like what I envisioned.

Dr. Berry:

So you were batting like zero at this point and you're looking around your life. Like, “hold on, I thought this was going to be completely different. Okay. Alright.”

Dr. Michelle Clay:

Exactly. And especially when you come to a point when you're struggling financially or you're struggling in your relationship and you feel like it's not supposed to be like this. But what I decided to do to pull myself out of that was I created, people do vision boards all the time, but I can't carry a board around. So I got a notebook, I've got a notebook, and I put in their affirmations. I put in exactly what I wanted. I put in pictures and when I would go to my job, which was stressful, I carried my little notebook with me and I would just look inside my notebook. And then it helped me remember who I am and what my goals were.

Dr. Berry:

I love it. So how has and how does the stressors that we've faced with, whichever realm we face it in, how does it, and have you seen it affect people's bodies and their health or their wellness, just like as a whole? Especially when it's, again, it's not the every now and then, but now it's every week, every day. Like how have you seen that over the years affect people‘s health and wellness kind of associated along with it?

Dr. Michelle Clay:

Probably one of the number one things that I constantly see is high blood pressure because yes, chronic stress definitely affects your cardiovascular system. So that stress hormone, Cortisol I was speaking of, it causes vasoconstriction and vasoconstriction. Of course, I know, you know before the audience, nasal constriction is when the vessels tighten up. So the analogy I like to use is when you think about a garden hose, so if you're watering your lawn and there aren't any kinks in the hose, that water's going to flow out right. But if something gets in there or somebody bins, then the water is not going to flow so nicely. It might trickle a little bit. So that's the same kind of concept that's occurring and people's blood vessels as well as increased heart rates. So I'd say blood pressure's the number one. Muscle tension, muscle tightness. That's the number two thing that I see most commonly. Sleep disturbances will probably be the third thing that I see most commonly. Either they cannot sleep or they sleep too much or when they fall asleep they cannot stay asleep.

Dr. Berry:

And what I love about what you're doing is that, because I think a lot of times when people think of stress and a lot of times we do this backward, right? Where we talk about how the physical ailments that we're dealing with affects our mental. But here you are kind of really, you know, really educating Lunch and Learn community anyway. Hey, like you see these mental transgressions that you're dealing with on a day-to-day basis. This is how it shows up on the physical side, right? So it is like a two-way street. Like yeah, some physical stuff could definitely mess your mental up. But if you're mental, especially when we talk about stress, because that's the thing, this is how stress can affect you in the doctor's office, right? This is what we, I may not be able to see the macroaggressions’ that your job is doing to you, but I do see it when you come and get your checkup and your blood pressure still can be controlled.

Dr. Michelle Clay:

Absolutely. And mind and body go hand in hand. It's just like which came first, the chicken or the egg? So it's not like a first, is the cycle. It's a circle. So even with chronic stress you may have decreased pleasure and that can affect your relationship if you don't feel like being intimate with your partner. Okay. Even though intimacy is a great stress reliever but you don't feel like doing it.

Dr. Berry:

So the stress is beating you up on a day to day basis. That even though you know that, like, that's a good thing that's happening over there. I can't even get the mental fortitude to get on that area because I'm just not ready for it.

Dr. Michelle Clay:

Correct. And it can affect men, especially because with chronic stress it can decrease testosterone level.

Dr. Berry:

Okay. Alright men of Lunch and Learn community and I hope you listening. We've talked about this before on a previous podcast with a guests or we were talking about this masculinity and you know how we as men allow masculinity to really got a lot of problems in our relationships, social relationships. And again, this is where we're getting, we're this tying in to say like, hey, yes it can cause some problems if you're not ready, if you're not managing it the way you need to manage it. So this is the end results that can occur. So I’m definitely loving that. (Correct.)

So we talked about some of the kind of the physical ailments to health and wellness, but what about the, and you talked a little bit when you alluded to just the thought process and the mindset that chronicity of stress plays on people and has even played on you. What were some of the ways that you see that, you said like, wow, you know, this is, and I know one was it taking me out physically, but like I'm not even thinking straight. My mindset even there. What have been some of the ways that you've seen that come into play?

Dr. Michelle Clay:

People come to me and they feel stuck. That's what they feel stuck. Sometimes when they come, they don't say I'm stressed. They'll say things like, I need a change, but I don't know how to get there. Okay. They just feel stuck. They cannot move forward past unforgiveness. They cannot move to make a plan. They know they want something better and sometimes they don't even have clarity as to what. So exactly your thought process is you're not thinking clearly. It's difficult to focus. You may even have problems with your memory with chronic stress. Not to the extent of like Alzheimer's or anything like that, but you understand what I'm saying? For instance, I don't remember where I put my wallet. Okay. I even had an incident the other day in my personal home where my housemate was so stressed out, he walked out the door and didn't realize he didn't close it. So I come home in the door is wide open.

Dr. Berry:

Oh, I bet that conversation must, nah. I'm just mad at that conversation. If I leave the door and I come home, I'm like, oh, what the hell are you doing buddy?

Dr. Michelle Clay:

But see, the thing is when you use your stress release and strategies, then I'm able to manage that. First of all, I need to know is everything safe, safe to walk in the house? Do I need to call the police? Is anything missing? The only thing that was missing was the cats. And then once I find the cat, then I just have a very calm conversation. Just like this tone of voice. Just don't forget to put on the deadbolt. That's it. If I get my, if I get all hyper and I'm stressed out, well that's going to affect the rest of my day. And I have things to do. I need to focus. I need to be clear. I need to manage my time well. So there's ways to manage and see that's an example of you taking control and not allowing anything or anyone to shift you from your position.

Dr. Berry:

And it was interesting, especially because when you talk about just even the memory, because I'm a program director, so I got residents around me and you know, we work in a hospital setting. So you know, when we hear like rapid response or cold blue and all of a sudden, you know, those same residents who are calm and collective and they get into that emergent mode, they forget the stethoscope, they forget that white coat. They forget where they need to. Like your memory just isn't as sharp as it needs to be. And that's those only in a short instance. So I can only imagine if chronically you're dealing with something over and over and over again, what that would do over a longer span.

Dr. Michelle Clay:

Absolutely. I feel for the residents because I remember that time and actually there are moments in my life that I will never remember, not just because I was stressed, but also sleep deprivation.

Dr. Berry:

Oh yes. Oh, okay. Yeah. You bring back the, hey, so bad we don't, we forget about some of the things we went through as a resident because you're like, oh yeah.

Dr. Michelle Clay:

I don't mean to trigger anything, Dr. Berry. I don’t want to trigger something.

Dr. Berry:

I'm just thinking about it now. Oh yeah. Really? Yeah, the tough times as a resident. Tough time as a resident for sure. Talk to us about some of the ways that you've helped guide people to help manage and even release their stress. Which is a very interesting concept when we talk about the releasing of the stress, right? Like what are some of the ways that you've been able to educate and coach some of your clients to, to kind of get them over the hump, I guess, if there is a hump to get over?

Dr. Michelle Clay:

Well, first of all, I helped them, number one to turn off the autopilot in the racing thoughts and get some of that stuff out of your head out. And sometimes that can be as simple as journaling. Now I meet people where they are. Some people like, “Dr. Michelle, I am not going to journal.” Okay.

Dr. Berry:

They're honest with you.

Dr. Michelle Clay:

They are honest with me and I appreciate that because then I can meet you where you are and we can work together. From my perspective, my responsibility as a physician is not to heal you but to guide you and give you tools that you can activate your own healing power and heal yourself. So first of all, depending on what they are dealing with, I just write it out on paper. I'm like, okay, what's the first thing that you feel you need to conquer or you need to manage to get to your next step? And they'll tell me whatever that is. And they said, oh, but that seems so big. I said, well wait a minute, let's break it down. Let's break it down. So then, once I help them break it down piece by piece, just as if you're building a house, if you're going to build a house, well I'm not going to say a house, let's just say a shed because that can be a weekend project. People can relate to that.

You're going to go to home depot or Lowe's and you're going to get the supplies that you need. You're going to map out how you're going to do this as an architect - you're going to have a blueprint and then you're going to follow that blueprint. But sometimes let's say that piece of wood that you need to have a splints are in it and the nail goes through where you're not going to wig out. What are you going to do? You go and pick up another piece of wood and put it in place. So I break it down with them like that, step by step, piece by piece. And then I also get them to commit, not a “someday” or “I'm going to try”, what is it that you're going to do? And okay, Dr. Michelle, I'm going to do this. Okay, so you're going to do this by what day? Now I'm going to call you, I'm going to check in. So if you know, especially if you have somewhat of a competitive spirit, if you know someone is looking over you, but more importantly looking out for you, think you're more apt to do that. And then I'm like you know what, I'm so glad that you told me to do that because it wasn't as hard as I thought.

Dr. Berry:

I love it and that's so correctly, and I'm laughing because I, you're not going to tell we known each other for about three years now. A little bit, give or take. She really does this, like this is it, just like she really would be like, no, no, no, no, no. I need like the date and time that you said this project is going to be completed so I can reach out to you on that time just to make sure we're all on the same page. So she really does this. It's not just for the show.

Dr. Michelle Clay:

It’s not just for the show. This is real. This is definitely real. So that's one thing. And then another powerful thing that I have them do that I do every day are affirmation. So affirmations are really about saying I am, and then whatever is after that, you're creating that in your life. So some people, I have them simply say every day I am calm, I love myself, or whatever it is. A lot of people deal with self-image issues where they feel that they're not worthy. They devalue themselves by the words they say to themselves and that creates their reality. And then they act that out in real life. And even if someone says, oh no honey, I love myself, but I'm watching what you're doing. I'm watching how you treat yourself. I'm watching what you're eating, I'm watching how you're sleeping and watching who you allow around you. If there are people who will bring you down or discourage you, or if there are people who will lift you up. So it doesn't matter what you say in that instance, it matters what you do. What I get people to do is say and then also act what they say.

Dr. Berry:

I love it. Do you find a lot of people will do the form of the ladder? They'll say all the stuff that I'm going to do this, I want to do that. But when it comes to actually putting, you know, the pen to the paper, taking that next step, you find l that's where a lot of people kind of falter when it comes to managing and releasing of set stress?

Dr. Michelle Clay:

They do, but it's a process because just like riding a bike, when we first got on the bike, well some of us had training wheels. I had training wheels. Some people just immediately got on the bike and there were times when you fell down, but even though you fell down, you've got that up and got back on the bike and they may have put a helmet on you and some knee pads and some elbow pads just to protect you a little bit. But at the end of the day, you still got back up on the bike. Now you may have paused because you got a little nervous and said, oh well I'm afraid to try right now. I'm gonna wait until next week and try again. But the point is that you tried again and so it's a process that's the same way with my clients. Some people when I tell them things and we come up with a plan together, then they take action and full, they're good. Some people they kind of wax and wane and oh well I don't know, blah blah, blah. Oh Dr. Michelle I didn’t do what I wanna, still don't leave me though. Don't leave me Dr. Michelle. I'm like, I'm not going to leave. (I'm not going nowhere).

Dr. Berry:

Do you find that, and especially because I'm thinking about the whole manage releasing stress, when clients come to you, do you find that they're holding in a lot of stuff that has to be like let out first before they can actually start like no prioritizing and you know, doing the steps and actions I need to actually be able to manage it? Do find a lot of people are holding onto stuff that they shouldn’t?

Dr. Michelle Clay:

Hecky yeah they are. But I'm releasing that is part of releasing the stress. A lot of times if I'm having a session with a client and they start crying, that's already started the process. So for a little science there are different types of tears. So we have some tears, for instance, where you get something in your eye and tears form because it's trying to cleanse that particle, that foreign agent out of your eyes. When you cry because you are emotional, you're experienced sadness or something like that. Then there's actually some of the stress hormones in those tears. So even with the crying to release, so like I said, it's a process. It's a process. You have to crawl before you walk and many things go hand in hand. It's not an either or. Then than this. When this, then this. Is hand in hand. (Okay). One thing that I find people are holding onto a lot is unforgiveness and anger.

Dr. Berry:

Is that okay when you run into these people who have this level of forgiveness for whatever reason, how do you kind of go about saying like, okay, educated and say like I know it's tough, I know it's hard but you're going to have to, you know, release this if you want to move on. Right? Like is that an easy conversation? And then part B is, and I always ask this cause I was asked, cause I feel like from a male standpoint where we always fall behind, do you find that most of your clients, women or men, do you find that men are receptive to this level of education we're in, because I feel like men have a lot of stress because they are masculine and we don't call it stress?

Dr. Michelle Clay:

That's correct. Okay. So let me go to a Part A of the question first. Let me go in order. So usually when I have a client and I'm talking to people, there's a wisdom that comes with age. So I have gray hair, but I cover it up there. Am I being transparent? But with that gray hair comes wisdom and wisdom is knowledge with experience and I couple that together to help people. Right? So there's just some things that you get like a sense about and you sense the type of personality that the person has and how they will receive things that you say. With some people I can just cut straight to the chase and say it, but other people have to be soft and Shinto and puts some onions and then they feel better about disclosing information. Now I'll give you an example. I had a particular client that was holding on to unforgiveness. And the person that they unforgiveness toward had already died, like years ago. This happens all the time, like years ago. So what I had her do was write a letter to this person and they expressing everything to them that they never had the courage or opportunity to say let out all the anger with that. And then if you really wanted that person to forgive you then just envisioned that once they read it they said, I'm sorry or I forgive you or please forgive me. And that really helped her release. It really, really did. So I have all kinds of tips and tricks and strategies up my sleeve.

Dr. Berry:

I love that. So they know they're like, oh yeah, we we're going to be ready for whatever ever problem you bring Dr. Michelle, she is ready for set problems.

Dr. Michelle Clay:

And if I don't have, if I'm not the right person or that's not my area of expertise, because there's some people they really need to go to a therapist. So I will refer them to a psychiatrist or therapist or somebody because anytime you're trying to heal is not a one man show or one woman show. You need a team. Now who was that that just won the championship? The Raptors. Did you see one person on the court? No, it was a whole team. And then sometimes what happens is you have to rotate. Some might has to sit on the bench and take a rest and put another player in. So that's the same concept for people who are really trying to take it to the next level with their health or wellness or reclaim the person that they used to be long ago but has been burdened down with stress and burnout and just life and health issues and this, that and the third. Now Part B of your question, most of my clients are women. That's just who I attract. I do have some man. I'm open to all because one thing that my godmother told me, she was like a natural healer was that you should have the ability from a natural standpoint. You should have the ability to help anybody but you're not supposed to help everybody. Translation, some people you are meant to connect with and some people you were not, but you still have the expertise and the skills to help anybody.

Dr. Berry:

I love it. Now for the men that you do have, do you find it to be harder? Do you find that your work's cut out for you? Or by the time they come to see you, whatever barriers that would have been there that made it difficult for him to open up have kind of been disintegrated, quote unquote?

Dr. Michelle Clay:

So it depends on the man. So for the men who already knew me, then by the time they come to me, they're ready and they're committed. For the men who didn't know me, let's say they did a Google search or something and they called and made an appointment and we started working together. Sometimes they have ulterior motives or they may be attracted to me. They don't call… bullying page. Like I have someone right now who is not my client, but I feel like he has an ulterior motive. So I just keep it professional. And if you're not serious, I'm not going to take you as a client because you a disservice. And I'm just honoring myself.

Dr. Berry:

I love it. I always find, it's funny because what you're saying definitely kinda hits home because there are a lot of my male patients who say that part of the reason why they can't go to, you know, women who are physicians, right? Or who are healers right, is because they feel like they can't open up, right? They're like, oh my God, I can't open up this person here. Right? The person gonna look at me different. All of a sudden, you know that meant. You know we're terrible, right? We get there. We just started questioning ourselves and saying like, Oh man, if I open up with her and this person, like the whole world's going to know, and I don't want to be quote unquote less of a man. And you know, it's definitely a struggle that even though I as a male physician, I see that. I can only imagine, what you guys go through.

Dr. Michelle Clay:

Well, let me speak to the men's directly. Gentlemen, please hear me. Please hear me. First of all, I want you to know that I'm gonna speak for the women regardless of what they say or do. We love you and we need you. And when you tap into your power and your strength to show your vulnerability, we actually view that as a power and a strength, not a weakness. So yes, I want to tell you that directly.

Dr. Berry:

I love it. I love it. Alright. We hype now. We’re ready. Go for it. We like it. Dr. Michelle, before, I didn't talk to your head off, right? But before I let you go, I always call this kind of like the period of promotion. Because I'm very fortunate enough to have, you know, guests who such amazing things that yes, they're physicians. Yes, they're in the health field, but like they do so much more. So obviously, you know, we've been talking and like, I want you to kind of tell people, what are some of the things that you do kind of outside, right? And most importantly, I want to talk about this RNR Experience, right? I want you to kind of, let's start there. And then we can talk about all of the books that you have because Lunch and Learn community, she's got plenty of products and we're going to get all of that. And trust me, depending on wherever you listen to that, I would make sure you have direct links to all of that as well. But let's talk about the RNR Experience. Let's talk about the why, what is it, how did it come to fruition? And you know, like who's it for?

Dr. Michelle Clay:

So the RNR Experience is a freelife because that's the name of my company. Freelife seven is a free life retreat and it occurs in the big easy New Orleans. So many people who are experiencing stress come to the big easy and be easy. And it occurs November 1st and second. So as a VIP registrants, then you will get two days as general registrant, you will only get the one day. But that one day is power packs. I'm gonna go into that in a minute. Your question, how did it come to fruition? Because people asked me for it. I'm gonna be honest with you. Putting on an event that you know will make a great impact on people and help transform their lives, not just for them, but for whoever else that they touch. So you want it to be quality, it has to be quality. You have to put forth and have the vision of being an excellence. You have to move in excellence. That's a huge undertaking. The only reason I'm doing this is because people would come up to me randomly and say, oh, Dr. Michelle, I'm going to come to your retreat.

Dr. Berry:

Right like hey, I'm coming to your tree. I don't even know when it's scheduled, but I'm there.

Dr. Michelle Clay:

Yes. I hadn't said anything about a retreat, but they come telling me they're going to come to my retreat. And so if that's the case, then there must be a need. And so I'm giving you what you need. I'm giving you what you want. I'm giving you what you asked for. So what the RNR Experience, and it's not just a retreat, it's an experience. (Not just a retreat, it's an experience. I'll listen). Release and recharge. We've been talking about release this entire podcast about releasing stress, but once you release that, you need to recharge some things. And we are so caught up and focus on recharging our laptop, recharging our cell phone. But we do not recharge our bodies, our minds, our spirits. So we know what our purpose is and we can go forth and be brilliant.

Dr. Berry:

Oh, talk to them. Some of us won't leave the house if our phone wouldn’t charge. Talk to them, talk to them please.

Dr. Michelle Clay:

Exactly. So for my VIP, our first day, I have a wonderful fun experience for you. And then later that evening will have culinary cures and coaching with Dr. Michelle, a private dining experience. Now the reason I call it culinary cures in coaching is because you are able to use certain food items, certain nutritional elements to help with your stress. And because I know that I have created certain herbal teas to help with that, so that's one of the products, but as a VIP we're going to have a specialty tea, T-teeny, incorporates all of that.

Then on the main day, a lot of my super friends are coming in to share with you. And we have Dr. Carol. She's going to be doing movement and meditation. She has a book Meditation in the Time of Madness. We have Dr. Sam, one of my super friends who's going to be coming in and talking to you about sleep. Remember I told you chronic stress can affect your sleep and she also, she knows some great trigger points to help with your stress and your sleep. Then we have Dr. Mia coming up who is the B3 specialist. She's going to be talking about your beauty, how you see yourself beautiful. How to maintain, achieve balance and your belief about yourself in the world around you. Then I also have a super friend who is an artist. She has her own gallery here and one of her pieces is actually in the national African American museum and she's going to be guiding us through an exercise that you can incorporate once you get home on how to use art and creativity to release the stress and recharge your creativity. Creativity is not just about art pieces, painting, drawings, sculptor, but about what you are creating in your life, the footprint that you leave on the world.

Dr. Berry:

Oh, that's an amazing day. Yes. Okay. You know what, this will, we're going to do. Let's do this. Let's do this for Dr. Michelle. Obviously with Lunch and Learn community and you know, amazing information as you gave today. Let's list this podcast. This podcast will sponsor a general membership or General Day, right? Whatever that general ticket is, right? I don't know how you, I'll let you decide how you want to give it away, but you give a ticket away on behalf of the Lunch and Learn community, on behalf of the Lunch and Learn podcast with Dr. Berry because I think people need to experience that, right? (Yhey!)

Because as I'm thinking, I'm trying to think the last time I left this house and didn't have my phone charged or last time I like I would skip sleep even if it was for a few seconds to make sure my phone was charged. But we're walking around on a daily basis, not recharging our mind, not recharging mental or spiritual and all of these things that really keep us going and we're not doing it. And I'd so I want to sponsor someone to, to get themselves recharged and getting themselves ready to take on, especially this last quarter of the year.

Dr. Michelle Clay:

Yhey! Thank you Dr. Berry. Thank you Lunch and Learn community. There is, I don't know who was going to go to, but I'm going to donate that ticket to a woman who, or man, we're going to see, because I love the men. They struggling. They really feel stuck and they do not have the means to get there on their own. That's who was going to go to.

Dr. Berry:

Let's do it. Let's do it. Now, so that's the RNR Experience, which is big. But honestly you've been in so much big things, even up until that, right when it comes to books and the teas and everything else, and just give them a laundry list of the stuff that you got right? Just so they know that Dr. Michelle ain't playing out here.

Dr. Michelle Clay:

I am not playing in these streets. First of all. Well let me tell you this, RNR Experience. You can get your ticket at releaserechargeexperience.com and its Christmas in July. So you can get the early bird pricing in the month of July. But if you wait too long, they said you think long, you think wrong. So the price is going up.

Dr. Berry:

So the price is going up. Y'all know y'all going to New Orleans anyways, right? Y'all gonna be there. It makes them get recharged. You just self-ready right and of course link we'll definitely be in the show notes to make sure you have a direct link to that.

Dr. Michelle Clay:

So the other things that are going on, I have my best selling book, Conquering the Chaos, The Super Wonder Woman's 12 Step Strategy for a Stress Free Life. I also have the companion journal with that, the Stress Release Journal. So in the book, in the 12 steps it goes through, we talked a little bit about it today. It goes through the 12th systems of the body, how they function, because I think that you need to empower people with information to activate their transformation. And then how stress affects that system in the body of culinary cure for that and mindset. Something for your mindset with that system, the stress Release Journal, the Companion Journal for that is a deeper dive into that. So you're reading and educating yourself in the conquering the chaos book, the now you need to get to work. Then I also have my stress free life, self-care kids.

Oh my goodness. This thing right here just keeps exploding. So people, they want stuff. So in there there's a tea and this gonna be four different one per quarter. So one is going to be the release recharge box with the signature release, recharge herbal tea, which is specially formulated to give you a sense of calm and ease is how this is base. And then you also have the semi-precious stone bracelets, agate bracelets with lava beads on them and I'm mixed up a special essential oil aroma therapy oil to go on the braces. So anytime you know, you feeling some just instantly calm you down, just smell your wrist, just smell your wrist, and aroma therapy at the same time. And then I've also created the relaxation remedy, herbal bath. And you can put that, either do a full bath or just do a foot bath. I'm going to do a foot bath this evening. We also have the Free Life Candle because people love to smell things. (People love candles). Yes, the Free Life Candle.

And we also have shower steamers. These things are amazing. So have you ever heard of shower steamers? (Oh No. Wow.) Let me tell you about it. So the shower steamers, they're a little square made out of like baking soda and some other things infuse with certain essential oils so you can put it on the bottom of the tub while you're taking the shower and having aroma therapy experience. Because some people they like, girl, I haven't had time to take a bath, but you still need to have a moment for yourself. Self-care to stress less. You can have your me time create a me time moments in the shower.

Dr. Berry:

Oh, that's nice. Okay. I'll tell you Lunch and Learn community see doing it, that line. See, that's a problem. I love it. That's a good problem though. That's a good problem because again, we're trying to stress less, right? We're trying to find my free life like that. That's really the name of the game and that's again, that's why I love and respect everything that Dr. Michelle does because the amazing work that she puts in and the effort that she puts in shows you how much she cares. Right? And you know, we're running to, unfortunately there's, there's a lot of physicians who have infiltrated our system who don't really care as much. Right? And you know, so when you find someone who does, you try to make sure you amplify everything that they do so others can know like how amazing this person is.

Dr. Michelle Clay:

Thank you. Yes, this is definitely my purpose and I'm so very passionate about it because everything that I'm telling you, I've done all of that. My affirmations, every day I wear my bracelets, I'm sniffing all day, I use my shower, steamers, light my candle, meditate, pray. I do all of that.

Dr. Berry:

Practice what we preach, practicing what we preach. (Yes). Before I let you go, like I always ask this question like how can what you do empower others to take better control of their health? Because it's obvious, but you know, in case for some reason someone that skipped and miss all of this greatness and wanting to go towards the end, right? And this is all they listen to too, right? Like how is what you do empowering others to take medic control of their health?

Dr. Michelle Clay:

First about you have to know that you know that you know that you are worthy and you are deserving. It's not about being here for somebody else is about being here and showing up for you. And the goal is not to survive, but it is to thrive. Know that you are never stuck. As long as there is breath in your body, you can always decides to choose you and to do better so you'll have better and be better. So I want you to know that you're never stuck and also that you're never alone. Whether it's me, whether it's Dr. Berry, whether someone else that can help you get to the next level. If you don't have people around you that support you, honey, you can create another circle. (Yes). You can another create circle which you're never stuck. You are never stuck and you always deserve them.

Dr. Berry:

I love it. I can show before we let you go, but where can others find you? Again, all of these links, remember Lunch and Learn community, you know the drill. We'll have all these links in the show notes but I want to make sure that they can follow you. We lead and you know, be able to kind of just absorb this greatness that I'm able to absorb at a daily basis what I love to see.

Dr. Michelle Clay:

You can find me on all social media at Dr. Michelle Clay. My website is drmichelleclay.com and for the Lunch and Learn community, then I would love to offer you my special recipe for the stress free life smoothie and you can get that as stressfreesmoothie.com

Dr. Berry:

I love it. I love it and I appreciate it. Based on behalf of the Lunch and Learn community, we want to thank you, Dr. Michelle for just an amazing experience. Like I said, I say this like on a week to week basis, but like I'd be learning just as much as the Lunch and Learn community from my guests. Like I'm either like, if y'all can see my face, I'm glued in. Like, okay, got it. Got To lose this,, got to manage it. Cant be dealing with it, got to manage that. That's the goal. Changed the words. Words are powerful. That's the way to go. They don't wanna show you have a great, and again, like I said, remember we want to sponsor who, I don't know who you choose, who we're sponsoring. But we've got, we need to get someone to get that experience at the RNR Experience, Release and Recharge. When is it happening again? Let us know.

Dr. Michelle Clay:

It's November 2nd.

Dr. Berry:

Okay. November 2nd for the general, you want that VIP, you come in on the first, right? So if yall big ballers want to VIP, go in on the first, right? Then you get a T-teeny, is that what we called it? Yup.

Dr. Michelle Clay:

Yeah. Make that up. Good. T-teeny is by experience.

Dr. Berry:

I love it. Thank you, Dr. Michelle.

Dr. Michelle Clay:

Thank you for having me. Everyone have a positive and stress-free day.

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Let's Talk about Self Reflection and Mental Clarity... On this week's episode of the Lunch and Learn with Dr. Berry I get a chance to do some self-reflection on myself for my podcast listeners to here. July is minority mental health awareness month and it also happens to be the time when new doctors across the country begin their training. I remember being an intern myself and being put in the position that I was suddenly responsible for someone else's life. It was a crazy experience being a medicine intern but one that I cherish till this day.

I remember that what helped me get through the tough days was the self confidence I had that I was going to be the best doctor for my patient even if I didn't know everything I knew that I could find the answer.

Self reflection is defined as meditation or serious thought about one's character, actions, and motives so I thought it would be important for you guys to see that in action with myself. I think it's important that we all take a look at ourselves to see what we are doing right and most importantly what we are doing wrong to get better.

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Download Episode 116 Transcript

Episode 116 Transcript...

INTRODUCTION:

Dr. Berry:

And welcome to another episode of the Lunch and Learn with Dr. Berry. I'm your host, Dr. Berry Pierre, your favorite Board Certified Internist. Founder of drberrypierre.com. CEO of Pierre Medical Consulting, who helps you empower yourself for better health with the number one podcast for patient advocacy here with the Lunch and Learn with Dr. Berry bringing you Episode 116. And this is going to be a solo episode and I like to take this episode as the launch episode because over the next two to three weeks we are going to be having some amazing guests talk to us about self-awareness, stress relief, what's causing stress in our life. And of course the Lunch and Learn community, you know I've talked about this ad nauseum. If the mind is not in check, it does not matter what you do with the physical, right? So I want to like really bring this next couple of weeks in where we start reflecting on ourselves and start looking at ourselves and seeing, you know, what's causing us a problem, what's causing us concerns.

And of course this is actually, depending on when you're listening to this, July is actually Minority Mental Health Awareness Month. So of course, why not be self-reflective within mental health awareness month. If you got any time to be self-reflective, to kind of look at yourself and look at all the stressors that are in front of you, might as well do in July. So if your minority, I know I have a lot of non-minorities who listen to the show. But if you're a minority, this is the month to do so. So if you have not had a chance, remember to subscribe to the show, tell a friend and tell a friend and like, hey, you got this amazing podcasts I want you to listen to with Dr. Berry. Please do that asap.

And before I let you go, I want to read off a couple of five-star reviews that I recently got. Like I said, I always encourage you guys not only just subscribe to the show, but also leave me five-star reviews so I know that I'm actually doing a good job. So this review says everyone should listen to this podcast, relevant information so that you can live a better, healthier, and longer life. Shout out to Nate Henry, number one. The next one says, very informative, engaging podcast to help everyday people maintain healthy and happy lives. Thank you, Candace. So again, if you have not had a chance to go ahead and subscribe to the show and then leave me an amazing five-star review like that so I can give you a shout out here on the Lunch and Learn with Dr. Berry. So without further ado, Episode 116 let's get ready. We're talking about self and self-awareness and getting ourselves together for the Lunch and Learn with Dr. Berry.

EPISODE

Dr. Berry:

So when we talk about self, right? Because I think this is a theme that I really wanted to hit home when I get the chance to kind of think about podcast topics and I get to ask you guys, you know what stuff you'd like to hear. And mental health is always a big one. Self-reflection is always a big one. So I wanted to kind of to self-reflect on my own here on the podcast this week. Just so we can kind of get an idea of what that means and what's so important about it.

As a podcast or as a physician, as a program director and father and husband and all these different hats that I choose to wear, I volunteered to wear, I love to wear. It's one of those things where sometimes your life can get so busy. That a lot of times you don't even get to really reflect on everything that you do. Especially whether it be good or most importantly whether the bad, right? Because I think it's one thing to self-reflect and only think about all the good stuff you do.

But when you're self-reflecting and you start thinking like, wow, I could probably do blank better,

whatever that blank is for you. I think it really kind of hits home the onus of being okay with yourself and okay with what you're doing and how you're doing it. So as a physician here, when I think about what we're doing on a day to day basis as a hospital physician, taking care of patients inside the hospital, the most acute patients, the most sick patients, and doing everything we can to get them better and what that does to a person's psyche, right? I see it all the time. You know, again, as a program director, I take care of 18 residents who I'm responsible for from the day they set foot to the day they leave, right?

And sometimes even a little bit after they leave. But most importantly, it's seeing that transition of what it does to a person, some mental clarity, right? When they're just the fresh side medical student and they become the fresh shot intern and then they become the hardened senior resident who is often getting ready to attack the world. Right? So I get to see kind of all three of these different levels at come to play within my job. And it's one of those things whereas we talk about minority Mental Health Awareness Month. I always questioned and a lot of times some of the questions I ask them really isn't about the clinical aspect of what they're doing, but the more, the mental aspect of what they're doing.

A lot of my, one of my favorite attendings, Dr. Kanner would always ask us why? Why are you doing what you want to do? Why do you want to send a patient on this medication home? Why do you want to consult this person? Why are you using this medication versus that medication? He was always big on the why. Because one, he's an older physician, so he already had, you know, a little bit beef with us younger physicians who he felt did more quote-unquote cookbook medicine and didn't really understand why they were doing things. Just kinda did it because they read it in a piece of paper and didn't think things through, right?

So his big thing was understanding the why process of it all. And honestly he's probably one of the best physicians and attendings I've ever had in my life because it's completely changed the trajectory only of how I do things, but why I do the things I do. And then why I do and train my residents, even my medical students the way I do.

Because there's always an onus of understanding that when it comes to book-smarts, you'll eventually get the book smarts, right? So I can give you plenty of articles to read to get what the information and answer I'm looking for. But if you don't know why you're getting the answer information I'm looking for. If you don't know why I'm asking a question. That is where the learning problems tend to fall to, right? So that's not something that he was big on.

So he was always big on making sure we understood the why of things and why things tick the way they did. So when we think about self-reflection and self-care and you know, those are big, obviously big keywords that you hear a lot now, especially in the mental health space. I always questioned my physician colleagues how often they're doing this because I think now one of the biggest pushes at that you see, especially in the physician space when it comes to mental health, is you know, the onus of burnout and burning out and essentially being tired of doing what they're doing.

And when you think about burnout, you think about like, oh, this is a person who may have been practicing for five years, 10 years, 20 years, and now they're finally tired of doing something. But we see that this burnout process is happening much sooner. I got people who aren't even finishing residency and they're already talking to like they're tired.

When I think about them being tired, right? I always questioned is it that you're tired of doing whatever job you're in at this moment or your expectations of the job that you had when you first started are much different than what they are when you're actually in a job, right? Like how many of you may have started a job or started a project or started a relationship, right? And which when they started it was looking all good when it started, everything was clicking and then something happened in the middle where that clicking didn't happen anymore.

That dissociation of what I thought was gonna happen and what's actually happened suddenly got realized. And I think what's happening with physicians is that for us, a lot of us are going into fields and practices with different intentions. And a lot of us are going into these organizations are going into these situations thinking that like, oh, it's going to be this way. And then unfortunately at the end, realizing it's a totally different ball game. And that's why I stressed to my residents to understand like, hey, you know what? This is what's your future, right? So I just want to let you know so you can understand to have some outlets because as a premedical student, especially, I'm talking to my premedical students right now because they already know my attendings and my physicians already know. As a premedical student, you really don't have too many outlets because you really don't have too much time. Because most of the time you are just spent studying and learning.

Again, I remember as my, like this is how I remember my birthdays, right? Which is crazy. And my birthday's in December (so trying to search terrorists). So my birthday's in December. So usually when it was my birthday, there was usually a finals. I was having a study around. So when I think about my birthday's like, key birthdays, right? Like 21st birthday, 25th birthday. I always remember studying for a certain final. Like that's how I remember studying for my birthdays. It wasn't like, oh I can't wait till my birthday come so I can, you know, party and drink or cheaper car insurance. It wasn't nothing like that. It was like, oh my 21st birthday, here comes organic chemistry. On 25th birthday, okay here it comes, I think it was like anatomy, physics or biochemical some course, right? Like it was some class that I remember having to study with for a final four and I couldn't even like I said, I couldn't even really enjoy the birthday.

My birthday is always got celebrated after finals was over, because I couldn't do it during the meantime or probably wouldn't have made finals. So it was one of those things that, and I knew that as a premedical student, right? So as a premedical student, I realized very early that medicine was taking a lot of my time and I didn't like it. And I wish I could say it got better as a medical student. It didn't. As a medical student, you know, you're spending countless hours, you can ask my wife, you have spent your spending countless hours having to learn and learn and you know, you got people telling you that, hey, if you don't do well on this one test, your whole career is going to change. Like have kind of referencing the boards and we could probably talk about boards forever. But here is me, a medical student.

Again, I'm happy, right? Because I did all of that I was supposed to do to get to being a medical student realized that I still got a lot of work to do because I wanted to become a resident somewhere. I didn't know what profession but I knew I wanted to become a resident somewhere. So there's another opportunity to just taking my time. And of course, I've always been adept that social media. I always saw my friends is like life in, right? Like this, I like to call it life and my friends were life in a way. On Facebook and Twitter and all like I could just see them just life was just happening and having families and you know, they're taking trips and they're working. Again, as a medical student, I didn't work at all. Right? So I see all of these like lavish things that happened and I'm like, ah, I'm just on outside. More frequently, I was on the inside of a library looking out wishing I was there.

So as I became a resident, I always made it a key point to really kind of take back my time. Like I've said, I've talked about this before. One of the biggest transitions that I've made as I became what I think is, this is my trademark by now, shout out to Dr. Dre, medical mogul, right? One of the transitions I may do becoming a quote-unquote medical mogul like I said, was the fact that I wanted to take back my time. Right? Like I want it, the time that I have been giving away as a premedical student, giving away as a medical student, giving away as a resident, right? I wanted to take that back and I wanted to take it back and do something I wanted to do.

Not something that I was forced to do and not something that was scheduled to do. I wanted to do something that I wanted to do. And being a physician, you know, sometimes you get kind of pigeonholed into dealing, you know, physician things, right? Going to a clinic or going to the hospital or you just keep kinda pigeonholed to do in those things. But I knew like I liked other stuff, right? Like I've always been a big tech person. If anyone who follows me on Instagram knows I recently had to switch out my Wi-Fi card and a couple other than my battery and a couple of other things. Right?

Like I always liked doing those types of things. So tech and you know, messing with computers was always something that was very interesting to me. It was always something that like, you know if this medicine thing no work, I may fall back on tech. And here I was as a resident, as an attending soon to be.

And you know, I'm coming into my own and I'm becoming a medical mogul and I'm taking back my time and I'll be like, what can I do? Like expand myself and like get back some of the time I want. Well I did that, right? Like I went to the tech and I, you know, even now I do a lot of tech-related things. If you go to my website, drberrypierre.com, if you check out my resource page, I do a lot of emails related marketing and funnel creations. Again, these are terms that you are probably unless you're in the know, mean absolutely nothing to you and that's okay. Right? But like it was something that I enjoy. I actually loved doing it and I quote-unquote do that on a side, on top of all of this stuff, right?

And you're listening to a physician on a podcast, right? That's not actually common, unfortunately. Because I feel like a lot of physicians should be podcasting. And just a quick side note, I think a lot of physicians, I think if they journaled their experiences probably wouldn't be as burnt out as they are because I think a lot of times, them being burnt out is because they are internalizing a lot of things. And I'm big on, you know, letting people know what's happening. And I've been blogging since I was a medical student. I've been letting you know how quote-unquote shitty this system it was for a while because it's not a surprise, right? Some of my gripes with medicine, love it to death though, can see myself doing anything else, but there is some issues that need to be corrected.

But I feel that if all physicians journaled, I feel like if all physicians wrote a book, did a podcast, did a blog, something that allowed them to express what they were thinking at more than anything else, I think that would be absolutely phenomenal. So when I think about this self-reflection where I’m at now. Again, now I'm an attending, now I'm starting to take back my life and I'm starting to see a different world, right? Like I'm seeing medicine for what I thought medicine was. This engine of education and this vehicle that I could be the quote-unquote captain of. And that's why I started doing all of this stuff I do in terms of the blogging and video blogging and obviously this podcast in which you listen to right now. All of it was because now I was happy and now when I was doing medical stuff, I didn't feel like it was a chore anymore.

And right when I had that realization when I was able to self-reflect to say like, wow, like this is what I should've always been doing.

My life has been on cloud nine ever since. Right? Like again, I joke, but I always laughed at, I'm like, oh my God, I can't believe they still pay me like to come to do this thing. Because I would probably do it for free. Don't tell him. Right? Don't tell my job that I probably would do that thing for free because like I can't believe like they let me in charge of those residents. I got some residents who listen to my podcast so they're going to have a good laugh at this. But I can't believe that I'm the reason why someone's going to go from a medical student to be a medical resident, right?

I don't want to say the sole decision-maker, right? But I got some sway in who becomes a resident at Wellington regional and it's such an interesting concept to me because it was something that I never pictured myself. I guess I never really pictured myself doing it, at least right now. I figured this was something that I'd probably do when I was old and, you know, kinda tired and I'll just kind of fall back and then, you know, this position will kind of open up for me. But, you know, God said, Nah, you need to do this right now. I need you in this position right now. And you know, we're going on year three right now. We're actually going on year three of being a program director and it's been a beautiful sight and I've met amazing people.

I met amazing premeds. I've met amazing medical students. I've met amazing residents, amazing administrators long way. Right? Like all of these things that are able to come to fruition because I was able to look into myself and say like, hey, what you doing right now isn't enough. Right? What you're doing right now isn't benefiting enough people. I need you to do more. I need you to step out and do more and expand. And that's where I think the clarity of my mental health has come in because I realize that those times, you know what, this is stressing me right now.

And the things that are stressing me, I need to do something about it. Again, I was an attending physician who was stressed about the way medicine was going. I was stressed about the way the job was treating me. I was stressed about the way it was affecting my family and I realized I need to do something to make this change. This was a goal that I've always dreamed of when I was an elementary student. I was in elementary, I was saying I was going to be Dr. Pierre. And here I was. I was Dr. Pierre and Dr. Pierre was not happy.

And I need to change that asap. So that got changed and once I changed that, once I recognize these other stressors in my life and I got them out of there, right? The black cloud that was around me as a physician went away. When it went away, it’s been nothing but blue skies and summer rain every now and then. But it's been an absolutely an amazing experience and this is what I hope to be able to bring to you guys. Just a little reflection over this next few weeks of the podcast.

I want you to be able to think of these next three, I guess next four if you include this one. I want you to think about these next four podcasts it's like a one running show where we're going to be talking about just stress in general, right? Because stress sucks. Let's be honest. It sucks when you're your stress, right? Everything is not a peachy keen when you're stressed, right? Everything is not all good when you're stressed. And sometimes some people have one thing that's causing them stress but it's causing them stress repeatedly. Some people have multiple things that are hitting them all at the same time and that's causing stress, that's causing problems. And then you have others who are like, I don't know what's going on but I know something it's over me. So that's one thing that I really want to hit home. We're going to really talk about stress over the next three weeks.

And then when we talk about stress, we're going to be talking about what we can do to heal ourselves. And really I'm talking to the physicians. Of course, Lunch and Learn community, you know, I got a wide range of people who listen to me. I got some physicians, I got a lot of helper, practitioners. I got a lot, you know, quote-unquote common people, when I say common, I don't mean just not in the health care field, but who are interested in wanting to learn more about their health. I got a lot of people in different worlds who liked to talk about health, like to listen to health or maybe just like listen to me. I don't know. Right? You tell me, right? Somebody fits in some category, right?

Clearly, health is on your mind because there are a million different podcasts you can listen to and you still listening to me, right? So whatever that is, I want you to grab and hold to that and I want you to think about what are some of your stressors over these next month. And think about what are you doing to try to break these stressors down. What are you doing to try to say I need to get these stresses out of here? And again, physicians, stressors, burnout. We know what happened, we know the end result. The end result means fewer physicians. The end result means more physician suicides, right? And this isn't just a physician thing, right? It's a lot of different careers that fit into the same pattern. Someone goes into a career thinking about one thing, they go into a relationship thinking about one thing, and it's a totally different thing once they get there and then problems arise, right?

So we're at the stage, especially for a lot of physicians where there's a lot of problems arising because we're realizing this isn't what we signed up for or what we thought we signed up for. Because honestly, it's probably already, it's probably been like that. We just didn't know because physicians before us, they weren't doing any journaling. They weren't doing any blogging, they weren't doing any podcasting. So they never actually told us, who knows? That's my theory, right? My theory is this medicine thing probably been sucking for a while, but because the folks ahead of us didn't document anything, we had no clue. And now we just kind of walk in here looking crazy. But that's a whole another discussion. So we're going to talk about the stress this month. We're gonna talk about stress relief this month. We're gonna talk about how to be a better you this month.

And then most importantly, this is something I love. And I can't wait for you to listen to this guest, Dr. Brad, when he comes on. First of all, he's phenomenal, and if you get a chance, Dr. Brad Volara, he's performance coach and he's going to get us really high. Like I said, I'm excited about the interview and that interview hasn't even happened yet. Right? But I already know it's going to help energize Lunch and Learn community and help them look at themselves and say like, okay, no, no, no. I'm worth more than I'm thinking I'm supposed to be aware of. Because me personally, I think I'm worth a lot, right? And mentally I think I'm worth a lot. But that's because I got the clarity, right? I want everyone in Lunch and Learn community to get that same clarity that I got.

So they're walking around like they don't stink, right? That's what I want at the end of this month. So if you don't get anything from the end of this month, by the time August rolled around, I want you to say like, well, you know what? I know some of my stressors in my life. You know what? I know some ways to relieve some of that stress in my life and you best believe I know what my value is. You best believe I know my worth is. So if you don't get anything, I want you to get those three to four pieces of things from me and then, you know, leave the show and do whatever you want. But don't leave a show until that happens, right? So like I said, I can't wait for you guys listen to next month as it's going to be a great set of episodes, a great lineup of guests coming up. And you guys have a great and blessed day. I'm gonna see you guys next week. I better see you guys next week.

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Let's Talk about bone and joint health... On this week's episode of the Lunch and Learn with Dr. Berry we have Dr. Jason Hammond, who is a practicing orthopedic surgeon specializing in sports medicine and knee replacement surgery. This week the lunch and learn community is in for a treat as Dr. Hammond take some time away from giving us an inside look at all of the amazing surgeries he performs to discuss the importance of maintaining bone and joint health.

I talked about osteoarthritis in the past but am very fortunate to have someone who ends up dealing with the end result of the matter. We are going to get a chance to hear some of the common issues he deals with as an orthopedic surgeon. The Lunch and Learn community is also in for a treat as we learn some of Dr. Hammond's favorite surgical and non-surgical interventions.

What makes Dr. Hammond unique is that he has taken a keen entrepreneurial approach to healthcare and not only has a patented invention he uses in the operating room but a line of products to support nonsurgical health. You are in for a treat with this episode.

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Download Episode 115 Transcript

Episode 115 Transcript...

Introduction

Episode

Dr. Berry:
And alright Lunch and Learn community. You heard this amazing introduction from someone who have actually been kind of goes following for a little bit. Who’s been given us an inside look on what it takes to, you know, be orthopedic surgeon. And he was someone who I wanted to kind of have come on the show and just kind of educate us and really get a little bit background story on all this amazing stuff that he's does. Because you know, obviously Lunch and Learn community, you know we have people who are physicians but people who are more than just physician, right. As I think that's always the big thing for us. Yes, you could be a doctor but you could do a lot more things just within that field. First of all, thank you for coming on Lunch and Learn to discuss your greatness.

Dr. Jason Hammond:
It is a pleasure. Thank you so much. I appreciate you having me on.

Dr. Berry:
So that can have it. If we went through your bio and you know, if someone didn't happen to read your bio or happen for some reason skip right to this main story, right? What could you tell them about yourself that they probably wouldn't be able to pick up?

Dr. Jason Hammond:
So a little bit of background. I was born in Baltimore and actually born at Johns Hopkins. And you know, it's funny, I made my way back there for medical school and residency some, you know, 18, 20 years. Actually 22 years later. I grew up in Virginia and went to high school down in Hampton area, Hampton, Virginia. I learned how to play the trombone. So that's the one little thing about me. I still play the trombone and I have a lot of fun doing that. Went down to Morehouse in Atlanta for four years, which was an awesome time. I was down there to 93 and 97, just a lot of fun. And then came up to Baltimore when I went to med school. And that's where I met my wife. She actually went to University of Maryland's med school and so we met and so I've been in the Baltimore area since 2007. I have three kids. Triplets, actually. Three 14 year olds who just graduated eighth grade. So they're going to be starting high school soon. So it's going to be a whirlwind for the next four years.

Dr. Berry:
I have twins. I have that athletic girl. (How old are your twins?) They're six. No, my wife will kill me. They’re three going on four. My oldest is six.

Dr. Jason Hammond:
Probably seem like there's six by now. I'm sure.

Dr. Berry:
Yes. It's so fun. This is a side note. I remember when my wife first sent me the ultrasound. Right? She sent me an ultrasound, it was like A and B and I'm like, what is this? You're having twins daddy, that’s what that.

Dr. Jason Hammond:
I always kind of, I always little in denial myself when I found out we were having triplets. So I used to call them the baby for a long time until my wife was like, look, you're having three kids, so just get used to that. (Did you say...) So you know, then I went to, finish my residency and then I started practice with MedStar in the Baltimore area and I've been in practice since 2007.

Dr. Berry:
So tell us, because this is a question I always get from Lunch and Learn community members. What made you go into orthopedics in this way? What made you go on to this specific field?

Dr. Jason Hammond:
Yeah. So I knew I wanted to be a physician ever since I was nine years old. I used to collect stickers, that's what we did back in the day. And one of the stickers that I collected was described my name and I never really knew or paid attention to what it meant. And Jason actually means one who heals. And I was like, oh, that's pretty cool. I said that. (Oh nice, ok.) And then after that I really, I've always had a leaning towards the sciences and math and more so than the arts and history and English. It turns out, you know, I became a musician, so I did like that aspect, but I knew I kind of want to go into a science field.
And when I was in high school, I was in a track meet, indoor track meet and I was, doing high jump. And I went into jump over the bar and I was a little too far towards the end and my back and head laying on the mat and my foot went over and hit the ground and I broke a bone in my foot. And so that was, and then I was introduced to an orthopedic surgeon at that time and I was placed into a cast for three weeks. And initially it was great because I got a lot of love from the ladies, you know. They’re always wanting to take care of me and open the door for me. But after about three weeks or so that love went away because cast started to stink and they do with it. But I was out of the cast and my leg had shrunk to half the size of my other leg. But it was a very interesting experience.
I didn't realize how much I took my limbs for granted and not being able to walk and just be able to get up and grab a sandwich or get up and turn on the TV. It's an ordeal and when you don't have a leg. So I really pricked me and I thought, okay, this is something I would like to go listen, I'm interested in. And the fact that I was able to heal so quickly and get back to what I wanted to do, even though I had to rebuild strength and everything, that was intriguing to me as well. So, you know, when I went into medical school and actually had a chance to start seeing surgeries and then getting an idea of what I liked, I then decide, okay, I like to be able to work with my hands, I want to do surgery, I like to be able to build things and use hammers and saws and screwdrivers and all that stuff. And you know, it was between ophthalmology and orthopedics and you don't really use screws and nails in the eyes. So it was, let me go into Ortho and have a chance to be able to do something like that. And I liked the engineering aspect of orthopedics. I like the optics and the physics of ophthalmology as well, but I think that orthopedics is more kind of my speed.

Dr. Berry:
Okay. That's very interesting. Especially as an internist and we hear a lot of, especially the surgical residency or orthopedics obviously is, as you know we hear it's usually all about the surgery, surgery, surgery. But it's very interesting to hear you speak at it from, especially from the scientific aspect of function and functionality and you know, getting people to move and you know, and even at the point where you kind of take for granted the ability that we sometimes we do all the time, right? They've just being able to walk up and go somewhere.

Dr. Jason Hammond:
Yeah, exactly. The use of your hands and shoulders, being able to reach in and grab things. It is really something that you really don't think about. And it's a good thing you don't have to think about it because it means you're not in pain or you're not injured. But once you are starting to think about those things or just being able to turning your head to look in a certain direction, if you have neck pain, those things can be quite a nuisance and affect your quality of life and significant ways and you know, want to help be able to help people better their lives in that respect.

Dr. Berry:
I love it and even especially kind of piggy backing on that when we talk about some of the people that you encounter, patient wise. What are some of the typical reasons someone may come to see you?

Dr. Jason Hammond:
I am a sports medicine doctor. I specifically treated a lot of athletes. I specifically treat shoulder and knee problems. A lot of athletes have injuries to the shoulder and knee, and that's what we focus on in our fellowship after residency in a year, focusing on that type of thing. So when I have athlete with a knee injury, we want to make sure that they don't have any damage to the cartilage tissues to ligament such as the ACL which you may have heard about or the ligament injuries. And for the shoulder, we know you can have problems with the rotator cuff muscles or some of the other ligaments in the shoulder, that help keep the shoulder in place because we see athletes who sort of dislocations or people who may not have a full dislocation with the shoulder. Kind of slips a little too far and that can cause chronic problems. And so those are the kinds of issues that we see in a lot of athletes. And you know, we get a fractures and you know, the broken bones and the other ankle sprains and the common things as well. And my other subset of patients I see in older subset of patients who have arthritis and I do a lot of knee replacements and treating knee arthritis from that standpoint. And I saw a lot of stuff in between, you know, a lot of conservative treatments as well.

Dr. Berry:
And I definitely want to touch on, especially later on because I think a lot of times, and sometimes, you know, I'd have to educate my patients like, Hey, just because I'm sending you to the surgeon doesn't necessarily mean you're going to have surgery, but you know, they're x-ray pain is needed. I think that's something that kind of gets glossed over when we talk about the surgical specialties. I think a lot of times people only think you guys, you know, no, just to do surgery and that's it. And I think sometimes they're taking a back when they're like, oh no, no, no surgery, but let's try some other things first.

Dr. Jason Hammond:
Yeah. And it's very interesting. And I had a patient actually just yesterday who is a semi professional football player and he has an injury to his PCO, which is one of the ligaments in the knee. And it is a ligament that is not really talked about much because it is not necessary, if you injured is not that you don't necessarily have to fix it to be able to play your sport such as the ACL. And apparently he was told or thought that he needed to have it fixed. And so when he came to my office, he would expect me to talk about, you know, how are we going? He wanted to be able to play professionally and want to talk about getting it fixed and so he can get on with his career. And he was actually pleasantly surprised when I was like, oh no, you've been able to play for many years and you haven't any issues.
There's no reason for me to fix that. I can make you worse. You know, I can't. You already playing very well. So I can't, you know, if I'd go in there and do surgery, you can have complications, you can have stiffness, you can have other issues. And then when weakness from having to, you know, be off for so long and then have to gradually build up your strength. So we don't have to fix anything. If it's not broke really, don't fix it. So I'm not treating this specific injury. I'm treating the OR, the X-ray or the MRI scan. I'm actually treating the patient and the patient is functional.

Dr. Berry:
I love it. That's just unfortunate especially in medicine where sometimes we kind of get away from that. I'm a program director so I take care, I'm in charge of some residents and a lot of times, you know, they fall into that same issue where they're treating lab results, they're treating illnesses and ask, well, how's the patient feeling? And it's like a blank blank stare on their face because for some reason like that's like the last thing that's like looked upon like, oh well the patient really isn't complaining of anything. Like, Oh then what are we doing?

Dr. Jason Hammond:
Exactly. Right, exactly right. I mean, a lot of what we hear from patients that are they want to prevent problems in the future or is there anything that we need to do now so that I don't have an issue and you know, it's hard to treat the future as well. There are things that we can do to prevent disease, you know, weight loss, exercise, strengthening, things like that. There are some surgical procedures that may be helpful to prevent disease, but if you're completely fine, you don’t having any issues and there's better be a very good reason for us to prophylactically do something, then we did that more in pediatrics. But you know, for the most part that's the exception and not the rule.

Dr. Berry:
Now, is your span of a treatment, because I’m an internist, I take care. If you're 18 up. I got you. But you talk about, you’re 17 and I started getting nervous and I started getting weary. In your field, are you treating from adults? Is there a range when we talk about orthopedic surgeon and you have like the whole gamut?

Dr. Jason Hammond:
So orthopedics, we do have specialties and within the subspecialties, and the specialty of orthopedics. And so they're the so specialty for pediatric orthopedics, pediatric orthopedics, there's lots of orthopedic problems that kids have such scoliosis or different things that you, you know, you may not think about for kids. None of the specific, especially for that. Now a lot of kids play sports and we are trained to treat sports injuries that kids have as well. So you know, usually kids start, if they injure themselves, if they're under 10 it's pretty minor things. Or if they have a broken bone or know something we can set and that's pretty something similar. They’ll heal from and do very well. So most kids, lessons are really displaced broken bone and it's a sports injury that really don't need surgery.
We can kind of treat it without surgery. And so, you know, we're usually thinking about surgery is something that very easily in their teens or early adolescence. So we do treat a younger adults in athletes and athletes that are young. But for the most part, they go to pediatrics orthopedics specifically for children with bone problems.

Dr. Berry:
And I know you said, your focus, especially from a sports standpoint is the shoulder and knees. Is there any, do you have any common surgeries that you like to perform? Any ones that you do like day in, day out? Is there something that you're like, oh yeah, that's the thing I do?

Dr. Jason Hammond:
For the most part, most procedures with knee I do. The most common procedure is gonna trimming out a piece of the meniscus or a piece of cartilage that's torn the knee, what's called a knee scope. And that's a knee arthroscopy where we go in there for camera through little, two little small poke holes and look around the knee. And so, orthopedics has advanced significantly over the course of the last 20 years where we are doing more minimally invasive surgery where we can just go through and look at in an item in a joint through small little poke holes. And so I do a lot of that. And so ACL reconstructions, the main ligament in the knee that's injured. I see a lot of the surgery I love to do because you can get high level athletes who aren't able to perform. You can get them back to perform at an extremely high level and just about, you know, within a year or so they really can get back into doing a lot of what they want to do.
Same with shoulder problems. I do minimally invasive shoulder arthroscopy or shoulder scopes with rotator cuff tears and other problems of ligaments that are torn such as the labor room, which was torn when your shoulder dislocates or your shoulders slips out of socket. And then we're doing that with knee replacements as well for older individuals. And that's another very good procedures because within six to 12 weeks, patient who was really not able to get around for a significant amount of pain are able to be very functional and keep up everybody else by three months and they're really doing really well. So I like knee replacements for that reason as well.

Dr. Berry:
Alright, and let's talk because of course, you know that I have that contingent of Lunch and Learn members who don't want to do no surgery, right? So they always want to know, the nonsurgical things that you can help me with to try to get that function in that quality life back as much as possible.

Dr. Jason Hammond:
Yeah. So the tend to treating most orthopedic problems non-operatively is by decreasing inflammation and strengthening. And we decrease inflammation with first modifying your activities. If there's something that is causing you to have a pain or have a problem, you gotta cut back on that or stop that activity or alter or do it with a different way. And that's something that most people don't really think about. Like for instance, I am taking a boxing class and with my son and he did, we went to the for the first time yesterday, but I've been doing it for about six weeks now and hitting the bag over over the course of, you know, even one class over an hour you can develop some wrist pain and just have some, just kind of really hurts.
And he was trying to, after I saw him kind of wrapping it straps tighter in the class and afterwards, yeah, he say, he told me, “dad my hands and my wrists were hurting after the class”. And I was like, well you were just punching the bag too hard and just kind of back off on that and then it'll start to feel better and soon you'll be able to start getting better and be able to hit the back harder and do more. But you've got to start slow and then gradually build up. And so most people, when they first started to do something, they're overzealous and doing it too quickly or too much weight. They're moving or pressing or doing it just doing too much. And so, you know, gradually begin your activities. But if you're already in pain, then you want to cut back.
The other things that we can do are decreasing the inflammation with anti-inflammatory medicines. The most common medicines that we use or Ibuprofen and Naproxen, which is also a leaves. And so those anti-inflammatory medicines are really helpful because they worked at the source of decreasing the inflammation where the problem is. Tylenol is also helpful but that's more of a pain pill that kind of works in the brain, blood pain in the brain. But it still can be very helpful, especially for those who may have stomach problems and go get stomach upset from anti-inflammatory medicine. So those are the most common things. And then we can start thinking about strengthening. Physical therapy is very helpful. A lot of people who put there because they feel like I go to work, I do a lot of walking around. I got therapy on my own.
But they don’t do specific things to strengthened specific muscle group that would help them. You know, I was a victim of this as well. I was having some back issues at the joint, my back, my pelvis bone, my SI joint. The therapist were telling me, look, you just got to do some core strengthening, strengthening your abdominal muscles and your back muscles and you'll get better. And I was like, hey, I'm running a lot and doing it all this stuff and that it really, it wasn't helping. As soon as I started doing my core exercises, it started and that was, this was years and since I started doing my core exercises, it went away. So I'm a victim of that, but there's a specific treatment for in therapists are really helpful for many, many, many problems, you know. Then after that we got with different types of injections, the most common injection that we use for a knee arthritis or any type of arthritis or inflammation is cortisone to steroid medicine and decrease the inflammation. And that can be extremely helpful for patients with many different problems. In certain places that we can do injections of cortisone and there are certain places that were not able to do injections as well.

Dr. Berry:
You know what's interesting, I remember as a medical student when I went to my first mission trip and we had multiple disciplines there, so it was medical, dental, pharmacy, OT, PT and all these. And it was like the first time that I was able to kind of realize like, oh wow, like the therapy folks. Like actually we were planning this on work because I just never, obviously I never interacted with them, so I never knew how much work it actually did. And of course now as a hospital physician, I know they're extremely important, one getting my patients out the hospital. (That’s for sure.) And especially if I take care of a lot of the post-operative patients from orthopedic standpoint. One of the first things they're doing is they're consulting internal medicine, but they're not consulting physical therapy, occupational therapy, right? Like it's like we got to get the ball rolling as early as possible, which is always an interesting thing too. Like, especially from a hospital standpoint. Like, oh, you guys can like replace the knee, replace the hip and folks are like up and walk him in like that day. Like it's not even like literally that day people are already I got to walk. I had to go to the bathroom.

Dr. Jason Hammond:
Things are changed from that standpoint significantly. When I was first in my training back in the early two thousands patients would routinely stay in the hospital for three days for knee replacements at the minimum, sometimes five days. And now we're doing outpatient knee replacements where you go home the same day and so not the majority of them, but a lot of patients basically going home the same day. But at that they're just staying overnight. So in therapy is really important for that.

Dr. Berry:
So especially when we talk about things to change, I kind of alluded in the beginning. One of the things I like about you is the fact that you document, like I ain't talking about the hysteroscopy and the ligament tear. I've seen you do videos on that. Right? I want to start there. Right? What made you like say, you know what, I want to start documenting the amazing stuff I do because I think most people are like usually taking them back. Like, oh my God, that's what I need. And that's what it looks like inside of me. Like it's again, I'm in the field and I still get interested in seeing that type of stuff.

Dr. Jason Hammond:
Yeah. So it's very interesting. It's something that, there's a lot of things that kind of came together for me to really start doing that. One is, you know, guess we'll talk later. I have an entrepreneurial side and there's some things that I really wanted to be able to do, but I also need you to be comfortable with social media. Be comfortable with either talking on the platform or educating or just in general it'd be comfortable having people, you know, followed me.
Facebook and Instagram and you know, and opening myself up. All the stuff that comes with it. Right? So I had to kind of get over that and cause for many years I didn't even have a Facebook account. But I knew that if you're going to do you think from an entrepreneurial standpoint you should probably learn social media because that's the way things are going now. I had to do that. So then I had to figure out, okay, what am I going to do that good at? That might be an easy transition into this field. And so I decided that I think I'm going to give people a peek into my world and what I like to do. And so as I started to, I started off with just kind of talking about some of the things that I like. Started talking about things that we've been talking about as well. What we kind of treat things to operatively, non-operatively.
But I felt in some of the people, some of the comments I got were, is there something that we can be able to see? Is that, I thought that would be really interesting. And I thought about it. I would have loved when I was going in learning and wanting to be orthopedic surgeon. I would love to be able to see, okay, what is it that you actually do? Because I didn't get any of that until my third year of medical school. Right? So, and now I have students from medical, from middle school to high school in College. Everybody, people were interested in medicine, medicine orthopedics, but at least they get a chance to see kind of what this is and you know on the side, oh that's nothing that I don't want to do at all or it's pretty cool. I might be interested. So from that standpoint, that's the reason why I really started doing that. And my patients have been very supportive. They like to be able to, first of all, when I asked the patient if they would mind, you know, me videoing them, it seemed that we consent for that in our surgical procedures. And also, you know, it's all plan. I don't. It's all confidential and everything else.

Dr. Berry:
Yeah. I talked about the HIPPA monster before. You definitely don’t want to step hip hop monster toes. (That's for sure.) Anytime you see, I always have timelines as well. Like hey, if y'all seen me post, I talk about a patient and do this, easily leave. I've asked that patient multiple times and I have it written down. I might have it videotaped that yes I have permission to talk about it.

Dr. Jason Hammond:
Yes indeed. And so it is definitely important and I found that most patients actually love it. They love to be able to help others. They don't mind being able to share. I haven't really interviewed any patients about their problem. What I've done is when I'm in the office, you know, I'll be the one that's talking, you now have them move their leg or do something. But they really liked the fact that okay I'm educating others because you know, this is something that they had to learn about the hard way actually get injured to learn about this and they probably would be fine not knowing about it cause they don't want to be entered in the first place. But you know, I've had a lot of patients who have actually gone on my page because they've had the same problem. And I was like, look, I've posted about this. If you want to see it now, most patients don't want to see a surgery before they had the surgery. They’ll wait until after the surgery. They just don't when that anxiety. But I really have gotten a lot of good feedback from patients.

Dr. Berry:
I love it. Yeah. And it's so funny cause even on this podcast I have patients all the time who want to come and talk about their story and I have had one of my patients actually that was a former teacher of mine and she talked about her breast cancer diagnosis and kind of go into that process. But it is very interesting that patients really do like being a part of this process. Like it's not something that most patients shy from, which was always a scary thing because I thought like, oh my God, the patients don't want to do it. But you get more and more. And I guess while I'm over social media, I'm not sure what it is, but more and more people who actually kind of want to do it and want to be a part of it. They want to be able to say like, hey, that's my knee right there.

Dr. Jason Hammond:
I haven't really had to make a big leap though and get out of my comfort zone because I didn't know how it was going to go. I didn't know where, you know, how patients were going to react, how my colleagues were going to react, how just the whole social media universe, people will say all kinds of stuff. So I was really nervous and then, it took a couple of months for me to kind of get my groove and say, okay, people are digging this or something. I'm actually providing a service for folks and this kind of, it's gonna grown from there.

Dr. Berry:
So the thing, this is my most important, this is the part I love about this podcast, right? Then I'm able to bring guests and I have kind of two hats, right? Like I have the, obviously the physician hat. I do this medical thing. I do it well. Right? And then I have the entrepreneur hat that loves to see physicians really step outside themselves and like, and really kind of say like, hey, like I'm more than just a physician right? Shout out to Dr. Nii Darko, Docs Outside The Box. Right? Like so and actually I said podcasts, probably should be out. Let's talk about Dr. Hammond the entrepreneur, right? Because I'm very interested, right? Like, especially when I see a physician who able to kind of stand within our laurels, within their profession, but say, you know what, I want to do more.
A lot of times I get a lot of physicians who want to do more outside of medicine, but you actually are doing more still within it. And I think that's even more like, oh wow. Nice. So let's talk about like air support first, right? Let's talk about AireSupport. Then we're going to talk about your patented invention, which is crazy to me that you actually have an intervention that you were able to patent. It's just crazy because again, as a physician going to medical school, this isn't something we're taught. Unfortunately. I wish it was like, I wish that someone would say like, hey, take this business side of courses so you can, you know, do, do, do, do. We're like you gotta have mentioned his patent, so we're going to talk about that. Let's talk about AireSupport and kind of lean in to the invention you got.
Yeah, so AireSupport is a company that I started to kind of help within orthopedics. It is a company that will produce orthopedic braces and I've started off with the posture corrector. I launched a lumbar support brace with a hot cold pack. Then I've got a shoulder brace in, a hip brace coming up. It was really created it because I had developed another product that I'm still in the development process for Bunion pain. Back maybe two or three years ago, I was learning how to ski and I was getting really into skiing. And with skiing you've got to wear the ski boots that are very, I would say tight because have your foot kind of sloshing around with the skis at move with your body and your leg and as one. And my boots were a little too tight and I'd developed a Bunion and I'm on the inner part of my foot right at the base of my big toe.
And it was, it was extremely painful. I've never had anything like that. And it was painful to have to wear shoes because any pressure against my foot would hurt. I was training for a half marathon at that time and I couldn't even run. So I'll go with the product that would push the shoe away from the Tinder area on my foot. So I would be able to walk. And it works really well and then decided, okay, I want to be able to figure out how can I develop this and distributed myself. I didn't know anything about marketing or I didn't have any distribution channels or anything like that. And you know as this was during the same time I was trying to invent my other products and but I decided that I didn't want to license this one out. I wanted to kind of do it myself.
So that's what AireSupport was born because I needed to develop a model for me to launch products and have a distribution channel. And I decided to go with Amazon and so learning how to find the products that I would like to sell, finding a manufacturer and another country halfway around and around the world and China and going through developing it to my specifications and then having them, the, you know, manufacturers and then getting it shipped to the US and that's a whole another story now for the terrorist that…

Dr. Berry:
I'll guess I'll say I was like tarrifs doing thing.

Dr. Jason Hammond:
Yeah. That's going to be another factor. And then we have getting into the States and then getting into Amazon and then getting into all the different customers and been advertising and all that stuff. But to back up a little bit, I really wanted to start something where I wasn't dependent on working to make money. I wouldn't, depending on actually having to physically be somewhere to make a dime, because you're limited. You have a ceiling. You can only work so many hours a day. I have two hands and two feet and one mouth. Depending on what your industry is, there's only so much you can do during the day and that is your cap. You can hire employees and other things, but then you're limited based on your number of employees. But you know too, there's a difference between being an employee yourself, being self-employed, which is you've got the luxury of just owning your own job and you can do what you want, but you still are limited in the amount of hours that you can work. And there's a great book by Robert Kiyosaki called Cashflow Quadrant that I love.

Dr. Berry:
Oh, I love that book. (Yeah. Awesome.) That when you go on from E, to S, to the B.

Dr. Jason Hammond:
Yes. So going to that side, when you become a business owner or an investor, then that opens your door and there's no limit on the amount of income that you can create. But it's not that simple because we're not taught this anywhere. I mean, we're not taught that in schools and that's Robert Kiyosaki's mission to teach people how to do this kind of thing. So I was trying to create ways to be able to invest in and start businesses that would work for me that I wouldn't have to work in. And going through a lot of trial and error for a lot of different types of things. I said, I decided, look, I'm wanting to do what I know best. What do I know? Okay. I know orthopedics. So let me go within that niche because we know that other thing, we started a restaurant, we've done some real estate. I wrote a book recently. I've done a lot of different things but so I wanted to work in my orthopedic field and that's kind of really how that was born in my inventing started to come about and how AireSupport was born.

Dr. Berry:
And so let's talk about the invention, right? Because again, Lunch and Lean community, all of the links to AireSupport, invention, will all be in the show notes, so you'll definitely get a chance to look. And of course, especially his Instagram, right? If you've got to choose one thing to follow, right, you follow his Instagram so you can see the videos. I'm not sure are the videos on Facebook too? I know I just followed you on Instagram, so I don’t know if the…

Dr. Jason Hammond:
I’m post the same thing in Facebook. (Okay.) It is harder to scroll on Facebook than Instagram.

Dr. Berry:
That's interesting. So you know, if you gotta choose one, follow the Instagram. His Instagram is great sight to see. So let's talk about this invention. Right? Because again, I'm always, I'm like wow, the invention, that's crazy. That's just crazy to me to take it to that level. But I could see you if you're already in that mindset where you're trying to get to the point where you don't, and this probably hits home harder for a surgeon where your bread and butter is with your hands doing a procedure, doing the work. But again, you can only do a procedure on one person at a time. Right? So that's that. So regardless of how much you get paid to do that, you can only do it at four o'clock. You can only do it on one person like that. You can't do it on 10 people at the same time. Right? But when you expand yourself and you get these businesses and you get this, then you're able to kind of serve so many people all at the same time and not take your time away. Which I think is the biggest commodity as a physician that we don't realize we have that we give away, unfortunately.

Dr. Jason Hammond:
Yeah, for sure. Yeah. So you know, being an inventor, I felt like I was on an island because I never knew anybody who invented anything. Or people say they invented stuff, but you know that really all I thought about that, oh yeah, I should have done that. Somebody stole that idea from me. But nobody's really doing anything that I knew of so I had to kind of walk through the weeds myself and just kind of swimming through mud, trying to figure out where do I even start. And I always have an eye, you know, whenever I look at something, I was like, how can I make this better? Or this gotta be a better way to do something to do this. And then something a little bit more seriously in then I say okay. If I see something and I wanted to see how I make it better than I would Google it and say, okay, is this thing already out there?
And then the vast majority of times somebody has already done it, somebody is already figured it out or how to make this better or kind of come up with the idea or something like that. And so I started doing it in a surgery as well. What is it that I can do to make this procedure better? Or just getting some technical pearls. And I started working on the actual procedure and making the procedure easier for me to do. That's where anything that I was inventing. I was just inventing slick ways to do a knee replacement, how, you know, like a little trickier, a little trick there. And then, for shoulder arthroscopy in particular, there we are working through these little small poke holes in the skin. And what happens is we got to get these little thin instruments through the skin and the muscle into the joint.
And in order to do that we've got to make a little conduit to be able to get the instrument in and out easily so it doesn't get snagged the tissue. And so there's kind of, which are called cannolis and the vast majority of these cannula are hard plastic and a lot of them are clear plastic. So it's kind of like taking a paper towel to the role and side of the paper towel or toilet paper. It's like similar to that or like a straw even on a smaller scale. And you and so it pushes the tissue away and you can go in and out of the cylinder and easily, if I getting snagged on tissue. There is a company that made a soft of this, made out of silicone and there's some benefits to the soft one because when you have your instrument in the tissue, through cannula and in the joint. You can move the instrument around a lot easier because it's not restricted by the hard cannula.
The problem with trying to put this soft cannula into this portal is that you got to jam it in there. You got to clamp it on and then you jam it into the joint and that was very frustrating because the clamp, it would dislodge from the clamp because it slip off. It would just not go where you want it to go.

Dr. Berry:
The technical aspects of that is as loose as it should.

Dr. Jason Hammond:
No, it was matte. A lot of surgeons that are not even use cannula, because cannula is hard to get in and I'll stick with the original one. The original one are fairly easy. You just kind of shove it in and then it's in there. But the flimsy ones are not. So that was very frustrating for me and I was talking to some other surgeons and like, yeah, that they also had the same issue with it.
And so I decided I was going to talk to company and see if we can come up with an idea to be able to get this cannula in there a little bit better. So I went and talked with the company and they were, they were, you know, kind of lukewarm because they get hundreds of doctors talking to them about inventions all the time. It's just there like, okay, what do you got? Majority of people don't have anything real that they can work with. And so they said, okay, we can, I like the concept and this. So they decided to start doing a little prototype. And the prototype that they came up with didn't work. Kind of tore, the silicone was pretty soft and then whenever you're inserting it would tear the silicone. So they abandoned, they're like, no, we're not going to climb up at this. You're going to do it on your own.
And so I had to come up with a design and then figured out how to get it to work. And you know, what I came up with was, you know, a weight. So if you take a string, it's hard to push a string, but you can and get it to go anywhere because it fold up. But if we pushed it back into the string and folds up, but if you take the front end of the string and you pull it, then it can go wherever you want it to go. So what I did was if you take like a paper clip and you kind of put a little bit of the string in the paper clip, then you can pull the string where you want to go. And if you have it.
And so if you can imagine that paperclip with the string and then going into tissue, the string, this folds and then you can pull it into the joint. Well, something similar to what I developed. I had a little stick device with the oval cutout similar to a paper clip and you just put the cannular inside of that oval cutout and then you just kinda pull it into the joint and it works. And it really was, you know, it was something that I wasn't expecting this to work so well actually. (Any doubts at first?) So at first I had like a sliding device that would pinch it in place. And whenever a pinched them in place and I put it into the joint, they would tear every time. So I just got rid of the sliding device that we're pinching the place and just like the whole open and just kind of have us sit in the hole.
And then it just went in and it will pop three and a slide the tick out. And every time it would work. And so I took it back to Arthrex and they worked for us is the company that I decided to work with and they said, this is really nice. Let me just, let's take it to some of our surgeons have having come in evaluated. And the overwhelming majority of the surgeons really liked it. It was a big difference compared to the previous. And then they decided, okay, so then they decided to, before I really worked with them though, I put in the provisional patents, so I got some protection and then the patent office actually granted me the pen because it was a unique and novel and then the aspects at the licensed the product from, and so with licensing, you know, every time a product is sold, get a royalty from that. And so, and they, you know, Arthrex is a worldwide company and so. (I love it.) It's starting to grow. I just, we just got the first products out in September and every quarter. I see that it's growing and growing.

Dr. Berry:
Do you have any promotion with it or is the company essentially kind of like man in that?

Dr. Jason Hammond:
Yeah, so the beauty of licensing is the company takes care of everything. You just sit back and you know, you don't have to really do much at all. You know, I can talk about the invention at the level of people know about it, but they're doing most of the marketing and promoting. That now there's pluses and minuses to that because they have full control. You get paid less because they've got full control. Right. But that's with any royalty agreement, they pretty much, you give them the rights to pretty much own the crowd, even though you, I do own the patent and everything, you give them the rights to promote and do everything else, you know? So that's, that's the pluses and minuses of doing something on your own versus licensing it. But this isn't a product that I would be able to promote on my own anyway because it's directly…

Dr. Berry:
It’s the niche that is in that you would need someone like within that circle to be able to kind of do whatever, yes, I love it. Absolutely love it. Like that's the level ingenuity. I love to see out of our physicians and I hope someone listens to this, especially, you know, our physician colleagues and they say, wow, you know what, let me get off my butt. Right? Because I've been talking about that same like I shouldn't have did this. I should've did that. And how long was this process? Right? Just to give people an idea. Was this like a year? 10 years?

Dr. Jason Hammond:
I first started talking to Arthrex in 2000. I first started the idea in 2015 and I went to them and so that was like around January, February, 2015. And I went to them in April of 2015. And they decided to do a product and then the status and it didn't work for them. So they abandoned it and then I figured it out. And then in like early 2016 I went back to them with the, with the product and then they said, okay, we're going to license it. So we signed a contract in September of 2016 and the product didn't get launched until September of 2018. So it was a three year process. But you know the time was going to go regardless. (Exactly. Oh thank you.) Yeah, whether I was going to work on it and not, it was still going to be 2018 and that would have been looking back like man, I should have did that.

Dr. Berry:
I should have did that in 2016 I should have started and now 2018 and I'm still talking about starting. I like it.

Dr. Jason Hammond:
Exactly. But it's not an easy process. It takes time and you know, out of hundreds of thoughts and ideas, maybe five will be worth pursuing and then out of those five, maybe 0.5 will actually pan out. But it is worth it and it's something that you get some level of satisfaction as well when we accomplish something that people haven't done.

Dr. Berry:
Wow. So again, first of all, thank you for serving as that lead because again, I really do feel that you're probably going to motivate some physicians, some medical students, some premed, not only to go into orthopedics or just to go on medicine in general just because they're seeing amazing things you're doing. But then say like, oh, I can do a step further. So, and I appreciate you serving as the pioneer and you know, putting your foot out there and say like, I'm ready to go and put some work yet. So definitely thank you for that.
Dr. Jason Hammond:
Yeah, sure. Thank you.

Dr. Berry:
So of course, before you know, obviously I catch you long here, so before I let you go, is there anything like, because this is like, I call this the promo hour for my guests, right? Is there anything like, are you kind of alluded to the book, I know you have an illustration, but like you kind of alluded to the book, you kind of alluded to some, what are the things you have out there that people may be able to consume? And you know, obviously most important thing is where can we get this stuff? Cause that's obviously going to be in the show notes, but let the folks know where can they find some of this stuff to be able to kind of look up and see how you're doing?

Dr. Jason Hammond:
Sure. I have written a book on stem cell used for joint pain. So for people who want to know what that is all about and trying to do conservative treatments instead of going after a knee replacement and they want to know what stem cells are and what they're not. Or you can find that in the book and sign. So you can go to my author page, just amazon.com backslash author backslash Dr. Jason Hammond or even just go to amazon.com and search for Dr. Jason Hammond. And the book is called the GUUD book. And that’s G U U D. The GUUD Book on Stem Cells for Joint Pain. And if you're interested in some lumbar support, braces, hot and cold gel packs or pasta correctors, you can go airesupport.com and A. I. R. E. S. U. P. P. O. R. T. There's a 20% discount Promo code on that as well. Just, you know, like I said, follow me on Instagram or Facebook. You just go to Dr. Jason Hammond, to search with that and you'll find me there.

Dr. Berry:
Love it. So I always ask my guests this question, how can what you do help empower really others to really take better care of their physical joint, bone health, all of that?

Dr. Jason Hammond:
Yeah. So you know, I think that decreasing your stress in your life is huge. For mental health and for physical health. And I think a major stressor is your financial health. If you can get your financial health together in that being significant debt, try to start a business. You have an alternative forms of income that will, if you can be debt free, that will take so much stress out of your life as a person out of your marriage, out of your… or with your kids, all kinds of stuff. So just try to find a niche that you're interested in and then get rid of that stress in your life from money. Money should not be a stressor. It should be an avenue for you to be able to help others. You know? I think also just stay active and you know, that's what I try to help other people to do. Stay physically active. But go we, when you start running or you start getting in the gym, whatever it goes slow start with at, it’d been gradually built up. And so, you know, you want to have emotional health, you want to have financial health. You want to be physically healthy and you're gonna really be able to impact your family, your community your future. If you can do all those things.

Dr. Berry:
Perfect. And of course my family would kill me right if I didn't get you to talk about this. Of course, we're actually recording this the day after game five of the NBA finals. It's so funny because I was like, oh, you know what, I was actually talking to a sports medicine specialists like tomorrow. The conspiracy theory that's running around my house now, right? Is that Kevin Durant always had an Achilles injury and he just like reinjured it, right? Like they pushed him that. I feel like he had a calf injury at first and then he got to kill his injury, right? Like you're obviously, this is you, right? This is your field. This is your Ballpark, right? Like and again, I'm not sure if you watch basketball, but like what?

Dr. Jason Hammond:
So I didn't see the, you know, I saw the injury, the replay. I wasn't watching it when it first happened. It's hard to tell from a replay where, what and stuff like that. The most common calf strain as you get is a caching and the actual muscle belly just below the muscle belly where you know where the lump on your calf muscle is right in the mid-calf. That's the most common place where you can get a calf strain and that usually will heal on its own with just rest. But usually can take up to four weeks or so, a while for that to heal up. And you know, I don't know exactly where he reinjured it, but they said Achilles that is further mess further down, you know, near the heel bone at that core right behind your ankle.
And so that is significantly more severe injury than a calf sprain that is higher up. They could have been trying to say that it was not as bad as it was. I think that he probably had more of a strain right at the tendon muscle junction before. It's hard to know if this is something that if he needs surgery for this, this isn't that good. And I think he probably, I wouldn't think, I would think he reinjured the same thing. This is probably worse. It's probably, it would be really unfortunate to have a completely separate injury right on in the same leg. That it's probably something that's made the initial injury worse. But this is significantly an unfortunate. Obviously I don't have the MRI records of what happened to him but if he had a separate Achilles injury that would be, you know, that would be devastating for him.

Dr. Berry:
And I think that's where conspiracy theorists are going because they're like, well, he always had the ice closer to his, the bottom of the foot and not really near the meat, you know the calf. So they always assumed it was the Achilles and then they pushed them out too far. This is what's going on the social media sphere as we speak.

Dr. Jason Hammond:
This is significant. I think he may have been pushed too soon cause they can take a while for this calf to get better for sure.

Dr. Berry:
I know I have to ask that question because I knew they were going to like what are you, why you didn’t ask him yet?

Dr. Jason Hammond:
Oh I understand. This is big. Somebody thinks he's the best in the world. So this is this a big hit for him especially during is a new contract year.

Dr. Berry:
Alright. So again, thank you Dr. Hammond for coming on and really just enlightened and encouraging and empowering Lunch and Learn community with giving self together physical health to bone health, joint health and then really kicking up the entrepreneurial spirit here as well and letting us know that it definitely more you can do within all of the great stuff that you're doing.

Dr. Jason Hammond:
Well appreciated Dr. Berry, thanks for having me. Thing you need, you know, I'm here for you. Anything Lunch and Learn community needs from me, they can reach out to me, they can direct message me or reach out to me through you. I’m here for them.

Dr. Berry:
Perfect. Perfect. Again, ladies and gentlemen, we will see you guys next week. Again, remember, subscribe. Tell a friend and tell a friend and please fall out a hammer. Like I said, like especially if you're not gross at home. If you’re gross, obviously don't blame me for it, right? But if you not, most of the people I follow at, definitely worth the follow for sure.

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Let's Talk about Men's Social Relationships... On this week's episode of the Lunch and Learn with Dr. Berry we have Dr. Jameson Mercier, a Licensed Clinical Social Worker and Doctor of Marriage and Family Therapy. His areas of specialization include Marriage/Family Therapy and fatherhood and this week the Lunch and Learn Community is in for a treat as he comes on to discuss the importance of social relationships for men and what happens when the correct ones are not in place.

As we wrap up the end of men's health month I thought it would be extremely important to touch on mental health in men. When we talk about men's health month quite often we focus on the big diseases such as prostate cancer, colon cancer, and addiction but I know that I have come across many men who have these poor social habits and how it affects all their relationships.

I talked about this before but as a outpatient clinical specialist one of the top 2 reasons why men would come to see me for an appointment was either someone was dragging them to the office or erectile dysfunction complaints.

A recent journal article noted:

"Social connections can act as a buffer against the impact of stressful or negative life experiences on mental health, the onset of mental ill health, including depression and suicidal behavior and can increase the likelihood of those with mental health problems seeking professional help."

Social relation is defined as the relationship between two individuals and I know that after listening to this episode you are going to come away with a much better understanding of why your male family member acts the way they act.

Remember to subscribe to the podcast and share the episode with a friend or family member

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Download Episode 114 Transcript

Episode 114 Transcript...

Introduction

I've talked about it all the time wherein medicine, I sometimes have trouble getting my men to open up to me to tell me like, hey, I'm having these medical related problems. So you can only imagine the difficulty he may be experiencing and not maybe he actually does and experience when dealing with getting men to open up about their mental health wellness and wellbeing. So again, I wanted to kind of give a little quick little bio just so you can understand just how important this guy, Dr. Mercier is for not only discussion but just the topic of mental health in general. So Dr. Jameson Mercier is a licensed clinical social worker. Like I said, a doctor in Marriage and Family Therapy where he got his Ph.D. and family therapy from Nova southeastern university. He also earned a bachelor's and master's degree in social work from the University of South Florida and Barry University, is areas of specialization include marriage and family therapy as well as fatherhood.

He is a qualified supervisor for the state of Florida for clinical social work, family therapy, and mental health counseling interns. Dr. Mercier provides counseling for families, couples as well as individuals. He consults with businesses, nonprofits, churches, and government organizations. He has been featured in various media outlets including Hot 105, The Miami Herald, The Discovery Channel, Bustle, and Huffington Post. He and his wife own a private practice called Mercier Wellness and Consulting. And ladies and gentlemen, most importantly, especially if you have a kind of been up to speed on everything, he and his wife actually have a podcast as well, which is called The Couple's Counsel. And me and my wife had actually had the opportunity to join onto the show and really talk about our relationships and how we deal with growing up with a child with autism. Right. So if you had not had a chance, I will link that episode, link in the show notes as well.

Just like you can get a chance to obviously get in touch with their podcast. You listen to their podcast, subscribe to their podcast here. Me and my wife kind of discuss our journey parenting a child with autism. Of course the theme today is Men's Health Month and we're talking about mental health. We’re talking about social connections and relationships and I really wanted to hit this home because again, I've talked about the cancer's a lot, right? You know, earlier this month I talked about just making sure they go do their wellness exam. We had doctor Jen who actually hit home erectile dysfunction, sexual health. So again, we've talked about a lot of huge topics when we talk about men’s health and I figured there was no way I could end this month, a discussion on men's health without speaking on the mental health aspect of it. Right? So like always, if you have not had a chance, go ahead subscribe to the podcast and leave a five-star review. Again, I want you to follow Mercier. All of his information will be in the show notes as well. Get on their podcasts, subscribe to their podcast, five-star review their podcasts as well because it's actually amazing. And get ready for another amazing episode here on the Lunch and Learn with Dr. Berry.

Episode

Dr. Berry:
Alright Lunch and Learn community, you just heard another amazing introduction to Dr. Jameson. I've actually had the opportunity to not only meet in internet spirit out, you know, a lot of us get a chance to talk to, also met personally and been able to collaborate on different events here and there and definitely fortunate enough to get this gentleman. A personal actually well-respected on the podcast. Dr. Jameson Mercier, first of all, thank you for coming to the podcast and educating the Lunch and Learn community today.

Dr. Jameson Mercier:
It's my honor. Thank you for the invite.

Dr. Berry:
So you know, I gave your introduction, which again amazing. Again, it's been this running theme that a lot of our guests have our resume that I'm sometimes in awe of as myself. But for someone who, you know, they read it, they read your bio, what is something that they may not be able to know about you that isn't necessarily in our typical bio?

Dr. Jameson Mercier:
Funny, you should ask I guess a little known trivia or the little known fact I suppose because of the line of work that I'm in. So mental health counseling, I realize maybe a long time ago, but really a few years ago just how much I needed to be able to do something for myself to be able to disconnect and separate and recharge. And so I am, I want to call myself an avid outdoorsman, but living here in South Florida and the city, there's only so much outdoors. (You’re right.) But I enjoyed being outside. I enjoy camping. As a matter of fact, tomorrow we leave for a camping trip and then we leave for a road trip that involves another week of camping. It's going to be a four-week road trip. (Wow.)

So I do that because if you do 8, 10, 12 hours sometime working with people, counseling, mental health medicine, as you well know, you need to be able to separate that and give your mind something to focus on other than people's problems and patients who may not be compliant. And so for me, the way I kind of maintain some of my own sanity and my own mental health, getting outside, whether that's fishing, whether that's just going out by the water or anything, really that's something I enjoy and I've started taking the kids, my wife, her dean will join me sometimes. We're documenting some of that. Just side notice, a little passion project. We have a new Instagram and YouTube channel that's called Creel Adventures.

Dr. Berry:
Okay. Alright. And the links will be in the show notes because I definitely wanna hear about this.

Dr. Jameson Mercier:
Yeah. And so all that is, is simply, you know, me disconnecting, being out in nature, doing some camping, fishing and just something just to recharge my mental, my emotional so I can come back and be just as good.

Dr. Berry:
I love it. And when you're doing these things right, you're like there are no cell phones, as disconnected as can be. Right? So it's not like you're going, but you're bringing all the technology with you?

Dr. Jameson Mercier:
No, no. As a matter of fact, when I go out and I go camping, I tried to get as primitive as possible. Right. You know, so I don't need no hookup for electricity. I don't need anything. (Oh, wow. Okay.) But when you bring your kids, and especially when you bring your wife who maybe lacks the creature comforts, (yes) there's some compromise that needs to happen there. But I could go without it. I don't need it. And you know, that stemmed from a couple of years, three or four years now did I did a show with the discovery channel where I was in the woods for two weeks. It was a survival show. So no, it was not naked and afraid. It was not naked and afraid. There was another show.

But when you spend two weeks in the wilderness with a knife, some matchsticks and a canteen of water, you really begin to realize how little you need to survive. How little you need and how much, how good that does just to be disconnected and totally in nature. And so that really was a boost for me and I tried to get out there as often as I can.

Dr. Berry:
That’s amazing. Again, we'll definitely make sure where he got the links to that because I'm very interested as well. I'm not outdoorsman but you could probably convince me to go for a day or two, where you're going on for a week. So I'm definitely alright. (Do it man. Do it.) A question I ask, obviously when we talk about the disconnection, right? Your primary field is therapy. My wife's mental health therapy field as well. And it's definitely something that I know has made me a better physician because of it and because of the acknowledgment that I can only do so much. Without addressing the mental health aspect of a person. What drove you to that direction in the first place? What was it that made you say, you know what, this is something I could see myself doing?

Dr. Jameson Mercier:
So there's a couple of stories that come together to answer that for the sake of time, I'll give you the condensed version. When I was young, I was about eight or nine, my dad died and my mother was left to raise my brother and me and my sister. And at the time we did, you know, you have the church that supports you and they come and they kind of sit and pray with you. But we did not get any kind of counseling, traditional counseling, professional counseling. And in hindsight, we could have definitely benefited from even just a few sessions as a family, of grief counseling or of just some regular run of the mill counseling, whatever that might be. You know, just to kind of process what's going on. Because as I got older, I was angry. I was rebellious. Looking back, I was not as destructive as some would say, but I could see how some of my actions stemmed from the loss of my father.
And so when I got into college and I was struggling. I was like, you know, let me just kind of figure this out. And when I realized that if I had gotten some counseling, things we've gotten did go different from me as it there's got to be more people who could benefit from what I didn't get.

And so originally I wanted to do psychology, but I'll leave that to the guys who like to do the testing and assessments. I wanted to be in the homes with the families dealing with some of these issues. And social work is what I discovered with social work. And once I found social work, I hit the ground running and then I decided to specialize in marriage and family therapy because the issues that we are seeing in society, a lot of times really do stem from dysfunction within the home and within the family. (Let's talk about it. I love it.) What happens, they go unresolved. They go unaddressed and then they cycle and we talk about this, you know, there's that generational cycles. Some people will call it a generation occurs. It's simply a matter of not resolving what you know exists within your family and these patterns we just hand them down. One generation after another. And so I resolved myself to break that cycle within my family and to help other people who are willing to break these dysfunctional cycles and patterns within their relationships.

Dr. Berry:
What’s very interesting and especially the focus of marriage and family and understanding like where it starts and within. We talked this month, this is Men's Health Month. And when I was thinking about the topics that I wanted to kinda touch on, which is very typical, right? You know, the prostate cancer, colon, all of these things that happen to men and know men do not get in themselves together. I think a lot of times the mental health aspect is when that kind of gets brushed over, unfortunately. And more importantly, especially when we're talking about men and, and I know you, obviously you have kind of established a niche, right? Where you like talking to men. Like that's your thing, right? Which is always interesting. Because like I always figured we'd probably be the most difficult, the niche to deal with. We were terrible.

Dr. Jameson Mercier:
We are terrible. And I recognize that. I recognize just how bad men are when it comes to talking and communicating. Even with our wives sometimes, you know, the women in our lives, our kids, and it isn't that we don't want to. In my own experience has shown me that everything we want to say or should say is right there behind our teeth. It's on the back of the, on the inside of our lips. A lot of us, yes, we're not taught how to communicate like that. A lot of us didn't see it modeled for us.

And so it isn't that we don't get the urge, we just can't bring our lips together to say those things we know are there, you know? So in my practice, when I get dad or a man or husband, whatever he is in life when I get them while they're in my office or on a virtual call, I hold on to that guy. I do not take it for granted because I understand all the things that had to happen (before you could get to it.) Oh man! (Wow. Okay.) You know, and it's interesting when it's almost like a friend, you know, it's almost like bro, I've been for you. And he's like yo, that unspoken conversation that happens and if there's a wife or girlfriend there, they don't understand. But I am just so glad to see men who show up to have those conversations.

Dr. Berry:
And what I love about, especially the motivation behind episode like this is when, and of course I'm doing my research. I'm looking up mental health and you know, all of the issues that men need to deal with. And I came across this a very interesting article. It was actually in the Journal of American Men's Health. And it hit me. Because it talks about social connections and really the lack thereof. It talks about men's health, it talks about the lack of proper support which led to a lot of the different issues I deal with on the medical side. Whether it's noncompliance, whether it be alcohol and substance abuse, where it on all of these things that I do from a medical side that this article really said like, hey, you know what, if they actually like established some good stuff, in the beginning, it wouldn't be a problem.

But unfortunately, we don't. And then we ended up dealing with me, unfortunately. And so I want to talk about like, this was one of this first sentence kind of hit me right off the head. It said social connections can act as a buffer against the impact of stressful or negative life experiences on mental health. The onset of mental ill health, including depression and suicidal behavior and, can increase the likelihood of those mental health problems from being sought. And I didn't realize. Again, I may be naive because of course that's not my field. How important these social relationships and social connections are when it comes to men, that was something that kind of like took me abreast. Is that something that you find not just to be a common thing, but sometimes like it's in that issue where like wow, like yeah, they really have problems from the beginning just talking to people?

Dr. Jameson Mercier:
Yes, men, we do. But let me give you an example that in my mind and in my opinion crystallizes that phrase that you just read. When you look at the military and you take these 20 men, 50 men, hundred men, whatever the case is, and you put them in a group, you put them through some very difficult stuff. This is even before they go to battle, but you put them through boot camp, you put them through whatever school they're going to together. They eat and sleep together. They do everything together. When they actually do, then go and see theater, they go to war. They have much better cohesion. They operate so much better.

When you compare one guy who did not move with them and was dropped in after the fact. So the one guy, for example, was not part of this community. Okay, so there's something about being in a group that does buffer you, that does keep you safe. The guys who are suffering depression, the guys who are battling thoughts of suicide, they're not part of a group. They're not. It's very hard to remain sad and depressed when you are amongst a group. It's hard, one, the group on lets you, but even if you just kind of stay on the periphery on the fringes, there's something that happens there, you know, and they've studied this all along, especially in guys who are in the military. When you move together with a group, when you have that accountability and we don't need 50 guys, one or two good guys, good friends, it is a protective factor. Totally. This is why an AA, they do the group thing and they have the sponsor thing. This is why they are designed like that because that accountability from the groups, it's hard to recreate that.

Dr. Berry:
Does that kind of like lessen the burden? Does that kind of lesson, oh it totally causes they're gonna face the stressors? But like because you do it within a group setting it's not as much? Is that the thought process?

Dr. Jameson Mercier:
Yeah. It's not that you don't face it. It is that when you do face it, you have other people on which to share the load. It's funny, we go to school and we study all these things and I realize if I just watch women when it comes to this whole social contract thing. (Okay.) So much because women have this thing down the pack. If you're with five or six women at work or at a conference one we'll get up and they'll say, I'm going to the bathroom and then two or three will get up. I'm coming with you. As men, we don't do that. (No.) We don't do that. We don't even announce it. We just get up. I'll be back. If if we say that much, you know what I mean? And I had this conversation with a colleague of mine. I said, why do you guys announce that you're going to the restroom? And she looked at me, she says, I do? It's something they didn't even notice that. (So kind of like ingrained in them to say, like hey.) Something they do, anybody wants to come. And so go into the bathroom is not about going to the bathroom for them it's about, it's a social activity.

Dr. Berry:
Especially because the theory that adds there, right? Like that's either ingrained in them. Right? Versus from a like either genetic standpoint or just a social construct. They've grown up since they were little with these similar patterns. Do you find that's the case for men? Right. We're just ingrained to be individual. We're just ingrained to be alone and we almost have to be placed in army barracks type situation before we'll go out and join forces and hold hands. I wonder about that?

Dr. Jameson Mercier:
Well you know, when I think back and I observed kids, boys play like that. Boys and girls move and little cliques and groups and herds, but there comes a point where we make boys feel like that's not cool. You know, in elementary school boys will go to the bathroom together and boys will actually do like girls do and play in the bathroom. But somewhere along the line, they get this message that boys don't do that.

And what we don't realize is, we begin to eat away at something that is very much beneficial. And so when they're young, we tell them they can't hang like that. When they're teenagers, you definitely don't do that for whatever homophobic reasons for whatever negative stereotypes. Men just don't do that until you find yourself in your mid-twenties and 30s and forties and now for you to say to a guy, hey, how are you doing? It's very awkward. (Let's talk about it.) It's awkward.

It’s unfortunate, and I'll even take it further. I think there's something about black men in particular where this kind of seeing another man and just kind of approach, hey brother, how are you doing? Are you good? How are you feeling? Approaching another brother, another black man and saying, hey, how's your day going? Are you good? You know, the man, being a man, if we're to be a man, we can't be like that.

Dr. Berry:
And you know, I'm glad we kind of touched on this because of this kind of segues into my next concern. What is like the role of masculinity? Because I think we've kind of danced around what that it is, right? When they go from elementary school to middle school to high school too, you know, I think we danced around it, at least in my thought. Right? I've talked about it and sometimes I don't want to say sometimes I do blame masculinity in a lot of the different concerns, at least I see on the medical side. Versus them coming to see me for physicals for them even allow me to do certain physical exams that I need to do properly, like a dresser. What has been your experience on the relationship of masculinity and mental health and these social constructs when we talk about their social relationships in general?

Dr. Jameson Mercier:
Yeah. You know, if you're gonna be a man, if you're going to be masculine, you gotta be tough. You got to keep whatever issues you have inside. And so on your end, it's the medical stuff where at your legs been hurting, your back's been hurting, you walk in all crooked, hunched over, but you gotta be a man. You can't complain about that. On my side, yeah, you might be feeling sad. You might be depressed. You might be crying in your car. You might be sitting in your truck for an hour, just unable to pull it together. But you can't tell nobody that because men don't cry. Nobody wants to hear men complain. All kinds of just jacked up ideas. You know if you're going to be tough, if you're going to be a man, there are just some things that you don't do. Right? All the emotional stuff or the soft stuff, whatever the hell that is or those are, it's unfortunate.

Dr. Berry:
First of all, I think that’s 100% head on. Right? And for those who, Lunch and Learn community, usually when I talk about, when men come to my office to do the yearly physicals and I see their significant other or family member there, a lot of times they usually won't say nothing unless I ask the question like, oh is there anything else going on? And they'd be like, no. And I'm like, hey you better tell them about this. This is like, they're ready because they just assume like, like this person I'm sitting in there isn't going to tell you the full story.

Dr. Jameson Mercier:
They know. And so in my case, especially if I'm working with couples, I'll see them together a couple of sessions and then I separate them still. I see them on individual sessions and it's not until I get the guy by himself in my office, I get this whole narrative and I'm like, bro, we've been together for a couple of weeks. Why didn't you say this? And the reason why is because his wife or his girlfriend was there. And I'm like, whoa, how much are you not saying? Because you live with this person.

Dr. Berry:
Exactly. Interesting. Okay. Alright. Let's see. Let's see. Alright. I don't want to say I'm glad it happens on the mental health side, but I'm glad it's not just a medical.

Dr. Jameson Mercier:
No, no. We as men have a lot of problems, man. And I say that as lovingly and understandingly as possible. (Sure.) Because we just, I'll tell you a quick story. When I was in college, I was at 24, 25. I went to see my primary and I was working like crazy. I was studying, I had two and a half jobs still broke. So the stress was this way and heavy. And I came down with what I thought was a fever or a cold, and I went to see my doctor and they were like, ah, after a couple of tests they thought I had lymphoma. And so I'm like, I don't even know how to spell that. Like much less what that is. (Wow.) You know? And at the time my wife and I were dating, I go to the doctor and I come back, she goes, how was the doctor's appointment? How did it go? I'm like, eh, it was ok.

Dr. Berry:
Oh wow. Lunch and Learn community, I'm really laughing because you'd be surprised how often, like that conversation occurs and they'll be like, I just told my husband, he said, nothing went and his appointment was fine. I'm like, no. It wasn't like I told them this, this.

Dr. Jameson Mercier:
Man, listen. And so the week I went, my wife was supposed to travel for a little bit. My wife, my girlfriend at the time. And so I let her leave without telling her anything. And so I think the following day, however it played out, I had a biopsy scheduled and I'm living with a bunch of guys at this time and I said to the guys, hey, I'm might need a ride to the doctor. I didn't say hospital. (You didn't even tell them why?) And I'm living in a room in a house with four or five guys, including my brother. And so they dropped me off. I walk in, I have my biopsy. In a biopsy, they put you under and it down there like all day. And my wife was looking for me later that night. She was out of town, she couldn't find me.

So finally she calls my brother and she's like, hey, I can't find Jameson, what's up? He's like, Oh yeah, I took him to a doctor's appointment. She's like, what doctor's appointment? And then he says doctor’s appointment at the hospital and my wife, she like, (hold on.) sharp tool, man. She goes, who the hell has a doctor's appointment at the hospital? And it's like nine o'clock at night and they're still there? Bro, and so I had to come clean and so, and again, I look back and I’m just like, that is so dumb. That is like so dumb. I'm not too hard on myself because I was in my twenties, but still, that is dumb. And I can excuse the young, my youth, the ignorance of my youth to some extent, but at 40 and 50 and 60, my God, there is absolutely no reason at all.

Dr. Berry:
And it still happens, for sure still happens. Which is wow, it's very interesting because you aren't telling a unique story bro. (I wish I was. I wish I was.) Okay. Alright, see. Like I said, I like this kindred spirit that we got going on here, right? Because like now I'm seeing how much on the mental health side, you guys clearly have the deal. We have just as much, if not more than we deal with on the medical side because you know, we were so personal. We think like, all right, maybe it's just us, right? Maybe they just don't want to take care. Clearly, even when they're on your end…

Dr. Jameson Mercier:
Always, universal man, it's universal. And the thing is I think, and maybe this is my bias, it's a little worse on my end because you can see a bad leg, you can see the physical manifestations. Me, I don't know anything. If you don't tell me. (Nope.) If you're not having an episode in my office, if no one saw you having an episode, if you don't come to my office smelling like alcohol, I don't know that you have a drinking problem. (Cool. Let's go.) I don't know that you're not sleeping because even if you're not sleeping, you get a quick nap in you look fine for an hour session.

So, and we as men are like, we're just, forgive me, full of shit sometimes. We are manipulators and we've learned the art of covering up the pain. We mask it well. We hide it from strangers and unfortunately, I loved ones in our family. So whenever I get the chance, I sent texts and my friends or I see the campaigns that just say, hey, ask a friend, is he okay? Because there's guaranteed he's going through something and if he tells you he's okay. Call him a liar. (Yes.) Check your boy.

Dr. Berry:
Talk it. I love it and the reason why I love that because the article, right? I kind of started it all right? It broke down very typical relationships that men tend to have. Right? And then we've touched on, we've already actually touched on quite a few of them and they, they broken out to kind of four categories, right? They talked about the type of man who likes to like compartmentalize their relationship, right? So this is a person who treats his boys like boys, but treats his girl like this girls, right? So he is open. To be emotional to his girl, but not his boys. Right?

Like, so in your situation, where you're in the house with not only your friends but a family and you're like, alright, this is the position I'm putting you in this box, but I'm going to tell my girl all this other stuff here. Hopefully, I'm going to tell her all of these, my emotional support. And I think what was interesting is that they found that even a person who has that type of relationship does it really consider themselves emotional. Right? So even when they're talking in the sense of like, I'm just talking to my girl, I'm living my girl, know how she feels. Oh, she just kinda tells me her stuff. They don't even consider themselves the emotional type, even on the, for the women's side, which I thought was extremely interesting.

Dr. Jameson Mercier:
Yeah. We can't even allow ourselves to consider that.

Dr. Berry:
Wow. And then there’s another type where we talk about a person who just has some difficulty and confining. Right? So this is a person who, they understand like, you know, I need to tell the person something that, let me just see where he's at. But because they have poor judgment, they don't realize like, oh, Berry not the type you tell that to in a way he's going to laugh at you and make fun of you and then they regress, right? (Yup, Yup, Yup.) And then they're like a closed shell and then it's even harder to get them to open up again.

Dr. Jameson Mercier:
Listen, I'll tell you another story, does that tell you another quick story. And some of my boys and I, we try to catch a football game every year, right? So whether we drive somewhere or fly somewhere, some years we get it in other years because of work, we can't. One year I was just, I was having some difficulties. My wife and I, we were like disagreeing on some stuff. We were disagreeing on some stuff and for whatever reason, I didn't feel like I could talk to her. I knew I could, but I don't know. We were just bumping heads. And this trip was coming up and I was so grateful for this trip (it's almost like an escape.) Oh, it gave me a way out for a few days and so I go to pick up my boy and then I think we were two or three in the car and we're driving and I'm sitting in the car and I said, man, they say, yo Jay, how are you doing?

I'm like man, you know what man, is kind of messed up lately. That's what I said. And I can't tell you how much energy it took me to just kind of slide that just to say that. Right? But then I said that and then the guys in the car, they didn't say anything. (Silence. Just like as if you never even said anything.) They didn't say anything and in my mind I was like, look at these mofos right here, here I am screaming for help and blah blah blah. In hindsight, I was talking to one of them, this was maybe last year or two years ago, and I said, yo, you remember that trip? You remember that time? And he was like, kind of. I was like yo man, I was going through it and he goes, what? What do you mean? I said, yeah, and I said this. And he goes, what? That's all you said? We had a good laugh about it, man. But I'm just like, oh my goodness, it is insane the things that we go through. All I had to say was, guys, I'm struggling. If I had said, guys, I'm struggling, they would have rallied around me. (Right.) But I hid that or I pretended.

Dr. Berry:
I guess the better question is, would you have been able to get that type of insight where you would have realized that that was the code word you would have needed, right? Because it sounds like you said it, but not in the way they were willing to like, oh I can't, I'm not sure how to interpret this so I'm not going to go in that direction.

Dr. Jameson Mercier:
Well, here's the thing though. One, I mean these guys are not counselors. So, I've got to give them that much. And so I didn't necessarily communicate it in a way that they would've gotten it. I communicated it in a way that was as painless and easy for me to get it out. And sometimes the two just don't connect. Right? What's easy for me to say doesn't translate into someone understanding that I have some challenges going on. But we spent the whole weekend together, tailgating, drinking, eating and the whole time I'm worried about my relationship and my marriage and they didn't tell crap about that.

Dr. Berry:
Wow. It's funny. (It’s insane.) It’s insane, it really is because that really is how a lot of our relationships are formed. And whether we, the ones are actually forming that way. Right? Because again, like you know like your boy said, he's like, well why didn't you just say this? Like I would've been ready to help but you didn't say.

Dr. Jameson Mercier:
If nothing does, he would have been like yo dog, we got you. And you know what? That would have been all I needed at the time because again, I know they can't treat me. Yeah, I understand that. But I could have used a shoulder to lean on but I had to make the first move. Right? I had to be vulnerable in that sense. And that is something that we do not do well.

Dr. Berry:
Do you think we are capable of doing it well? Because I know we've talked about women because they've been ingrained in society. Has provided and allowed them that space. Do you think we're actually even capable of being that type of person who knows to reach out when they see that social media posts like, hey, reach out to my strong friend. Is that something that we can even do?

Dr. Jameson Mercier:
Without a doubt, man. We are capable. Because again, as men, as people, we have the capacity to do so much. We have the emotional capacity, we have the mental capacity, we are capable beings. The challenges, we are often not in a community, in a setting that creates a space for that. If you don't grow up observing that, if you don't grow up seeing your father, your cousin, your brother surrounded by men who put a hand on him, who hug him, who embrace each other, men who will cry together. Then you don't do that. You don't do that. You know, if you don't witness it, because it's a skill, right?

We're talking about communication. We're talking about personal and interpersonal skills. It is a skill. The same way we can learn to communicate better with the women in our lives. We can definitely communicate better with the men and our friends and our buddies, guys who come to rely on in other capacities. This would just simply be just another form of support for us. We are totally, we are more than capable.

Dr. Berry:
Okay. Alright. So for the men who are able to grow their skill and practice this skill and be actually proficient in doing it, what has been your experience as far as how has it affected the other parts of the relationship, just in general? What has been your experience for that type of guy who's able to reach out and say, hey, I need help or reach out to them and honestly be the person who someone reaches out to? What has been your experience in those types of men especially from a positive standpoint in regards to their other experiences and health and wealth and everything else?

Dr. Jameson Mercier:
You know, it opens doors and windows you didn't know was there. Two things I said, you know, the two things that change your life - the books you read and the people you meet. And I've met some brothers who have totally changed my life. Whether it's business connections, whether it's learning about this new place I need to visit or whether it's about just have to find someone with a similar interest, you know? But guys who are able to say that, you know, listen, it sounds cheesy, you feel just a little bit freer. You feel free to move because you're less concerned about all that baggage and all that crap. You got to hide and you got to make sure nobody sees and at the same time you're hiding it, but you're trying to look like you just gliding on the water all the damn time. It allows for so much more to happen once you are able to just express that.

Once you are able to say, hey guys, hey, I'm not doing so hot right now. Or if you don't hear from me over the weekend, just a quick phone call. You know, just those little things. It totally changes people's, I know for me being able to do that, and again, it's not always easy. But with the guys in my life who I am able to do that with, the quality of my relationship with these guys, my quality of life and that's not an exaggeration, has dramatically improved.

Dr. Berry:
I love it. So first of all, I really want to thank you for being able to really come up and kind of open up some of the eyes. And even if it's a right, just some of the mental locks that are there, especially for men. Obviously, it’s Men's Health Month. They’re going to get talked about prostate cancer and all those stuff to deal, right?

But the fact that we're not allowing that to do blow over that mental health is important too. Right? A relationship is important. The fact that we're not allowing that to happen. I definitely want to thank you for coming onto the show and really driving home that fact. That I'm not, I don't think anyone else could have, especially because again, and I'm dating myself like as we speak, you're currently doing a Dadfident series, right? On Your podcast which I've been listening to, especially the one with Mr. Tracy Martin. (Yeah.) Another discussion.

I mean the fact that you're able to kind of reach out and recognize and you're taking that mantle that it's difficult, right? I know it's difficult because it's difficult on the medical side, I love when, because I know the women are just easier, unfortunately. So I know when I got to do deal with men man, I got to put some work in it. But you're like headfirst. No, this is the group I want to go after.

Dr. Jameson Mercier:
That's my people's man. That's my people. You know when you recognize somebody going through something that you went through and you learned a few things, so you learn one thing, you got one thing in your pocket and you say, yo bro, just do this. Like, don't even think about it. Do just do this thing. And I'm sure you in in your field as well, you said, yo, just do this one thing and you'll be fine. You know, like I feel like that's what I'm here for. I say, bro, just try this and you'll be fine. All this stuff that you got going on that you're struggling with. Trust me, trust me. (Yes.) Do these two things and you'll be good.

Dr. Berry:
I love it. Before we let you go, I always want to really highlight the amazing guests that we have here and just really the amazing stuff that they do. So this I like to call is more of my promo type hour. I want you to tell Lunch and Learn community, obviously, you know, what do you get to offer, books, obviously you're everywhere, right? Like, again, if you listen to his bio, this guy's been everywhere. But you have anything you've got going on right now, whether it be courses, books, seminars, speaking engagement, what's going on in your world, obviously outside of this camping trip and that you've got to get off?

Dr. Jameson Mercier:
The easiest way to find out about us, I'll put this in upfront is mercierwellness.com and so that's the website, everything Mercier. And so by Mercier, I'm talking myself and my wife, Herdyne. We have a podcast where we talk couple stuff, whether that's communication, finances, parenting, we're wrapping up season one and prepping for season two. And so that's a lot of fun. It's a lot more fun than we thought it would be.

Dr. Berry:
Oh yes. And I can tell you Lunch and Learn community, me and my wife were on there. It was an amazing time. (Yes.) And I will make sure that link is in the show notes as well too. Amazing time. My wife and his wife know each other very well.

Dr. Jameson Mercier:
Of course, they do right? They’re women. They just know. And even if they didn't know each other, they would know each other because that's what women do.

Dr. Berry:
You know, so funny story especially that, I hate to cut you off. When your wife was actually reaching out to my wife, she even realizes like I was the husband. So she's like, oh can you get your husband, was like, oh, Mercier. She was like, who’s the husband? Berry Pierre. Oh, Berry Pierre! Like it was totally oblivious. Right? Everything was all about my wife at that time.

Dr. Jameson Mercier:
That's it. As I tell my wife, you're the connector here, you do it all. That's just how women are and we need women in our lives. So, Mercier Wellness. mercierwellness.com (That’s right.) The name of the podcast is The Couple's Council. That's what it's called. And that's everywhere on iTunes, that's everywhere. Once you're on iTunes, Stitcher, Google podcast, we’re there. We're getting ready to do, Herdyne and I were getting ready to do like a couple series, a couple’s couple series. One about intimacy because this is also another area when it comes to sex and intimacy. Couples are not communicating about that.

Dr. Berry:
Wow. And if you think you were going to communicate with anybody, it'd be your significant other.

Dr. Jameson Mercier:
Who you laying in bed with. Who you just living your life with day in and day out. And so recognizing this need where we were putting together a workshop about couples and intimacy. On the flip side, we're also gonna be releasing some new, starting up some new webinars, online webinars. People can log on and watch about different topics. So in addition to the podcast, we have those things that are dripping out and on the dad fit in front dead. You know, once I say this and I have to follow through with it and I almost don't want to go.

Dr. Berry:
Let’s go. He’s on record right now. Let's go.

Dr. Jameson Mercier:
I know, right? There’s a book that semi-done right? It’s called Dadfident: Black Fathers as Primary Caregivers. (Oh! I like that.) The idea that the black fathers don't do that. And that's a bald-faced lie, not all black and brown fathers are locked up or absent. So that's going to drop soon. And there's a couple of things that follow that. So we're busy around here and just trying to do some good work, man.

Dr. Berry:
I love it. And before you go, I always ask this question, how is what you're doing really helping to empower the men, especially obviously the dads and whatever they're at in life, really improve their mental health and wellbeing and social relationships and everything above.

Dr. Jameson Mercier:
We are empowered. Once you begin to see that it's possible, you know, seeing is believing. And as men, you know, listen, you could tell me what you want, but show me, show me if you can show me that it works, you might have a chance. And so not only do I preach this and I teach this, but I strive to be even a role model. I don't like that. But I understand why that word exists. You know, I started to be an example to say, hey, it's okay. You know, do this because I do it too. So I understand I'm not selling you something I don't know. And I recognize that seeing someone who looks like you, talks like you, eat with you, who lives your life, do these things that you've been told historically you cannot do. That's where the empowerment comes from.

Dr. Berry:
I love it. Again, Lunch and Learn community members, definitely an amazing way to end Men's Health Month. But understanding that Men's Health Month is just a mouth. Like we gotta be about our health 24/7, 12 months out the year, right? So again Dr. Mercier, thank you for really blessing Lunch and Learn community, in a podcast with just such amazing introspection to what you have to deal with and really what men have to deal with and how to get better.

Dr. Jameson Mercier:
Listen, this has been awesome for me as well. Listen, I could talk this all day. I appreciate the invitation and anytime you want to get out there, man, get out in the woods. You let me know. We'd been saying we gotta Hook Up, man. (Yes.) We’re in the same area.

Dr. Berry:
We were probably like less than half an hour away. We were really in the same county. (There's no reason why we can't make it happen Dr. B.) All right. You know what? This is what we plan it right on the wax here, right? So I will be camping out. I'm putting it out. I'm going to camp. I'm going to go out and camp.

Dr. Jameson Mercier:
There's gonna be footage of it too. (Yes.) That's fact once it's documented.

Dr. Berry:
Yeah. Alright. You have a great day. Thank you again.

Dr. Jameson Mercier:
Thank you.

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Let's Talk about Erectile Dysfunction... On this week's episode of the Lunch and Learn with Dr. Berry we have Dr. Jennifer Miles-Thomas, she is a Diplomate of the American Board of Urology and is also board certified in Female Pelvic Medicine and Reconstructive Surgery. As we continue the push the message and focus on men's health I wouldn't be truthful to the audience if I didn't stress the importance of sexual health.

I talked about this before but as an outpatient clinical specialist, one of the top 2 reasons why men would come to see me for an appointment was either someone was dragging them to the office or erectile dysfunction complaints.

Sexual health refers to a state of well-being that lets a man fully participate in and enjoy sexual activity and there is a range of physical, psychological, interpersonal, and social factors that influence a man's sexual health. I talked about this before but as an outpatient clinical specialist, one of the top 2 reasons why men would come to see me for an appointment was either someone was dragging them to the office or erectile dysfunction complaints.

Dr. Jenn walks us through her decision to become a urologist, one of few African American women to hold the title, and we get into the importance of sexual health, opening up about erectile dysfunction and all of the different treatment options associated with the disease.

Remember to subscribe to the podcast and share the episode with a friend or family member.

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Sponsors:

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Links/Resources:

Dr. Jennifer Website
Dr. Jenn's IG
Urology Care Foundation
Mayo Clinic Foundation
American Urological Association

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Download Episode 113 Transcript

Episode 113 Transcript...

Introduction

Dr. Berry:
And welcome to another episode of the Lunch and Learn with Dr. Berry. Dr. Berry Pierre, your favorite Board Certified Internist. Founder of drberrypierre.com, as well as the CEO of Pierre Medical Consulting, which helps you empower yourself for better health with the number one podcast for patient advocacy. And this week we have a doozy, of course, this is men's health month. And I thought, no other topic, right? If I had to choose one topic that really hit home and hammer home when we talk about men and ways that we can work on getting them to see the doctor more, know the topic shot to the top of my mind as well as my read my mind than sexual health. And today we're going to be talking about those big two letters, ED - erectile dysfunction. And I thought it get, you know what, I do have some experience taking care of patients with ED, but who better to really educate the community and really expand the knowledge base of the Lunch and Learn community than urologists.

And I was very fortunate for this urologist coming on the show, this is Dr. Jennifer Miles-Thomas. She earned her medical degree from Northwestern University school of medicine. She cleared her undergrad degree in biology at Virginia Commonwealth University. She did a general surgery internship at John Hopkins and completed a urology residency as well as a separate fellowship and female urology and neurology at the James Buchanan Brady Urological Institute. Dr. Jenn Miles-Thomas is a diplomat of the American Board of Urology and she is also a board certified and female pelvic medicine and reconstructive surgery. So again, I know that may seem like a mouthful, but you know, short and sweet Dr. Jenn is absolutely amazing and she is crazy smart, right? If you had to think about what does all that mean? That's probably just me as those who send in this podcast. She is absolutely brilliant and we're in for a treat.

And I could tell you during this interview if I wish you could see some of my facial expressions that I was making during the time when she was really explaining and educating me through Lunch and Learn community members. The different ways and treatment modalities associated with erectile dysfunction. So you guys are in for a treat. Remember like always, if you have not had a chance, go ahead and subscribe to the podcast, leave a five-star review and comment for the podcast as well as make sure you tell a friend, tell a friend, tell a friend to just share podcasts. Especially because I know someone has someone in a family member, especially male, right? Who has not seen a doctor in years. And I hate to say that you're partly to blame, but if someone's not seeing the doctor in years and years, seeing the doctor regularly, that's something that we, we need to address ASAP.

If someone is not going to a doctor, especially in male, right? And you're also not going to the doctor, is going to be very difficult for you to try to convince that man that he needs to go see a physician as well. So please take the time to listen, again, we're talking about sexual health, we talk about few things as well, especially associated with Dr. Jenn as far as what she does on the size, especially from a business standpoint. You guys are gonna want to stick around for that. So again, leave her five-star review. Let me know how you feel. And again, thank you for all that you do. You guys have a great and blessed day and let's get ready for another amazing episode here on the Lunch and Learn with Dr. Berry.

Episode

Dr. Berry:
Alright, Lunch and Learn community again you just heard this amazing introduction from an expert that I definitely think is needed, right? Especially in this month of men's health month. And I have always joked in the past, but I really, I kind of say half-jokingly, a lot of times when I get men to come in my office to see me on an outpatient visit, right? This was this field, right? It was one of the main reasons why they would come, right? Like there are usually two reasons. One, family member drags him. Two, got some sexual issues, right? And of course, obviously I could talk from an internist standpoint, but I figured, you know, let's get an expert to come in and help educate us and you know, kind of get us mindset ready for the month and really show us, you know, why this is such an important topic, right? Even though we kind of say jokingly, right? This is actually an extremely important topic for men, right? Because again, like I said, it is one of the main reasons why I would get him to come see me in my office, right? So again, first of all, thank you for joining the Lunch and Learn community.

Dr. Jenn:
Oh, you're so welcome. Thank you for having me.

Dr. Berry:
So, Dr. Jenn, I told them about your amazing bio and just give the audience just, you know, let's say for some reason they skipped the introduction and they want to know, like, who's the person on the podcast this week? Right? Like, tell us something that may not be in your bio. And it says like, hey, you know, this is why I'm who I am.

Dr. Jenn:
I live in a very interesting life. I am a urologist who is a female, who is African American. So there's only really a few of us across the country. (Yeah. That is so true.) Yeah. What else is interesting? I'm married with three children, so that's a little bit different. Sometimes it's hard to balance a high powered, stressful career and a family. And I've recently gotten into extreme sports, so I've been snowboarding and I just finished a triathlon this past weekend, so I'm kind of all out there.

Dr. Berry:
Oh Wow. That's okay, alright. I love it. Okay. That's how you started the show, right? This type of show about to go on. Right? (Exactly.) So Lunch and Learn community, we talked, you know, if you caught the most recent episode, if you caught the live streams, you know that June is men's health month and you know that I have made it a point to try to call out my male listeners and my male friends and family members to really stress the importance of health awareness and why we're dedicating a whole month for that? Cause that's always the big issue, right? Like why am I getting home on this specific topic? And why is men's health month so important? Because really it's killing us. Right? And I've talked about it before.

The top 10 leading causes in the world, men dominate those categories, right? Why? Because, you know, we're just not taking care of ourselves. So I wanted to get on Jenn to, again, in urology. And like I say, I don't know if you realize it like, especially when you think about urology is usually not one way you think about. But female urologist, right? So just the how like that subcategory namely African-American is, you know, this is a gem that was actually, you know, we're finding here to be able to kind of talk to her, which I'm definitely excited for. So Dr. Jenn, if you would just kind of give the Lunch and Learn little bit introduction on, you know what actually is the urology? Just so you can kind of get in the same mental ballpark of where we're at.

Dr. Jenn:
Yeah. So it's interesting. So a urologist is a specialist who also a surgeon who works with the organs of the genital-urinary tract. So in English, what does that mean? That means it's a doctor. I know. So that means I’m a doctor who deals with problems of the kidney, the bladder, the testicles, the prostate, the penis, in men and women. So sometimes it's medical therapy and sometimes it's surgery. We do both. But those are the organs we take care of.

Dr. Berry:
It is really kind of interesting. I'm an internist. For those for some reason is the first time catching a show, I'm an internist so I practice in the hospital. But what made you say, you know, urology is the field for me?

Dr. Jenn:
So the real story is I thought I was going to be like the female version of Ben Carson. So I was going into med school, but I do neurosurgery, right? But sometimes that's very hard and I'm a big quality of life person and sometimes there are things you just can't fix. And after a couple of cases that were out of everyone's control emotionally, I didn't know if I could do that every day. Sometimes you'll see a 30-year-old who has a bleed and they'll never be the same and some things you can fix them some things you can't. And I said, well, I know I really want to focus on the quality of life. So one of my friends, of course, who's male was said, hey, you should do urology. And I was like, Oh yeah, that's a bunch of old men. Like, why would I wanna do urology?

This is real talk. Okay, why would I want to do that? Right. So I did a rotation like we do in medical school, and every time I went into the room, the wives would be, are you going into urology? Let me tell you about my problem. And I was like, well, what's going on here? Like why are these people asking me? And I didn't know at the time that there weren't very many female urologists. So probably when I started they were probably less than 5% in the country. Now it's like seven and a half percent. But I mean, I've been out for more than a decade. Yeah. There are not that many female urologists. There are quite a few residents who are coming through.

The classes are more 50-50 which is great. But still, I mean there was definitely a need. So I decided to go into it and I love it. I would never do anything different. This is who I am and what I needed to go into. Because urology, it's one of those fields where it's very technical, it's very surgical. But what you're talking about on a daily basis is what people don't want to talk about. It's what they're afraid to mention. They don't tell other people, they don't even tell their wives or their husbands really what's going on and you're able to give them back that quality of life. So for me, every day it's a gift.

Dr. Berry:
I’m glad that you touched on that way because I can tell you I've had plenty appointments where the guy comes in for a very vague reason and you know right when I'm about to try to get out there and say “doc, doc before you leave”. Once I know I get one of those, hey doc before you leave, I already know exactly the direction go. It's so taboo that even when they come to see, you know, their regular outpatient clinical doctor for your checkup, it's very tough for them to even come out and say it, which is mind-boggling. Right? Because you would think like, hey no, that issue. If I'm having problems with that area, right? Like I want to make sure like that's the first thing I'm putting down on paper. (Yes.) Nope. They'll say, no, I had a cold and that's why I'm here. I definitely, and I love that you get that even on both friends. Right? Because I would figure it with women, it'd be a little bit more open. So I interested to hear that. Even on both sides, some people are very secretive on, you know, letting them know like these are some of the problems I'm dealing with.

Dr. Jenn:
Exactly. And I think it's a little bit different because in my world I just directly ask. So it's not that you have to wait and say, okay, as I'm walking in the door and kind of build up the courage, I'm just going to ask you how your erections are, how many times you get up at night, how are your erections? It's just regular, you know, it's a Tuesday. Why not?

Dr. Berry:
I love it. That's okay. That's fine. Okay, we like that way. Direct, no sugarcoating. This is why I'm here for it. Clearly, this is why you see me now. Now especially for urologic standpoint is that a lot of the different reasons why someone may come to see you just, I obviously we're talking about sexual health. I like this is what are somebody like the common issues and complaints and that you may see it as like, oh, I'm coming to see you for this.

Dr. Jenn:
Sure. So it's not just erectile dysfunction. A lot of times we'll see people for kidney stones, we'll see people for kidney tumors or bladder cancer, a lot of prostate cancer. Sometimes people will just have blood in their urine or bladder infections or they'll have like testicular pain or especially for women incontinence or leaking during the day and having to wear pads. So we see people for a variety of reasons.

Dr. Berry:
And obviously, has definitely, something that from your logical standpoint, I think it's a very interesting, right? Because a lot of times I think when we think of surgical specialties, we tend to think that they all they do with surgery. Right? And very interesting to understand like, no, there's a lot of clinical and you know, even psychosocial if I would like to stretch it issues kind of centered around some of the stuff that people are coming to see you for.

Dr. Jenn:
Exactly. Urology has one of those fields where you can operate and do very large major cases. You can do a lot of bread and butter, common cases. And then as you get older and closer to retirement, there are many things you can just do in the office. So it's one of those professions where you can do it throughout your career.

Dr. Berry:
Obviously, we wanna, you know, we’ll hit home because this is definitely, you know, the reason why someone's listening to at least this week's episode. Right. So let's talk about sexual health, right? And I know we alluded to it, but like how important is it, right? Especially from the men and women with obviously is men's health month, we'll give them a shy, we'll definitely bring you on. We need to talk about the women because I definitely don't want to make sure you eat them out. (Okay.) In that regards. But especially for men, like I like how important is sexual health for them, right? Like what is some of the like, oh, before I came to see you this house for a little bit after you take care of me. Like this is how I'm building now.

Dr. Jenn:
So regardless of what's on the news where people say sexual health is very, very important. Why? Because it's part of you. I mean, we're all animals. We all have the same instincts and when something doesn't work or it's change, how do you feel about yourself, you don't feel the same. So it's not that people fall into depression, but they just, they've lost a part of their life, a part of their relationship that was very, very important to them. This is psychological. This is physical. A lot of times with sexual dysfunction, there may be other things medically going on at the same time. So sometimes it's like the red flag of, Hey, where else do we need to look? What else could be going on at the same time? So I'd say this is very important and I think people realize it's important, but there's such a taboo about talking about it. I mean, of course, our popular media has changed and sex is a lot more out there. But when people are talking about their own personal sexuality and health, it's still taboo.

Dr. Berry:
Do you find the conversation a little bit more difficult because you are a female urologist when you're in your office or is it by the time they come they see you like they've already kind of cleared that hurdle?

Dr. Jenn:
So it's funny. So I would say that it's generational. So the Millennials, they don't care. They just want their stuff fixed regardless. Any boundaries whatsoever, everything will tell me what they did, how they did it and what they want to do in the future. They don't really have an issue. The kind of middle age, I would say like 30 to 60 takes a few minutes just for going to comfortable. But then they realized my personality is like, Hey, this is, this is just what we do and we're going to just say it and I'm going to ask you questions and we're going to help fix the problem. They get very comfortable. Over 65 or 70 sometimes it takes them a little while because first of all, they're from a generation where they didn't really talk about sex the same way that current generations do, and sometimes they never were really educated about their body or what was normal, what's not normal, what things should look like, what they should feel like, what are other signs? So after probably one or two sessions, then, oh, they open up about everything and sometimes they'll bring their wives. So we all can have the same discussion and figure out what's going on and how we could help.

Dr. Berry:
Okay, alright. Let’s make it a group appointment.

Dr. Jenn:
Yep. I have quite a few group appointments. It's okay.

Dr. Berry:
So speaking of a normal, what's not normal, right? Let talk about, you know, EB - erectile dysfunction, right? For Lunch and Learn community who may have been living under a rock and you know, we haven't seen one of those thousand commercials. Right? What is it exactly?

Dr. Jenn:
Okay. So the technical definition of ED or erectile dysfunction is, it's the ability to attain or maintain a penile erection sufficient for satisfactory sexual performance. So what does that mean? That means if you have difficulty either getting or keeping an erection that's good enough for you is what ED is. (Very subjective.) It is. So some people have don't have erections but don't care well, you know, that's perfectly fine. Other people, it takes them a little bit longer to ejaculate or they ejaculate too early and that's fine for them and that's fine. But anywhere in the middle, it's all based upon your own personal satisfaction.

Dr. Berry:
It was interesting. Do you tend to find common reasons for why that may occur? Is there a couple of things I get they, everyone who follows in this category always seems to have ED or what does someone have some of the causes that you've seen kind of work that are associated with ED?

Dr. Jenn:
Well, the biggest cause, especially in America is diabetes. (Okay. Alright.) Yeah. So diabetes, like I kind of explained it to people. Well you know what as it affects the small blood vessels and the small nerves and it's kind of interesting because if you relate it back and you say, you know how sometimes your fingertips will tangle or your toes will tangle or they're a go numb and you don't feel them.

That's because those little small blood vessels of the small nerves aren't getting what they need because the sugar control is out of control and it's damaging. The same thing with your penis. It basically has really small nerves and sometimes if things aren't going to work it's because your blood sugars have been too high. So you really have to work on getting your blood sugars under control in order to get back some of this function. And when you kind of make it like that analogy, it makes sense. It's something tiny and small and diabetes affects the tiny small blood vessels.

Dr. Berry:
I love that, especially cause I know for Lunch and Learn community members like we've talked about diabetes and we've talked about all of the effects of diabetes. I even wrote a blog where I said I don't even wish diabetes on my worst enemy just because of all of the different things it's associated with. So now we know, you know, especially for as again, if you're diabetic and you're just blowing it off as just a sugar disease, now you can see, especially from a man, right? Cause we're talking to them in this men month, right? This is another reason why you should take care of yourself. Right? Because you don't want to have ED, you don't want ED to take care of your diabetes. So that's, okay. I love it.

Dr. Jenn:
Exactly. Now, other things we have to think about too, we’re learning and associating a lot more with heart disease. Because again, it's the small blood vessels that are feeding the penis. So if someone has early onset erectile dysfunction, like their thirties and forties we're also working with cardiologists to screen them and to make sure that they don't have plaques or cardiovascular disease because the small blood vessels are usually affected first.

Dr. Berry:
Now is that something that comes up just while you're asking a lot of your questions, like, hey, do you have this, do you have that? Do you have this? And then it you just kind of seeing this correlation kind of growing?

Dr. Jenn:
Yes, definitely. So of course when you're seeing a patient and you have their medical lists, do you know what medications they're on? You know their past medical history, but if someone who's never been in the system, and it's just coming to you for this, this is what we screen for. If you look at the major academic centers, most of them have men health clinics and it's usually an internist or urologist as well as a cardiologist because we're finding that these overall health syndromes, metabolic syndromes are being diagnosed with people first seeking care for erectile dysfunction.

Dr. Berry:
Wow. Okay. Alright. So again, if you're listening, if you're paying attention, especially for, let's say you have a family member or friend who you know, is suffering from some of these other diseases and it's very difficult to get them to come to the doctor, right? This now you have another weight in, right? You don't want to, hey, you know, you'll take your blood pressure. This can also happen, right? Cause again, usually two reasons. Usually, a family member is forcing them to come to the doctor's office or they got some sexual issues, right? So again, this is another way that we can kind of like start pushing them in back into the doctor's office and getting them right. Again, they're aware of just everything that's kind of going on. Thank you. Thank you for that. (No problem.) So when they come to you and you know what you do your screening and they're checking all the boxes off for ED. Of course, I'm pretty sure by the time they've seen those thousands of commercials. Right? But what are some of the treatment options that are out there? One, what we'll talk about the common ones, the one that they may not even know about?

Dr. Jenn:
Yes. First of all, of course, I have to say this disclaimer and this warning, everything that you see on TV or can order on the Internet isn't safe for you. (Yes. And then the gas station.) The gas station attendant does not know more than your doctor about your erectile dysfunction. That's all I got to say. But honestly, the FDA did a recent crackdown and urologist across the country got a notification. Some of these medications, I wouldn't say medications in quotes that are available over the internet that thought excellent results in work actually have controlled medications and them like generics and Viagra and Cialis and things like that. And so we get updates and kind of the names of over the counter medications that we need to look out and screen our patients for because yes, everyone knows the names of these brand new medications, but honestly, they're expensive.
So people try to find other things that will work instead. But unfortunately, things that aren't controlled by the FDA or go through a rigorous screening process, things that are like natural types of products sometimes aren't always in your best interest to use because they do have active ingredients from drugs that are controlled and there are always potential side effects. You don't really know what you're taking. So I just want to put that warning out there. But the first day and for treatment option is to kind of divide and see what's your actual issue is. So I get the question all the time. Is it my testosterone? Do I need testosterone? (Yes. Let’s talk about that.) Allow me to tell you about testosterone. Testosterone is important for men. So it's actually made by your testicles. So a signal from your brain goes down to your testicles and says, hey, we need more testosterone floating in your bloodstream.

When you have normal levels of testosterone, you have a libido. And what's libido? Libido is the desire to have sex or to engage in like sexual activity. Now if you give someone testosterone, you will increase their libido. But that does not mean that they'll get an erection. So you have, when you come in and say, I have erectile dysfunction, can I have testosterone? If your testosterone is low, just know that you may have a libido, but that doesn't always mean that your erection will change. Okay. So what do we do for actual erections? Well, the way I practice, we always go from least invasive to most invasive. I first want to make sure there's nothing medically wrong like there is not a tumor or something else that we can see what's going on that may be causing a problem. But if there's not in the first thing we can try as oral medication, and it's the ones that we know in medical lingo, we call them PDE five inhibitors.

And basically what happens is when you get an erection, your brain puts out a signal and the nerves basically send and this transmitter that says, hey, I need blood flow in. And as the cylinders fill in the penis, it cuts off the vein. So you don't draw that blood back out. So your penis just fills and then it stays that way until your brain says, oh, I'm done. And then it stops feeling and it slowly gets smaller as the blood drains back out. So that's actually how an erection work. Now the other thing that's important is an erection is different than orgasm or ejaculation. They are controlled by different nerves. So one set of nerves gives you the erection. The other set of nerves allows you to ejaculate during an orgasm. (So actually problems in different sections.) Exactly. (Okay.) And also you can have an orgasm without having an erection. So that's why we have like a real conversation when we have these things. Because I mean, how would you know that unless you actually asked? It's not like you can just Google it, right? Probably can, but I haven't tried to. It's best if you actually just talked to someone.

Dr. Berry:
Lunch and Learn community, please talk personal. No Google.

Dr. Jenn:
So after the medications, there are other things you can do too. So a lot of people know about the medications, some of them are more expensive. But the good news is a lot of generics are now in the market. So yes, there are much more affordable. But let's say you try to medications and they don't work or you don't feel good or right when you're taking them or they don't work well enough. The next one, there's actually a little insert, it looks like a little tablet that you can put at the tip of your penis and it has medication that causes the blood to flow into your penis. That's an option. (Oh Wow. Okay.) There is also an injection. So you know how there are when people have diabetes, there are these little pens that you can inject the insulin. Well, there's a little kind of a little injection that you can inject on the side of your penis and also we'll put medication directly into your penis and cause you to have an erection.

Dr. Berry:
So let me stop you there. Right? (Okay, good.) When I had my diabetic patients, they're not get drilled and I gotta have that discussion where I'm saying, hey, you know what, the pills not working no more. You have to start injecting yourself and I know the face and the fight against once I have to go that right, like how does that conversation when you're telling the person like, hey those bills aren't the thing for you. We got to start injecting yourself and only if you had to start injecting directly in your penis. Right? Like what is that conversation like in the office?

Dr. Jenn:
So I get the same response kind of wide eyes like oh that's not going to happen. And then the next question is does it work? And when I say yes it works and people are very happy that can do it, they set out at least try it. Now we don't just send somebody home with the needle to stick in their penis. Like that's not what we do. We actually have nurses. So you come in for an appointment and we have to dose the medication because we want you to be able to get an erection. But we don't want you to have it all day, right? So we have to make sure you get the right dose of medication. So we actually have, it's called ICI, we actually have nurses who would just come see you as an appointment, we'd give you a test dose, we'd make sure you get an adequate erection, and then we also make sure it goes down and usually we have your partner there with you because sometimes people mentally can't do it and sometimes their partners are able to do it for them. Or once they see it they say, oh, it's not as big of a deal as I thought it was going to be. It doesn't hurt as much. I had never even heard that I could do that. So it was a little bit weird. But then once you do it and then you get a great erection and it works, people are happy.

Dr. Berry:
Okay. Now is there, especially, I'm tripping on this injection thing. Is there something like an office right that reverses it or is it just kind of like supposed to go down on its own over time?

Dr. Jenn:
So it's supposed to go down on its own over time because the medications aren't long acting. They're shorter acting. (Okay.) That's why we do the first trials in the office because if it doesn't go down then we give you medication to make it go down. Now there's also another option that you can have and it's called a vacuum erection device and what it looks like kind of, look at him.

Dr. Berry:
Lunch and Learn community you could see my face right now. I am learning just as long as relating, I'm like, okay. Alright. Again, I’m an internist, by this time, I'm referring them to the urologist. I don't. Okay, so now I'm processing right with you.

Dr. Jenn:
Okay. So if vacuum erection device looks like a little cylinder, and what it does is at one end of the cylinder near the base of the penis, it has like a little, I don't know, think of it as like a little rubber band and you can basically like squeezed a little cylinder. And what happens is it's a vacuum, so it draws blood into your penis and then you roll down the little kind of rubber band on it and that rubber band prevents the blood from flowing back into your body. (Okay.) So this is something that's, it's a little bit less spontaneous, but still, there are no needles, there's no medication.

That's something natural and you can do it on your own and it does work. All the vacuum erection device. And then if none of that works, there are penile prostheses. So a prosthetic is a device that we surgically put inside of your penis. And usually what we do is we have a little pump that looks like a little squeeze pump that we put next to your testicles and all you have to do is squeeze that pump and then your penis would pump up because we actually have a reservoir with like saline or water in it that fills those little tubes. So if nothing else works, that's a guaranteed way to get an erection.

Dr. Berry:
Now is the stepwise approach for this patient, right? Is that the end? I'm like, this didn't work, this didn't work, this didn't work. Alright, let's go to the prostheses. Or is it kind of patient dependent when you're kind of deciding like, all right, which route we're gonna go end up mean?

Dr. Jenn:
So typically it step-by-step, but it's patient driven. So if I see a 30-year-old who's never tried a drug, we're gonna, I'm gonna let them know that there is the option for prosthesis, but that's not what's recommended. So you try to do minimal to get the benefit. And then if you fail or you're not willing to do it, you can move on. But a penile prosthesis, that's the end. That's what we have to offer. It does work, but you can't go back. So once you have the surgery that means that the medications won't work. Injections won't work. You have the surgery. So that's why it's the last thing that we do.

Dr. Berry:
You mentioned 30-year-old because that gives pressure someone to my own community. It was like 30 because I know they're probably thinking this is a quote-unquote old man's disease. What some of the age ranges that you're seeing with patients with erectile dysfunction that even someone in Lunch and Learn community might be surprised by like, oh my God, they're that old dealing with this problem?

Dr. Jenn:
Yeah. So from young in the thirties, twenties and thirties sometimes I've seen college kids who everything was fine and now situationally with the new girlfriend or whoever, I'm just not able to get an erection and we kind of work through what's going on because remember, this is all controlled by the brain. There's something going on in the brain that's prohibiting it from making that message to get an erection and there are actual sexual therapists. These aren't like woo on TV people. These are real people who say, okay, let's break it down.

What's actually going on in your life that is causing you to feel this way, is causing your brain not to secrete the right neurotransmitters for you to actually have an erection. And it does help. I've seen people who couldn't ejaculate, couldn't have orgasms. They meet with these therapists and they're like, my eyes were opened and things are all good now and it's real. And you just never thought you'd be talking about your sex life with someone, but you know what? It's quality of life. Either you can stay the way that you are or you can get it fixed and since there are people available to fix it, that's what you do and you move on. And you keep doing live in life.

Dr. Berry:
Exactly. Oh, I love it and tell you I'm loving this conversation guys. I wish you get to see my face during some of the parts so you can understand. It's a learning process for it all. And it's real because these are real-life conversations that we're having on a day to day basis. Again, if you have to scare, some of your friends or family members to get it into the doctor's office, to get this taken care of, please do so. Right? Cause it, it, it needs to be done because this isn't something that, again, I know you see that thousands of commercials and I know we're going to ask Dr. Jenn where should someone go look, right? Cause I know where it, we're saying don't go to doctor Google. Right? We already know, Lunch and Learn community members you all googling when I tell you don't Google, you're going to Google anyway. Even when I tell you don't go to YouTube and watch that surgery beforehand, you're going to do it. They were like, we just know how you all do now. Is there any viable sources that you will say like, hey, if you got to like read up on this subject, like read this website, like is there anywhere that you would point on to?

Dr. Jenn:
Yeah. So for urologists across the US we have, it's called the urology care foundation. So it's ways to educate patients on urologic conditions. So it's the legitimate source of information. It's not a company trying to sell you anything, it's just the real deal of this is what you need to do and it's written in plain, straight forward English and that would be urologyhealth.org. So Urology is U R O L O G Y health dot org. The other sites that are good and give straightforward information would be mayoclinic.org or webmd.com. Those are actually good, straightforward information and someone who wants a little bit more detail and are like, okay, I've read all that. It's kind of generic but I want more detail. Our Actual Association for Urologist has a great website too for under education and it'll show you what all the guidelines are.

So like if you're hearing this from one person, you're not sure, you can actually see what the published guidelines are and every few years, every like four or five years, we all get together and we revise them and say, this is what the data shows us, this is what standard of care is, this is what you should be offering, this is what you need to think about. And that is auanet.org and that's for the urology association and that's the standard of care. So those are ones that are just straightforward. You can get the real deal information with no bias and understand why this has happened.

Dr. Berry:
And Lunch and Learn community members, just like always, all of these links, especially if you're driving, you're at work, wherever you're at listening to this, all these things will be in the show notes. So you know, I definitely want to make sure we're pointing you in the right direction. Because it's important to hear it because I know you guys, you guys are gonna want to follow up to make sure we not talking crazy. So we've got to point you to the right direction to make sure that doesn't occur as well. So again, I've done thank you for that, right. Because this is again, this has been very eye-opening, mind-blowing experience. I'm learning, I'm out to go to the website right when we're done, just don't make sure I can educate my patients, and of itself with such an important topic at hand, this is a portion of the podcast that I love, right?

Because you know, I bring a guest on to really educate our community. But I'm just kinda selfish, right? Cause I also bring them on, right? Cause I really want to promote them right. And you know, say what, how to cause most of the people I kind of see and follow them. I'm shadow following them one way or the other. So I like to see people who are sending out doing some stuff, right? Like, and whether it's medicine, not medicine, doing some stuff is always something that I love to see out of our physicians. So this I like to call it, it's like our promo, our promo appeared. Right? Dr. Jenn, obviously we know you're amazing urologists. Is there anything that you do that someone in Lunch and Learn community may be able to benefit from or any books or whatever? This is your time, right? You tell us what you got going on and anything going on and let us know how we can continue to support you.

Dr. Jenn:
Well, I told you I'm a big quality of life person, right? So a lot of times what I see, especially with patients in medicine, is that a lot of times people don't search for answers because of money. Medicine is getting more and more expensive and the way that the insurance companies are moving, they're pushing more and more of that onto the patients. I don't think that's going to change anytime soon. Those insurance companies are really the wealthiest ones in the game. So they're going to determine what we do, (keep that money to themselves.) Exactly. Exactly. So what I do is I actually talk about money. I talk about money on Instagram and online too, and kind of help people figure out how to get a debt, how to build wealth, and how did it get their stuff together. Because if that's one less thing you have to worry about, think about your overall mental health.

If you're no longer stressed about having to pay bills if you're no longer stressed about, how am I going to rob Peter to pay Paul, things like that. I think I'm just a person who has a lot of tough conversations and sex and money are the two things that people don't want to talk about in public. (I love it.) So that's what I talk about for sure. So on Instagram now, it was kind of embarrassing because I do put some of my personal life out there on Instagram. So on Instagram, I'm doctor, which is Dr. Jenn, J. E. N. N. M. D. That's probably the easiest place to kind of follow me and kind of see what I do. I put some of the pictures of me out and about doing some of my extreme sports on there too.

Dr. Berry:
Then that's what I want to go see doing extreme sports. I want to see that.

Dr. Jenn:
Yeah, well the snowboarding was interesting. I only did the before picture. Right. So it's all good. But yeah, that'd be the best way to follow me and my links to my website. It's drjennmd.com. All that stuff is on Instagram too, so you can kind of get a little picture of my life and how I really role.

Dr. Berry:
I love it. So we need to talk to Dr. Jenn. Get our messages together and get our sexual health together. Get our money together. Let's get all that. Right? And it’s 2019. We're halfway through the year. Definitely no time like the present especially for a men's health month and making sure we are getting all of our ducks in line, especially when it comes to sexual health and the importance of sexual health and the massive education lesson that we got today. Definitely thankful for Dr. Jenn. Thank you.

Dr. Jenn:
Oh, you're so welcome. You're so very welcome.

Dr. Berry:
Yes. So before I leave, how I was like answer this question. How is what you're doing helping to empower men especially when we talk about sexual health? What are you doing to really empower this and get them to make sure that they’ve taken better care to sexual health?

Dr. Jenn:
I'm asking the questions and I'm educating them because as we know, knowledge is power. If you don't know, you'll get left behind. There are a lot of people out there that have resources that are getting things fixed and done. There's a lot of small little things you can do to change your overall quality of life, but if you don't know what to ask or don't know something is available, you're going to miss out. So I think my role is really to ask those hard questions and educate my patients. People I see, people I come in contact with, that's what my role is to educate.

Dr. Berry:
I love it. And for those who may know, again Dr. Jenn obviously being a urologist, being African American and female, obviously there's you know, proponent of women's health that really goes into a lot of care to and of course, and I kind of pick and hold there on this episode, really talk about the men, but she will be, I'm going to beg her, we'll be coming back, right? Because I definitely wanted to hear about a lot of the women's health-related amongst sexual health and all the urological problems that I know they got. Right. Why? Because trust me, if you think I'm referring fast when it comes to men talking about sexual health and all the things you best believe once my women patients say like, hey Dr. Pierre, like this is happening. I'm having problems urinating. Anything that goes on in that area, is okay, alright. There you go. So we'll definitely make sure she comes on to really educate us on woman side as well too. So again Dr. Jenn, thank you for really taking the time out to educate Lunch and Learn community. I know this extremely informal cause I'm still like, okay, I'm still thinking about the pump. I was still thinking about it. And you have a great day. Thank you.

Dr. Jenn:
Alright. Thank you so much.

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Let's Talk about Annual Physical Exam... On this week's episode of the Lunch and Learn with Dr. Berry I am here to start off men's health month with an episode on just what to expect during your annual wellness exams. Last week on the empower yourself for better health series, I talked about the biggest reasons why men are dying earlier is that we are just unaware of our health statuses.

Our lack of going to the doctor, being educated on what are our biggest killers has attributed to the majority (8/10) top 10 leading causes of death worldwide to all disproportinately affect men greater. In fact it would likely be 9/10 if not for the fact that Alzheimers usually increases with age but we are dying to soon to experience it.

The annual physical exam is the most appointment you can make when you see a doctor because it allows the doctors to essentially check you from head to toe on what is going on. It is also where we can discover the most problems so it is extremely important to make sure your friends and family members are listening to this episode so they know what to expect.

Remember to subscribe to the podcast and share the episode with a friend or family member.

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Empower Yourself Series - Episode 65

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Download Episode 112 Transcript

Episode 112 Transcript...

Introduction

Dr. Berry:
And welcome to another episode of the Lunch and Learn with Dr. Berry I’m your host, Dr. Berry Pierre, your favorite Board Certified Internist. Founder of drberrypierre.com, who start the Lunch and Learn with Dr. Berry as well as the CEO of Pierre Medical Consulting, helping you empower yourself for better health with the number one podcast for patient advocacy. This week we bring you episode 112, the focuses on men and their wellness exams. And of course if you listen to this on the month of June, it is men's health month. And if you happen to catch my recent live series on Empower Yourself for Better Health where I essentially kind of lay out the fact that men are dying out here because they're not aware of their health and you know, I hope to put a charge in someone's battery or you know, someone's relative, spouse, somebody to like really push the mill, friends and family members that we have to go get their routine checkups.

And a few I want to check out drberrypierre.com/youtube where you can check out that most recent episode where I go through the top 10 causes for death in men and I really kind of lay out the law that says like, Hey, we really don't have any excuses to deal with the issues that we're dealing with now. So check if you have the chance. So again, today we're going to be talking about the wellness exam. The annual physical exam. Most people call it and a lot of times is probably the only way you can actually get your significant other, your brother, your father, your cousin. It's usually the only time you can get them to come into the doctor's office, right? Because again, a lot of times I don't see them very often but if I can almost see him one time, it's usually for their wellness exam.

So I want you to just take a little step back and take some tips on what to expect for the physical exam and you know, understand why we might like crunch a lot of things in there because sometimes, especially with our male patients, we understand that that the likelihood that they're going to come back at sometimes kind of low. So we want to take advantage of it when we got a chance. Before I want to go I do want to give a shout out to Dr. Coreos who is a friend in the social media space. She actually runs the hashtag somedocs. And reason why I love her is the fact that she is champion physicians to want to get on social media and really take advantage of all of this stuff that it offers.

You guys know for a long time I've really been championed that bill that says like, no, we have to get on social media. Our patients are on social media. And if you want to be respected, if you want to be accredited in your patient’s eye. Again, not talking about accredited in the physician’s eye where you know, you have a couple of journal articles and do some poster presentations and you may speak at a medical conference and two. Because for the most part, most of your patients don't care about that, right? One because they don't go to those conferences. They don't read those magazines so they don't even know.

But would they do knows that they check their Twitter, they checked their Instagram and they check their Facebook, they checked their YouTube and you're not there. So she's a big part of this promotion and you know, making it okay for your physicians to one get on social media. And another thing I love about her is that with her hashtags somedocs. If you have a blog posts and video posts, whatever, and you feed tag or she will actually retweet it and kind of share it out. So again, thank you Dr. Coreos for that. I'm definitely much appreciated it. Just wanted to make sure I gave her a nice one shout out because she's definitely helped the show grow for the Lunch and Learn community. So it definitely appreciative all our efforts. So getting back, we're talking about episode 112. We’re gonna talk about men. We’re talking about the annual wellness exam. And sit back for great episode and I'll see you guys later.

Episode

Dr. Berry:
Alright guys. So this is episode 112. This is gonna be a solo episode. And it's funny because obviously if you've been rocking with the show for quite some time, you know and that we started out as a solo episode. This is something that we do and I think we do well. And when we made the change over this past season, season three, we really wanted to make a concerted effort to get the best of the best when it comes to topics of discussion, especially for Lunch and Learn community. And I was very fortunate enough to do that. We've got like two months, almost two months in a row of just amazing guests and like I said, definitely happy for all of their expertise and their support and you know, does the knowledge that they kicked over these past couple months. But I am back with a solo episode and it's funny because actually this episode was going to be a group episode as well, but I was unable to connect with this week's guest.

His schedule was busy. My schedules is busy so we were unable to connect. But we'll definitely make sure, you know, we get them onto the shows at some time. Right. We'll, it'll happen for sure. But of course this is June. We're talking about men's health and this episode we're talking about the wellness exam, the quote unquote the physical exam that a lot of times it's the only time I can see some of my male patients and it's something that a lot of times as a physician we kind of cherish and we really take advantage of. Because we understand that if I don't order these tests and I don't ask these questions, there's a chance I may not see this patient in front of me for another year. And for most of my patient specialized outpatient medicine, most of my patients, that's exactly was the case.

They were like, doc, I love you but I'm not coming to see you more than once a year. So get whatever you need to get, do whatever tests you to do, ask whatever question you need to ask while I'm here cause it ain't happen. And once I leave and I respected it and I love that. And that definitely took advantage. So what I want to do is first, you know, do you listened to the episode 65, right? Empower Yourself for Better Health Series where I talked about how the lack of awareness and our health has been killing us. And like us, I mean men, right? It's been absolutely killing us. And I talked about top 10 causes of death in that episode. So go ahead, check that out on the YouTube page. But when we stress all of these different factors here, a lot of these things can sometimes, and I hate to say it, but a lot of them could be avoided if they would just comfort a checkup and they would just come and see regularly.

And that's why we take so much advantage when we do have you in our office. Right? Because we don't know what's the next time you get to come see us. So if you listen, right? If you're able to get that at your male, father, your cousin, your relative, your friend, spouse, whatever. If you were able to get them to the office, right? Like what should they expect when they get there? Right? I think that's always a question at hand, right? It's like this unknown cloud of secrecy, right? Again, they don't go to the doctor often and a lot of times it's out of fear. Right? And a lot of times it's out of this superhuman attitude that men tend to have. Like, I'm not sick, I don't get sick. I'm okay. Like nothing's bothering me.
I think one of the most important questions that we'd like to ask, especially in a hospital setting is do you have any medical history? Right? As usually our questions, right? And for my men, I'm usually keen on asking, okay, if you say you have no medical history, what is the last time he saw a doctor? Because it's very easy to have no medical history if you've been avoiding us for five to 10 years. Right? Like if you haven't seen a doctor, and again that five to 10 years, may sound crazy to some of my Lunch and Learn community members. But I know some people who have not seen a doctor in five to 10 years, like that's just the way they're rocking and you know, God bless them, right? God bless them that something's not clicking up on the inside that we don't know about. But let's say you know, it's been five, it's been 10 years, right? And they haven't seen the doctor.

And of course when you ask them to have any medical history, they say no cause they really don't because no one's ever told them. Right? But you are able to get this person into your office and you're able to get the quote unquote physical exam, right. Because first of all, let me tell you something. The physical exam, the actual physical part is, you know, the easiest part that probably takes like three to five minutes at most. But what's most important is all of the ancillary questions you're gonna ask your patient in front of you why you got in there, right? So why you got them there, right? And I always like to start head to toe, right? So first and foremost, for people who may not be familiar with the annual exams, right? The annual exam is the doctor's appointment that you go to, it's usually your longest doctor's appointment and not only is it a long the doctor's appointment, It usually has a whole bunch of labs are kind of associated with it, right?

So that's usually when your doctor orders lasts for just about everything. And we're going to talk about those labs later. But it's one of those ones where your doctors has to take advantage and get you, you know, while you're there. And they really liked it, you know, strike while it's hot. So they order every test as every question because they aren't sure if they're not going to see you again. Right? And for some people was honest, right? I used to take care of patients who are in their 19, 20, 21-year-old. Like I don't want to see you in my office more than once a year. Right? Cause there's really no reason, especially if you have no medical history, that you should be seeing me that often.

Not say that you can come to me if you, you know, you have a cold or you know, get sick or I'm not saying that. But they were just coming just for like a regular checkup and you have no medical history. You're not taking medications. Right. I don't expect you to be seen more often then, you know, once or twice a year. Right. Maybe you might see him every six months just to kind of keep them in the loop, but you're not seeing them any more than that. So you have your male, right? Let's just, we'll call the male Berry. Right? So Berry, you know, finally mustered up the courage and he makes the doctor's appointment, right? And I talked about this before. A lot of times what pushes Berry to making a doctor's appointment is they have a person like Maria screaming in their ear saying, hey, you need to go see the doctor and they finally do it.

Or there's something, some sexual dysfunction issues going on. And Berry's frustrated and he's like, no, I gotta go see a doctor. I got to take care of this. Right? I've seen a commercial, I can take a blue pill and I'm good. I need someone to prescribe a blue pill. So those are usually the top two reasons why, you know, men tend to go to the doctor's office, at least in my experience. So you know, you're able to get buried to come to the doctor's office and you know, he's in a waiting room and you know, he finally get stay room and now he's ready. So usually what tends to occur, especially in your annual wellness exam is. Your doctor usually does a head to toe approach, right? In terms of how am I going to assess this person, how am I going to see what's going on?

So usually, obviously from head, we start. I always like to check for vision issues, right? As men, because we're so machismo with it, right? Like wearing glasses is like this taboo thing that a lot of us don't like to do unless we absolutely have to do it. And for the most part there's a lot of diseases that are kind of manifesting with vision issues. So a lot of times when you're thinking, we're just asking about your vision and vision history is because we want to make sure that it may not be contributing and contributed to from another disease like high blood pressure or diabetes, which is very common. So we tend to ask for a vision issues. We want to make sure your eyes are checked. If you wear glasses, you want to make sure he got that done.

And we want to make sure you're eating well. And again, the eating well is goes along with the bowel habits because we know the older you get, the more likely you are to have these issues with bowel and bowel dysfunction. And if you're one of my 50 year old gentlemen, right, or 45, depending on your race, right? Uh, and really just kind of varies but just kinda in general, you know, its colonoscopy time, right? And again, it's one of those times where we want to make sure the plumbing is working all the way through and through. Because one of the top 10 leading causes of death for men is cancer, right? So colon cancer is something in screen, when you hit that age because it is something that we should be preventing as long as you get a regular checkup. So a colon cancer is a big one, right?

So again, I know I skipped down, but like, so we're checked the vision, now we're checking the heart, right? And the heart exam. Not only goals or just you know, just for listening, but you know, we're checking the blood pressure, we're checking your heart rate. Usually when you came in, right? We want to make sure that you don't have this underlying problem that could lead to disastrous effects that rock. Like I tell people all the time, blood pressure is one of those things that your body can deal with and deal with it a lot until it can't. And once it can't, now we're talking about stroke. Now we're talking about heart attack. Now we’re talking about disease in the feet, right? Like you can't feel and you're foot, right? That’s what happens when your blood pressure becomes such a problem that your body says all right, yeah I'm done. And so making sure that your blood pressure's fine, right? Because again, blood pressure is one of those things that you don't really feel symptoms from low blood pressure, especially when it's high, until it's a problem, right? If you're at the point when you're starting to feel symptoms because of blood pressures on the high side, you need to go see your doctor immediately, right? If you're listening to this and you know when your blood pressure is high, like you can feel it. That means I need to go to the doctor because you should not be feeling it. And if you're at the point where you're feeling when your blood pressure's high, that is a problem. So for heart, we're talking about blood pressure, we're talking about a heart rate.

I kind of move actually for men, right? And not important for women. Is that the prostate exam? And this is something that I think personally scares men a lot, not only from doing regular checkups, but because of the prostate exam and the digital administration of the endoscopic scope. I think a lot of men dish, you know, shy away from that whatsoever. And it's funny because I've had men who meet the criteria who meet the age. And I said, okay, all right, let me, uh, let me check your prostate, see how that's doing. And they get stage fright, right? Hey, it's so, it's such a terrifying thing for them, right? It's very weird. I in that instance, right. Especially when you know cancer's a leading cause of death, right? All we have to do is this, there's physical exam tests that we do in our office.

And of course it was sometimes was hanging out with blood work, right? But in our office, and you still refuse, you know? Yeah. I'm kind of weary of your decision making. So that's definitely something to think about, especially when we're doing about the abdominal pelvic exam is in the men at certain ages need to be checked for prostate, right. In large prostates. Now I've always said this a lot, that a patient will always tell you what's going on before you have to do any tests, right? So most of your patients, if they're going to talk about, you know, in large prostate, they're going to tell you urinary symptoms, complaints, they're gonna punch in that direction. That still doesn't mean you're not supposed to check but they will kind of point you in that direction to make sure you're going in the right way.

So talked about the eyes, we talked about the mouth, we talked about the heart, talk about the abdomen, the lungs as well. Lungs is a big one. I know a lot of you may have seen these COPD commercials. Again, COPD top 10 leading causes of death for men. And you may have seen COPD commercials where this random person is sitting by a lake and because of the COPD medication, now they can breathe again and they can go outside again. And that's all great and dandy, but they don't tell you that usually the patient has COPD because they were a smoker and they were smoking for five years, 10 years, 20 years or they always kind of skip that part, right? That's always tell my patients like you can't skip the fact that this person was smoking for 20 years. Right? So it's not surprising that they're going to have some lung issues. So making sure that your lungs are working well, make sure you're not getting shorter breath easy. That is something you want to be very forthcoming with your physician.

And for men, I could tell you what tends to happen with men is that we're so secretive, right, that we're so secretive to our family members, to our friends. So that's why we don't go to the doctor in the first place. But you would think once they get to the doctor's office, this, the veil of secrecy would leave? Nope. A lot of them are secret to the end. Like this to the point where you almost have to call them out like, hey, you know what? Maria sent me over here and said you were having issues with your bowels, but yours ain't they're not. Which is true, right? More often than not. If a person, if a male is sent over to the doctor's office by a female relative, a spouse, someone who says like you need to go to the doctor's office, a lot of times they'll, they'll be in the room with you and not because you know, they don't trust you. It's because they don't trust that their partner is actually going to tell them all of the problems. And that happens with men a lot.

We tried to internalize everything and you know, try not to seek help and you know, that's where problems definitely will arise because of it. So I think, so we've talked about heart, we talked about lung, I talked about abdominal pelvis. We talked about the eyes making sure eyes are check as well too. And we had Dr. Candrice who talked about skin cancer, a couple of shows back. So again, the importance of, making sure there's no weird moles or rash or anything that your, your family members kind of played off. We don't want that. So making sure, and again, your skin exams, your regular physician can definitely take care of that while they got you here and kind of move. And if you need something else then see to the dermatologist. So skin exams, definitely an important one as well.

And I think last but not the least, is it comes some of the blood testing. So what actually gets tested when we go to get our physical exam? So I could tell you this from a slew of tests, right? We don't have to mention the names because the names that are really important is what they're looking for. Some of our testing, right? We'll look for signs of inflammation, we'll look signs for infection. Some of our tests within that will check to see how stable is the person's blood count is? And blood count is a very important a number to think about because if you have this patient who's coming in and they're giving you symptoms concerning that, they may be bleeding somewhere. You want to make sure that blood count is good. And stable. So blood count is definitely something that thinks about.
And then we check for your electrolytes. We check for potassium and we check for sodium, we check calcium, chloride. We check for all of these different things here because we want to make sure your electrolyte nutritional status is adequate because if not we have to take care of it.

And we'd take a look at the kidneys. Kidneys are important. You'll notice when I stop and mentioned the disease is because it probably hits the top 10 diseases that killed men every year. And kidney disease is definitely in that ball park, right? So kidney disease, and again, this is a routine test. Again, I know my patient Berry's not going to come for another year, so I got to make sure I get all of these tests done while I got him here.
So again, we're checking for kidney function, we're checking for electrolytes, we're checking to make sure your blood counts stable, we're checking to make sure you know the signs of inflammation or infection. And then, moving all, we check for the big gun right? We talk about cholesterol. Cholesterol is a big one for us, right? So we want to check your cholesterol, make sure your cholesterol was doing well. And we had previous episodes where we talked about the thoughts of cholesterol and good and bad, and what medications to take. We're not going to do this here.

Moving forward, we checking for your diabetes? Diabetes is one of those things. It's one of those, and I wrote a blog post about this. It's a disease I probably not wish would not wish on my enemy, right? Because there's not a system that's not affected by diabetes. And I think what's happening, it's probably our fault, is that when we talk about diabetes, especially in the General Public Forum, a lot of people focus on the sugar aspect. Like, oh yes, my sugar is high, but they don't realize for us, right? When we hear your sugar's high, I hear, wow, you have concerns that you're going to have some vascular damage, right? Because diabetes is an extremely fast schuller disease, right? It affects the heart. It affects the legs, it affects obviously our kidneys, brain too. So every system that can be fed through the blood system, right, which is everything diabetes can effect, especially when it's uncontrolled. So we're checking for that. So again remember and the test that we run lets me know how well you did in the past three months. So not one of these things where I have to be concerned that this like oh maybe a little bit false or you just had some cheeseburger the next day. Like that's not going to necessarily change this testing here and may adjust your cholesterol testing but it's not going to change that you're testing for your diabetes or how severe your diabetes is.

I will sometimes check for thyroid as well cause I want to make sure, and again I'm, I'm kind of foreshadowing get right cause I want to make sure all of your hormones are regulated correctly cause we've already seen that when your hormones are not regulated correctly. Because thyroid is out of whack, it doesn't matter if your hormones get back into that normal rhythm. Your thyroid has to be a normal rhythm as well. So thyroid hormones, a big one as well that we checked quite often. We've checked the urinalysis. Your urinalysis is a big one. And it's big one because it's cheap, but it tells us so much information, right? Urinalysis can tell me if you had blood in your urine, right? You're now tell me if you have an infection. Urinalysis can tell me if you have a stone in your kidney. So all of these different things that your urinalysis does a great job and educating us on, and it's a cheap test as a quick test. Definitely, something that I always like to glean information from.

Last but not least, and this is the big one, right? Testosterone levels. Because I know, especially for my men, someone's gonna want to know about testosterone, right? They're gonna want to know about, you know, artificial mutation of testosterone when needed. So a testosterone levels. And usually, it's not, it doesn't come with the annual wellness exam. But if you're giving me complaints and concerns that sexual health may be affected. I'm going to do something about it, right? So I will check a testosterone level just to make sure all your hormones are kind of in line.

So that's really the big crux of the annual exam for my men and I really try to kinda hit home all of the big take-home parts to really to let you know that it's not a difficult thing to do. It's not a test you need to be scared of. And I think knowing the answer, right? Because I think a lot of times when we talk about disease processes, some people just don't want to know the answer. But when it comes to, you know, taking care of your health and taking care of your wellness, you have to know what the answer is, right? Because we have no choice because it's killing us, right? And I hate to be doom and gloom, but I really want to stress the point, especially when you have this month of June and you know, everyone's hype about men's health month, but I know what's next month comes around, people ain't going to be at hype anymore. So I want to like make sure I'm shouting it from the rooftops, the importance of getting our stuff together men.

So again, I want to thank everyone for listening with me - Dr. Berry. We’re back with a solo episode like I missed you guys. But again, I want to thank you guys for all your support, has been absolutely phenomenal in this past season, this season, right? Season three that we're in as far as the support and effort and people downloading and people leaving five-star reviews. You now had a chance leave that five-star review for me and you guys have a great and blessed day. I'm going to see you guys next week and next week we do have a special guest, right? So you don't have to worry about hearing my voice again solo. Next week we do have a special guest. Because like I said, we like special guests. You guys have a great and blessed day.

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Fitting In Fitness & Healthy Eating... On this week's episode of the Lunch and Learn with Dr. Berry we have a return guest from episode 93, Dr. Sylvia Gonsahn-Bollie. She is America's Favorite Obesity Doctor and she comes back for a second time to help our busy women especially moms in the Lunch and Learn Community just how to fit health and fitness into their busy schedule.

This episode should serve as the busy mom's guide to get over the hump of losing weight and staying on their fitness journey. The conversation follows the trend of our initial one where we focus on many of the obstacles that these busy women face when dealing with trying to juggle working, taking care of families and having little time to actually take care of themselves.

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Download Episode 111 Transcript

Episode 111 Transcript..

Introduction

Dr. Berry:
And welcome to another episode of the Lunch and Learn with Dr. Berry. I’m your host, Dr. Berry Pierre, your favorite Board Certified Internist. Founder of drberrypierre.com, as well as the host of Lunch and Learn with Dr. Berry. Bring you another amazing episode with Dr. Sylvia Gonsahn-Bollie who is, if you remember that name is actually a repeat guest of ours. I was very fortunate enough to get her back on a second time because I know she's crazy busy, but I was able to get it back because I had a lot of feedback from her previous episode, which was episode 93. If you're unfamiliar or if you just a new subscriber since the last time she was on. And she talked about obesity, obesity-related medicine, and gave us a lot of tips on how to kind of get us and keep us on our new year's resolutions, especially because a lot of them tend to fall under the wanting to lose weight category.

So we got her back and again, I got a question from Lunch and Learn community. Well, Dr. Berry, I'm a busy mom. I work, I take care of the kids, I take care of my family. I really don't have the time to be healthy. Like what can I do? And that's where, you know what I said, I could've given her some tips, right? I could have given her some tips. They probably wouldn't have been the best. But I say good. If I'm going to talk about weight loss tips and especially for my busy moms out there, why not bring America's obesity specialist to talk to us, to educate us, to really get us on the right path. So this episode is going to be for the busy moms out there who have way too many responsibilities, way too many things to do and unfortunately that happens, right?

And we all know is that the health tends to fall by the wayside, right? Like usually you have to take care of everyone's personal wellbeing and housing and work and everything else tend to happen. And unfortunately our health usually suffers, right? Usually is the case in this standpoint here. So we have Dr. Sylvia Gonsahn-Bollie to really educate our busy moms and gives tips on how to stay on our weight journey. Right? And we're going to talk about weight journey a lot because I think, and I loved it because a lot of times we think about weight loss at this point A to point B type of thing. But really what she talks about, she says, no, this is a lifestyle change that you have to like go for the rest of your life, right? So even when you get to that goal weight, you have to understand like you have to keep on going.

That’s just the second part, right? We broke it down in parts. Just a second part, just getting to the weight. So quick little bio again, if you had not checked out episode 93 please go back and check out episode 93, so drberrypierre.com/llp093 because it was an amazing guest, especially it was an amazing topic. And again, we're hitting home today with the busy moms. So Dr. Sylvia Gonsahn-Bollie to just to kind of give a little quick bio from her. She's a board-certified internal medicine physician. She's an obesity medicine specialist who helps inspire optimal health through honesty and hope. She lost 40 pounds, overcoming emotional eating and physical inactivity. Now she has both personal as well as professional expertise in weight loss as well as weight maintenance. As a working mom herself, a wife and self-professed foodie.

She keenly understands the limitations that prevent busy people from achieving their health goals. Dr. Bollie is passionate about helping busy people, especially working women, obtain and maintain a happy and healthy weight. At the end we're going to give you her links to follow her cause she's pretty much on all social media is just like I am. Even in the show notes, you'll have a chance to find where she's at because again, this is a person that you need to follow. She does actually weekly teachings on health and weight loss and again absolutely amazing person. Like I said, I was very fortunate enough to get here a second time around. So again, if you have not had a chance, remember, subscribe to the podcast, leave a five-star review and let her know how great she did on the podcast. Because I tell you, she blew it out of the water. You guys have a great day.

Episode

Dr. Berry:
Alright, Lunch and Learn community, we have a repeat guest on today's episode and definitely one that was, you know, really requested that you guys love for an episode. You know, Dr. Bollie and you know, she's come back, right. You know, I was able to get her to come back for at least one more time. We haven't annoyed it too much and she really going to be talking about the busy mom. Right? And I know I have a lot of Lunch and Learn community listeners who ran into that issue of having to balance their health, their kids' well-being, they spouse well-being and everything, job, everything else. And unfortunately, that health tends to fall at the wayside. So ladies and gentlemen, please again a quick little introduction again and thank you for Dr. Bollie for coming back to the Lunch and Learn with Dr. Berry.

Dr. Slyvia Bollie:
Oh, thank you so much, Dr. Berry. You know, I love being here. You're so wonderful. So thank you for having the back and forth. And I love the lunch and learn community and just the fact that you're spreading this information because it's so important and the diversity and the topics that you're sharing also. So thank you for having me back.

Dr. Berry:
So for those who, maybe, someone, you know, got a lot of listeners since the last time we talked, right? So just give them a little bit of introduction of who you are. You know, why you're so important and you know why, you know, I was again, fortunate enough to kind of get you for a second time around?

Dr. Slyvia Bollie:
Oh, awesome. Okay. Well, so I am Dr. Sylvia Gonsahn-Bollie. I'm board certified in internal medicine and obesity medicine, but I probably should back because you know, we all have this program spill that we do. But I am a wife. I'm a mom, I'm a doctor, I'm a runner, I'm a foodie. So I have many hats and, and, but I'm passionate about helping busy people, especially work for women, obtain and maintain our happy, healthy weight through practical lifestyle interventions. And this for me all kind of started with my own weight loss journey, which began in 2014 late 2014 but I count 2015 as my actual start. That was when I did my first 10 K at trained up to and did it. So I've just sold it five years on my fitness and weight loss journey and I don't even like calling it a weight loss journey and we'll talk about that my weight journey.

So I have personal and professional experience with it. I am. When I started this journey, it was about a year and a half after having my first child, my son. For those of you who don't follow me on Facebook or on social media, I have a second child now. I'm five months postpartum. But with my first child, that was when this, what I'm going to talk about today, really hit home for me. You know, I was getting used to being a new mom. I was just finishing up my residency. I was a chief resident of transitioning. So chief resident, which for us is an extra fourth year. And also I'm an attending, so becoming like stepping into my new, into my career. And then I was also just getting used to everything. And so I put everything ahead of me and my health and my weight, even though I was preaching health to other people. Right?

So I was 40 pounds overweight at the time my son was one and I kind of held onto that for about a year and a half. So finally it started to impact the way I was counseling patients. I would be like what did you eat for lunch? And then I would hear in my own head, what did you eat for lunch? So exercise, like I would ask the patient, did you exercise it here? I hear the voice, did you exercise? And so I started to feel very convicted about what I was doing. So this, for that reason I started to focus on my own health and prioritize in it. And I started by training for that race of which is the monument, 10k, a popular race here in Richmond, Virginia where I live. And then from then just kept building and building and growing. But it's not easy, you know. So because of that, I know, as I said, it's hard to fit in fitness. It's challenging to make those healthy food choices, especially when you're stress, especially when you're busy. So I know that the journey has to be individualized in some ways. Like we can share in a community in terms of encouraging each other. And there are some general things that theme to it that we can do, but you really have to address your own individual journey to try to be able to fit this in.

Dr. Berry:
Interesting. We should definitely touch on a few parts. One, I want to highlight that she said this, this is one of her first 10 k's which means she's run multiple, which is absolutely amazing. And you talk about the weight journey. I take care of a lot of patients and now I do inpatient medicine. So I tend to see a lot of the end state stuff when I did inpatient medicine, outpatient medicine, you know. It was always that start right where I used to see a lot of at the beginning. And I think they were mentally at the point where they're saying doc like I'm ready to lose some weight, but I didn't necessarily know how. And I think a lot of times it was that population of those moms, those women who were busy lifting. Like again, it is not like they weren't doing anything.

Life was just happening all around them and whether it be work, whether it be school or whether taking care of kids, whether be taken care of their family. Unfortunately, the health guy left on the back burner. So when you talk about your personal weight journey, was it like, were those patients the big like kind of step that's a, you know what I gotta do something because I like how can I keep looking at my patients over and over and over again and tell them exactly what they need to do to lose weight, but I'm not personally following it myself.

Dr. Slyvia Bollie:
Definitely. I mean, because, you know, as I've mentioned, I think in the last podcast. There’s a study out there that shows that physicians who are overweight or have obesity are less likely to counsel their patients on it. And I think for me personally, I started to feel that I understand that because I almost felt like a hypocrite, you know, talking to people about what they were doing and I was not doing it and live in it. So once I noticed that it was starting to, it had gotten to the point that I felt it was starting to impact the way I was able to deliver care, especially to a set population of patients that really needed the care. Then I said, okay, it's time for me to reevaluate it. And I think for me personally, how and why it was helpful, it really improved by empathy, right? Because there's something different. And we all know this, we were both parents. So you know, there's different from book learning. Like there's these we would say by the book, but as a parent, but once you have your own child, you're like, and you see the nuances, oh, maybe I can't do that. Maybe an extra 30 minutes of screen time is okay today.

Yeah, that's it. That's just what it boils down to. So that's what I think happened. And so what I realized that I had to do was to number one, stop just telling people what to do and think about why and so, and think about what I was doing in that let me be able to help to empathize and to better help people. So the first step really was as stop beating myself up and being very negative because you know, I was sending these lots of the goals that weren't really attainable for a person who had eight then a 16-month-old child and also had a busy professional husband and had a lot and was working full time. So maybe really saying that I need to work out 30 minutes every day, wasn't going to happen initially in the beginning or saying that I should eat, you know, go from drinking soda to drink and water every day. That was going to be challenging because you've got to get acclimated to that decrease in and that's on many levels, not just psychologically, but also physiologically. Your body just used to a certain level of sweetness and you got to tone it down so you're able to tolerate the regular water - clean water. I get used to drinking water.

Dr. Berry:
I get used to, sometimes I look at juice now and it looks so good. Get Back. (Yeah.) Now the goals were, were there goals that you know we're kind of placed upon you? Like people thought like, well, you should be able to do 30 minutes every day. You should just cold turkey drink juice. Was those like just kind of like outside goals, kind of waited upon you? Where those kinds of like internalized in yourself and then you kind of realize this is not a successful route if I continue to try to go this way?

Dr. Slyvia Bollie:
Yeah, well I think, you know, we have guidelines right? As, as physicians and a dietician’s health community, so their guidelines set, right? So the American Heart Association recommends that we get 150 minutes of moderate exercise per week. So that's two and a half hours of exercise per week and moderate being that you can move without sinking. So like while you're jogging, while you're walking, you're moving fast enough that you're not sinking or an hour and a half of vigorous exercise, which is moving fast and if we can't talk while you exercise. So that's the American heart association guidelines. So that, of course, is what I would strive for because that's when I'm counseling my patients on it. Now the dietary guidelines are controversial for people. There are people you know who don't believe in me, don't believe in dairy, things like that. Personally, I feel like the literature really supports more of a Mediterranean diet and as close to the plant-based as you can be, which is hard because I do love my chicken.

I love chicken. So unapologetically I'll try it. So, but you know, so my goal was to really minimize, I don't eat red meat or pork since I was since age 15 so that wasn't hard for me. But kind of back on like chicken, fried foods, things like that, and trying to eat as clean as possible, which is minimizing process foods. So those were my goals based on all the data and all the things that I've seen about eating a healthy diet. So that, and for me, the big one was sugar like and is still cutting down on sugar because when I'm stressed I tend to eat a lot of sugar. And that's again very physiological thing because those high levels of cortisol make you want to eat more sugar.

Dr. Berry:
No stress like a mom. No, no, no. No stress.

Dr. Slyvia Bollie:
So that's where I feel a lot of pressure came from because I knew the guidelines, I know what I'm supposed to do, but you know, there's a gap between what I'm doing and what I need to do.

Dr. Berry:
So when you were making the mental transition even before you made the leap, like physically as far as stopping doing things and you know, working out more, what was the support system like? Because I feel when I talked to the moms out there, a lot of times they feel like it's on their own. And they feel because it's on their own, that's what makes it more difficult than not to even start and if they do start to continue.

Dr. Slyvia Bollie:
Exactly. Well, I'm glad you talked about it. So let me characterize this. What would I call the person then? Then we'll get the "not answer that question because I do want to talk about what I called this busy woman syndrome". That's what I call it syndrome. Or for those people who are in the church also known as Martha Syndrome. So people who are familiar with the Bible and things like that. So if you are not familiar with the Bible, I'll tell you real quick. So it's a story about two sisters, Mary and Martha and Jesus comes to visit and this is paraphrased of course. Jesus comes to visit their house and you know, Martha is all busy. She's in the kitchen, she's cooking, she's cleaning up their house, she's just all over the place busy.

Really what I would be doing. Mary meanwhile is the chill sister. She's chilling, seat by the Jesus at his feet, just like enjoying the moment. And Martha comes out. It just like I could see myself doing it. It's like, Hey Jesus, like tell Mary to get some business about herself. Tell her to come and help me. Let's get ready. Do something. And instead of reprimanding Mary as you would expect, Jesus actually says, Martha, you are concerned about many things. Meaning you got way too much going on. Mary has chosen the most important thing, which is to just be present at the moment, to enjoy the moment and to spend time meaningfully with people she loves. So I think this is a perfect picture of kind of how we are. We put a lot on ourselves and some of it, yes it's true, we must do it. I mean we have to work, have to cook, like all these things. But there's a time and a place where we can actually, where we feel like we need to be doing something where we can take a break and sit down and be present in the moment. And I think when it comes to health, we have to carve out those moments where we can sit and be present and say, I'm going to prioritize my health. Whether that moment is eating something healthy or making a healthier choice or is actually going out and exercising and doing something for a few minutes for ourselves.

Dr. Berry:
More than Mary, less than Martha. I love it.

Dr. Slyvia Bollie:
So now, you asked the question on what was the support system like? So that's why I kind of bring out too. For me, I'm a person of faith. So I think a lot of times when we think about like our health journey or weight journey in general, and again getting back to this concept of weight be, and we can talk about Dr. Berry at the end, may be about, it'll be in a weight journey and not just a weight loss journey because too often we focus on that weight loss. And once we get to that weight loss is like, Oh, I lost the weight and let me go back to eat and what I eat and you know, and you regain all the weight and you're back on another weight loss journey. So I really want to shift our mindset to it being a weight journey where that includes the weight loss, the weight maintenance and everything where we're doing it.

So for the weight journey, it's so important not to do it in a vacuum. For me, I followed the philosophy of faith, family, friends, fitness, and food. So I like alliteration. So all those F's. So, but faith is the basis of thinking about it. You know, really for me Biblically, what does the Bible say about health and taking care of our bodies and being able to stay healthy and using that as a support in that some people who are a part of a faith community, maybe your church or synagogue or your mosque, it has some resources that you can use to build into that. So if faith is important to you, don't exclude that from the journey of your fitness journey. So that's one of the things. So it's creating support with what we already have versus looking at it.

Now, and that's, you know, probably more of the touchy-feely time. For me on my fitness journey, I would say friends were important. I have a very good friend and she to me was the key to unlocking my weight loss journey. And to be perfectly honest, because I am such a perfectionist, I can be very hard on myself. So you know, I'm like, oh, I didn't make that 30 minutes. I didn't get two and a half hours, this and this and that. And so one day I was talking to her about how frustrated I was about losing weight and my fitness journey and she just stopped me and she was like, be nice to Sylvia. I like her about her saying that just like it hit me. I'm like, yeah be nice. Because when you're kind to yourself, you're not holding or nice to yourself or to anyone.

Be nice. Because most women were very caring and will help people. We're not going to be, you know, a kid comes to you and like, you know, mom, I didn't, I wasn't able to get a hundred on my test this week. You're going to be like, that's okay. You got an 89 and it's all right. You'll try harder next time. Let's figure out what we can do to get those grades up or to see why you miss those points. So that same kind of kindness that we would extend to other people, we have to extend to ourselves. So, okay, this week I wasn't able to make it in two and a half hours, but let me look back and realistically think why that was, oh my goodness. You know, it was close to the month. I had to get all those charts and I had to submit on my work at work.

There was a lot going on, that was an obstacle. It's not an excuse. It's an obstacle to me getting this work done. So it took me getting that workout in, all right, but now that identified the obstacles, what could I have possibly done to do and instead to get that workout in instead, or what? How could I have set myself up to make better food choices? Okay. I know that it was a week that was filled with PTA meetings, soccer practices, football practices, dance practice, whatever. And so realistically me thinking that I was going to cook dinner every night, didn't it make sense? But maybe instead of us rolling up to a fast food place, I could've just like meal prep and make like chicken. It used some big chicken or some enough food for a day or it could have gone to a healthy place and gotten a family meal pack that we could have actually had two days of leftovers from.

So those are the kinds of choices when you're being kind to yourself. So I talked about faith, I talked about family, talked about friends first and then family. So the family is a tricky one, right? (Let’s talk about, yes.) Because sometimes family can actually, it can help or hinder on the weight loss, on the weight journey. Because let's say, and especially for moms, they're like, I hear this all the time, my kids don't like eating that or my husband does not like eating that. And then, and that's true, there's data to support that, right? Actually, for married couples, that data was an in married couples and I'm probably could work for common law couples too, but for married couples that you're more likely to adhere to your diet plan or your healthy eating plan if your spouse is involved with you. And also in the first year, an interesting fact in the first year of marriage, you more likely to gain 50 pounds.

So there's a newlywed 50 too for women. Because we start heated up to that. So you know, so having that your partner, your spouse involved with you is so key because it will help. But what do you do if they're not involved? Like for me, I love my husband. He supports me as much as he can, but he has been blessed with a great metabolism. He got a six pack from drinking a six pack of coke. Like he just gets, it just comes naturally. He doesn't have to work out. So he can't really be on this journey with me because he can't get it. So he just eats what he wants to be. Right. I'll ask him, I'm like, can you go get me some fruit bars and then wanting, the one time I asked him for that and then he came back with like a box of Gelato and I'm like, ah, the nutritional content of this is very different like you're not helping me at all. He was like, oh, it's just ice cream. Yeah.

Dr. Berry:
That's usually what I get. I usually get like, well, my kids don't eat that way. My family members don’t eat that way. Maybe I don't have time to cook two different meals for two different groups of people.

Dr. Slyvia Bollie:
Exactly. Well, what I'll say is don't make it hard for yourself. And that's what I did. So number one, I shifted my mindset rather than say, you know, oh, I don't have them and he's not helping me, or my kids don't want this. I said, okay, well this is another form of mommy me time. I get to eat, mommy gets to eat what she wants to eat, they can eat whatever they want, but this is my me time. This is something I'm doing just for me. I'm going to eat this salad for me. I'm going to eat this kale for me. And that's how it's for me. You know, I'm buying my own personal grocery. Actually, now that are kind of territorial. They're like actually had guests recently and they were eating me, I'm special low carb bread and I was. (The guest bread is over there.) Why are you eating my bread? So yes it does.

But that's how I changed my mindset about it. To make it easy on myself, I keep the protein the same, but I kept the carb so we can eat the same protein. So be it chicken, be it turkey, be it fish, I eating it. That's me. You know what I mean? They're not even that. But I keep the protein the same for the most part. And then I keep the vegetables the same. I'm lucky to do, especially my son loves all vegetables, so I keep the vegetables same, but I cut the carb or switch to the carb about. So I’m in a family of big rice eaters, they like a lot of rice. Try to get them to eat brown rice is hard. They like white rice.

Dr. Berry:
The brown rice talk over here. It doesn't even, I know exactly what that white rice. Family is life. I know that life is life.

Dr. Slyvia Bollie:
So they're not trying to have that. Sometimes if I get the right brand, like Uncle Ben's friend of brown rice. I can interchange it out, but it has to be the first day, you know, its very thing. So anyway, that being said, I've changed the carb about, so I just do a half a plate of vegetables for myself or I might do cauliflower rice for myself and then they can eat that. And that makes it very easy because then I, or I've put a salad, you know, then that way I'm not fixing to different meals. We're sharing the same protein. We're sharing the same vegetable is only a quick, simple thing that I have to do for myself.

Dr. Berry:
I love how you talked about having to make them the mindset shift first before the action occurred. Whatever that action is. Cause I think that you know, really slows a lot of moms down. They may know, they may read all that they needed to read and they see all the videos needed to do. And they have that first step really doesn't happen and nothing subsequently is successful.

Dr. Slyvia Bollie:
Well, I have been, you know, practicing now in the past five years. I've seen, I've had what, 15,000 plus patient encounters and I started obesity. Yeah, I know, right? They check this data and I'm a nerd, y'all know, I know this data. So, and then I, you know, and then I started weight loss doing, you know, 40% weight loss exclusively in 2017 and late 2016. So I've seen lots of patients, right. And one of them, and so I can, but I will say when it comes to weight loss, weight management, 90% of it is the mind. It's the mind. Because when you, you know, the old song says free your mind and the rest will follow. Once you make that mind shift, then these things that seemed hard, that seems like it's that were quote-unquote excuses your obstacles, you find a way around them.

You find a solution for them but it, so I really, I’m a big proponent, a big advocate of the mind. I recently was working with someone and they wanted me to just like, give them formula. Just give me some exercises, just give me some things and it realistically you don't need me to do that. There are billions of exercises you just go on YouTube. I love to search for it and find new people to do that. There are billions of diets and the data supports the best diet for you is the one that works right? The one that you can stick to. So it really comes down to me helping you change your mindset. And I don't do it alone. So when we talk about the team, the other part of your team is figuring out what those mindsets are. For a lot of my patients that they will end up going to see a therapist or a psychologist because there is deeper than the weight. I always say weight is not just a number, it's a story. There's a story behind what got that person to that weight. And once you unlock that story and figure it out, then both as the physician, both as the clinician but also as them for themselves, then we can figure it out. So sometimes we, they end up needing a psychologist on the team and not just the provider, a physician on their team to help because there's a lot of comorbidities like depression, anxiety, trauma, PTSD. A lot of that is tied into weight as well.

Dr. Berry:
I know you said you were taking out they were comorbidities that are there. (I know.) Obesity-related. Because I remember the bill. Nope, that was it. So now that you have a team, right? You have your mindset has shifted, right? I'm a busy mom. Right? Like I have mentally made that leap. Right. Then I'm ready. Right. What do I do next? How do I start? And I guess is that, would you say that's the start of their weight journey? Like when does that actually begin?

Dr. Slyvia Bollie:
Yeah, I would say your weight journey starts, once you decide and you make that change that you're ready to do it. No one can force you. No one can talk to you about it. You know, it's almost, I think last time we talked about I make it analogous for those who are in medicine or in healthcare to smoking cessation. Like when you stop smoking, quitting smoking, right? If you've ever been with this smoke grip, to get them to actually quit smoking as a matter what you put on the cigarette pet, where you put on the team, it doesn't matter. So we rate it. We say you're either pre contemplated, meaning you're not even thinking about it. So don't even talk to you, contemplating, you're thinking about it. Got some idea, but you're not ready for action yet. Grant action based and then you're in maintenance and then relapse.

And so I treat obesity just like that, which is model for change. That's the formal name of it. So, so when you now are conscious that you've really wanted to change and you're ready to, so you're in the contemplation stage, that's step two. So now you're ready for action and to make the change. So I think yes, the mind shift changes number one, and then ready for action. So I think number one, I tell people to identify, and I can send this to you, the link, I put it on my website, I made a little graph or sheet that kind of follows my weight loss journey. So you'll be able to go directly to her site. Download that. Yes.

Dr. Berry:
This will be on the show note for Lunch and Learn community so you'll be able to go directly to her site. Download that, mentally.

Dr. Slyvia Bollie:
So now that you're ready for it and you can write down, you need to write down like acknowledge what are your barriers, what are the obstacles that you face, be it time, be it an unsupportive family. So yeah. So getting started, what I tell you to do is, so address your obstacles and create opportunities. So what I recommend that you do is write down everything that you identify as the obstacle. The common term for it is excuses. People say it's just an excuse. But again, that mindset shift, right? Excuses is a very defeating term. It makes, it puts blame on you. Like I'm not doing something, I'm supposed to do it, but I could be doing it. So I shift it from saying it's not an excuse, it's your life. It's a barrier to what you're trying to do and what you're trying to accomplish it.

So instead it's an obstacle. And once you recognize as the obstacle, but that obstacles as opportunities. So now you have an opportunity to change what you're doing. So what I'll do, so like lack of time, for instance, what opportunities can you create for a time in your schedule and give yourself some options. Give yourself A, B, C, even D, E, F. So like for me, when I started back in late 2014, my obstacle time was a huge obstacle because at that time my husband was commuting about two hours a day back and forth. So that when I got home I had to take care of the baby, my little toddler. And that made it hard for me to go to the gym and exercise. Right. So what opportunities can I do? All right, well let me exercise in the morning instead.

And how much time, I'm more of a morning person anyway. Let me try to get up earlier and exercise in the morning. Maybe I can get a baby stroller, like a jogging stroller. So I actually got one of those offline. Maybe I can find a gym that has childcare in with it. So I would join the gym with childcare in it. Okay, well sometimes I can't get to the gym. What can I do? Let me do some. I started actually with a rockin' body, so I started with that because actually one of my first obstacles was I didn't like exercising. At least I thought I did exercising.

Dr. Berry:
Very telling because I think a lot of people don't realize like that's actually alike.

Dr. Slyvia Bollie:
You have to like it. And that's why when you don't like doing something, you'll find any reason not to do it. So, of course, I don't have time because I don't like it. And what I realized in that, so that's actually a huge, not just a mindset shift, but also a barrier or obstacle. So what I realized is I was trying to force myself to do things I didn't like to do. So when I started with rocky and body, which was just like dancing and I am not a good dancer, but it made me feel like I was so things like do it that way.

So I like doing that. It made me feel good, you know, and it has short workouts so it has some as short as 10 minutes and some as long as 45 minutes. Then I started the running, which one of my colleagues that I work with, he's like, oh he actually just turned 60 yeah, we celebrate the 60 but he's 60 years old, but he's been running for years. And he said, yeah, so 30 plus years he's done a Boston marathon, lots of things. So seeing him and just his consistency with it really inspired me. And so that's how it started. A trend for the first 10K that then I did. And because he was doing it and you know, he really motivated me to do it. And then I found I liked running, you know? And so I kept going, kept adding it, have added distance at a distance, did a marathon in 2016 and it kept doing the 10K and did my fifth monuments 10K.

This year was my fifth one, four months postpartum. (Congratulation.) Thank you. So, but you don't know what you like to do until you try, you know? Whereas then I have other friends, I have colleagues, they like doing CrossFit, they like doing Hit, they liked doing weightlifting. I don't like doing that stuff. I recognize the value of it. But I know for myself I don't like it. I have to do it because it's good for the strength and aspect of it. So I say figure out what you like cause you may say I hate exercise, I don't like exercise. But really you just haven't found what you like to do. So challenge yourself to find the activity and think about activities you don't consider exercise that you do enjoy doing. Like do you enjoy dancing? Do you enjoy being outdoors? Do you enjoy, because then maybe you can find, uh, some form of exercise, quote-unquote that you enjoy doing too.

Dr. Berry:
What I love about what you just said, especially cause it's kind of eye-opening, is that a lot of us when we'd say, well, I don't have the time to exercise. Where we're really saying is I don't like that exercise that y'all want me to find time for us. So I'm not going to find time to do it. But once you find something you like, whatever that something is from an exercise standpoint, all of a sudden you'll wake up early in the morning and you'll stay up late at night, you'll squeeze it in during lunch. You'll do things for stuff you like which makes sense. Right? Again, when we got to the food we like, we'll do whatever we got to do for that food. We like, right, when you have an activity we like, we'll do it. We ever have to do. And I think once we hold up that same appraise with an exercise, whatever that exercise is for you, you'll find the time, right? Yeah. Some kids got to go to sleep, right. You know, family guy, you're taking it, you do that time to kind of be by yourself. And I liked that you said maybe you don't have time to go somewhere. Right. Maybe there's some stuff you can do even in your own house to kind of maximize the free time that you do have.

Dr. Slyvia Bollie:
Exactly. And that was another, you brought up a good one. Another barrier, right? Healthy food doesn't taste good to me. Like that was probably, you know, is it, like I said, it's been five years. I forget where I started. Right. We want to front and act as we've been there. I've always been healthy. I've always been on this witness. No, I did not like healthy food when I first started. So that was my first month to set shift for me. It was just like, okay, well how I actually worked around this because I'm a foodie? Both of my parents owned a restaurant when I was a kid. I grew up like just immersed in food. Culture food is a big part of my life, but what I challenged myself with was how can it, rather than saying I don't like, maybe again, I'm not liking the healthy food I'm choosing. Or I'm choosing tasteless food.

I'm not applying the same principles of Buddhism to my food, my healthy food. So what I will do is challenged myself to make my healthy food as delicious as possible, but still healthy and to find healthy options when I go out to eat. Because you know, again, being busy, I do have to eat out a lot. I do sometimes some weeks of his very busy. I may not have the time to cook the way I want to, but let me challenge myself to find those restaurants that have healthy options and let me challenge myself when I cooked to make it delicious, healthy, and delicious. Not just something dry or blend because I say I'd want to eat healthy. Don't punish yourself, enjoy what you're eating, but just try to stay within the parameters of making it healthy. Because to me, if you're a good cook, if you're a true foodie, then you can find deliciousness and make deliciousness with anything. Anyone can make it delicious. If you get to put a whole stick of butter in it and half a cup of sugar, but it takes real skill to make, you know, some quinoa delicious or it seemed to make this tofu delicious. So that's what I've been, what I challenged myself to do. And that's kind of how I worked around the barrier of not really finding healthy food at that time appealing.

Dr. Berry:
When we talk about healthy food, right? Because this is personally, I always run into the issue right? I'm a very visual person with the food and some of the foods that they called healthy I got to ask that question, it's not even a secondary question. Some of the food that they called healthy really don't look good. Like Hey, I haven't even like tasted it yet. But sometimes that mental barrier, they even taste food that's healthier for me it's difficult because I'm, "oh that food doesn't even my...what is that?" And I that's, that's sometimes I get, what am I looking at right here at the hospital and they do this, they always have like a vegetarian section. This thing that it looks like meatballs, but I know for a fact is not a meatball. And then it's almost like hard like a rock. Like it's just like, okay. And that's what always gets me like, and I know that's probably going to get a lot of moms out there, right? Like the food don't look good to us. It's difficult for us to even put it in our mouth to eat.

Dr. Slyvia Bollie:
Exactly. So what I would challenge you to, what I would say to that is you're right then don't eat what does it look good to you? Like personally for me and, and that's again about knowing yourself and that mindset shift. I don't like big food and I shouldn't call it big, but I don't like to look for light foods. Big chicken. I told you I like chicken. Finally, I found one brand that actually does taste like chicken and it's made from, but when I read the ingredients like you when I know what do I really want to eat this, like wheat, soy and some kind of fungus, but it really tastes like chicken. But before that, I don't like those like big meatballs. I don't like big things like that because you're right, psychologically I'm expecting the taste, the texture of a meatball that I'm used to.

And then when I get this and my brain is like automatically going to think it tastes gross because you know, it's not the meatball that I'm used to. So I would say focus on what you do like. So if you like vegetables, so initially within, you know, I know that I like vegetables so a lot of my things is stir fry. If he even looks on my Instagram page and stuff like that. There are a lot of stir fries because I can eat vegetables. There's a lot of eggplants. I like, eggplant is hardy. There is a Portobello mushroom, it's hardy. So more of the more vegetables which you know the plant-based community or argued that it's healthier for you anyway and cleaner for you than eating something that's processed to look like me in the first place. And so I would say if you identify that, then don't eat it because already if you don't think it looks good and you're right, most of the food is person visual and not only visual but also smelled too.

So if you have that perception before you even put it in your mouth, it is not going to taste it. Once it hits the cognitive part of your brain, you know, it's missing all those functions. It’s missing the texture, it’s missing the taste that you're expecting and no one would like that. So don't eat it, don't eat it. Find something else that is appealing to you. Like maybe make the list of it. Now it is more challenging for those people who say, I don't like vegetables, which I do run into people like that or I only buy fruit. That again adds into your team, which is the second part. So you asked how do you get started? So address your obstacles and create opportunities to is assemble your team. Like we talked about your support system and your structure.

I use the principle of fitness inspire through teamwork. That's my handle or whatever, FITT. So we need a team, right? So who's on your team? So maybe you need a Dietitian on your team professionally because you don't like a lot of foods. Or you have health conditions like diabetes, hypertension, prediabetes, insulin resistance. You have conditions that do require special attention to come up with a specialized or individualized food plan. And I'd tell people all the time, why haven't a physician? So if you can find an obesity medicine physician in your area, you can go on the OMA website, which would come put in the show notes also. They can help you get started. But when it comes to nutrition counseling, I'm the type of person, I like to acknowledge my limitations and my training and it helped my patients get to where they need to go.

So I said doctors, we do drive-thru nutrition counseling. That's for many reasons like you know what I mean? Like you go drive-thru, we tell you a couple of days. Don’t eat carbs, don't eat sugar. But when you go to a nutritionist, they give you like a full four course meal and nutrition counseling because they can go through in detail, they have the time, go through detail and to see what it works for you, what doesn't work, and look at everything like that and come up with a very detailed plan. So I always recommend if you have a lot of barriers to things you like, dislike health condition. He should see, it starts with your physician. But definitely seeing nutritionists to help you on your team. And the team that I use, you know, as I said, I use my F so you know, faith, family, friends, if a physician or primary care provider, psychologist, dietician, you know, so a comprehensive team is important to help you with your weight journey.

Dr. Berry:
That's beautiful. Okay, I'm a busy mom. Right? I made the mental switch, I got my team together. I’m starting to identify what things, I will make time for it, right? Because we know the time is there, right? We've already, the mentorship has already said, but you know, time is there. So we already know what the time is there and now we're starting to identify this is, I like this exercise. I don't like this exercise. I'm going to lean towards this way over here and now we're even starting to like even say, you know what? Maybe I can eat healthy right now and I'm asking it as a little bit later as far as, especially when we talk about eating out because I always get that excuse, I am eating healthy and I'm doing everything like well how come I haven't lost my 20 pounds yet? I think that's the part of the journey that I feel like people would hit the stop sign and breaks and that's when they kind of get off. Right? Because, they, for some and again, and maybe kind of going back to having more realistic goals. Right? But they don't, right? But they don't, right? They say I haven't lost my 20 pounds and now they're back to see you because they say, Hey I did all these things and the weight's not coming off. Right? Like what do I do?

Dr. Slyvia Bollie:
Alright. So going back to the steps, let me just reiterate one more time. So getting started. So I address obstacles and create opportunities, assemble your support team. And then the third thing is to act daily. Do something daily towards those goals that you have set. So even if you can't get your 30 minutes in one day, okay, do one minute. Because I find when it comes to mindset comes to momentum. You just got to keep going. I don't allow myself to go more than 48 hours without exercise. And because I find that that third day that's when the inertia or the laziness, that's it. And it gets harder for me to get back on my routine. I mean, unless of course, I'm sick or something like that. There've been times when I've been sick and I had to go for a week.

But since it started, so that third day come hill come high water, I'm going to do some. And where there's just one minute of a plank. I view my time bank of fitness as a bank account, right. Rather than viewing it like I have to do 30 minutes each day. No, I have to get in two and a half hours this weekend. However, I get that two and a half hours is fine. So if I just do 10 minutes today, but over the weekend I can do an hour, then it's all working towards the same goal rather than see a very rigid that you have to do 30 minutes every day or something like that.

So break it up how it works for you. So just something every day, maybe today I'm going to, instead of having that chocolate chip cookie at 3:00 PM, I'm going to have, make a choice and choose to just have an apple at 3:00 PM instead. So that's what it means to do it by acting daily. Now when you talk about it, and I wanted to make sure we clarify that before we shift into the weight because the weight loss part of it, because you're right, the struggle is real. So this is the way that I talked about this, which I mentioned in the first podcast, was just that, number one, we've got to think about a couple of things from evolution or hysterical, whatever you believe in and point of view. We were not made to lose weight, right? Weight has an advantage, excess weight. The reason why we have this adipose or this fat tissue is to protect this and to serve as storage for energy, to serve as the storage for food, for times of scarcity. Right?
And so I always tell my patients who have obesity and they left. I hope you will too, that if we were in like caveman times or they would be queen and the king of the jungle and I would be eating like this is real, right? You have a protective advantage of where you are. But unfortunately, as we have now moved into food positive times where we don't need this extra adipose or this extra tissue to hang out as we did before, now the body is not used to getting rid of it and certainly not used to getting rid of it as quickly as possible. So we know from a lot of studies that have been done like this showed the biggest loser study came out and it showed that most of those people who lost all that weight so quickly to a very intensive process with a lot of team of people. For those people, they gain most of the weight back.

And part of that, when they looked at the biology of it, their body set into motion a whole process for them to regain their weight. Like their metabolic rate slowed down. There was a release of hormones that made them hungrier, that made them not process the fat in sugar as well. So there was a lot going on for it because of the fact that they lost the weight so rapidly and how much of the weight was lost. So we know that you know, we have physiology fighting against this in many ways. And then also psychologically as you're alluding to, is just the fact that, oh, I'm not losing weight, how I feel or would the as quickly as I feel. And so then we do other things and we'd go back into old habits as well that too. So when we talk about weight loss is they're complicated, but then from a more practical perspective, so that was how the nerdy science kind of stuff and the psychological stuff.

But let's be real. It took you 50 years to gain that weight. Why do you think you should lose it all on 50 days? Common guys, give us some time. (I love it.) That rapid weight loss is very traumatic for the body. It is. It is. So the body's going to say, pola, pola, pola, pola. We starving. Why are we losing so much weight? Let me slow down this process a little bit. Let me give myself time to get used to all these changes. And so you may experience what is called a weight loss plateau. Now there's controversy. Some people don't believe in it, this and that. I believe in it. I've seen it and I think the science does support it and it makes sense like your body needs time to get used to the changes that are being made. So I think during those times when you feel like the weight is not coming off as quickly as it should, that is definitely the time if you don't already have a good support system to seek it out.

And again, I mean no shade to any of their specialty or profession, but I know the training that I got as I transitioned from internal medicine, so obesity medicine, I learned a lot about what to do during those times and to really about treating obesity as a disease. So that would be a great time if you are, do have access to an obesity specialist or clinician in your area to try to seek one out, to see if they can help you lose weight. Now in terms of what you should look for in one, I think that probably should be a whole another set very, because I could go on for a long time. But you do need to seek help to help you through the weight loss plateau.

So that help, just in short may include dietary changes. It may include behavioral changes and it actually should include a lot of those. And then sometimes if you already optimized on all those things, especially, I'm sorry, a key one for working moms, I should say sleep. You need seven to nine hours of sleep at night to lose weight. That is because all of our natural weight burnings, that burning hormones are weight loss hormones. They are reset when we sleep and when we get into the right circadian rhythm, and that takes about seven to nine hours at night. And then also stress, you need your stress level to below. So stress management is a key part of it because people who rate their stress levels as moderate to high, on average, we weigh about 11% more than people who rate their stress levels as low. So you need to really make sure that those are in place. And then if all those things are in place, then this is when a physician or clinician may say, maybe we should do weight loss medication and there are several on the market that had been approved to help treat the disease of obesity and to help with weight loss. So that's when, and that's what we may need to almost quote unquote trick the body out of this kind of Plateau state or non-weight burning state.

Dr. Berry:
I love it. So after an action, what's our next of a plan or action? So we've got action, we're doing it at least a minute. I love that at least a minute because I think sometimes the moms do feel guilty. They do feel guilty, (We do.) Just couldn't get it, I wanted to and so and so happened. I know I'd be working out like I tried to work out in the mornings, but usually, my twins usually toward that, right? They wake up early, someone's got to be with the other along the way. And it's usually me. Right? So I know there are always obstacles that are in a way. So I do love that we give them an opportunity to say no, you know, it's okay. Just put it in the bank. It's not a race. We just need you to get there. We just need you to get there. Had to be the first. We just got to get you to that point every single week. And I love when I stay up.

When they get to point in there the action and they're losing weight and now they're feeling good about themselves. Right? Like what? Like what do you do? How do you counsel them to stay on it, right? Because again, I love the fact that we really call it a journey, right? Because this is something that as a lifelong thing that they need to like handle it. What are some of the things that you've seen that's caused people to maybe backslide a little bit? And what are some of the tips that you have to say like to keep on going?

Dr. Slyvia Bollie:
So the next stage in the stages of changes is maintenance, right? So you guys what, we're in action, now we just need to maintain it. You've already addressed some things. So lack of results is a key thing like you mentioned. So people who may lose that initial five to 10 pounds and get it off very quickly because it's more water weight and people in the body was ready to give that. But then you get to a place where maybe raw now five to 10% of your body weight and then your body kinda plateau or as not losing as quickly. So people get discouraged and the negativity sets in. I think it's very important then to again, tap into your team and figure out what's going on. That's the time to make their appointment with someone that's to talk to your friends who are on the journey with you. Those people who are going to support you, your family, your faith, those things to keep you on the journey.

And that's the glue that's kind of keeping you going during those times when you may feel discouraged on your own. Because everybody will feel that way. I think number one, again, a mindset shift is just knowing that this plateau or this lack of results as part of the journey. Number two, knowing that it's a constant journey. So you mentioned something very common, like yeah, I have the five months old now. She often wakes up, but if you follow my Instagram stories, you'll see her in that video with me. Right? So that means maybe I have plans to go out for a run that morning, but she woke up. So now we may be doing a carry fit or like a baby carrier exercise instead. And I'm just lifting weights with her or, you know if she won't let me put her down or I'll put her in a thing and exercise in the swinger or something.

So you know, knowing that it's going to be constantly something. Something will always be there. That's the other mindset struggles. Not just because, okay, I've declared this thing and I'm going to do it. That is going to be quote-unquote easy. It's not going to be easy. There were always been some barrier there, but you get better at figuring out how can I navigate around that? So that's why I say mindset is so important because that's what's going to help you to maintain and continue the weight journey. So now that you've lost the weight or a year in the process of losing the weight continuance to go, and so that's how I know in the office and in the clinical setting how I support my patients.

So number one, showing up, right? Sometimes you have a tendency to hide when you haven't reached the goal or the goal is not going the way you want. Don't hide, still, show up. Come to your appointment. Call your friend, call your trainer and I'm so sorry my fitness trainer friends are going to be so mad at me. Yes, fitness trainers, they're been important. You know, I'm more like individual because my exercise is more of my me time. But definitely if you struggle with being alone or working out alone, get a trainer, get someone to help you. And I'm actually going to get a trainer later on this year too because they can help you get to that next level of fitness that you want to get to or you need to get to. So yes tapping into the resources you need, show up using your team and still continually reevaluating what is working, what isn't working and knowing that you needed, you're going to need to change.

Like I can't tell you how many times I would come to feel like I was finally in a group with especially fitness and I focused on fitness. But the food, of course, is the number one thing for weight loss. But fitness helps them so much. So I would get my fitness schedule down and then my husband's work schedule would change and I'd be like dad, waking up baby. And so, you know, it's always going to be something. I think that's what I've learned and that's life, right? There's always going to be something. But your ability to adapt, which probably it could still see as we talk. It helps out so much. Right. I just added a fourth A so I had a sense and assemble. I had act now I have, did I just already forget it? This is the sleep deprivation can get but no, but yeah, I just added a fourth A to it though. So you have assessed, you have, so you acknowledging those barriers. You had to assemble your team, you have acting daily and then assess. So constantly reassessing what needs to change, what you need help with that so important.

Dr. Berry:
I love it. Before we get you out of here, again amazing teaching education and I know obviously we talked about the moms, of course, busy dads. I know y'all out there clearly, but we got to talk about the moms because you know, we know how hard they work. Before we let you get out of here. Right? Like what I need you to tell everyone, like again, we've talked about before, how can they get in touch with you, teach you, learn from you. What is out there that they can kind of consume cause I think, uh, you know, they're going to listen to this and then go back and listen to episode 93 and then be like, wow, this is the person that I need to follow. How can they follow and learn and continue to kind of even follow your journey that you're still on as we speak.

Dr. Slyvia Bollie:
Yeah. Well definitely through social media. I have a website that is drsylviagbollie.com. I also am very active on Facebook. I do weekly live postings where I teach on different topics and I'm committed to trying to do those weekly now. I also post regularly on Twitter, on Instagram, just to keep us all motivated on our fitness journey. And that's my main goal, just showing real-life examples of trying to fit into in fitness and fit in healthy eating and so busy lifestyles, especially as a working mom. So there's social media is the best way.

Dr. Berry:
Okay. So I ask all my guests on the podcast, how is what you do helping to empower busy moms across the world empowered themselves for better health?

Dr. Slyvia Bollie:
I think what I'm doing is helping busy moms across the world because I'm empowering us to just be ourselves and work within those confines would be in ourselves. Work within that rather than trying to fit any mold, fit any model and putting yourself on there. Like you mentioned a lot of guilt, a lot of pressure. Like I, my goal and how I hope to help all of us is to just help us realize that number one, it's possible to fit in fitness. It’s possible to fit in healthy eating. And it doesn't have to be the way that anyone else does it, but in a way that works best for you.

Dr. Berry:
Love it, love it. Again, Lunch and Learn community, I want to thank that Dr. Bollie for coming on the second time and dropping even more gems. And she did the first time and you know, blessing us, educating us, and really getting this right and together, especially for the busy moms out there. I know a lot of them are. I know a lot of them in the Lunch and Learn community who are starving freedom. So I like this. So again, thank you for joining the show today.

Dr. Slyvia Bollie:
Thanks. Bye.

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Lets Talk about Childhood Obesity... On this week's episode of the Lunch and Learn with Dr. Berry we have a special treat in store with Dr. Candice Jones, who is a board certified pediatrician and host of the wildly popular podcast KIDing Around with Dr. Candice. Being an Internist gives me the opportunity to speak on a wide range of topics affecting adult medicine but one of the questions I always got from the Lunch and Learn community was about children and before this week I didn't have any answers.

Fortunately this week Dr. Jones lends her expertise to bring to light a much-needed discussion on childhood obesity. I talk a lot about adulthood obesity and its many ramifications but obesity doesn't just start to affect us when we turn 18.

Thankfully I got an expert to teach the Lunch and Learn Community about the topic at hand including some of the common risk factors associated with childhood obesity, complications and treatment options.

We also get to talk about how much obesity has changed her practice over time because if you think only the adults are affected you have another thing coming.

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Download Episode 110 Transcript

Episode 110 Transcript...

Dr. Berry:
Alright, Lunch and Learn community. Like the intro says, we have an amazing guest. You guys know like, I love patient care. I love to talk about my adults, but I got purposely stressed talking about my adults because you know kids aren't really my thing. But this person here and you've heard a little bit about her in the intro, but of course I want her to introduce herself to Lunch and Learn community. We have Dr. Candice Jones here. First of all thank you for coming to the show.

Dr. Candice Jones
Thank you for having me and I'm excited about it.

Dr. Berry:
Well so, Dr. Candice, please tell the Lunch and Learn community a little bit about you. You know, who you are? You know, how you got to where you're at? And before we really get this deep dive into obesity, especially in children.
Dr. Candice Jones

Yes, so I'm Dr. Candace Jones. I called by Dr. Candice. Some people call me Dr. Jones. But anyway, I'm a General Pediatrician. Board certified pediatrician and I love, love, love kids. I love the fact that I can take this new born baby and help the parents with other wonderful baby questions, especially moms and literally follow them throughout their life. That's the best case scenario for pediatrician to grow and be a part and nurturing part of a family's life and see a child grow from a child to an adult is just absolutely amazing. I think you get that anywhere in medicine. So I love that, and I even love the crazy teenage years, although struggles as well. It's a welcome challenge on my part. So I see patients, I see kids from birth up to 21 and I also, the past few years got interested in spreading evidence-based correct medical information because as we all know everybody googling, right? And also social media. There's so much information out there. But unfortunately, a lot of people just read what they see and they don't know what's true and what's not true. What's fake news and I hate used this word but yeah. Anyway, and so I saw as you do Dr. Berry, they call to, you know counteract some of that misinformation. Well these guys gonna giving bad information and we have to, not only let step up outside of our exam room. Lot consultant there, the one patient and family and reach the masses and give them correct information so I'm a part of that just like Dr. Berry so that people can get reputable, credible kid health information and probably, families to make sure kids are happy and healthy. So I have a podcast kidding with Dr. Candice. I have social media platform on all social media. If you have say platforms, website, and you gonna mention that you have that information so I'm just gonna do my part.

Dr. Berry:
Definitely, I think, I love how you stress affect that is, you know, evidence face like factual information. It's interesting, you know, We sit back and you know you see all of the stuff kinda, stream across TV, because our social media and kinda shaking our head because we know is not t Definitely, I think rue, but we also know that's a lot of people who don't and take that leap of faith that you know what, I’m okay right because we would be okay if we just talk to our patients in the clinic. But calling that, we have that we have this as you know I like I gotta make sure that like I can reach that person in California, in Boston, in New York or wherever your listen to how where you listen to the show. I want to be able to reach out to you and say like no, no, no. This is like the actual truthful information that you should be following along.

Dr. Candice Jones:
That's right, was just not enough anymore like you said I was pleasantly surprised when I look at some of my analytics recently like, oh my God! People watching from London, people watching from, you know? So it just gives you the world stage when you go media and so not there were looking for that. Though our goal is to reach people everywhere with truthful health information.

Dr. Berry:
I love it. So today, again we will talking about obesity, which is has been a hot topic. Actually, is also a hot topic especially in healthcare. But most importantly, especially in the beginning of the year when people are trying to lose weight. You know, the new year resolution are hopefully still going strong and you know, they trying thick, they trying to get thin. Whatever their health goal is and from an adult and guys you know, Lunch and Learn community. You know, I don't have, I get tell you, you already know some the facts right? 40% of people are obese. Almost 94 million here in the US. All these related conditions, diabetes, hypertension, stroke, some cancer. There is, actually an article that said that if you're obese have a high risk for cancer, which is crazy. You know how much obesity cost this country and in fact the rate of obesity is triple since 1975 right? So this problem that we really need to get a hold of and as an internist, I take care of the old those who are, who are trying to lose weight right but precious article able tell us right like they didn't just get obese right when they hit 18 right? It's been something that kinda starting the beginning. I thought it was only right to get on the chemist on the shoulder. Really does, again, guys I said it before and I'm terrify that kids, like I love minds right? But when they get sick, I get scared too. I know my limits so I want to get someone who like this is their field, this is the expert. So why not give it to the kid experts, talk to us about her experience on child obesity and what she kinda sees on a day-to-day basis.

Dr. Candice Jones:
Right, so we know that epidemic that you talked about, those dark stats are similar in children. So one in five children are obese in the United States. That's about 13.7 million children. So that epidemic stat is and what so concerning is that the incident or the health disparity there of being higher in African-American and Spanish communities. And so we definitely, we know all the fallout and I'm sure we gonna talk about that from obesity is not just about looks or body image. It's about real health problems, mental and physical and so that's why we have to do something about it.

Dr. Berry:
It's so strange especially, we just talk about obesity because I think a lot of times people really do look at it as an adult related illness, but it tells, it’s like something that you guys have to think about as early as newborns in stand point.

Dr. Candice Jones:
Yes, we definitely have obese babies and I talked about that a lot. And what we know now. See, parents are relaxed and they don't think about how obesity in their newborn or their toddler because there's the old adage of, as she gets taller or as they start running around and outgrow it and we do see plateau like that and development. But what we're seeing now because this epidemic is really bad. We are saying obese babies turning to obese children, turning to obese adolescents and turning to obese adults, it never goes away. You are not outgrowing it, you are not running it. You know, want it all and we know the reason there. All the screen time and sedentary lifestyle and terrible eating habit. Kids are not outgrowing, their thickness, their baby fat. Like what you said, that happened 30 years ago, that tripling obesity rate we seen over the past 30 years. So that's why we have to do something about this. Obesity, childhood obesity, obesity and all of it, is preventable and manageable. And so that's what I try to stress appearance that let's start thinking about this now because I don't want you coming to me with 10 or 15 and they were complaining we had all the fallout and you are upset about his weight when we can talk about and present this from an early age.

Dr. Berry:
I guess, a question I have, what do you tell the parents? Like, what the parents said, my baby is overweight, they big, like what did I do wrong? Every time I figure out, is this something that they could have done to prevent?

Dr. Candice Jones:
Right, you know most of the time, in my clinical experience, parent have not cope a child overweight or obese and told her that pre-teen and teenage years where is causing problems with bullying or the child that liken their size or people starting to tease them or the parents right in their face, oh this is the problem. There is the point where we get like, you weight too much. We gonna do something about it. But they missed it for years. So I'm telling, you know, for those parents we know, most parents gonna bring their children to the pediatrician, whether they sick, or they well, to get shot for their physical. So years before, I have been telling you that your child is here on the growth chart. Your child's body mass index is here. This is overweight range. So I telling parents and young people that your child's fall in the overweight category or they getting close. They sterling defense. Often times I tell my teenage girl because they really care. You know, your own defense of overweight. Couple more potato chips. And they started laughing. I'm like, literally that's what it translates into a big girl on some potato chips. You're over defense. Right. And so, we took, that's why you need to be seeing, taking your child into their pediatrician to have regular well visit at least yearly and having that discussion. How having that growth? How's their weight? How's their blood pressure? How would you know that doctor should be doing that and telling you what these numbers are showing you the growth chart. It shouldn't be a surprise. Now, the second issue is, parents not accepting that. A lot of parents do and they receive the information. Can you hear me? Talking?

Dr. Berry:
Oh yes. I talk to Lunch and Learn community because I know some of you parents who listen, no, she isn’t talking to me. No, she is, she is.

Dr. Candice Jones:
Right. Let me tell you. I have parents who coming to the clinic and they have a paper which I love this program, I love initiative from the school and it says, they're telling the parent they have to bring their child to me because they met criteria for overweight and obesity. So the children, the schools are screening. (Interesting). Right. Yes, love it, and I go ohm.

Dr. Berry:
When did it started?

Dr. Candice Jones:
Oh! my God, I can see it now for about three years. (Wow! Ok.) I'm not like, sure. I should know that, I don't know is there any date. But I go, uhm. According to my note, I've been telling you that four or five. You know, but I go, but whatever it takes to make you hear it. But they upset, they are offended. There, that's embarrassing to my baby. How dare you to say my baby is fat. I don't appreciate this. They have to come in because you said my baby is fat. They mad on the school. Not all the time, but sometimes. And so, but I welcome and I tell them, I really commend school for doing this because this is how serious this is. They feel that they are lane. Like, school shouldn’t be getting involved with this. Yes, they should. You know, this is what public health is all about. And so I explained that and I say, I'm glad you're here. I've glad they've done this. But this is what we've been showing you. This is what this means. Let's talk about it again. And so a lot of times, then I hear, all of us are big, right? This gonna be big. Like everybody's uncle. Everybody. And I heard, these excuses come. So is just have big bone. She outgrow anyway. Don't worry about it. I think she looks fine. I think she looks good. She's strong, she's healthy, she's keeping with other kids. They literally look at their child and think they look great. And then I also have parents with multiple kids, they bring the normal weight, we're in the right range on your growth chart and say this baby is too skinny, do something about it if she sick. And they have other kids who are off the chart, and that child looks healthy. They don't get it. So we're eyeballing it.

Dr. Berry:
Too many cultural differences associated with?

Dr. Candice Jones:
Absolutely. You know, different cultures eyeballing differently. You know, we like PHHT set, right? We like little, you know, kids to be little don't like fat and hefty looking right? It is definitely culturally. I heard the stories of and read about the phenomenon of cultures. From India to Africa, all over. Where, if you're wealthy, you're fit, right? You have money. You have food. You have everything. That's the sign of richness and having it all and great. But when you're skinny, that maybe the people who are perceived as being examined, not half, right? And so definitely, I definitely see it with my Asian families. You know, here in Orlando we're very diverse. Hispanic, Caribbean families, African, it just huge diverse in my patient population. I hear Spanish, I hear Korean, I hear French, I hear English, I hear everything. And so I definitely see it with my Hispanic families, my Haitian families. They concerned about their child is underweight, when the child is perfectly normal.

Dr. Berry:
It is so funny. You start losing some weight around some Haitian families and they start looking at you (Oh yeah, that's the problem). You are sick? What's happening?

Dr. Candice Jones:
And to the extent of, I have sat down of my best friend and office manager in our clinic station. And so we can go in the room together, we text him, we talked and some of the dishes the things they do to sat kids up is absolutely amazing. The recipe is…

Dr. Berry:
As a proud Haitian, I can tell you my diet growing up, they are joking, like it was really rice, some type of sauce and some type of meat. I was like, five to six days a week.

Dr. Candice Jones:
Right, rich season, all of that. Yes.

Dr. Berry:
Taste amazing. But you are like, oh my God. Oh yeah.

Dr. Candice Jones:
Yeah, absolutely and you know, it is dish is so rich more than pedia sure. Be pedia sure, any of that. Yeah.

Dr. Berry:
It is very interesting, especially when you have these parents who are who are such kind of deflecting, right? They don't want to say that. I'm the one putting the food in my child mouth. Because I feel especially when we talk about child who are, obesity. I don't wanna say victim. I feel like, what can the child actually do? My parents are the one giving me the food. I just eat.

Dr. Candice Jones:
It's a learn behavior. It's behaviors. It’s practices. Let's go back a little bit. Obesity even in adults or in children is most factorial. People want to know why. And so there is a component of what you eat. If you said interior activity level and that's behavioral and lead by what and how your environment is and all that stuffs. There still though, components to genetic. Those previous position and also even medical history. So some children. I ask some, fully control. I'm not gonna running around like everybody else I have thyroid condition. I had an increased risk of gaining weight. And so, there is some of that. We don't totally blame the parents. But a lot of it is behavioral and learned behaviors that promote, put us at risk for gaining weight and keeping weight on. Absolutely. Yeah.

Dr. Berry:
Of course you gonna hear, I already hear my listeners of Lunch and Learn, what about the video games?

Dr. Candice Jones:
Yes. Let's talk about it. That a huge, you know, that is, this the trend now, this generation. And I think, it has added to that tripling over the last 30 years. Because we know, this screen time thing is causing comes in every area. It's causing constant sleep which can affect the obesity. Is causing problems with learning. Is causing problems with behavior and is causing problems with obesity because of promoting a sedentary lifestyle. So when your child becomes addicted or spends too much time on screens, whether it's their smart phone, social media, playing video games or just watching TV. They are not moving and you know what else goes with that? Snacking. Having something and drinking, eating, and playing and that's it. And then also psychological. They isolate. And so there's those effects as well. So it's affecting everything about our children and so we definitely need to be cutting back on screen time and you know, there's a whole. I will just differ people to maybe the American Academy Pediatric, healthychildren.org website. They have a family media use clan and it so important to develop a customized plan for your family. What's fit your family for all ages of your children. Because you know, babies on that stuff now and then make that plan with your family. Put it up and that gives you all the guys to make sure your limiting, so your children can go out and play. You guys can play together. They can do their homework. They get enough sleep. Especially our teenagers, we cut all that stuffs. But it all plays in together and that's promote obesity.

Dr. Berry:
When we talk, when we have these kids who kick the school, sending letters and you're saying like, hey a child is overweight, a child is obese and in your having to explain to parents, like if we don't get a whole that is not right, they become adult with all these related issues right? Is there any issue that you tend to see happen even when they're young at that age? Because they are overweight. Because they are obese. I know we talk about not sleeping, the school…

Dr. Candice Jones:
I sure do. I sure do. So we are saying children developing conditions, obesity related conditions in childhood. So children developing type II diabetes. Children do have. I have patients with elevation in their cholesterol. That may be familial. But a lot of his weight and we can get down once they lose weight. We do have children who are depressed, suicidal, being bullied. So all the psychological ramification of obesity.

Dr. Berry:
Hearing all of this issues that in complications that foreseen now being seen in children. Like what are some of the treatment options and treatment recommendations that you give the parents?

Dr. Candice Jones:
Right. So what I first tell parents to explain what's going on and probably scared them to death right? I definitely tell them the good news is our hope is not lost right? Kids are resilient and we can dealt this back and that's the goal of my recommendation. So again it's preventable and it's manageable. This is what I recommend. We gonna work on this together right? And so first, I will have regular follow-up in check. So like I said before, you should know where your child. Is your child over weight? Is your child obese? And says those fact. Regular checkup right? And then once they're obese. We gonna have follow-up. We gonna have this plan. We gonna have follow-up to try to see how you're doing with your weight. Second, I talk to parents about those recommendations. I like to tell them about things that they can remember the 5210 rule. 5210 rule and so that's my 5. You want to make it simple for them. 5 to 6 servings of foods and vegetables every day. We talking about having the healthy diet, right? Less than 2 hours of screen time. That not only cuts down on all the issues of screen time but also will push them to be more active, which ties into the one which is one hour of physical activity every day. So I'm encourage them to get their children involve in activity. Work out together, walk right, bike, hit more, get outside more or put them in a sport that every day in small increments for an hour. They need to be doing some moderate activity where, they can't just talk through it. They sweat a little bit, right? And then zero is really trying to strive for zero sugary drinks and snacks. (You gonna) (laughing) You gonna tell parents there. I told parents the 80-20 rule. 80% of the time, if you do this things, especially the sugary drinks because I'll be realistic. 80% of the time, if you can do that. At least don't have it in your house. You know what I mean? If you guys go out in the weekend or you have something coming up. Then don't stress about and do what they want to do. But you gonna start cutting that. And that's the goal. To get the sugar out of the snack and the sugar out of the drink because you know kids... I just read this stat that I shared in social media. They drinking the equivalent of bathtub full of sugar. Just in their drinks alone. So if we can cut that. In a year time. If we can cut sugar on drinks and some of the snacking. Well put it that. So they’re eating fruits and vegetables, limit their screen time, exercising and cutting back on sugar drinks and snacks. That's it. I think. I believe it.

Dr. Berry:
Do you find especially the parents that you take care of that seems to be a huge, like maybe not eating a lot of food, but their drinking a lot of calories from a general total calories sample? Do you feel like drinking more than eating or got some who eat just as much as they drink?

Dr. Candice Jones:
I have a little bit of both. I have some kids that parents say I cannot stop this child to eat and we know kids go through growth spurt. And he or she just wants to eat all the time. We couldn't just eat the meal and she says she is hungry again. So we know there's a whole group of kids are like that. They're just overeating, they're hunger, center. Is just always on, right? And so we have to work around that. And there are programs for that maybe. And we do have some kids that just constantly drink sweet drinks. They don't want water, they can't stand water. So there are sugar, juice, sweet tea, everything. And parents see that innocent. They’re not counting that in. Even if you talking people about their eating, they just equate obesity to eating. They not even counting the drinks. So we really have to talk to them about that. My other thing I talk to parents about is eating clean, green, lean and as a teen.

Dr. Berry:
I just want to stress that. Nobody think about, your kid gotta eat.

Dr. Candice Jones:
You have to model it. You can't isolate that child who’s overweight or obese and cut everything out of their life and focus on them losing weight. And you are in the same predicament or you know is just not fair. It's a family affair. You need to support them. Everybody needs to change. We need to take inventory the house, what is in the house. And change the stuffs and what we’re buying, bringing into the home. That's how we support that child, for sure. So quickly, clean eating is, as we know, reading labels and trying to eat real, whole foods and not all of these packaged process high -salt, high-fat, high calorie, sugary things. So I have a whole lot of kids that their main staple of eating is cereal and noodles. That's a problem. (Well,ok) Yeah, that's a lot of unclean eating. Right? Green eating, as we say, 5 to 6 servings of fruits and vegetable every day, that make sense Lean. I have families who only wanted to drink cold milk. Child's 200 pounds, you still to drink cow milk. That's the problem. You know what I mean? We can make tweaks. You know. Cooking with olive oil. Not frying everything. You know. Learning how to steam and bake can all these, other ways to cook. To make sure that those unhealthy fat are out of our food. That's so important. And we talk about teen. It's so important to do it together. (I love it.) And you know, for those children who are overweight or obese. Or even children were not and they had abnormalities with their exam. So the child has a chance to diagnosis cans around the back of the neck. You see that in an adult. As a sign of insulin resistance, which is a sign of pre, possibly will be called pre-diabetes, right? That the pancreas on or insulin and this fat is causing problem in the body, right? If I see that or you're at 95% top of bodies index over and I'm doing some lab work and you have elevation in your cholesterol. Your A1C is elevated or your insulin level is elevated. Your blood pressure. Maybe a little elevated. So by getting any of that data, then those of the children that we need to be a little bit more focused on losing weight. Because most of the management of that, is to get them to lose weight. In so we can work with nutritionist, dietitian. There are comprehensive weight loss programs for children and most academic centers. We can put those children in those programs. Even on my podcast, I have spoken with bariatric surgeons were now seeing bariatric surgery in adolescent way to treat some of those you know, reverse cholesterol issues, diabetes in those types of things.

Dr. Berry:
So now, actually a very interesting episode, because now, like magic. Because again, I'm naive, right? If you not 18, I don't even see you. I don't even see you and I don't care. So, I was like, wow! Pediatric surgery? There is a type of this now? I don't even know that was lane for them.

Dr. Candice Jones:
Yes, some of these kids are 3, 400 pounds, they're severely obese and have all of the problems of obesity and certainly that is an option for them to start reversing those, those medical problems.

Dr. Berry:
Wow! Yeah. I know. This episode definitely kinda do me because I was like, oh ok, alright.

Dr. Candice Jones:
It's serious. (laughing)

Dr. Berry:
It's a problem. Again, I think a lot of my patients, I work in the hospitals so I get. When we talk about complications, I get the ones, who get stroke. I get the ones to get a heart attack. I get the ones with uncontrolled diabetic. And now we talk about kinda foot off. Like I get the end-stage, end-stage. And you here Dr. Candice telling you if we can get you early.

Dr. Candice Jones:
Yes. Early detection.

Dr. Berry:
If we could stop that early, you wouldn’t have to see me. You wouldn’t have to see me with a heart attack. You wouldn’t have to see me with a stroke. You wouldn’t have to see me because your blood sugar is out of controlled. But the problem is you and you see me because you're not taking care of it. Again, I don't want to blame the kids. That's why I'm talking to Lunch and Learn community, I'm talking to you parents that you know that your child is a little bit on heavier side, right? You know. You've been told. Now, that the schools are telling you all now. So, (laughing) a lot of times, sometimes toward, going to the doctor, right? But now the schools are saying, oh oh you got hammered with, wow, it's interesting.

Dr. Candice Jones:
So there is no, you know, there's one thing about awareness. I didn't know. But, in most cases you are aware. So let's stop rushing this on the rug, to being in denial and let's do the work, need to do for our kids.Because you are so right. We, I don't want any child as an adult to have to go to the things that you're dealing with as an adult medicine position. We can prevent this though. In most cases, we can prevent these stff. And I always say, in our community, we love calling Jesus and with all prayer warriors togeher. Like you said, when the heart and slip getting cut-off, I'm always thinking, that's fine now but that's reactionary. We need to be more proactive and prevent it in the first place. That God is in that too. Yes. Yeah.

Dr. Berry:
I love it. I have questions. From obesity standpoint, I know as an adult physician, a lot of the stuffs that I will learned, I've had to learn outside of my traditional training. Do you feel like, this is this is something that's kind of being intertwined in the training as a pediatrician or this is something awful that you kinda have to, you kinda go outside to get really a good handle on what was happening?

Dr. Candice Jones:
Absolutely, you know, as physicians, with most things, as physicians we definitely have to be lifelong learners and you have to know how you learn and for me I think that God put this interest in me. Because He knew that's how I would best learn. So not only this is for my patients, in the masses and parents etc. It's for me. I'm learning. It constantly keeps me reaching out to the experts, reading the latest studies, staying current with management so I can come back and share with my parents and with my patients. So we definitely have, if we just, are operating as doctors on what we learned in medical school, we're already behind. We're not up to date. So we definitely have to stay on it. And then, you know, medical school and residency can’t teach us everything so we are responsible for filling in the gap. You know a perfect example of that, and something that can tie in obesity and how it so difficult for some people to lose weight even children and families is aces. I just learn about ever childhood experience or childhood trauma and toxic stress about three or four years ago in the process of my, doing my podcast never was taught in medical school never was taught in residency and here now I know it is a silent epidemic that takes every part of our life and in our health. (Wow).You know what I mean? We should be screaming and wasn't doing screening or anything. Yeah. You know, it's amazing that I learned on my own, just in the last few years so we always have to be learning.

Dr. Berry:
Always learning. Aright physicians, you heard that. You gonna learn. You keep learning. Really it's a life or death situation. Again, it may seem like a cookie here in a juice box there but again it's it's medications over here and medication over there in the hospital visit over its add and builds. So, for my parents were listening, we definitely want to stress, like we gotta be on it for our kids and not to our kids. Chemist said, it's a team thing right. So when you have sweet and yum, making stages very good. You most likely, again not all the time. But most likely you got to make some of the changes in your own health and your own diet as well.

Dr. Candice Jones:
That's right. I always tell parents, its start to have to, for the very first time we started, we start putting food in their mouth, even the cereals. Packing in cereals in the bottles. Before we have to alter the nipples. I mean, we just to start over feeding and giving. Can't wait to give you french fries and chicken. You know (laughing). Why? Slow down. Start with the high chair and we have to figure out our problem's area. This child's problem area may not be over eating, but this child maybe he just eat for some vegetables. Whatever your problem area is and work on that and make those small adjustments and keep working with your doctor and you can do it.

Dr. Berry:
Perfect. Before we let you go, I always like to ask, how can, what you do empower other parents to really take better control of their children's health overall?

Dr. Candice Jones:
Well, I would say taking all this information. Dr. Berry, what he's putting out for adults and all of these information that doctors and professionals, experts in their fields are trying to put out there. This information is to raise your awareness which empowers you because it gives you the power to be the change agent, change agent for your life and for your family. So what I'm doing is, is the work. Take it. Share it. Listen to it. Internalize it. Make the adjustment. Because sometimes, you know we say knowledge is power. You know, know better, you do better. But we know, but we still have to do the work to make the change. Breaking those cycles and habits and changing behavior is another whole beast. But I hope that just giving you knowledge gives you the power to make the change. (I love it). Absolutely.

Dr. Berry:
So before you go, where, first of all, we need to have, to find your podcast, just everything associated with Dr. Candice and of course if you listening to this, you’re in the shower, you're at work, where at you, all of this information will be in the show notes and will make sure you know, you find a way to Dr. Candice. Because her podcast is amazing, especially for parents. I got three kids. I'm actually way for vaccine one. I got lot of love of discussion on that but I keep it. I got a lot of thoughts associated with the vaccine. I will wait for her to talk kinda critique. Especially because I have to deal with it as an adult.

Dr. Candice Jones:
I'm on it. I'm on it. I'm all about filling request. I'm on it. I'll do that for you. It is actually on my list. So I'll move it to top list for you. (laughing) But you can find me at drcandicemd.com D R C A N D I C E M D .com that’s my website. It has, open the right-hand border there. It links to all of my social media platforms. You know, Facebook, Instagram at drcandicemd. I'm on YouTube Candice W Jones. Linkedin, whatelse is there, the podcast, kiding around with Dr. Candice. So it's K I D I N G. So kid is the focus. Kiding around with Dr. Candice. Anywhere you can listen to podcast. The mainly, SoundCloud, Google play and Apple podcast. You can hear it I heard radio tuning anywhere you can listen to podcast. And I would love for you to subscribe, rate and review, especially on Apple podcast, that matters.

Dr. Berry:
We need her to get five stars review.

Dr. Candice Jones:
Yes. Thank you and you know, definitely follow me on all those platforms. I love to hear from you. Give me feedback. Tell me if you want a certain type of topic just like Dr. Berry just did. I mean, I have people all the time asking me questions and I'll try. I'm not a replacement for medical advice, from the advice of your doctor. But I can give you general direction and I love to do that. So I think that's it.

Dr. Berry:
We stress all the time. Remember you, even though you hear us talk. I want you to take that grain of salt and go right to the doctor that you supposed to. Because we obviously can't legally give you any help or advice. We can just give you what our opinion is but we gonna sure about our opinion.

Dr. Candice Jones:
That's right, that's right and there's one resource to further help you, to ask to help you. Do food diaries to see where you fall. Because a lot of people think, you don't eat a lot. If you plug it in for two or three days. You'll find out especially it's point to all sugary drinks.

Dr. Berry:
Oh yes. Don't forget the drinks.

Dr. Candice Jones:
That's right, add that in. But here's a wonderful doctor, African-American woman. Dr. Cody Stanford out of Harvard. She’s obesity medicine doctor with children and adults. And she's put out a wonderful book. I just got, I gonna bring her on the podcast sometime in the next couple months. Facing overweight and obesity. A complete guide for children and adults. And I think she has wonderful approaches. She does a lot of research and it looks great. I'm reading it now. So that might be a resource if you like books.

Dr. Berry:
Yes we like books. Yes we like books. Her book will be on the show as well too. Make sure we support. (Awesome.) And Dr. Candice thank you for coming to Lunch and Learn. Much appreciated. I already know, my parents are going crazy because they been asking for, like, talk about some kids. I'm like, I don't know kids but I know someone do that.

Dr. Candice Jones:
We can do it anytime. Let me know.

Dr. Berry:
Yes. Thank you very much.

Dr. Candice Jones:
Thank you for having me. I enjoyed this.

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Let's Talk about Mental Health Therapy... On this week's episode of the Lunch and Learn with Dr. Berry we have Dr. Joy Harden Bradford, who is a Licensed Psychologist, Speaker, Media Personality, and the host of the wildly popular mental health podcast, Therapy for Black Girls.

This week Dr. Joy lends her expertise to help teach the Lunch and Learn Community about the importance of therapy, how to know when therapy is right for you and helps us fight off the misconceptions with therapy.

We also get to talk a bit of shop with Dr. Joy about the origin and motivation for Therapy for Black Girls, some of the hurdles she faced along her way what keeps her going on to the next venture.

Remember to subscribe to the podcast and share the episode with a friend or family member.

Listen on Apple Podcast, Google Play, Stitcher, Soundcloud, iHeartRadio, Spotify

Sponsors:

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Links/Resources:

Therapy for Black Girls Directory- therapyforblackgirls.com/directory
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Introduction

Dr. Berry:
And welcome everybody to another episode of the Lunch and Learn with Dr. Berry. I’m your host, Dr. Berry Pierre, your favorite Board Certified Internist. Founder of Pierre Medical Consulting, helping you empower yourself for better health with the number one podcast for patient advocacy here on Lunch and Learn with yours truly, Dr. Berry. And today we bring you a special guest on a special topic. For those who have been rock with me from pretty much way back when, you know that a big thing with me has always been mental health and the importance of mental health especially on the total body health wise. Because I talked, I say this all the time that, you know, I can give you all the medications I want. I can, prescribe all the regimens I can, but I understand that if I don't make sure your mental health is in order, it's not going to matter. Right?
Like your blood pressure isn't going to be controlled. Your diabetes isn't going to be controlled and mentally just aren't there to want to take control of those things. Right? So I always stress mental health and of course, obviously my wife's being a therapist, makes me a little bit biased, but I truly believe that the importance of getting our mental health together is paramount and I think that's why they dedicate a whole month, especially depending on when you're listening to this episode, a whole month, a mental health awareness and just really understanding that there’s stigma, understanding that there's help and I knew I could not do this episode any justice, right? I thought bringing someone who not only specializes in mental health, but it has really taking that to the next level with the formation of an entire directory of podcasts, books, everything under the sun, kind of related to the brand in mental health.

So this episode we have Dr. Joy Harden Bradford who is a licensed psychologist. She's a speaker, media personality and of course, the host of the popular mental health podcast - Therapy for Black Girls. Her work focuses on making mental health topics more relevant and accessible for black women and specializes in creating spaces for black women to have a fuller and healthier relationship with themselves along with some others. And she's been featured almost everywhere. She's been featured on the Oprah magazine, Forbes, Bustle, Black Enterprise, Teen Vogue, Refinery29, Essence magazine. She currently lives in Atlanta, Georgia now with her husband and two sons. So it's definitely a guest of honor and you know, one that I've admired for the past couple of years. So of course, when this topic came up, a mental health and we were going on and deciding like, hey, who could really, you know, bring the extra off to Lunch and Learn community. The list was very short and of course she was on top of it. Right. So again, get ready for another amazing episode here on Lunch and Learn with Dr. Berry. If you have not had a chance, make sure you subscribe to the podcast. Leave a 5-star review and obviously tell a friend to tell a friend that, hey, we're talking about mental health, we're talking about therapy. We're talking about getting ourselves together if you want in this new year, like the way it needs to end. Right? Thank you and have a blessed day.

Episode

Dr. Berry:
Alright, Lunch and Learn community again you heard an amazing introduction from person who I've admired from afar and I even got a chance to admire her close. Actually a friend of my wife's and I was able to kind of sneak in from association, definitely thankful you know for to talk about such an important topic. Of course I'm biased. Mental health is one of the essential things in medicine in general that I know. You know if you’re mental healthy together, it'll matter what I do with your blood pressure, no matter what I do with your cholesterol, diabetes. If your mental health ain't there, it's always going to be a problem. And of course, my wife being mental therapist, make sure she presses that bias and make sure I'm always on my p's and q's, as we celebrate this month, mental health awareness month.

I said, you know what, we had a short list of names of people we wanted to get in and get on the show and kind of talk and educate Lunch and Learn community on such an important topic. And I think everyone, again, when you're doing your wellness exams, you know, I think that should be one of the first questions which actually. And now that it's starting to become now for a lot of different reasons, but well, can talk about that later. Dr. Joy thank you for joining this episode of the Lunch and Learn.

Dr. Joy Harden Bradford:
Thank you so much for having me Dr. Berry.

Dr. Berry:
Dr. Joy when we talk about mental health and, and I've talked about it ad nauseum, the show in general. Because you know, I believe and is important. And again, like I said, my wife's a therapist so you know, she definitely makes sure she stresses it on me. But as an outpatient clinical physician, as an inpatient clinical physician and I see that the different ranges of what happens when it's not put together.

And again, for those who are in Lunch and Learn community, again, May is mental health awareness month. I know you guys love facts, right? So of course we're going to, you kind of hit you with a lot of home facts. But again, I really want to make sure we really kind of pay attention to who that on the show, because again, this is, you know, a special person definitely in our eyes, especially when it come to the topic of mental health awareness. So Dr. Joy before we get into all that, you know, I talked a little bit about you in your bio, but could you explain to people, you know, Lunch and Learn community who you are, why you do the things that you do and why you're so amazing?

Dr. Joy Harden Bradford:
Yeah. Well thank you for that opportunity. I always appreciate a chance to share more about what I'm good I got going on. So I am a licensed psychologist in Georgia. Most of my career has been working in college mental health, which I still have a very soft spot in my heart for because I love college students and still have a few of them in my practice. But my job full time now really is the therapy for black girls podcast as well as the therapist directory that is also housed on the therapy for black girls website. So you know, the therapy for black girls’ mission is really to make mental health topics more relevant and accessible for black women and girls. And so all of the content that we put out, all the conversations that we have with our community are centering around helping black women and girls to prioritize their mental health. And so the fact that I get to do this as like my work is like still a surprise to me because it feels like so much fun that I don't even consider it work sometimes.

Dr. Berry:
I love it. Again we're definitely gonna dedicate a good portion on just the therapy for black girl because I like, I'm so amazed, a mission. But I'm pretty sure when you first started, like I said, we will talk about it. Like when you first started doing probably wasn't a mission that was well traveled, pressure you will probably the first to do it. So I definitely can't wait to kind of get in to talk about specifically, you know, that therapy for black girls and just that brand and that imprint in general. When we talk about mental health awareness month guys and Lunch and Learn community, again, I know you guys love facts, right? So we're just gonna give you some unfortunate, right? And I hate these, have these facts, unfortunate facts that are out there that really kind of drive home the point why we need to have a whole month.

And really, like I said, every month, like I said, for every disease that has this month, it really is a 12-month thing. But you know, you got to celebrate when you celebrate. So from a mental health standpoint, one of five adults in the US will experience some type of mental health condition in a given year, right? That's one in five, about 47 million adults face, you know, mental health illnesses on a daily basis. Right. So again, just from a numbers standpoint, this isn't something that every now and then person may fuss. A lot of people suffer from this disease process in that regards. Half of all lifetime mental health conditions begin at the age of 14 young, like 14 I think about it, think about what we were doing right at the age of 14 right? And to think that a lot of people are experiencing mental health issues even at that early age. Just so we can understand that, again, this isn't something that just affects, you know, when you get out of college and when you hit 18 or when you hit that and when you get out to houses something, you know, you're in middle school and 14 is the middle school age and you're dealing with a lot of these stresses that a moment sure you're not prepared to deal with.

Suicide. We talked about suicidal out here as a 10th leading cause of death right here in the United States. And we know about 90% of those who suffer from suicide have some form of mental health illness kind of associated with it. Right? So again, this isn’t, you know, unfortunately, this isn't a one off thing, right? A lot of people suffer from mental health related issues and it really is a big problem. And in that regards, right? So Dr. Joy when we talk about like mental health and you know, the fact that yes, they do say, you know what, let's focus a whole month on it. Right? Like what does that mean for you, especially for your practice as you were kind of coming up along the ranks?

Dr. Joy Harden Bradford:
Yeah. I think it's really important. Like you said Dr. Berry, that we continue to have this conversations not only in May, but you know, kind of all year long because when you look at those numbers, it's very likely that you, or somebody in your life has struggled with maybe a mental illness in your lives or that you will, right? And so I think a part of what happens during mental health awareness month is that we see lots of conversations about like symptoms and signs to be aware of, which I think is really important because a lot of times people, like the person who is struggling, is not the first person who recognize that something's going on. Right? A lot of times it is the people in our lives who will say, hey, something's going on. You know, she doesn't seem like herself or, you know, it seems like something's different there. And so I do think it's important for people to kind of have a general awareness of like the signs and symptoms of mental illness so that they can intervene in other people's lives or can recognize it by themselves if it comes to that.

Dr. Berry:
So when we talk about mental health and just making sure we're kind of recognizing and what are some of the things that kind of help kind of motivate you. Right? Especially because as a champion of mental health in the position that you're in, what have been some of the biggest motivation and say, hey guys, we need to wake up especially when we talk about people back. We need to wake up and this isn't really an issue that everyone needs to be like all hands off.

Dr. Joy Harden Bradford:
Yeah. I think like I mentioned in the beginning, because a lot of my background has been in working on in college counseling centers, I often will be working with, you know, students when they see the first signs of this. Right. So a lot of times they're away from home. They have to be conversations with parents and other loved ones. And so I feel like that has given me a really unique vantage point about what this looks like and how it impacts so many different areas of your lives.

I do think it is important to, you know, like I said, to recognize the signs and symptoms as early as you can so that you can get the help that you need. A lot of times, especially for black women, the people are, you know, kind of walking around in silence and really struggling and either don't know that they are struggling with a mental health concern or they don't want to admit it to themselves. And so, you know, especially with the work that I do for Therapy for Black Girls, that's why it's really important for me to make sure that we're having these kinds of conversations and to make sure that people know it's okay to reach out for help if you feel like you're struggling.

Dr. Berry:
And kind of going, you know, kind of segwaying right on that when we talk about the reaching out for help and someone kind of makes that connections, hey, you know what? I think I have a problem that I need some assistance, right? When we hear the word therapy, right? Especially in the general kind of public sort of thing. Right? What does that kind of mean? Right? Because I think when we hear therapy, I mean a lot of different things for a lot of different people.

Dr. Joy Harden Bradford:
Yeah, it does. And I don't know that it's always a positive connotation, right? Because usually I think we think about a therapist when there is a crisis, right? So you know, somebody is maybe struggling with like severe depression or they're really anxious or maybe they’re hearing things or they feel suicidal. Like I think in those situations we readily kinda think about a therapist. But I also like to encourage people to think about the fact that a therapist is not just for a crisis situation. In many cases it actually can prevent a crisis situation if you talk to a therapist before we get to the crisis.

So at the first signs that you're seeing, you know something's off with your sleep or something's different with your appetite or you're not enjoying things like you used to. Whatever it just kind of feels a little different that can be a great reason to go and talk with the therapist. And therapist can also just give you great information, help you talk through things that are just good for your own personal development. So there are very few things that you couldn't just talk with a therapist about that would likely improve some area of your life.

Dr. Berry:
I love that. Lunch and Learn community, I hope you caught that, we’re prevention, right? We stress it a lot, right? When we talk about blood pressure, wellness, we stress prevention a lot when it comes to the medical, right? But like again, I want us to really take this show and make sure that we're understanding that our mental health is extremely important.
Preventively you should be going to see a therapist before you get to that point, right? But again, before you come see Dr. Berry, right? Before you get the heart attack, hopefully I can give you some blood pressure medications, right? And before you have that mental health breakdown, hopefully, you can see your therapist and try to prevent that. So I love that drive and that goal of prevention, prevention, that even stems into the therapy work. And I know you get this all the time, right? Like what does somebody who's the common misconceptions kind of really associated negatively and maybe even positively with therapy, right? What are some of the issue that you kind of have, the hurdles that you have to kind of go over to get someone to really accept?

Dr. Joy Harden Bradford:
Yeah, that's a great question Dr. Berry. So one of the biggest ones we just talked about, which is the idea that you only see a therapist in crisis. That's one of the big ones. Another one is, well, how is talking to a therapist different than talking to my friend, right? Like, I have friends who can listen to me and of course your friends may be great and they can be helpful and supportive, but your friends are biased also, right? So they have all this history about you, they know all this stuff about you as opposed to a therapist who is a objective party who only sees you in their office. That's why you don't hang out with your therapist on the weekends and you don't go play golf with your therapist. Their whole reason that there are those boundaries around the therapeutic relationship and so that you can come into the therapist's office and say things that you likely would not tell your friends because of judgment or you know, whatever it is.

So you know, in some ways it is like a conversation with your friend. But in a lot of ways, it's very different because we are not in any other area of your life. And we're also bound by confidentiality, right? So how many times have you had the experience of talking to a friend and you tell them don't tell, but then they tell your other best friend anyway, right? That's not going to happen with your therapist, you know? So that's a huge part of our ethical guidelines and a licensed to protect clients is that we don't talk about what's going on in the office with our client, unless it's to keep them safe or keep someone else. So the confidentially piece I think is also huge. Another big misconception I've heard about therapy and I think this one, is particular to like the black community is that if you're struggling with a mental illness that means that you don't have a strong enough faith relationship or you're not believing in God enough.

But that does come up a lot. And you know, I'm really encouraged to see so many congregations and faith communities now bringing therapists in to talk to their congregations about how therapy is different from prayer. The whole idea that they don't have to be mutually exclusive. Like you can still talk to your pastor and pray and do all of those things and talk with a therapist. So I'm glad to see that there has been some movement of people realizing that it's not that you don't believe in God enough or that you have a weak faith relationship. Mental illness is an illness just like anything else. So you know when people get diagnosed with cancer, you don't typically hear people say like, Oh, if she would've just prayed harder, you know, she might not have gotten cancer, but you do get those kinds of things about mental illness.

And so I really want people to kind of divorce themselves of that belief that mental illness has anything to do with your faith relationship.

Dr. Berry:
Yeah, you definitely, you touched on a lot of points there. One where I think, where your friends become that family council, right? A lot of people are placing a lot of burden and sometimes your friends don't even want that burden, right? Like you guys a piece in a lot of burden and stress when you tell your problems to your friends and family members, but they're not really even equipped to kind of deal with it. Right? And I think that's why a lot of times never tell somebody else because I can't be the only one sitting on this type of information. So I love that aspect of it. And then of course the faith. Faith is the one that always, you know, they've always gets an interesting conversation turnabout, because again, you had that kind of where I'm not even sure why it's a dichotomy where they feel like if you take care of your mental health for some reason, your faith isn't as strong. Like I'm not sure where that came from, but it's definitely there. Definitely strong. And do you find that to be more, and again, of course I'm biased because I take care of you know, black families, right? So you find out more on in black families as far as like the religion and mental health bumping heads?

Dr. Joy Harden Bradford:
Yeah, for sure. That definitely has been my experience as well as that I definitely hear them more in communities of color than I hear that, you know, like in white families.

Dr. Berry:
Okay. Alright. So we talked about, you know, the thing that we want people to kind of race out at a memory when we talk about therapy, like well obviously the benefits clearly outweigh, right? Like so what are some of the most common benefits that you tend to see, you know, your patients really experienced when they first start and really accept the process?

Dr. Joy Harden Bradford:
Yeah. So a lot of that really depends on like what they're coming in for, but some of the things that you can expect or maybe better relationships with other people in your lives. But the downside though is sometimes you lose relationship that likely were very healthy for you in the first place because you learned maybe, oh yeah. But sometimes you know, you learn things like assertiveness and setting boundaries and then when you go and practice that in your life than people who you know are invested in you not having boundaries get mad with you. Right? So you may lose that relationship, but it's very likely that their relationship wasn't a healthy one or reciprocal for you anyway. So that is a caution that sometimes you learn things in therapy. Even then you go and practice it and then it results in, maybe you losing relationships or the relationships change. But that doesn't have to be a bad thing if you're coming in for something like depression or anxiety, typically working with a therapist who has specialization in those areas will result in a relief of some of those symptoms.

So not that you may never be depressed again, but you will see likely a very significant decrease in those symptoms. May be a decrease in the severity. If you're having panic attacks, there are things that your therapist can teach you about how to manage those panic attacks or helping you to recognize your triggers so that you don't experience the panic attacks as frequently. And you know, just lots of different things. And like I said, it really kind of depends on what you're coming in for.

Dr. Berry:
Perfect. I love it. And we kind of already talked about like when you should see him. In your eyes, you feel like the sooner the better, right? If we had to surmise it?

Dr. Joy Harden Bradford:
Yeah, absolutely. And you know, I don't think that there's any, because we're human, right? We're not perfect. There's always something going on in our lives that we would likely benefit from talking to an objective party about. And so, you know, talking with a therapist just about work stress or like how you know, now I am the supervisor and how do I manage people who work under me in a way that feels fair. And there are lots of different reasons why you can talk with the therapist. But definitely if you notice anything going on like changes in your behavior, the sooner the better to talk with a therapist is a great idea.

Dr. Berry:
So let's see, I come to a decision where at like I recognized, you know, something's going on. I'm not necessarily equipped to kinda handle it, right? How do look for therapist and what should I look for?

Dr. Joy Harden Bradford:
That's another great question and I think a lot of people get kind of stumped here because I think there are a lot of options. It isn't necessarily like your PCP, right? Like, you know, most primary care doctors like treat the same kinds of things and so as long as you probably liked their bedtime manner and it may be relatively close to your home or at work, then it's probably fine, right? But your therapist is a different kind of a relationship and so more than like your PCP, you really want to make sure that you actually kind liked this person because you're likely going to be sharing some very intimate information with them. I mean, you know they're going to kind of be getting all in your business and asking you all kinds of questions that you likely have not been asked before. Do you do want to try to find somebody that you know, that you think you would feel comfortable talking to? I also think it's really important that you find a therapist who has specialization in the thing that you are coming in for.

So you may find, so there are lots of different directories. You know, like I mentioned, I have a directory on my website that is primarily targeted to black women and girls who are looking for a therapist. There are tons of different ones. Psychology today, open path, collective good therapy. Like there are lots of different directories and so you do want to make sure that you find somebody, like I said, who has a specialization in which you're looking for. So you may find somebody who looks like they're, you know, maybe really friendly or you've heard him on a podcast like this and it's like, okay, I think I might enjoy talking with them. But then you realize they don't actually have a specialization in what you need and that's likely not going to be a really good turnout for you because wow, most therapists are trained in kind of general kinds of things and some of us do additional specializations and different trainings and certifications in certain areas.
And so you want to try to find the therapists who, one, you would feel comfortable talking with, but also has a good expertise in the thing that's bringing you into therapy.

Dr. Berry:
I love it. And I think that's very important, especially when we talk about it, and especially if you're hearing some of the health insurances, you know, your piece chosen for you, the option of choosing and kind of like, well this person's the one we're going to make you go to. And some people just kind of accept it and understanding that you need to have a great, and I'm even, I'm good relationships. Some, you know, sometimes a great relationship before you embark on such a journey, which, and, and I always talk about, especially when we talk about mental health, is that it's really is a journey, right? There isn't really a point A to point B.

Like, all right, let me get off here in and I'm good to go. A lot of times we did something that you have to kind of continuously work on, continuously improve, continuously get better, and if you fall off, alright, I know what I need to do. So I definitely am excited by some of those points because you know, really trusting a person is extremely, extremely beneficial, especially if you're gonna tell them, you know, the things that you know, cause you hurt the things that cause you pain and everything else. That as a primary care physician, I unfortunately, I guess fortunately, unfortunately, you know, I had patients who trusted me enough to at least get to that point. But even me, I'm be like, Hey, yeah, you know what, I think you might need to actually see a therapist. And not that I don't emphasize with what you going through, but I can't really give you that advice and I think you're gonna need in my 15 to 20 minute session.

Dr. Joy Harden Bradford:
Right and you mentioned about health insurance, Dr. Berry in Africa to mention that. So if you think that you're going to want to use your health insurance to see a therapist, you can probably save yourself a lot of time and frustration by getting a list of therapists who are covered by your insurance plan from your insurance company. Because sometimes, you know, clients will find a therapist that they really enjoy. They think, you know, they have a great specialization and only to realize that they don't actually accept their insurance which can be really frustrating. So getting a list from your insurance company to kind of start that search may be a really good idea as well.

Dr. Berry:
Perfect. Again thanks for, you know, kind of really guiding us through a process. And I don't think a lot of people unfortunately experienced, especially because we said the numbers, a lot of people probably should experience it. And you know, whether they're being stopped off and saying like, Hey, let me just go to my pieces of pizza on my piece of me, my problems in a kind of go and they don't get referred up like I feel like they should. And more often. So again, thank you for walking us through that process of, you know, what is therapy? It's a bad things, good things. And then most importantly, like, how do I look for a good one? So now that we say way, so how we look for good one, right? We, let's, we gotta talk about therapy for black girls and then let me just kind of get my soapbox. I think I discovered you a few years ago and I was so infatuated, so interested, right? Because I was like, oh, this is a person who recognizes such a need and it is a need. Right? And sometimes that scares people away because they feel like, oh, if I only focused on population, right? Then what about the others? And I always say, especially in a business standpoint, right? If you are trying to, you know, serve everybody, you're not serving anybody. So when we talk about therapy for black girls and just that motivation behind it, what made you realize, I say, you know what? Like this is it, right? These are the people who like, I need to go like 150% for.

Dr. Joy Harden Bradford:
Yeah. So I feel like it really was just an extension of what I was already doing anyway. So therapy for black girls started as a blog and I started it in 2014 after watching the black girls rock awards show on VT. (I like that show too.) Right. Exactly. And it was just such a [inaudible] yes, right, exactly. And then you could just feel the energy you've been through the TV screen. And so I was like, oh, is there a way I could create something like this that gave people the same kind of energy around mental health? So it started as a blog with me just kind of like blogging about topic that I thought would be interesting to black women and girls. So like I started with a blog about how to find a therapist and what is your support system look like? Like just those kinds of like general mental health kinds of things. But it really, like I say, it is an extension of what I was already doing because every time I worked at a different college counseling center, I would always be doing outreaches and groups with the black women on campus. So a lot of my career has also been working on predominantly white campuses. And so I noticed that, you know, the black students weren't necessarily coming into the counseling center at the same rates as their peers.

And so I would go out to the multicultural student center or to the sororities or whatever and say, hey, let's do these groups. Like let me see what's going on with y'all. How can we kind of make sure that we are kind of in contact that you know, the resources are here and where to reach out to if you need some help. (I love that.) So yeah, so I mean, so I was already kind of doing therapy for black girls before therapy for black girls ever became a thing. And really the blog just kind of, you know, gave me a way to kind of talk to black women and girls who were beyond my campus. So it started as a blog when now includes, like I said, the therapist directory that has over 1300 therapists in it as well as a weekly podcast that comes out every Wednesday that has topics about all kinds of things relevant to black women and girls.

Dr. Berry:
Now when you first started with, are there any particular challenges like focusing on getting, you know, black women and focusing on talking about health? The reason why I ask that because I know as, as an outpatient physician and even inpatient physician, I know I see the difference in a person's eyes right when I walk in and they're also black really like this. I see like they just kind of light up. They opened. Like it was almost like a visually open up and like they're just more relaxed. (Yeah.) Doing it. But I know that's in the medical world. Right. And I always feel like when it comes to talking about mental health is a little bit of barrier. Did you find that a little bit easier because you are a black woman and going to black women and saying, hey, this is important too?

Dr. Joy Harden Bradford:
Yeah, I got nothing but excitement from black women. When I would tell them about the blog, like I would give like, Oh yes, that's needed. You know, that kind of thing. So, but I know the feeling that you're talking about because I think what that is is really a feeling of I'm going to be seen and heard by this person. Right? Like even though you know, blackness is not monolithic, right? Like you as a black man, even Maria is a black woman is different from me as a black woman. You know, like we all have different experiences. But I think that there is a sense of there not being some things that I won't have to understand. There are some things that you're just going to get because of our shared cultural language. And so I think that lighting up that you see in that, you know, maybe relaxing and I'm not as tense is because they feel like okay I won't have to do some of that explaining that I might have to do if this was not a black provider. But yeah, like overall I think people have just been really excited and supportive about therapy for black girls, which is, you know, why it has kind of taken off in the way that it has.

Dr. Berry:
And when we say that it has, because you say you started out as a blog and you know you're even writing like, hey like this is how you should find one. What kind of push you to say like, oh you know what like maybe I should have my own, you know, like location cause they're already coming to me to read about therapy and mental health topics. Like maybe I shouldn't have this like directory. Like what was the motivation because I think that's even a different step where you always kind of business minded or was it just like made me like this would be a place that people can come to and maybe they can find someone that's local in their area?

Dr. Joy Harden Bradford:
You know Dr. Berry I wish I can say that I was really business minded but so much of it is, has really just been about me paying attention to my audience and having the kinds of conversations with black women that I was always having. You know? So the directory's started because I kept seeing people on social media, primarily Twitter because that's where I spend a lot of time saying like, Hey, I love to find a black therapist. Does anybody have a recommendation for a black woman therapist? And I kept seeing those conversations and I was like, well surely there has to be a way for us to kind of put something like this together, right? So I just kind of put a call out on social media and said, hey, if you're a black woman who's had a great experience with a therapist, nominate them and I will kind of compile all the information and that way other black women may be able to find therapists who other black women have had good experiences with.
And so that was in December of 2016 it really just started as a Google document. I think by the end of that year I had like 90 therapists in the directory. And like I said, now there are over 1300.

Dr. Berry:
Wow and the reason why I love that it's cause I think a lot of times, especially in the general public, I don't think people realize like how many professionals are out there that can cater to our needs. When you put it all in one area like oh my God, isn't it? Like I'm pretty sure that like that probably drew some people back. We were like, oh okay. I didn't know. Okay. All right. All right. I didn't know we were out here. And it's crazy because I think mental health is one of those things that gets talked about but for some reason doesn't get talked about. And in like that same hand and when you see like, oh I can go to one area and you know to search five. For example, let's walk us through like if we were on your site right now, right? I want it to find someone and like say like it is, this is a process that easy. Like it might just click and click and then boom, something like that.

Dr. Joy Harden Bradford:
Yeah, I mean in some ways that is easy. In some ways it's not. So you know, like I said, the process of finding a therapist is probably going to be a little more involved than like finding a primary care doctor because you do want to find somebody who has a specialization in whatever you need. But if you were on the website and you wanted to search by your area code in your insurance, you could just type in your area code and then filter by insurance and then the therapist who are in your area who accepts that insurance would pop up. And then that at least makes it a little smaller for you to kind of go through those profiles and say, okay, this person feels like they might be a good fit, this person not so much. And then you can kind of narrow down your list like that.

Dr. Berry:
Yeah, I love it. So again, Lunch and Learn community I hope you hear that. So it's not, again, I know always like uplift like rocket science, but it's not rocket science. Right. You should be able, if you're lucky, right. If you're lucky, you should be able to find someone in your area who can help service their needs. Because again, remember this is Mental Awareness Month, right? We're putting it out on front street that everyone, even if you don't think you got a problem. But you may say like, oh, I could benefit. Like there's possibility that you could possibly benefit. Like I said, prevention is key even when it comes to mental health. And then you're like I said, from that you kind of springboard and I have a podcast as well, again, kind of champion that the call of mental health especially in black women and girls. So again, absolutely love everything that you're doing.

Dr. Joy Harden Bradford:
Thank you. I do want to go back to one of your points. I don't want us to make it seem as if like therapists are like plentiful and like anybody can see them. Right? Because the truth of it is that there are still a lot of barriers that might make it difficult for people to get in with therapists. You know? So sometimes, you know, like I said, sometimes you will find therapists who are not like accepted on your insurance plan. I mean, that can be for lots of different reasons. You know, sometimes finances make it difficult to see a therapist. Unfortunately, you know, kind of across the nation, lots of like community mental health agencies have other clues or are so overrun with people wanting the services that they are like at a wait list. So there are still lots of reasons why it may be difficult for people to get in to see a therapist if they want to.

But my hope is that the directory makes it a little easier for people to kind of get connected with a therapist who they might want to see.

Dr. Berry:
I love it. I definitely agree because like I said it's there, especially because I'm thinking look like, and I'm fortunate, I'm in South Florida, right? So I'm almost sure like I'm gonna find somebody in south Florida who does. Right. But imagine if you're in the town, you're in a state, you know that that isn't plentiful. So it can be very daunting just to even look to see like, hey, like I need to find someone. But again, hopefully we can kind of channel people to at least start with your directory cause you gotta start somewhere, right? Like you've got somewhere you got to look somewhere, you've gotta be able to make that first step and says, yes I have an issue and I want someone to help take care of it. (Right.)

So you know, kind of piggybacking off the therapy, directory, the podcast. Remember Lunch and Learn community, all of these things will be in the show notes. So you'll have, you'll get direct links to all of this. Is there any other services that you offer or is that really the main two things right now? Or like are you doing any books and courses and in speaking of like where can people find you and talk to you, listen to you and everything from that standpoint?

Dr. Joy Harden Bradford:
Yeah, so those are the main two things. But I do have other things going on. So my clinical specialty, I do still have a small practice. It's helping women to recover from breakups and so out of that work, I've also developed a workbook for people who are struggling with breakups. It's called questions that need answers. After the breakup though I also have that workbook available. I also developed an affirmation, like a guided affirmation track, which I love. So it's kind of like an affirmation set to music and it's particularly for women who feel like their life doesn't look like what they thought it would look like right now. Like all these questions about like why am I not partnered, why don't I have kids and I don't want to have the job that I thought I would love. That affirmation track is specifically for them and I'm working on a second one too that'll be released soon. But I also have something called the yellow couch collective. So you know, we have a large social media communities around in like the podcast and all of the work that we do. And I really wanted a place that was like a smaller, more intimate group for people to really take the concepts from the podcast and take it to the next level. So that group is called the yellow couch collective. It is a membership program for people who listened to the podcast and really want to do some work surrounding the topics that we're talking about. So all of that you can find on thetherapyforblackgirls.com website. But those are the other things that I have going on as well, the speaking. So I do have typically have at least one or two speaking gigs every month related to like mental health and black women.

Dr. Berry:
I love it. Again Lunch and Learn community like I told you in the intro, this is an amazing person, for a few years I've been lucky enough I've been able to piggy back the friendship by association acts and my wife's a friend of hers, so like right in there. So before we let you go and we talked about, so we know thetherapyforblackgirls.com the website, again links will all be in the show notes. Is that like the main way like people contact you and you said you were on Twitter a lot too. What's your social media handles on there?

Dr. Joy Harden Bradford:
Yeah, so my personal social media handles across the board or @hellodrjoy, H E L L O D R J O Y and then you could find the therapy for black girls handles their therapy for black girls on both Instagram and Facebook its @therapy4bgirls (the number four b girls) on Twitter.

Dr. Berry:
I love it. And before I let you go, last question, how can what you do or how does what you do help empower the women to take really better control of their mental health?

Dr. Joy Harden Bradford:
Yeah, I think that a large part of what we do is giving women the language they need to kind of describe what's going on with them and to help critically think through things that they meet once a better in their lives.

Dr. Berry:
Absolutely amazing. Amazing podcast. Of course, you know, no surprises because Dr. Joy have your own show, so no surprise that was amazing podcast. Again, thanks you for taking the time to really get our Lunch and Learn community together when it comes to mental health and when it comes to the awareness and just kind of recognizing like, hey, you guys should be seeing this therapist sooner rather than later. So again, thanks for everything you're doing.

Dr. Joy Harden Bradford:
Thank you, Dr. Berry.

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Lets Talk about skin cancer... On this week's episode of the Lunch and Learn with Dr. Berry we have Dr. Candrice Heath. Dr. Heath is a board-certified dermatologist and actually comes tripled boarded in Pediatrics, Dermatology and Pediatric Dermatology. She is a nationally recognized best selling author, and speaker and this week she lends her expertise to the Lunch and Learn Community for National Skin Cancer Awareness Month.

Dr. Candrice gives us the ABCDs of skin cancer, teaches us what to expect when we go see the dermatologist and helps me try to break down some of the misconceptions associated with skin cancer and people of color.

Dr. Candrice also lets us in on some exciting upcoming news about her company My Sister’s Beauty.

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Links/Resources:

Facebook – https://www.facebook.com/drcandriceheath/
Instagram – https://www.instagram/drcandriceheath
Dr. Candrice’s Clinical Pearls - www.drcandriceheath/clinicalpearls
Skin Care Line – www.mysistersbeauty.com

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Introduction

Dr. Berry:
And welcome to another episode of the Lunch and Learn with Dr. Berry. I’m your host, Dr. Berry Pierre, your favorite Board Certified Internist. Founder of drberrypierre.com and as well as Pierre Medical Consulting. Helping you empower yourself for better health with the number one podcast for patient advocacy. This week we bring you an episode with Dr. Candrice Heath, who is an amazing person and most importantly is going to be talking to us about skin cancer. And you know, just to kind of caveat before we get into her bio and how amazing this person is. For those who may be listening, especially Lunch and Learn community. I've kind of referenced this before on a previous episode where we talked about skin cancer. I felt like this time I wanted to bring an expert and kind of get their expert opinion on to disorder, right? And if you want to know why this topic is so important, we're actually in skin cancer awareness month and when we talk about the number of cases of skin cancer that occur per year, it outnumbers the number of cases of lung cancer, breast cancer, prostate cancer, colon cancer combined, right?
So it's an extremely important topic that I think a lot of times doesn't really get the fan fair especially because a lot of times when we think about dermatology tend to think about the aesthetic aspect of dermatology. But we really don't think about the fact that they are really in high demand when it comes to pathology and disease process and education, which is why I felt, you know what, let me bring this amazing guest here. And again. I just want to kind of read her bio just so you guys can understand, how important and how specialized this person is, Dr. Heath. She is a highly respected dermatologist. She's board-certified in Dermatology, Pediatrics and Pediatric Dermatology. And ladies and gentlemen, I mean she is triple certified in her specialty, right? Just so you can guys can get an idea of how amazing, especially she is. She got her undergrad degree at Wake Forest University. Her medical degree at the University of Virginia and her pediatric training at Emory.
And then she ended up getting her dermatology training at Mount Sinai Beth Israel in New York City. She was elected to achieve dermatology resident during her final year of training and she went on to serve a role at John Hopkins University, Department of Dermatology. And as well as a pediatric dermatology fellow as well as a dermatology instructor. If you didn't get that right, just understand that this is definitely a very highly specialized person that we're bringing onto the podcast, really to educate the Lunch and Learn community. And most importantly, and this is what I love. She’s the founder of My Sister's Beauty, the official skincare line of the woman of color and founder of a vibrant online community associated with skincare and beauty tips for women of color. So amazing person, Dr. Candrice Heath. Again, she is a personal friend of mine as well. And she has blessed us with the opportunity to talk to us today just about skin cancer.
And really, you know, what we should be thinking about when it comes to skin health, right? Because I think when we talk about empowering ourselves for better health, right? We got to understand that the whole body has to be working in unison, right? And I think a lot of times we forget about the skin. Again, I talked about the numbers, more cancer cases worldwide and the majority of these cancers put together. So you know, ladies and gentlemen, get ready an amazing episode. Again, I have Dr. Candrice Heath and we're going to be talking about skin cancer and skin cancer awareness. If you have not had a chance, remember, subscribe to the podcast, leave me a five-star review. And you know, when we leave the links for Dr. Candrice, go ahead and follow her and let her know how she did an amazing job this week.

Episode

Dr. Berry:
All right, Lunch and Learn community. Again, thank you for joining us for another amazing episode. Again, this month being, you know, skin cancer awareness month. I was thinking long and hard and I said, you know, who can I get to really educate you to get us on far, to get us, get those bad thoughts that really shouldn't be in our mindset when we talk about skin cancer but really educated us and you know, kind of go through a lot of the fluff that I know that's out there. So of course if you listened to the bio, you know, we have Dr. Candrice here who is an amazing person in general. This is just an amazing person, an amazing physician. And I was just glad that, you know, she was able to give us some time to talk to us today, Dr. Candrice thank you.

Dr. Candrice:
Oh, thank you so much for having me today, Dr. Berry.

Dr. Berry:
We did a little bit of your bio in the introduction, but you know, for people who may not know you and you know, this is their kind of first entry into your world. Who is our Dr. Candrice? How are you going to get us together today? Especially when we talk about this discussion of skin cancer that even when I was doing like, you know, the little research that I did on skin cancer, I didn't realize how serious it was. Still the people a little bit about you that, you know, they may not have gotten from your bio, but you know, they will get, just have to listen to this episode today.

Dr. Candrice:
So I guess, I mean there are lots of things out there about Dr. Candrice, but what people really want to know or need to know is that I truly love being a dermatologist. I've learned on my journey that not a lot of people can say that they're passionate about what they do. They love it. But I truly love being a dermatologist and I enjoy all aspects of that from the education to what happens in the exam room, with the patients. And I realize that not only am I providing a diagnosis, treatment education but that I am actually impacting how someone feels about themselves. And that is a huge win for me.

Dr. Berry:
I love it. I love that. And of course, especially for Lunch and Learn community who may not realize, like when we talk about medical specialties, dermatology is one of those upper echelon specialties that if you're able to get through the rigors of medical school and conquer and do what you need to do, right? Like you can attain it, right? So again, this isn't a specialty that people just kind of walk into. Like they really have to put some work in. And again, I know Dr. Candrice as a person. I know her, I noticed she's an amazing person. I do want to really illuminate the fact that we got really a special person to talk to us today about skin cancer, right?
Which again is, first of all from the numbers. Just from a sheer numbers standpoint, it was common cancer in the world, right? Boom. Like if that alone doesn't get your ears up and ready to educate yourself on this topic, I'm not sure what is. But Dr. Candice again, I’m an internist. I'm a hospital physician and you know, they've kind of heard the back story of how I got into there. What made you fall in love with dermatology? Like what was the path that kind of led you here to be able to grace us today?

Dr. Candrice:
Growing up, my older sister has something called nevus of Ota and it's actually a green birthmark that covers one side of her face. And so not only did we spend time going to our regular checkups with our pediatrician. We also would yearly visit our dermatologist in our local town. And I can still recall how excited and with anticipation. We would anticipate these visits because we would hope that they would have something to share that could take this birthmark away. And year after year, appointment after appointment, we were met with disappointment because there were, the technology hadn't really caught up so people with skin of color were not able to use the laser devices that were coming out to take away things on the skin such as my sister's birthmark without leaving significant scarring. But despite the answer being, "no, not yet," there's no solution yet, the dermatologist would take time to address my sister's self-esteem.
And those few minutes actually really made the difference to me. And I said, wow, you know, dermatology, that is true, this is a different kind of doctor’s experience. So I could definitely experience what it was like to have a family member that had an ailment on the skin that everyone can see. So it's not like diabetes or having a heart problem where people may not be able to tell from your exterior that you're having issues inside of your body. But to be able to walk around with something that the general public can see. Man, that is an experience. Okay. So I took those observations and thoughts and also that experience that we had in the exam room. And then that's when I became interested in this whole dermatology, this skin disease. So if you can imagine, you know, 10-year old walking around and saying, hey, I want to be a dermatologist. That was me. I did not know about the uphill battle that we're following at it, know about how challenging it would become. And yes, I did set that goal based on my personal experience and I persevered to cross the finish line, but it wasn't easy. So people have to continue to follow me as I share more about that story. The great news is that yes, I am a dermatologist today and I'm so grateful for that so that I can live in my passion. But it was definitely a journey of perseverance to get here.

Dr. Berry:
I think that's telling because I think a lot of times when I think the common person, kinda hears about dermatology. I think they get kind of skewed, right? Because, they kind of think of more of the aesthetic, the Botox, that type of feel not realizing like no, there’s a lot more things that you know, it's scary. Right? You know, it can be disheartening especially from a self-esteem standpoint. So the pathology alone, right? Like and when we were talking about mythology, we talk about like disease courses, right? The amount of diseases that either originates from the, that show up on the skin is so vast. Again, I'm always impressed that you know, by my dermatologist because I know how much work, when did they put to get there as well as how much work they got to do while they there. Right? Like it's not a nine to five, you just chilling your junior year injecting people and then you're kind of keeping them, you know, a beautiful and healthy whole day. Right? There's a lot of clinical diagnostic procedures and treatment and discussions that go on a day to day basis. Right. Which is why I'm definitely such a fan of the field in general. Not so much offended. I wanted to be a dermatologist but enough that I can appreciate it from the outside.

Dr. Candrice:
And I definitely, thank you so much for highlighting that I think our other physician colleagues understand the scope of what we do. Yes. I do have colleagues who only do aesthetics, the only botox and fillers and things like that, but there is a large breadth of things that we do under the dermatology umbrella and I'm happy that our physician colleagues are excited that we can actually help them with their patients. Now the general public may just see us as, you know, a skin doctor or pimple popper or something like that, but in actuality, on a day to day basis, I am taking care of people who have severe disease and like brought up Dr. Berry as a dermatologist. It's amazing. I can go into the exam room, I can look at someone's skin and I can say, hmm, I wonder if this patient has diabetes. I wonder if this patient has thyroid disease. I know this patient has an autoimmune disease. And so it's amazing because, you know, the medical students are thinking, how would you know all of this stuff? My mind is trained to look at the skin, look at the hair, look at the nails, and come up with conclusions based on the patterns of recognition that I've seen over the years. So it is amazing. And yes, we do more than just acne and dry skin. We do lots of things and we take care of patients who have a serious disease.

Dr. Berry:
That was interesting. I know, and I know we're definitely gonna talk about it, you know, a little bit late on this show is the fact that you were introduced to the field very early. Cause I'm being honest, right? Like I've never been to a dermatologist, right? Like I'm 35 years old. No, don't hate me. Don't hit me. Right? I know, I know. I'm bad. I know. Trust me. You know, doctors make the worst patients, right? But I've always felt like, well, what am I going to do it here? This my skin looks okay. Right? So, I'm actually very happy that, you know, you guys were very introduced very early because I think a lot of times we hear, well, you know, let's say, skin color, you know, your dark skin, it is really nothing after you to do, there isn't nothing that he can tell you. I read the books, right? A lot of times when I'm reading books and I'm trying to get the description and I'm like, well what does this look like on a black person? Right? What does it look like on me? I don't know what this rash would look like on myself. Right? So I always kind of struggle with that. And again, we're definitely gonna talk about that later on. But I'm definitely kind of happy that, you know, you got introduced very early.

Dr. Candrice:
Yes, it is. It definitely has been a passion for a long time and yes, we do need more educational resources that highlight people with skin of color who had these specific things that we're trying to educate our colleagues about and the general public about.

Dr. Berry:
So with, with me, right, obviously we're recording this right? This is a skin cancer awareness month. I'll kind of all wrapped into one when we talk about skin cancer awareness. Like why for one. Right. Because this is the question I always get when we have these like health-related month. I like why does it stay made a whole month? Right? So like that I, I post you, right? Like why does skin cancer really need a whole month for us to be aware of? And what kind of says, you know what, I need to take this mantle and make sure I'm educating everyone about like skin cancer. Not to say that all your packages are nothing but skin cancer. I, but why is this like particular subjects such an important, I think for everyone to kind of know about it.

Dr. Candrice:
Skin cancer awareness month is a very important topic and yes, it should span the entire month of May and as a dermatologist, every day is skin cancer. Well you know, I could be a little biased. I mean, the thing is we all have skin and so sometimes we have been ingrained with these things that say, Oh, if you have brown skin, you don't have to worry about, you know, getting skin cancer. You don't have to worry about these things. So you just kind of tune it out. But I hope that every year when the month of May rolls around that people, regardless of their skin tone, learn something new about something that can potentially affect them, which is skin cancer. So it's all about educating, educating, educating. And if we only get 30 days out of the month to do that, or 31 days out of the month and do that, I say, let's go forward. We all have skin and we can all be infected regardless of skin tone.

Dr. Berry:
When we talk about just like the sheer numbers, right? I kind of alluded to it being the most common type of cancer in general, which is funny, right? Because me being an internist, I hear a lot about long, right? I hear a lot about the prostate, right? I hear a lot about breasts, I hear a lot about those things, but then when I'm looking at the numbers and they're like, whoa, those skin cancers, like I was pulling it out of water. Like I think that was more shocking to me. Obviously, you're in the field so we're probably not gonna be a shocking you. But like I thought that kinda hit me. I was like, oh I have this many people like dealt with like skin cancer. What are some of like the numbers, the stats, you know, Lunch and Learn community loves numbers from a statistic standpoint. Like, like how many people like are dealing with cancer and especially on a worldwide basis. The United States, you know, black folks, some women. Like what are some of the numbers that you kind of run across?

Dr. Candrice:
So I'm really, the numbers are usually broken down into the number of cases of melanoma that are diagnosed every year, which is a specific type of skin cancer than the most deadly type of skin cancer. There is the other group which is non-melanoma skin cancers. And often non-melanoma skin cancers, you're going to probably get about 5.4 million cases that had been treated in an average year. So that is a lot of cases of cancer. And then if you dive deeper into the statistics, you will find that one in five Americans by the time that their age 70 they're going to develop skin cancer that's taking all comers, all ages, all races of people putting them in the pot and you're coming up with the one in five Americans. So yes, it is definitely way more common than you think. And even when we really dissect out to the most deadly type of skin cancer, which is melanoma, it is predicted that there will be an increase in the year 2019 unfortunately by almost 7.7% so this is something that is not going away and it is definitely increasing. So we have to be on the lookout for it. The prediction of the number of cases for 2019 is over 190,000 cases are predicted to be diagnosed this year. So we definitely enough to be on the lookout for this.

Dr. Berry:
And what's interesting especially, and I am not sure if it's because it doesn't get the fanfare right? Like again I know we talked about breasts, we were talking about lung and just for Lunch and Learn community just from a number of sake, you know she was talking in the millions, right? When we talk about cases I'm like lung cancer, breast cancer, those are like in the 150 to 200 thousand. Just to give you an idea from a sheer numbers standpoint. How much more common it is right to have skin cancer than it is the other cancers, right? Not to say that no one is better than the other, but just when we talk about media and we talk about the influence of it, but then we had Dr. Amber Robins talked about the influence of media on our health care.

This is one of the things that we see, right? Like we, we see like this is an issue that probably should get like more than a month if this many people, right. Ideally, with a skin cancer wet, you know, we got a month so we're gonna focus on and kind of do it here. And you talked about the different types of skin cancer, right? Like especially in your training when you're dealing with the melanoma and again, melanoma, we, you know, I know as an internist, you know, that's a bad word for us, right? We were as the one that's kind of scary for us as one, we tend to see exhibit an in a lot of different functions and especially when we're talking about when it starts spreading everywhere. When you're talking about melanoma versus the non-melanomas type skin cancers, right. And you just kind of start breaking those down. What is it that people should be doing? Right? Like again, what should I do? Should I start like scan to my skin now? Because now I'm getting kind of scared, right? All these people are against cancer, I'm getting kind of scared. I need to be worried about it.

Dr. Candrice:
Well definitely really the first step is to educate yourself. So you landed in the right spot. So we talked about melanoma being the most aggressive, a type of skin cancer. And then there are also those types which include Basal Cell Carcinoma, Squamous Cell Carcinoma, and even a rare to very rare type that we don't talk about that often called Merkel Cell Carcinoma. So there are various types. And the best thing that you can do is to definitely see a dermatologist once a year to get a head-to-toe, a skin check. But then right in your home you can actually go ahead, advocate for yourself, taking a mirror and looking at your own skin. The first step is to really get to know what is living on your skin already. You know, time and time again, I may ask a patient, how long has this been there? And they, so I don't know. I haven't seen my back in two years. That’s unacceptable. I want you to get to know what is on your skin regularly. That way you can be a better, this hectic just in case something changes or comes up, you can say hey you can go to your primary care doctor and say look I need a referral to a dermatologist because this is changing. This was not there before I'm concerned.

Dr. Berry:
Okay, get in tune with what your skin is so you know what their baseline is and you do recommend just like once a year? Like I said clearly I'm overdue. Right? So you're just saying just like you're doing your regular annual checkup, you should be seeing your skin screening as well?

Dr. Candrice:
Yes, I do recommend that people get skin checks and definitely you know if you had lesions on the skin, moles, etc. They should be checked. And people with skin of color, of course, we have to be very very careful because skin cancer can happen on areas of the body that you may not expect. So for people with skin of color that means anyone with non-Caucasian skin, non-white skin, the risk of your skin cancers are going to be higher. When we were talking about melanoma on the soles of the feet, the palms of the hand inside of the mouth. So those are areas that people may not even think about that can be effect by skin cancer. And yet that's where we find the most deadly type of skin cancer in people of color.

Dr. Berry:
Are we've already dealing with more aggressive types of skin cancer or is it our lack of, you know, just being aware and following up on the skin cancer? Like what would you, if you had to lean one way or the other?

Dr. Candrice:
The number one thing for skin cancer and people with skin of color is late detection and delayed diagnosis. The patient doesn't believe that they can ever have skin cancer, so that may delay treatment. Also, there are some primary care physicians who are uncomfortable with things on the skin and that stems from just, you know, how physicians are taught and what they're exposed to. So they may not actually get a lot of teaching in dermatology during their training. So it's an area that they may not feel as comfortable with. So it may not be on their radar to even look at the hands and feet of someone with the skin of color and to refer that patient. So basically, usually by the time that patient with the skin of color lands in my office, regardless of the cancer type, it is usually at a higher stage. So it is going to be the worst case scenario I'm walking in. So versus someone else who may have been trained from a child to say, you know, we can get skin cancers, you have to protect your skin from the sun, you have to do this, you have to do that. So they're more aware that things can go wrong on the skin. But if you have no clue that 'that' could happen, you have definitely, there's a long time lapse between when that appeared on the skin when you can actually get your diagnosis. And that definitely affects your prognosis.

Dr. Berry:
Wow. Okay. All right. Dr. Candrice, she's getting us together. So yeah, I'll know until right now, next week, I am scheduling my dermatology exam because it is clearly serious. And again, this is if, if you, if you had one month to choose to like do your routine skin screening exams, why not let it be in the month of May when you know, skin cancers around us. The spotlight is on from a media standpoint is on it. So this is definitely the month you should be thinking about, you know, calling your primary care doctor like right now. And if you're in Florida, fortunately in Florida, you don't even have to get a referral. You can go straight to your dermatologist. Thank you for Congressman Wasserman for that standpoint there. That's great. So I taught, I hear about skin cancer, I read Baskin cancer a lot. And I always see this is the A, B, C, D, E of the skin cancer. Right? What is that? And you know, how could my Lunch and Learn community, you know, derive and be educated and you know, get on the ball with, in the car and in regards to at ABCD’s of skin cancer.

Dr. Candrice:
The ABCD’s are really A, B, C, D, E. Now we've actually added E to that as well. (Okay.) It is a reminder for you when you're looking at your skin, what are some of the things that I should look for as warning signs or things that are going wrong on the skin? So let's say you have a mole on the skin and if you were to look at, if you were to imagine splitting the mole in half with, you're just with your eyes a little line. If one side does not look exactly like the other side, we say that that is asymmetrical and that is a warning sign. That lesion should be checked. So A stands for asymmetrical. One side doesn't look like the other, that could be significant. The B stands for border. So if it has a round, nice, crisp border, then we're not going to worry as much.

But at the borders brace squiggly and not a very crisp, that could be a problem. Also, the C stands for color. So if your mole all of a sudden goes from being brown to having brown, gray, pink, white, basically changing in color, that could be a problem. So that's something that could trigger you to get that checked out. D stands for diameter. So typically, melanomas are in other things that are going to be problematic are the greater than this, the head of an eraser. Now I've definitely diagnosed things that were smaller than that. But anyway, it's part of the warning signs. So that may be something else that can prompt people to come in. And then the last E has been added in the last several years and that stands for evolving. So basically what that means is even if you don't remember the A, the B, the C, the D with those things stand for if you have a mole that is evolving or changing in any way that may be one that we need to look at more promptly.

Dr. Berry:
Okay. All right. They added E. I've been out of school for a few years. So when it was my time and they just stopped that d and maybe even add something new. Again, this is why, Lunch and Learn community I tell you all the time I get just as educated from my guest as you guys also. Like I said, I'm getting myself together, get myself mentally prepared, to see this dermatologist, right? So when I do not, again, just like when I go to see this dermatologist, like what happens? Right? I know what happens when I go and get my wellness check and I talked to my doctor about the flu. But what happens when I go to see different charges? I've never been to. So what happens when I go to the dermatologist for the first time?

Dr. Candrice:
Well, you have to expect to show your skin. I was not born with x-ray vision. So we have to get you out of those clothes and into a gown. Now they usually will ask you, you can leave your undergarments on if you like to make you feel more comfortable and then you will be placed in a gown. And during that visit with my patients, what I do in a very systematic way is that I look over the entire surface of the skin from head to toe looking for anything that stands out. That could be something that is an abnormal and abnormal lesion on the skin. So I definitely will take a look at every area in the extremities, the back, the chest, the scalp, the face, all of that looking to take a look to see if there's anything that looks unusual that needs to be biopsied. So yes, number one is to do expect to actually get out of your clothing, including your shoes and socks and get into a gown. And I think some people…

Dr. Berry:
Is that something you run into, like people in that really unexpected that part?

Dr. Candrice:
Yes. Roll up the sleeve, will pull up the pant leg and I said, look, I'm a dermatologist. I need to see the complete picture. You know, that part is very helpful because everybody's moles may not be textbook the same as someone else's. So I need to know your body is making molds and that can actually help me to determine. Is that something that needs a biopsy? Is this just how your body's making them? I need to get a sense of all of that. So I need to see your entire body surface area.

Dr. Berry:
Okay. I like that. And anything, out there, tips and tricks, get our patients to have it? To get them a full dermatology evaluation?

Dr. Candrice:
Sure. You know, don't ever be afraid to ask or you know about things that you may be concerned about. Sometimes dermatologist, you know, we lay over the completely benign things, but I often use that as a teaching moment. So I do give those things names and I educate the patient about what those lesions are. But it is important that you get your questions answered as well about specific things that you're concerned about. I think, you know, one of my, some of my favorite instances as a dermatologist is to walk in and you know, there's a someone there for an exam and I start to examine their skin. I see like five circles on their skin with a marker and I'm thinking, hmm. Basically, every time I inquired, basically it's usually a wife that has circles, these lesions because she wants to know exactly what those are and what's the, make sure that those species are okay. So even if you don't have a wife, this makes circles on your skin and there are a few things that you are concerned about. It’s okay to make a list of those things so that we can make sure that we address those specifically so that you leave feeling empowered about your skin.

Dr. Berry:
I love it. We love empowering here. Because especially when they come to see, you know, the general family practitioner or internist and they're asking a lot of questions. Like I do wonder like what type of leeway do they have when they go in to see their dermatologist? Right? Because again, obviously, you're the expert, right? And you know, if something's like, oh no, that's nothing, but they just want to know, right? Like they read it in a book, they read a blog, they've heard a podcast and they say, oh no if it looks like this, you're supposed to do something about it. Do you run into a lot of that where patients are, you know, they're empowering themselves to be an advocate for themselves. But sometimes you almost have to educate them away from doing extracurricular things that you wouldn't necessarily need to do.

Dr. Candrice:
Absolutely. I think that's our job as physicians to provide the education and say, this is by all accounts, this is a something that it's benign. It's something that can be observed, you know, you don't have to remove it. So I think just spending time to educate also can be helpful for them as well.

Dr. Berry:
All right. So I'm in the dermatology again and just kind of preface it. Because again, I remember when I was studying in dermatology type questions for boards and everything else and my number one question was always, well you know what? Like yeah, I understand like how it looks, raised, bordered, redness. Like I already understand how that looks. But like for a person that looks like me, right? Like how does that look? Does it look the same? Should I be worrying? Like is it different? Is it the opposite? I don't know. Do you, when you take care of patients of color and they're coming to you with skin related issues as well, do you tend to find that more difficult or is that just feed your training? You're aware of it? Like I always, because I always want to know, cause obviously when I'm reading a book I don't tend to see too many skin colors and I looked like mine that is examples.

Dr. Candrice:
Yes. I have specifically sought out training in the skin of color. So I was excited to be able to do my dermatology training with some skin of color experts. And actually my program had a skin of color center as well, so we were known for that. So that allowed me to be able to see dermatology on multiple different skin types. And you're right, yes. Some things do not follow the descriptions in the book at all. So you have to go to someone if you do have the skin of color, go to someone familiar with your skin type so that you can get a more expert exam when it comes to that.

Dr. Berry:
And when we talk about this is skin cancer in general, especially for skin of color. I know you talked about us 10 being caught later. So does that mean like we're from skin cancer total wise, we're dealing with it a lot more frequently or we just happen to catch it at a much later stage? What are some of the numbers especially for skin color and people with skin of color when we talk about skin cancer and diseases of alike?

Dr. Candrice:
And this is actually really sad, but people of color, we are less likely to get skin cancers. But for an example with melanoma, the one that is the deadliest tight. When we think about the five-year survival rate after someone has cancer, they, you know, was always these statistics. They go out to say, well, in five years, you know, what's the likelihood this person being alive for an example. So for melanoma, when you compare black patients to white patients, white patients have, you know, it's like over 91% of those patients will have a five-year survival rate. And for blacks, it's only a little over 60% or about 65% or so. So that is drastic, a very drastic difference. And so that goes back to the point of late diagnosis. Particularly when we talk about the most deadly type of cancer. Yes, we don't get skin cancer that often, but man, when we do get it, the prognosis is horrible because it's often caught very late and it has spread beyond just the skin at that point.

Dr. Berry:
And I can tell you from an internist standpoint, some of the patients I've taken care of, unfortunately in a hospital, you know, we've had skin cancer shows up in the lungs, we've had skin cancer show up on the GI system, we’ve had skin cancer show up in the brain, you know, Lunch and Learn community, give you an idea like this isn't a benign disease that you know a little, you know, biopsy cuts and get outta here. Like once if it does what it's, you know, set to do, it can really cause some problems.

Dr. Candrice:
Yes, it is very devastating and it definitely will be called metastasizes, which is what you definitely explained. It can go all over the body.

Dr. Berry:
So, and when we talk about this, some of the reasons why we're coming late, right? The reason why we're not seeing Dr. Candrice earlier, basically for people of color. Like I honestly, I was like, oh, what do I need? Like I'm protected, right? Like, well, you know, I'm protected from the sun, like from it from my peers and my skin color. But what are some of the biggest misconceptions that are out there? People like me, it's getting people of color really need to like kind of erased from their mind when it talks about, you know, just skin cancer and skin disease in general.

Dr. Candrice:
Please erase the fact that your brown skin and your melanin can embrace all potential harm. Is not true. You can get skin cancer. Let me just hit on my mic to make sure they heard me. Look with brown skin, yes, you too can get skin cancer. Take it from me. If you don't believe the statistics. I am triple board certified dermatologist that looks exactly like you. And yes, I see devastating cases. So please, please, please. It's just, it's not true when people say that it doesn't affect us, it's just not true.

Dr. Berry:
Lunch and Learn community I hope you I heard that. She’s a triple boarded, right? So again, this is, this isn't just you're running the mill like a physician who was trying to like, no, this is a person who really knows what they're talking about and especially for, I have a lot of listeners of color. You know, if you have not, right, again, don't be like me, right? Like, get just skin check done ASAP. Right? The month of May, get it done by the end of this month. Like, make sure that happens like today. And then make sure you bring family members too right. We didn't talk about, but make sure you bring your family members and get them some chopped too. Because I know a lot of us, a lot of y'all don't already like coming to see us for the world has visited. Right?

So if y'all already not seeing us for the wellness visit, I know. Yeah. Not going to see yourselves for that, the skin can visit. So please do that. And you know, kind of get out of that mindset. Right. So, you know, Dr. Candrice can kind of help get us together and get us earlier. Again, that's sad though. 60% of us on a little bit over two-thirds of us are actually making it within five years once we're diagnosed just because we're not being seen early and it has a problem.

Dr. Candrice:
Yes. Devastating statistic.

Dr. Berry:
So let's talk about skincare, self-care and I wanna know, right? Like I wanted to know because obviously again for Lunch and Learn community even those who don't know, Dr. Candrice and I, we've been friends for about, like three years now. You know, medical always together. I know how amazing this person is and as she does so much education. That's why I wanted to bring her on the show. Right. So Dr. Candrice tell us about skincare, self-care, and why we need to be with it ASAP?

Dr. Candrice:
You know, I see so many manifestations of stretch in the skin, in hair disorders, lots and lots of things. And so what I thought about was sometimes for people the moment in the morning before the day gets crazy and they're in the bathroom doing whatever they need to do, that may be their only time for self-care. So I developed this concept, this really kind of mindset that yes, skincare is self-care. So focusing on your skin is a way of taking care of yourself. You walk around with your skin all day, every day, so why not take a few minutes to take care of your skin in those moments of the day when you actually have time to do it. So that really was the impetus to all of this. Just, you know, people stressing out and a lot of, and seeing all these diseases on the skin that all you have to do is cleanser or moisturizer.

It's like a really quick fix, right? But people were not taking those few minutes of the day because they said, oh, that takes too long. I don't have time for that. I'm busy. I'm this, I'm that. Well, you at least can you give me three minutes a day to be able to care for your skin? And man, what I saw happening was that yes, people, skin disease improved, but also their attitudes improve. Once I started to pitch it as a self-care, their self-care moments of the day, things began to change. They saw it from being something that was cumbersome that they had to do to something that they actually look forward to doing.

Dr. Berry:
A highlight of their day to take care of this again.

Dr. Candrice:
Right, exactly. And you say that with some hesitation, but it’s dermatologist, yes.

Dr. Berry:
Oh no, my way, she’s about to make up that now. So I already know that when she's in that mood. I don't even mess with her. Go ahead, do whatever. I'll wait. I'm in no rush. I ain't going nowhere anyway. She got a whole routine. It's funny because she's got a morning routine, she's got to go on the bed routine as I'm like, wow. Oh, and of course I'm naive, right? And like I gotta ask you a question like, especially when it comes to men, I'm naive, right? And I'm like, why can't you just wash your face? And they're like, no, you gotta do this and this and it's so it's too funny. That's good care. So can we definitely here for that. I got to ask, right? Because I know obviously Lunch and Learn community what about the men, right? Like how much men are you seeing in your practice? How can we get, and we just, we have this issue just getting them to do their wellness checks, right? Like how are you getting them to come to check their skin out?

Dr. Candrice:
I see men all the time in the office and as soon as I walk in, I know whether they are there by choice or force. I don't care how you land in there. I'm just happy to see the men when they do come in because it is important for me to have those conversations with them. And then we talk about some of the things that they don't really like. People talk about how, Oh, if I wear sunscreen and, and I'm working out or doing something, and I sweay, it gets in my eyes and this, that and the other. So we have conversations about, okay, well how can we overcome some of those things? Some have been cumbersome for you to get around to kind of get on the bandwagon of protecting your skin. So I really enjoy those conversations. And so I had that segment of men that come in for skin checks.

But then also what I'm finding is that even just for general skincare things that men actually care about the way they look. They may not tell you or emphasize it and you know, but they do care about it. They may be coming in for ingrown hairs on the face or a little bit of dry skin here, there. Just you know, things that cap into, to happen to come up. And I've definitely given my male patients permission to actually ask about those things. I'm very active on social media and when I look at the statistics and some of my followers, I was surprised that like 20 to 30% of my followers are men. And no is not because I'm so fabulous myself. Right? (Part of it, maybe.)
No, it does not because I am definitely an, I make it a point to really give tips along the way about really, really realistic, you know, short steps that you can do to really take care of your skin. And I said, wow, you know, the guys are actually benefiting from this as well. And they make me feel good that my information can be valuable for both women and men.

Dr. Berry:
Okay. I love it. Before we get you out of here, I always ask my guest, how can what you do really help empower people to take better control to skincare?

Dr. Candrice:
I understand that my words are powerful. I understand that my interaction with every patient is important. I can remember being a child in the exam room with my physician and if that physician gave some words of encouragement to me. Oh, you want it to be a doctor? Oh, that's great. Blah, blah, blah, blah. You may have understood that depending on where on the neighborhood that you work in, that you may be the only physician of cover that this patient ever sees.

I may be the only physician that ever takes a second to encourage a child, encourage their child. And that one piece of information can be the thing that drives them through their entire schooling to become a doctor because somebody told them that they could. So I always had that in my mind. So I know that I'm empowering that way. And then also empowering beyond the exam room currently. So I know that when I'm giving information to women who come in with hair loss and brown spots and this and that and the other, that I encouraged them to talk to their families about it, talk to their girlfriends about it, talk to other people at the hair salon about it so that my words can travel just beyond, beyond well beyond just my patient, but also to a community. And so I love it when patients come in and say, oh so and so referred me or Oh I heard about you at the hair salon. Oh, I heard about you at church. I love it when that happens because it means that I've done a great job of taking something that can be very scientific and complex and making it very simple enough or just my patients to be able to say, look I saw this dermatologist and she told me x and you should get into. That to me is super empowering. I have now turned my one to one patient experience into a one to many experiences.

Dr. Berry:
Oh, I love it. Absolutely love it. So Dr. Candrice, how can someone follow you, get educated. Like I said, again this is just one episode but this isn't, this is more of like a blip. Like cause you're doing this all the time and I want to make sure my Lunch and Learn community kind of follow along with you. Where can people find you? When's your next speaking engagement? Let us know some details so we can make sure we get you right.

Dr. Candrice:
I can be found @drcandriceheath on all social media platforms. That's @ D, R, C, A, N, D, R, I, C, E, H, E, A, T, H, that's @drcandriceheath on all social media platforms. Also. I have launched a beauty line called My Sister's Beauty. So I hang out there a lot as well www.mysistersweetie.com. What we really focused on simple skincare. That is also of course self-care. You know my motto, love that. Very simple. You have to tell your wife about that. And then for my people in the medical community who are always asking me about how do you get these speaking gigs, how do you do that exactly? Why are you so comfortable? How do you do that? I finally put everything into a portal. Okay. So I am debuting very soon, www.drcandriceheath.comf/clinicalpearls. So that you can actually be able to go right there. www.drcandriceheath.comf/clinicalpearls to find out what I am doing in the speaker realm for medical professionals.

Dr. Berry:
And Lunch and Learn community, all of this link will be in the show notes. So you know, if you're driving, take a shower, whatever you do it, you'll be able to get access to it. And I was just about, I let you go, but you gotta tell us you gotta you can't just like a drop that, you know, beauty line comes and just let you go. Right? What about that right? I know we're talking about skin cancer, were on the self-care now. Let's get us right.

Dr. Candrice:
I am so, it brings tears to my eyes because this has a long journey to launch this line. And really the primary focus is based on all these experiences that I've had with women. Like I told you before, you know, people feeling overworked, too busy to, you know they have the kids hanging off of one arm, the job doing this and you know the taking care of the home depot, all of these things but yet and still they want to look great, they want to feel great. And one of the main things that people often come in about it, they talk about brown spots on the skin. So I know I wanted to develop something that could definitely help to brighten the skin, give people more, even skin tone. All those things they look for so that they do look refreshed and feel refreshed.

So I'm excited about the cleanser that we have. It is amazing. I cannot wait for you all to try it and it is packed with a fruit acid called Mandelic Acid and it definitely helps address those dark spots. And I'm really thrilled about it. It's packed full of botanicals so you will see ingredients that you recognize and like in the line including bringing tea. But moisturizer is my group, My Sister’s beauty. Recovery cream is packed full of aloe and it is just amazing. Like I'm so super excited about this. I have a launch party coming up in my city. I cannot wait. So it's, it's been amazing. It has definitely been a long journey and amazing journey and basically, the best is yet to come and I am just excited to finally be able to birth the thing that has been, working on for so long. And yes that really the focus of all of this is about self-care and that's the most amazing part of this whole thing. So I'm ecstatic.

Dr. Berry:
I love it. Whenever the launch date we'll make sure we promote. We'll make sure we let the world know Lunch and Learn community where they can get that because that's awesome. Absolutely amazing.

Dr. Candrice:
I would love that. Thank you so much, Dr. Berry. I would love that.

Dr. Berry:
So again, Dr. Candrice thank you for really enlightened us, educate as getting us together. I'm like, I said next week this skin care is being made. I'm not sure I'm going to see. I know dermatologist is busy. I might not see off for a month, but the appointment will be made at least. So we were going to get us together.

Dr. Candrice:
Wonderful. Wonderful.

Dr. Berry:
And again Lunch and Learn community, you know, this person's amazing. Please. Her information will be in the show notes. Please follow her again @drcandriceheath at all social media outlets. Wherever she's at, wherever you're at, she's likely at as well. Or she'll get there so you know, please make sure. This is a person, a friend that I value her opinion or her expertise or knowledge. And now she's about to drop a line and we're going to make sure we get some from the wife because we're going to get everyone together.

Dr. Candrice:
Yes. Wonderful. Thank you so much Dr. Berry and your awesome Lunch and Learn community. You really know who I am at this point. I am Dr. Candrice, your favorite fun board-certified dermatologist. I am your go-to girl for everything - healthy hair, skin and nails.

Dr. Berry:
I love it. Thank you. Have a great day.

Dr. Candrice:
Thank you.

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Introduction... On this week's episode of the Lunch and Learn with Dr. Berry we have Dr. Angela Fadahunsi. Dr. Angela is a board certified Internist who then completed her fellowship training in Allergy/Immunology at the University of Tennessee Health Science Center-Memphis. She offers Allergy and Asthma relief for her patients in her own beautiful practice in Wylie, Texas.

Dr. Fadahunsi knows from first-hand experience the agony of dealing with allergies as a child. Her goal is to have everyone enjoying the beautiful world around them and that is what has made her such an empathetic doctor who always takes the time to listen to her patient’s needs.

I felt that since May was the month we celebrate National Asthma and Allergy Awareness month what better way to educate the Lunch and Learn community with such an amazing guest.

This is definitely an episode that you will enjoy. Remember to subscribe to the podcast and share the episode with a friend or family member.

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Official Website - http://www.allergywylie.com
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Episode 107 Transcript...

Introduction
Dr. Berry: And welcome to another episode of the Lunch and Learn with Dr. Berry. I’m your host, Dr. Berry Pierre, your favorite Board Certified Internist. Founder of drberrypierre.com as well as Pierre Medical consulting. Helping you empower yourself with better health with the number one podcast for patient advocacy. And this week we bring you a special one. We have Dr. Angela Fadahunsi who is an allergy and immunology specialist, who's going to be schooling us and educating the lifeline community on allergies, on sinuses. What are some common things we can use to kind of treat our allergies and how a lot of us may be using a very common product wrong. I know at least I was. Before we begin the show I want to talk a little bit about her so you can kind of know exactly how credible this person is because again at Lunch and Learn community I want to bring you known, specialized guests who know what they're talking about. And you know this one's no different.

She earned her medical degree from the University of Texas. She completed her internal medicine residency as well as her specialty in allergy-immunology fellowship at the University of Tennessee Health Science Center in Memphis. Dr. Angela combines knowledge with compassion. And she is proud to offer allergy and as not really for her patients. She knows firsthand how it feels to have allergies to keep you up from enjoying the beautiful world around you. And as a result, has become an empathetic doctor who always takes time to listen to your needs and of course for a lot of my allergy suffer especially in Lunch and Learn community. This is actually a topic that we've been really wanting to get on this show for a while. This is a very common reason why patients walk into the hospital as the very reason why patients walk into a doctor's offices. Actually one the more requested topics from the Lunch and Learn community that I wanted to get on.

And you know I didn't feel like I would do it as much justice if I didn't have you know someone specialized to come and talk in school as a little bit about our allergies and our sinus problems and you know what we can actually do about it so you know sit back like always if you had not had a chance. Make sure you subscribe to our podcast. Make sure you leave me a 5-star review. Leave Dr. Angela 5 star review. Let Dr. Angela how was she's doing. And you guys have a great and blessed day.

Episode
Dr. Berry: So alright Lunch and Learn community. Yes, you heard and that a great introduction from a guest who honestly I've actually been kind of looking for. For those who have been following with the lunch line community, I've been looking for an allergist for quite some time just to kind of talk about, you know, allergies and sinuses and everything, what not. And of course, you know, I was, like I said before, I know a little bit about a lot, but I always, whenever I can try to get an expert on to kind of talk to educate us, I hear and that's what I have today. Right? So again, Dr. Angela, thank you for coming onto the show. (Thank you). during your residence?

Dr. Angela Fadahunsi Yeah, so I am, honestly, you know, allergy is, it's such a small field when you think of a lot of the other subspecialties and so it's not very well known. I wasn't aware that the field even existed until I was in college. And so that, at that point, I was already pre-med, knew that I wanted to be a physician, wasn't sure exactly which route I was going to go once I got into medical school and then in a residency thereafter. But it was pretty much a personal experience. The primary care doctor that I was seeing referred me to an hour just during my college years and I was like, oh, this is pretty cool. You know, I've been suffering from allergies all of my life. You know, as long as I can remember from childhood and just never had a name for what it was.

Just thought that was just, you know sinuses as we call it, but didn't realize that there were things that you can actually do about it, the ways to investigate it. And so when I started seeing an allergist and then subsequently being treated realized, wow, this is awesome. You know, what capabilities we have available as allergist can be really life changing as far as the quality of life day to day for people in the symptoms that they suffer with. So that's what drew me to it, learning about it through personal experience and then also really seeing the benefits of the care of an allergy specialist.

Dr. Berry: That's very interesting because I always wonder. Like what was it like where were you? Did you have a lot of algae is kind of growing up. And then especially as what I find when I was taking care of patients to outpatient, you know, they'd come to me, it has some issues, you know, upper respiratory infection come back and they would just keep coming back. And forth and then finally I have to say like, Hey, I think you need, I don't think this is just a regular infection because you shouldn't be having this. Over and over again, like do you tend to find yourself getting a lot of those types of patients where you know they've been through the ringer, they had the antibiotics, they've seen urgent care and nothing kind of seems to happen?

Dr. Angela Fadahunsi Yes, yes. I mean that's most of what I see when it comes to what we call allergic rhinitis or high fever seasonal allergies, whatever label we want to give it as people that have been dealing with these symptoms for years and really are kind of at their with end of like, okay, what is going on and what can be done about it. For me, the first time I remember inexperience of now identifying that I was allergic was in elementary school. We had a field trip to our state capital and baton rouge, and there's this really pretty he'll that comes, that rolls down the front of the state capitol and we were in maybe second first or second grade I can recall.

And everybody thought, oh, it'll be fine. It's a roll down the hill together. So we did and I got up itching, sneezing, watery eyes, you know, redness, all of that stuff. And again, never understood exactly what that was and why the other kids didn't feel the way that I did. And then the same thing, just, you know, seasonal allergies all the time, every year. It was always the same thing for me. And so yeah, most of the people that I see have similar stories where they've been suffering for a long time and just kind of, you know, stuck and don't know what else to do and, and where to turn.

Dr. Berry: It was very interesting. I was definitely the same way where I, you know, I didn't, I wasn't a kid who played in the grass. I wasn't a kid who liked to, I would get short of breath. I'd get a lot of wells and all of these things as I was like the kid like I want it to be cleaned the whole time.

Dr. Angela Fadahunsi: That's how kids are, you know, they don't have a name for it, but they know that it doesn't make them feel good. And so they just naturally start to avoid and adults too, naturally start to avoid the things that are triggers, you know, because even though they don't really understand that it's necessarily a trigger. I know when I playing grass or when I'm running around outside, I don't feel well, so I'm just not going to do that. So yeah, that's, that's where we come in and we can, you know, do our best to try to get to the root of what's going on and provide answers about how to do deal with it.

Dr. Berry: So for the Lunch and Learn community, they love to hear numbers, right? Because a lot of times I don't think they can grasp how serious, you know, every disorder, every disease we tend to talk is on his podcast. Right. So I want, I want to just give you some Lunch and Learn community so you can understand how important that we really should be thinking about allergies and we'll talk about as far as like, because I feel as a subspecialists, a lot of times they get cases and maybe a little later than they should. I'm just at this, I said it was my person with that.

I never know. So from an allergy standpoint, right? Allergies are the sixth leading cause of chronic illness in the United States. They cost about 18 being a year and we're in their 50 million Americans suffer from allergies every year. Right. Just so you guys can get an idea of like how important her field is to just health and just wellness in general. There's, a very interesting, I was almost shocked by it and everything. Yeah. Wow.

Dr. Angela Fadahunsi Very, very prevalent. Very calm. Absolutely.

Dr. Berry: Now are you, especially in your field, like is there some allergies that you find are the worse than others that are more common than others like that as you're practicing?
Dr. Angela Fadahunsi As far as more common, I'll start with that first. So certainly, you know, springtime and fall seem to be the seasons that people, in general, suffer more, at least in my experience. And those seasons tend to be more common as far as, you know, people complaining of symptoms go fall, you know, being ragweeds spring being, tree pollens, which is, you know, most of the suite of different types of tree pollens, grass pollens, etc. During those seasons.

Jumping back to one particular or a certain group being worse than others, it's a really subjective answer for that because everybody's different of course, you know, and so some people it's, you know, just a little bit of over the counter discern thing or clear thing or whatever does the trick in there fine. But some people can have, another person could have the exact same allergies are sensitivities and they're miserable. You know, they've got asthma related to it as well and so their symptoms are now being, you know? The triggers rather are now exacerbating their chronic asthma issue.

So it's, there's not necessarily one particular thing that's worse. It's really just about the quality of life that that particular person has, you know when dealing with whatever their particular allergies are.

Dr. Berry: Okay. So we don't get a person, right? Cause I got, Lunch and Learn community, I'm going to talk about myself a little bit. I need to talk about the sciences. Right? And I'll get my little backstory. Like I'm from South Florida and I went to school from the house to North Florida. When I was in South Florida, I didn't have any issues. I was fine. No watery eyes, no stuffy nose method. When I went to school at Florida State, all of a sudden, summertime, springtime comes around you.

I would just be watery eyes tearing up uncontrolled were nothing to do at nothing had. Stuffy nose. I was absolutely right, I don't know what it was up there at Tallahassee net area that like cause all these problems. But I got to know like what are we doing for sinus right? Let's talk about sinuses in general because I like I'm biased but I feel like is there demographic is known everywhere. (Yeah).

I have friends who follow me on Twitter and you know like literally every Monday like we'll say like, hey, how are you doing? How's your sinuses? Like how’s, did you make the weekend? Like that's like a running joke. But that's because it's just, it's not, we don't look forward to.

Dr. Angela Fadahunsi Yes. So of course over the counter treatments is where everybody starts and that's what we recommend as well. So Zyrtec, Claritin, Allegra, whatever your preferences. I usually encourage people to not do Benadryl just because of the sedating effect of it. And it usually is not as long-lasting. Whereas the other ones you can take once or twice a day and you know, be covered as far as your symptoms are concerned. From there, if that's still not giving you a resolution of your symptoms or you know, improving, you know your symptoms.

Then the next step is the nose sprays and nobody really likes the nasal sprays. (I tried to get my patients to do that). Yeah. But you know, it actually works better than the allergy pills or, you know, any histamines do. It covers as far as the symptoms that you're experiencing and especially the congestion that a lot of people suffer from the allergy pills themselves or any histamines rather don't have any effect on that.

They're mainly for the sneezing and you know, a little bit of what we call the rhinorrhea. So the runny nose, but when you're thinking of the congestion, that's where your nose spray comes in. And what I find with a lot of people is they're not using it correctly and so they are using are not getting the benefit of it and you've got to use it for at least two to four weeks consistently to really get optimal benefits. So there's a couple of things that go into play as far as getting, you know, what she can or the best relief from the nose spray. So I always make sure that I educate people when I'm starting them on a nose spray or when I'm seeing them for the first time about the proper administration techniques so that they're getting what they, you know, getting what you paid for, basically, not kind of wasting, you're wasting your money and wasting your time by doing it.

Now, once you've done those two things, if you're still not having, you know, benefit or relief than us, the point where you need to see a specialist, you know. Whether it's your primary care doctor, discussing with them what your options are and then from there they can determine, you know, okay, well let's go ahead and send you to an hour. Just are coming straight to an allergy specialist as you know, of course, an option as well.

So that is the gist of sort of where we start. And then, you know, the other thing too is with what we offer as far as medications, we're just treating the symptoms, right? We're not dealing with the root cause. And that's where the allergy specialist can come in. As far as identifying what exactly is it that you are sensitive to that's causing you to have the watery, itchy eyes, the sneezing, the runny nose, the congestion, postnasal drip, whatever your symptoms are, and finding those triggers and then educating you about what your options are to deal specifically with those triggers instead of just medicating the symptoms.

Dr. Berry: Now I know, especially from the trigger standpoint, like I tend to think, I want to educate my patient. I'd be like, I always think about like, you know the trees, which is such a bland term because what does that even really mean? I fell, you know the trees and pets. Right as well. Those are always my two biggest things. But are there other common triggers that you've seen that some people like tend to neglect?

Dr. Angela Fadahunsi Those are, those are pretty common ones. Another one that especially for people that suffer year round, so you know there's certainly people that are just springtime, just fall time, you know, just some or whatever the season may be. But then there are people that have triggers are symptoms year round and one thing that we always consider of course is pets, you have a dog, do you have a cattery exposed to a dog or cat on a regular basis and is that causing your symptoms. But then dust mite is another common, but we call perennial or year-round allergy and that kind, it varies depending on where you are in the United States.

But in general, like there's, I shouldn't say any amount of humidity but a decent amount of humidity, then you're going to be exposed to dust mites and where dust mites accumulate the most as far as our exposure levels on a day to day basis is in our bedding. So your pillow and your mattress. And so when we can identify dust mite as a trigger, as a sensitivity or allergy for a particular patient, then we can counsel them on ways that they can minimize that exposure. And that's where you get your dust mite proof covers for your pillow and your mattress and bedding.

Washing your sheets once a week and hot water your linens and hot water to try to minimize that risk or exposure rather on a day to day basis. So that's one that doesn't always come up, but it's very prevalent.

And then like you said, you know that right on the head with, you know, the trees, of course, being a big one for people that have spring allergies. And like I mentioned before, fall, ragweed is pretty common in a lot of places in the United States as well.

Dr. Berry: I know here in South Florida we tend to deal with it, not necessarily trees but more like an environmental issue because they burn sugar cane during times of the year and we see a lot of the quote-unquote allergy, which again I think allergy is such a basket term. I think a lot of people call it everything allergies, you know. So I never really know allergies, it was like I don't, I never really know. But like the burning of sugar cane tends to call it a lot of quote-unquote flare-ups of allergies and some environmental issues as well.

Dr. Angela Fadahunsi Yeah. So yeah, it could certainly be, but then also of course when you, you know, smoke exposure or just things in the environment, chemical substances or things about nature, irritation as well can cause similar symptoms. So but hard to say for sure. But yeah, definitely a consideration.

Dr. Berry: Now pictures in it because I know we've talked about allergy immunology, but like asthma, especially in your practice is big, I guess component of it. Like how much in relation to just allergies in general? Like does asthma play a role or is that more from the immunology standpoint from your training?

Dr. Angela Fadahunsi Now, so it's all linked together so people that have allergies are at risk for development of asthma. There's actually something that we call the Eight Topic March with Children. So kids can start off with Eczema. So you know the dry, itchy skin, irritated skin, and then that can progress to allergic rhinitis. So all of the nasal symptoms that we were just discussing. And then from there, it can progress to asthma. So the respiratory issues, the coughing, wheezing, shortness of breath and the link between all of that is whenever you have asthma, especially if you do have an allergic component, are allergic asthma as we call it. Knowing your triggers is very important because it's going to help you identify and your allergist or your primary care doctor identify what seasons to be extra mindful of, you know, keeping a close eye on you.

If you've got a ton of tree allergies then when springtime comes before springtime comes, I need to make sure that you're good and you're well controlled because we know that those tree pollens are common and those triggers, those allergens on top of your asthma history puts you at risk for what we call an exacerbation. So worsening of your asthma symptoms or you know, or poor control of asthma symptoms leading to hospitalizations, urgent care visits, ER visits, steroid bursts. So yeah definitely a huge shift as sleep, links excuse me, from especially in the pediatric side but also on the adult side as well. It's fair, very common for the two to kind of go hand in hand a lot of times.

Dr. Berry: Yeah. Before, because I definitely want to delve into just you know your business quote unquote. I know you talked to, initially about how a lot of people are using these, the nasal inhalers wrong? Like how, how do you use that wrong?

Dr. Angela Fadahunsi: Yes. The proper way to use flu nasal, coordinate, that's what I'm referring to when I say nasal sprays is to, when you stick the nozzle and or are the, you know the tip into your nose and you actually want to angle your head down so I always tell people nose to toes, so hap head down a little bit. And then when you stick that nozzle and or that tip, you should angle it towards the outer corner of your eye.

So angle it out on both sides whenever you in. (Ok). And what I noticed is a lot of people don't, of course, do that because they've never been told. And that's understandable. It's really kind of strange that at least the ones that I've seen, I've never seen the instructions written on any information, that the patient, so it's understandable that people don't know that.

So that's the first card. But making sure that you're angling it towards the outer corner of your eye, top of your ear on either side. The other thing is a lot of people do like take a big deep sniff in or inhale in, don't do that. When you do that a lot of times has that medication goes right into the back of your throat and people, a lot of the complaints that people have is, I don't like the way it tastes or you know, you're not really supposed to taste it.

It's supposed to stay in your nose. So when you feel it going down the back of your throat, then you've probably inhale too deeply or you know, just basically sucked it down into your throat and it's not really penetrating and getting to the tissue that is swollen and, and causing you the problems as far as the allergy symptoms that you experience. And so those are the two biggest things. Pointing it towards the outer corner of your eye and then just take a natural to inhale and you don't have to do anything extra as far as getting that medication where it's supposed to go.

Dr. Berry: Lunch and Learn community I just want to let you know like, I am 0 for 2 on, I thought for, I don't know why I thought for sure it had to like, point in towards, yes. Okay. All right. So we all learned here Lunch and Learn community, we're all in it. That's funny. Okay.

So let, let's talk about your practice, right? Let's talk about, you know, why you want to start your practice. Like what was your motivation behind it and then, and then eventually what we need to let people know how they can come to see you?

Dr. Angela Fadahunsi Yeah. So for me, I was really fortunate with my allergy-immunology training experience. We have the opportunity to, of course, it's the academic institution, so we train with lots of great experts on the academic side. But then we also had the opportunity to work with a private practice who were out in the community and affiliated with our university.

So I had the chance firsthand to see the best of both worlds, the pros and the cons of staying in academic or being in an employed position, as well as the pros and cons of doing it on your own and being in private practice, appealed to me. But then also what I felt the allergists who were owning their own practices, you know, what they really appreciated about it drew me as well. And so that led me to decide, okay, you know what, not only am I going to do private practice, but I'm going to open my own practice and do it on my own.

And what I hope for with my practices, that I create an environment and an experience that people don't necessarily see and other practices or other medical offices and I can kind of steer the ship the direction that I wanted to go without having to do a lot of, I don't want to say negotiating, but you know, when you're the leader of whatever situation, when things aren't going the way that you want them to go, or the way that you feel is in the best interest of your patients, it's up to you.

And it’s ultimately your decision to change the direction of things. I mean, I just want it to have more control over what I was able to provide for my patients and always feel like there wasn't anything hindering those decisions. And that's the reason that I decided to do it for myself to kind of start afresh and build something that I could be really proud of and be a part of for the long run.

Dr. Berry: I love it. So as an internist, but are you only seeing like again, I tell people all the time, if you're 17 and below I don't even want to, are you only because it definitely feels like there's a lot of overlap. But do you only see like adults and up? Is that, is there like a cut off for you?

Dr. Angela Fadahunsi No. I see children as well. So allergies, one of those unique fields where we process trying to see both adult and pediatric patients. So actually me coming from the internal medicine side, it's a requirement and you know, same for my co-fellow who was coming from the pediatric side. It's a requirement that at least I think the percentage was at least 60% of your patient population be from the other side. You know.

So for me, as an internist or internal medicine physician, it was required for me that at least 60% of my patients be pediatric to meet, you know, the standards of ACG and me for my allergy fellowship. And so a lot of what I saw was pediatric. But then I also had the chance of course to see lots of adult patients. So I feel very comfortable seeing both men even down to like age four months or so, we would see patients, especially with the newer recommendations for early introduction of peanut for kids that are at risk for development of peanut allergy. And Eczema, of course, is a big thing for infants as well. So all ages come into my practice pretty much birth to old age.

Dr. Berry: Wow. That's nice. (Yeah). Like I say you if you're a 16, 17 I get weary. So that was great.

That’s a question, especially in your practice, is there like common things that you know, issue that people kind of deal with on a day to day basis but they don't even realize that they're actually dealing with an allergy problem?

Dr. Angela Fadahunsi I think a lot of what we talked about is that, you know, like you were mentioning, you have patients that come in and they've always got bronchitis or quote-unquote sinus, sinus issues or you know, whatever terms people like to call it. And a lot of times that is just plain and simple what we call allergic rhinitis. There's an allergy trigger to it.

And if we can identify that, then we can, you know, give you answers and work on getting you feeling better and getting you feeling well. But that's the most common thing. And then of course sometimes it is allergies. It may just maybe something else. But certainly making sure that that's crossed off when you've got somebody coming in with the same seasonal complaint year after year after year is definitely warranted.

Dr. Berry: When should, speaking as an internist, when should I be sending my patients to see analogist? And if you're just a patient out there who even dealing with these issues, like what should they be coming to see?

Dr. Angela Fadahunsi I usually tell people when over the counter stuff is not working well enough for you. So, and that's again a subjective thing. If it's bothersome to you and what you're doing isn't helping, then that's when you need to see an allergist.

As I mentioned, for some people taking Claritin or Zyrtec or whatever over the counter is fine and they're like, okay, I'm good. You know, whatever I wrote through spring, you know, with Zyrtec a day and I'm okay. Whereas other people it's like, no, I'm miserable. You know, my head is always hurting or you know, I'm always seizing. I can't get my work done.

And that's another thing too, you know, it affects the quality of life, but it also affects people's productivity at school. And at work whenever they aren't feeling well for whatever reason, but certainly if you're having to blow your nose every 10 seconds and you know you can't breathe out of your nose well or your eyes are always watering. I mean, just imagine dealing with that for a season at a time or constantly on and off all year.

How productive were you want to be when you're feeling that way? So once over the counter isn't working, then that's when I suggest people see a specialist to get to the root of what's going on and try to get answers about what they can do.

Dr. Berry: Wow. Right. Again, Lunch and Learn community, alright thank you for, you know, really helping enlightened especially me, with definitely Lunch and Learn community, on allergy because it’s a topic that has been so requested. Then I said, okay, all right. I gotta find one. And I found out, I gotta make sure I had a chance before we let you go. The question like this is like, how can what you do empower others to really take better control of their health?

Dr. Angela Fadahunsi: Yes. So I think anytime we can have answers about what's going on with our bodies, that's the start of taking control. And you know, it's hard to take control where we don't really know what's going on or what can be done about it. So anytime that I can give answers to people, it's such a relief for me to be able to provide that answer. But it's also, of course, a huge relief for other people when they can point to this is the reason why I don't feel well.

So I think that's the gist of it. It empowers people because they now have an answer and then once you have an answer, you can work towards a solution. So yeah, it's all about just trying to provide answers and give people the knowledge that they need so they can have that quality of life and productivity, you know, and just be able to be able to enjoy the everyday things that you know, we want to enjoy going outside, taking a walk, you know, breathing fresh air and not feeling miserable minutes later.

Dr. Berry: I love it. I love it. So where can someone find you? Where can someone find you? Whether it's social media, where do your physical office, where?

Dr. Angela Fadahunsi My office is in Wiley, Texas, a suburb of the Dallas Metroplex, so Northeast Dallas suburb. And as far as online, you can reach me online through either of my social media pages, Facebook or Instagram. On Instagram, it's @allergywylie, all one word. And Wylie being spelled W, Y, L, I, E. And then on Facebook, it's allergy and asthma care of Wylie. So either of those places sends me a message. There's also an email of course on my website, www.allergywylie.com and you can communicate with me that way as well.

Dr. Berry: Perfect. And again, if you're driving, at work, wherever you're doing it, all her links will be in the show notes as well. So you can, you know, get directly in contact her and get you, get your allergies right, get your, just wants to get you outside for the summer. Alright.

Dr. Angela Fadahunsi Enjoy the fresh air. Take a walk. Stay healthy.

Dr. Berry: Again, thank you so much for joining the podcast. Like this has been absolutely amazing and I already know we're going to have like people jumping for joy, being able to kind of learn, especially that nose thing. Like I said, I'm 0 for 2 y'all, so we need to be 2 for 2 after this episode aired, right?

Dr. Angela Fadahunsi: Thank you for having me.

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Introduction... On this week's episode of the Lunch and Learn with Dr. Berry we have Okey Enyia, Founder of Enyia Strategies whose company focuses is on health policy, and consulting on ways to influence policy issues related to health equity and disparities.

With the political climate being as it is we can no longer avoid the needed conversation on how policy affects our everyday lives. As we sit down with what got led him to politics, his experience as a former medical student and how hitting rock bottom changed his life for the better.

We also get to talk about his new book "Indisputable - The Story of a Favored Son", to see the motivation for it, the process of writing it and what he hopes to see come from the book.

Listen on Apple Podcast, Google Play, Stitcher, Soundcloud, iHeartRadio, Spotify

Sponsors:

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Links/Resources:

Enyia Strategies - http://www.enyiastrategies.com
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Episode 106 Transcript

Introduction

Dr. Berry
And welcome to another episode of the Lunch and Learn with Dr. Berry. I’m your host, Dr. Berry Pierre, your favorite Board Certified Internist. Founder of DrBerryPierre.com as well as Pierre Medical consulting. Helping you empower yourself with better health with the number one podcast, for patient advocacy helping you empower yourself with better health. And so fitting that today we are gonna talking about health advocacy. AndI have a special guest for you guys today, Okey Enyia, who is the founder and CEO of Enyia Strategies, a health policy consulting firm that provides advising research, support policy analysis, project management and legislative strategy for individuals and entities seeking measurable ways to influence policy on issues related to health equity, health disparities, social determinants of health and health in all policies.
He also helps entry level and make career professionals find ways to maximize their career advancement aspiration by reviewing resumes, cover letters, facilitating interview, preparation and providing a roadmap for a successful transition from higher education into the workforce and entrepreneurship. Okey was a Congressional Black Caucus Foundation Health Policy fellow from 2014 and 2016. He worked three years with members of Congress on a wide range of issues areas in the context of health education, foreign policy, civil rights, voting rights and advocacy. He was a master's degree in public health from Chicago State University and a Bachelor's of Science degree in Biology and Biochemistry from Lewis University, Romeoville in Illinois.
He resides in Maryland. Enjoys cooking, reading and traveling and really the most important thing you guys I've harped on it before that, yes we can talk about being healthy and understanding taking medications and taking right medications. Being healthy is the way to go. Well you have to understand that there are a lot of forces at hand that play a role in people being healthy and I know especially as I find a lot in physicians right, where they don't like to talk about politics and the effects of politics on the way we practice medicine. But it is extremely true. So I wanted to bring someone who really on the ground floor like actually they're working with people who are making these laws that are sometimes good and a lot of times is not very good in your everyday order of health, right? So let's get ready for another amazing episode. If you had not had a chance, go ahead subscribe to our podcast. Leave me a five star review and let Okey knows he was such an amazing guest on a podcast today. You guys have a great and bless day.

Episode Transcript

Dr. Berry:
And again, thank you. Lunch and Learn community, heard an amazing introduction on today's guest who I'm excited for, to kind of, you know, bring a little light on health policy, which is, that is a taboo topic. You know, a lot of people don’t like. It’s not sexy. I know a lot of people don’t like to talk about, but again, when you got people who are kind of, in their field doing it and I wanted to kind of, make sure I bring that expert here. So, okay, first of all, thank you for coming to the episode of Lunch and Learn community.

Okey Enyia:
Thank you so much for having me.

Dr. Berry:
So I want to, and I said your bio was absolutely fantastic, right? But I always like to kind of, you know, starting to beginning, right? Like tell, tell us Lunch and Learn community, a little bit about yourselves in your own words. And then I want to, I want to rev up and I want to kind of talk about, you know, what were some of your goals and aspirations as you were going through your journey?

Okey Enyia:
Sure. So my background is in medicine, public health, policy research and teaching. I'm a former House and Senate staffer on Capitol Hill and now I work at the Department of Health Human Services where I report to the Assistant Secretary for preparedness and response. And so I have a social justice background as a grassroots activists. I consider myself a scholar activist and I bring is the nuance, you know, on the ground perspective to the policy space, particularly as it relates to African Americans and African American men in particular. So enjoy talking about my experience, my journey, how I got to this point. I'm the oldest of six children. I have two brothers and three sisters. My parents are from Nigeria. I grew up on the south side of Chicago and I moved to Maryland in 2014 to work as a staffer on Capitol Hill. And so I'm also getting a doctorate in public health with a focus in health policy at the George Washington University Institute School of Public Health where I plan on further explore the intersections of race, gender equity, health and policy as who they is to the lived experiences of African American men and boys over the life course. So that is some of my background. I'm also an author, entrepreneur. I've just released my first self-published book dated 2018 that also clinical. My life experience from Childhood High School, College, Grad School, Med school, Capitol Hill, and into our, into author entrepreneurship. So I'm excited to share some more details about my experiences and hopefully it serves as an inspiration and as a way to help people kind of try it out their path, sign purpose to overcome adversity and to pursue destiny.

Dr. Berry:
I love it. So six siblings, part of six siblings. Are you the oldest? Are you the youngest? Where do you fall?

Okey Enyia:
Yeah. So I'm the oldest of six children. I have two brothers and three sisters.

Dr. Berry:
And that's tough because you kind of, have to, you're the lead.
Okey Enyia:
Right. Yes. I have the, you know, it's a blessing and a challenge to be the pioneer, to be the first, you know. To kind of make the effort to lead by example. You know, the first born usually has a little bit more pressure put on them, you know, from pen. Well, you know, so yeah.

Dr. Berry:
Now when we look at, we're okay. Is that today when you were growing up, you know, the oldest kind of, leading the charge, is this kind of where you envision yourself?

Okey Enyia:
Not necessarily. I actually was in the Nigerian culture. You know, we, there's this tendency to, you know, we are known to be high achievers, right? We value higher education. You know, we are very driven, very ambitious. And so my personal goal growing up was to become a medical doctor. And so, which is not entirely unusual, particularly within the context of the Nigerian culture where it's, you know, it's how the doctor, lawyer, engineer, professor, something like that.

Dr. Berry:
High level. This is what we expected. (Right, exactly). The oldest. I'm pretty sure that carry an additional set of burden, on top of the burden it carries just wanting to obtain those professions.

Okey Enyia:
Absolutely. So, you know, we have been kind of to carry on a mantle, you know, of sorts. Um, it definitely made the journey much smaller, interesting and enriching. But I didn't, so maybe about five years ago, five or six years ago, I didn't envision what I'm doing right now on Capitol Hill. Because again, I'll, I know I, I kind of grew up thinking that I'll be serving as a position in terms of direct patient care. But what ended up happening was that it went from direct patient care, public health, to now health policy on a much broader scale. And so that's kind of a hard.

Dr. Berry:
Full disclosure, Lunch and Learn community. I have a public health degree as well. I've talked about in prior episodes that I am 100% sure I'm a different physician because of the public. Because it definitely correct, you know, add to it. Like I felt that as a just a general physician. Yeah, it was great with the one on one, but I always found myself asking, well if this person in front of me is dealing with this blood person, is diabetes, his cholesterol, what is that community dealing with? What are the community related problems that kind of put this person who I'm just happening to be taken care of in front of me?

Okey Enyia:
Right? And so what you're getting at is what framed as the social determinants of health, where you know, one's health outcomes or outcomes can be determined by where you are born, live, work, play, worship. And so, you know, all of those factors know it's beyond just the patient, the patient physician relationship. It's what are the, what are the social context, you know. What type of environment, you know, place matters. And so what type of environment, you know, and what type of influences our emotions to inform or to impact the extent to which you're able to really live the best quality of life possible.

Dr. Berry:
And I, I definitely, so first Lunch and Learn community I want to kind of what we're going to give the, the, the World Health Organization definition of health policy, but I want to as, okay. Like what is, what does he feel health policy is to him? Like, because I think it's depending on who you talked to it said you get a different kind of interpretation. So the World Health Organization says health policy refers to decisions, plans and actions that are undertaken to achieve specific health care goals within a society and explicit health policy can achieve several things at the defines visions for the future, which in turn helps establish targets and points of reference for the short and medium term. It outlines priorities and the expected roles at different groups and then builds consensus and informs people. So that's the, yeah, that's the textbook definition of health policy. But when, when you, when you talk about health policy and your extra tease, like what does that mean to you?

Okey Enyia:
Yeah, so to me personally, there's an interplay of several factors and I used the social justice framework as the backdrop or African foundation that informs my work. And so for me it's an interplay between power, politics, economics and influence. And so it's, it's a matter of the extent to which one is able to get to the decision making table with data research and compelling story to make a case to help change minds or to better inform. Whether it's a in the course of a conversation or in times of college proposals for legislation at the local state and federal levels. And so, you know, all of those factors play into what, you know, I believe policy is and does. And so for me in terms of health policy, so what I bring to bear is the health space and all of those nuances, particularly as it relates to people of color and how I can better drive the conversation around. How to better influence and impact policies on behalf of people of color.

Dr. Berry:
Is that something that always kind of attracted you to it? And I want to talk, cause I know, I know you kind of mentioned you were on path to be a physician and we'll, we'll talk about when did that divert, but then just the race and ethnicity, like behind health policy. Was that something that was always kind of drew you to it or you just, while you're going through that package, just realize you were kind of magnetizing that area?

Okey Enyia:
Yeah, so I evolved into it. I come from, from a lineage and a legacy of Dalit activists, of entrepreneurs, ministers, educators, teachers, and so, you know, this, it's so it's in my blood to be an advocate, to be someone that has a passion for speaking truth to power, to serving as a scholar. And so as I lived…

Dr. Berry:
I hope you heard that truth, to power and that's powerful. I love it.

Okey Enyia:
Yeah. And so, and so as I've lived and I have experiences, whether it's in College or Grad School or Med School or wherever. My passion for really putting voice and language to be issues and challenges that people of color face had, you know, has evolved and has strengthened. And as I have educated myself as I have lived as a conscious black male in this society, I've been better able to inform, to influence, to impact, you know, to raise awareness around issues of race. And ethnicity and cultural competency and you know, all of those things that really inform policy in some way, shape or form. And so I think the pivot point for me, I think came in med school because while I was seeing patients, but at the same time, I just felt this burning desire to effect much broader change. And, you know, having seen patients of color treated differently, talked to differently, you know, all of that just fueled my passion to say, okay, beyond the patient position and counter what been, can be done in terms of public health or in a policy space that can it help to address these issues that I'm seeing pay out, you know, on the ground.

Dr. Berry:
Now, if you ask like cause I, I take care of patients in a hospital, I take care patients in outpatient clinic and I think a lot of times the, the general person doesn't realize the impact these policies that are there, that are around them that are making decisions for them actually have on how, how I take care of them in the hospital or how I take care of them. And the outpatient, you know, space is, do you find that conversation difficult to translate? Like to really explain to a person like no, no, no. Like what I'm doing here in DC, like affect somebody in like California and Arkansas and Florida and New York even though you can't necessarily see it personally.

Okey Enyia:
Yeah. So that's something that I've come to better appreciate about the and making process because you know, if you wanted to find a, in terms of, so for example, I served on the Senate side, I worked on the Senate Health Education Labor and Pensions Committee and where I got a chance to really understand the various policy levers that can be pulled to effect some type of change, at least at the federal government level. And so what that entailed was as a staffer doing research to draft a memo or to help to draft a bill that includes the language to main, to people of color or two black women, two black men or two Hispanics. And so ensuring that you're able to include language in bills or proposals or include language in a clause statement that the number of Congress would read on the House or Senate floor. That's also an example of influencing policy.
Dr. Berry:
Can you ever find yourself? I'm sorry to interrupt you. Can you ever find yourself if you were not in that room, maybe left out? Like if you're not in there saying, hey, we need it. Like talk about the black man. If he, if do you think if you weren't there, like that wouldn't even come into fruition?

Okey Enyia:
Correct. And I lived at it every day because I can tell you now in the meetings that I attended, in these hearings and briefings on the Hill, literally if I wasn’t in the room, at the table, the conversation would be different. Right? And so, and so I find myself, you know, I lived to give, I'm on about seven, seven leadership and lifting as I climb. And so for me, it's not just about me getting into the table, but how can I create a pipeline to ensure that other people of color who have the education, the, have the passion to help to inform your colleagues who don't look like you or don't share your background? How can we create kind of a ground well and you know, really kind of build out a staffing, a staffing infrastructure that will bring in people of color or bring in more nuance diversity and inclusion and equity conversations to help to draft those privacy that affects the general public. Right? So yes, there are times when literally, if I wasn't there in the room, some things wouldn't have happened if I wasn't there in a room. Some decisions might have been made differently. So while on one hand your presence matters, but to take it further, you, you being able to articulate in a compelling way which was supported by data and stories, your cases then it's, you know, it, it becomes much more challenging for very nuanced policy to be drafted into get across the finish line. So yeah.

Dr. Berry:
You mentioned cultural competency and I can tell you when I was a student Med student and we had to take that, I think it was like a three week course. It wasn't, it wasn't long. And I remember sitting there being like, uh, Duh, like of course he should do that. And I remember some of my classmates were like, really enamor. Like, this was really like the first time, like someone saying like, Oh, you know, it's actually not a good idea to talk this way. Or like it's like in, and I think that's what sometimes gets lost on, especially when you're in this space, when you're in the know like yourself, like you know, like we should be there. But it's, it's almost surprising that like if you don't actually speak up, people are going to be like, people aren't going to like pick up like, oh actually I actually should include minorities and like I actually should actually look out for them. So thank you for, you know, carrying that light, cause it's gotta be hard. Right. Cause I would assume that it's not a lot of black males doing what you're doing. Like, I would, I would love to see what that room looks like when you go to a meeting and everybody else's there just to kind of be able to do that. You know, the quote unquote headcount.

Okey Enyia:
Yup. Absolutely. You know, and, and you know, so let's say in a room full of about a hundred staffers on the, on the House or Senate staff for example, as far as black males. So there'd be maybe triple, two or three, five max and then, and then there's usually the higher percentage of black women than black men.

Dr. Berry:
I was going to ask that because I wonder, like, I see it, I see him at school, but I was wondering like, even in that space, the women much more represented, not as, not as much as it should, but more than us. Right. Let's talk, let's talk a little bit about just some of the adversity that you had the face to even get to where you're at today. And obviously still up and growing. Let's talk about, you know, because we talked about, we were in medical school, right, but, and medical school, right? Like what were, what, what was the thoughts there? What was happening? What were, what were some things that you wish could have been different?

Okey Enyia:
Yeah. So over the course of a decade I had study and taken the medical college admissions test four times. And then I applied to med school three times before finally getting into me at school. And the last one that I took, the mcab was actually in a post back program called Medpre which is southern Illinois University in Carbondale. And so I was able to get in and in my cohort, I think the class size was 72, in my cohort. And out of that 72 I think, I think for black males and I think maybe two or three black females. And so going to a predominantly white.

Dr. Berry:
And Lunch and Learn community, I just want to let you know I went to Nova, it was about two half, and we have three. This ratio is not surprising unfortunately.

Okey Enyia:
Right? And so you know, just kind of having to work and study and out of rhyme one, right? So you're studying and you are dealing with, you're dealing with hostile fascinates who are sharing information and you're dealing with passive aggressiveness. You're dealing with in the context of an environment is that while I think the school did make efforts to create a safe environment and as a welcoming environment as possible, it's still, you know, you know, the new ones just kind of daily interactions, you know, made it much more of a challenge for me as the kind of right now and to do well in the coursework and also to maintain fantasies for that matter. And so having to work in infants, again I give the programs or the school credit for making an effort, but at the same time, if you go to any predominantly white institution, usually the, one of the largest challenges is how do you best create the most welcoming, safe environment for anyone to attend that school and then we have a number of those, you know, kind of factor into it. It makes it that much more difficult for you to really be able to focus and to perform well on the exams and pass the course shift and pass the board exams and whatnot. So this is that. There is, but fortunately for me, I guess even getting into Middle School, I knew that my vision was going to be a lot bigger than just seeing patients as a physician. And so it went from the right patient care, but then the pivot into public health and then going from there. So it was a lot of, a lot of, the support was there, but it wasn't enough for me to perform at my peak. So I actually ended up leaving, may have school and I moved back home to recalibrate. It took about a year or so for me just to kind of be calibrate from the experience of constant being questioned my competence question, you know, just trying to get my identity back whole and just the self care, the mental health and emotional health. So, so just getting all of that's together. It took about…

Dr. Berry:
And Lunch and Learn community, I just want to tell you that this story, like is, is not an anomaly. This story is one that many of us who are in a space that were to say minority is probably more of an exaggeration. Like it's, like almost like a spec sometimes where we don't even feel like we kinda belong because we're like, yeah, again, I was in the class of 200 plus and it was three of us and I would look around. I'm like, wow, this, that this story. Like when, when he tells the story, like I just, I picture myself back at Nova, I pictured myself having to take tests and having to answer questions knowing that I was unfortunately be representative of the whole black male community when I answered a question right. If I got it wrong, like I let the whole community down, right? Like that was, that was, that's a burden that you have to face on top of what medical school is, which is one of the most, very things ever. So I appreciate it because you tell a story that is an anomaly, enlightening and true, but resonates to a lot of people like you. And I'm pretty sure you probably talked to others who felt right in this ill like, like, yeah, Lunch and Learn community. You could see me. I just, the whole time he's talking about…

Okey Enyia:
Exactly. And so part of it too is to work though syndrome. As you mentioned, gonna questioning or doubting whether you belong and just gonna work through that. I mean, so you know, after I had moved back home to be calibrate, the question became, okay, well what's next? And in my case I was, I was already considering giving, getting a master's in public health. And so I applied to a few programs in Chicago and I got into Chicago State University, which is a minority serving institution, which was a phenomenal experience for me. And it helped me to heal and to become whole and to get my confidence back because I was surrounded by people that looked like me and faculty that look like me. And that affirmed me. And as an aside, a quick shout out to HBC news, you know, definitely have low for them, you know. So my dad actually taught at Coppin State University in Maryland very early on in his career. And so back, I remember, I think maybe I was in first, second grade I was, I brought me to the campus and, and just to kind of, and also expose me to the campus.
And I always remembered that that's how that I was walking on that campus. And yeah, and that left an indelible impression on me that just as set as day. And so once I kind of with the graduate program, I mean because of my previous training, I just go through the program, probably love them public health. I found my stride in terms of health policy and social justice and that nexus. And that further informs my avenge work and the intersections of social justice, you know, health, black men and boys and policy. And so after I graduated from Chicago State University, I was thinking, I'm like, okay, well what's next? So is it at that for our program? Is that a fellowship? You know, what's next? And so I have to go through a little process and trying to figure out, you know, get some clarity around my next move.

And fortunately I had some good mentors and advisors who are helpful and in providing some clarity and some encouragement to, to me to continue to move forward. And so I applied, I have taken the JRB once and I've got in to Chicago state with that score. But then prior to that program piece. I actually took the GRE I think two or three more times before finally getting answering. But two of the program that I'm at now at GW and also applied to the doctoral programs, I think it was three times between I think 2013 and 2017 now just prior to that, I had gotten into my fellowship, which is named the Congressional Black Caucus Foundation health policy fellowship, which was where I was able to work a year on the house side and Congress and a year on the Senate side as a health staffer policy staffer. And so I went from my graduate degree in public health at Chicago State University to my two year fellowship and Congress, which wrapped up in 2016. And then I made the pivot into that a parchment of health and services in 2016, which is where I'm at currently. And I just started my, my 12 program last fall. So this is the second semester of my doctoral program. And, and, and so this is where we are.

Dr. Berry:
What's a normal day? I'm naive, right? I'm in south Florida right? I don't know what goes on in that BCA. I just assume everyone's like around the White House. I don't know.

Okey Enyia:
Yeah. So you know, for me, obviously it's different for each person, but for me it's, my day usually is made up of meetings with colleagues and writing policies or policies, attending hearings and briefings either in house or the Senate to repair for policy decisions that might be coming down the road as it relates to some issue area that say the ACA for example, or, or if it's the primary industry, there's a whole host of interests and you know, kind of issue areas that we can tap into. And so for me right now, my current space is in BD, in the preparedness space. And so anything that pertains to natural disasters, hurricanes, tornadoes, wildfires, Ebola, Zika, emerging threats. So anything that needs to, those types of challenges, that is the current space that I work in. And so again, part of what I bring to the table where the conversation is the social justice bent in terms of health equity and health disparities. And so how do we lift up the communities of color, how to kind of lift up the most vulnerable populations to ensure that they get the support, the resources that they need to recover when things happen, you know, whether it's a hurricane or some of the threat, how do we assure that people of color or communities of color are not left out of the conversation?

Dr. Berry:
And we appreciate you for sitting at that table. Definitely. If you had to and of like if someone said, well, okay, what's like the most pressing issue right now from a health policy standpoint that I and south Florida you should be worried about? I will would you say? (Yeah. I think. Thinking national) Right. So, you know, I, I hear a lot about the affordable care act. I hear a lot about they may cancel this and they asked, they may cancel that. Like, like what is, what are your thoughts?

Okey Enyia:
Yes. So I haven't studied the demographics in Florida in terms of whether you are a Medicaid expansion state. But you know, certainly part of the strategy as a physician would be to make every effort to get involved at the local state or federal levels as it relates to out of the ACA or Medicare, Medicaid. Like those issues are very important and salient. And especially now as we are approaching the 2020 presidential elections with, with Medicare for all being high on the list of priorities as it relates to those who lean left that is definitely have priority. And then kind of tacked on to that.

Dr. Berry:
Physicians, health care workers. If you're in this field like a, like you said, you, you should know. And uh, for those who are Lunch and Learn community in Florida and we are not Medicaid state because our governor is whatever.

Okey Enyia:
I'm in DC, but you know, I do have a good sense of nationwide kind of what states are Medicaid friendly. And I know that, you know, what politics I had. So I was following the races with answers…and you’re right. And so certainly he has his hand on the call of national health politics and, and so I would definitely encourage, especially again in the run up to 2020 to really get up to speed on the nuances of the Medicare for all states because even now in fact this morning I saw several articles speaking to the fact that I think it was and Louisiana, a federal judge denied or is making a case or dismantling the ACA. And so there are stakes level efforts being made to dismantle the ACA. This has been going on since March 23rd of 2010 when the bill was signed into law by President Obama. And so we know the dozens of efforts that the ride has made to this mass. And so again, if you'd being left, if you are a progressive, then part of your responsibility is to ensure that you are up to speed on what's happening and that you are able to work closely and collaboratively with people that share your views and your values in ways that would be able to move the needle to ensure that self-care is protected. And that is a human rights.

Dr. Berry:
I love it. So people ask me all the time. Dr. Berry, you podcast, you blog, do videos and you’re physician. Like how do you have the time? So I got to ask with all of the amount of work you do, how we got to, okay, the author like tell us about that. I want, because I want to talk about this book. I want to talk about the why. I want to talk about what was your influence, who at float. Let’s get to that. Like how did becoming, was that something you always wanted to do? Like did you always have a book in you?

Okey Enyia:
No. I don’t think. I think and this part of the part about it write about in the book is that maybe over the past maybe seven to 10 years I would get just in passing and just not, you know, candid conversation as I live life as I navigate it from one space to the next, I would kind of get some type of signal or some type of, you know, something someone would share some things just kind of, with to say well you know, you should write a book, you know, you use your experiences would help a lot of people. And even when that was shared, you know, I didn't really pay it any mind because I was focused on actually trying to get through med school and get through Grad school and you know, find a job and you know, so I wasn't in the headspace to really kind of say, okay, yeah this might be good to start to put pen to paper and not, it just kind of evolved. And so I think it had to have been a swing. I seen, maybe it's 2016 it's around that time where, wow. While I was in the Senate, my thing, I was like, okay, you know, my experiences like my trials, my fails, my challenges getting into med school tries to get into that 12 programs, you know, that it is so important to document. And so I began to journal actually I think maybe it was 2011 or so. And so my journal was helpful in terms of, and having just kind of like a frame rail, but like an outline that I was able to, to build out. And so by the time talking about 2010, 2011 till now, in fact, I was able to leverage a lot of the content that our journal daily into a format that helped me to really frame my experience in a way that was helpful. And so part of my interest and passion was to leave a legacy for generations to come and also to become an entrepreneur. How do you turn your pain into purpose? And ultimately into profit, right?

Dr. Berry:
Lunch and Learn community, I hope you heard those things, turning your pain into purpose. And then most importantly, into profit.

Okey Enyia:
Absolutely. Because you know, I believe you know that nothing happens by accident. And you know, frankly, as a, as a man of faith, as a Christian, you know, I'm like, okay, you know, how can I be the best, the most, the best impact possible? How can I make this world better than how I found it in some way, shape or form? And so that, those are things that really drove me and motivated me to be, to sit down to write the book. And so practically speaking, it took about 40 actual riding hours over the course of 90 days to write the book just to, just to do like a big brain dump, just get everything out, get to journal together and just get everything together in one document. And then I hired a writing coach, I hired a business coach to also help me to kind of ensure that I was one about this whole writing, publishing process the right way.

So I'm a self-published author. I started writing it in December of 2017 and I finished the first draft in March and think it was February of 2018 and then I took about four months to edit, tend to get a proof read and then I was launched it on my birthday last year, which is November 22nd and then it became the question of okay, taking that content now. Right, and how do I best leverage and maximize the content in this book. And so multiple revenue streams. And so that's where I'm at right now is really kind of exploring the various ways in which I could take the content, how to get a job on Capitol Hill, how to get a job in the workforce, how to find your passions, your purpose, you know, just framing the content in a way that will be helpful and can be plugged into different areas and networks.

Dr. Berry:
Oh I love it. Was your influence, cause obviously the trials that you went through playing a huge role in being able to put that pen to paper? Did you, did you delve in with a lot of experience even when you were on the hill even when you were like in the thick of things within government that also like make the book as well?

Okey Enyia:
Yes. It is very transparent, you know, I include all of my experiences how I got into med school, how I got into my doctoral program is on Capitol Hill, as a black author, author entrepreneurship and it's a very transparent, we meet with lays out the framework that I'm helping to drive conversations and that covers a wide range of issue areas as it relates to mental health and well-being, self-care epidemic, the stem fields, the school to prison pipeline, health disparities, health equity, health and all policies. My time on Capitol Hill, like it's all in there.

Dr. Berry:
Love it. That's absolutely amazing. And putting on my, you know, the arms because we're, we're both in that field from neuro standpoint cause I definitely can see where you know, you, you have courses whether you have, whether you're speaking right? You know, cause I think you have a story I think people should hear right? And whether we're talking about high school students, college students, like me, I mean honestly even professional who really need to hear like, hey, I'm here, I'm doing the work and this is how you can do to work with me.

Okey Enyia:
Absolutely. And you know, I'll also plug the fact that it also talked about my experience in Nigeria, which also my sense of identity and culture, you know, which are, which helped me to get to this point as well. So I definitely have to give a shout out to my culture and my people kind of draw a parallel between Nigeria and Black Panther as well in terms of, you know, living in a country that rules ran by people of color and how empowering that is. And so I definitely want to kind of plug that as well.

Dr. Berry:
I love it. How can someone who is interested in working with you, interested in learning from you obviously interested in getting this book right? Like let's get this promo going, right? Like how can I get in touch with you? Let them know. Wherever you're at, you have social media outlets, web, give them the details.

Okey Enyia:
Absolutely. So my website, I’m also a consultant which is part of my business model, my website is Enyia Strategies which is spelled E, N as in Nancy, Y, I, A Strategies dot com, that’s my website. Where you can find my book. If you want person signed copy you can go to my website and I will ship you out a person signed copy. You can also find my book on Amazon and Kindle. I’m going on the book, since I launched it almost every weekend I'm doing a book signing somewhere. As far as social media, my Instagram is Enyia Strategies, my Twitter also is Enyia Strategies. I'm on Linkedin as my name O K E Y, the last name is Enyia – E N Y I A. On Facebook account. You can also find me on YouTube as my name Okey Enyia - O K E Y E N Y I A. Also Periscope as Enyia strategies and what else? I think that covers social media, so IG, Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, Periscope, YouTube, Website. My email list. If you go to my website or my email list enyiastrategies.com. I'm in the process of actually creating an online course that is focused on creating a career roadmap for individuals who are, who are challenged. We're trying to pivot from the state college to grasp at a workforce, and so I help people to successfully transition from one point to the next by creating a roadmap for them to, to navigate throughout the workforce in that fashion. So I'd have to talk about how to network, how to find mentors, how to negotiate salary, soft skills, email etiquette, phone etiquette, how to search for jobs in government or elsewhere, how to find purpose and destiny and passions and get clarity around your purpose. You know, that's, that's where the big for me, so that's the online course that I'm creating. I'm hoping to launch it very soon and I'm excited about what's ahead.
Dr. Berry:
I love it. Lunch and Learn community, if you’re driving, listening at work, all of those links will be in the show notes, so we'll make sure you get a chance. I'm also going to be giving away a Kindle version of his book as well too because I definitely think this says a person that you meet, because again, I've been, I've been following him for about, I think almost like a year or so on LinkedIn. And when I first started I was like, oh, okay, this is the person that I might, I'm going to have to keep kind of close because when you see people working and doing work, they don't even have to say it. You just, they're, they're so busy working, you could just notice like, oh, this person's actually been, some move him. And so he was definitely someone who I was ecstatic about getting on the show to kind of talk to you guys, because I know, again, I know health policy, I know politics isn't sexy, but it is extremely important. I promise you that medication that you're picking up at your local pharmacy, there's some policy that's made it to a price that it is that, that point, right? So don't think that you are immune and in this bubble that some type of policy does not affect what you're doing here in your little community.
Okey Enyia:
Absolutely. Absolutely. It's so important to be able to frame issues and challenges and policies. What kind of context the person that lives, you know, day to day. So how do you best? And I think in terms of how to find relevancy with what's going on at the federal level with what's going on at the state level and then what's happening locally. You know, all politics is local, you know, power, influence, economics, education, like all of those nuances. And so part of it for me is helping to drive the conversation and create a narrative that makes the, what is oftentimes, the aim office, products and making process relevance and the main, and makes sense and connected. Right.

Dr. Berry:
I love it. And before I let you go, I was last, I always ask this question, how can even though, how can what you do empower others to take better control of their health?
Okey Enyia:
Yeah. So, you know, I always say that change starts with you and I think being, being willing to change, which is very difficult at times, you know, that's being human and just, you know, living, having a heart to serve and being willing to seek out support and help. For example, for me, especially now it's a question of strategy of normalizing self-care. So I go see a black nurse psychologist biweekly. I'm going to gym weekly. As I mentioned earlier, I'm a Christian, so I go to church weekly. I eat well and I try to. And so because I've been exposed to this lifestyle, to these values, I'm better able to, and I'm blessed to be able to share my experiences in a transparent way that hopefully will encourage you to make some positive changes. And so that is also a part of what drove me to about the book to say I'd have to go through personally and then for the thing that I did or that have helped me to get to where I am today, where I am hopefully inspiring people and I'm helping to change people's lives. How based upon you know, my story. That is what drives me and, and my hope is that the opportunity that should made available to me on your podcast and said other radio interviews and TV interviews and speaking engagements that this is one way in which I am hopefully leaving a legacy and making a strong impact. So.
Dr. Berry:
I love it. I love it. Again, Lunch and Learn, amazing guest. Thank you for tuning in and we'll see you guys next week.

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Lets talk about Infertility... On this week's episode of the Lunch and Learn with Dr. Berry we have Dr. Jerisa Berry, she is a nationally acclaimed board-certified in Emergency Medicine who boast a resume of a nationally recognized author, speaker, consultant and media personality.

Dr. Jerisa is co-owner of a medical clinic and concierge patient practice, Vital Care Medical Center, Inc and is the founder of SecureYourFertility.com, where she helps single ladies and career-minded women take control of their fertility. Because of her wealth of personal and clinical experience in the topic of infertility she has become an expert in ovarian preservation, assisted fertilization, and surrogacy, helping to decrease the pressures and stressors associated with the process.

As we take in end our month of April we recognize National Infertility Awareness and I figured who better to discuss the importance of infertility than one of Dr. Jerisa's caliber.

On today's episode we not only try to dispel some common myths associated with fertility but talk about some of the personal struggles Dr. Jerisa faced with the topic.

Listen to the end as she discusses what compelled her to start her company and what she wishes to do to help the countless women who suffer from infertility and may not even know it.

This is definitely and episode that you will enjoy.

Listen on Apple Podcast, Google Play, Stitcher, Soundcloud, iHeartRadio, Spotify

Sponsors:

Lunch and Learn Community Online Store (code Empower10)
Pierre Medical Consulting (If you are looking to expand your social reach and make your process automated then Pierre Medical Consulting is for you)

Links/Resources:

Official Website
Secure Your Fertility
Apple Store Link
Google Play Store
Facebook - @drjerisaer
Instagram @drjerisaer
Twitter @drjerisaer

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Introduction... On this week's episode of the Lunch and Learn with Dr. Berry we have Dr. Shanicka Scarbrough, better known as America's Favorite Family Physician to bless the podcast with some wisdom and knowledge.

As we take in another month of April we recognize National Minority Health Month and I figured who better to discuss the importance of focusing on minority care & physicians than Dr. Shanicka.

As the medical director for BlackDoctor.org, she works tirelessly to connect culturally competent physicians to patients and vice versa. Dr. Shanicka recognized the need to act on this void of information between the willing parties and continues to be essential in bridging the gap.

Her love to support those in need aren't just centered here in the United States as you will get to here about her many passport stamps over the years.

Listen to the end as she discusses her love for growth & guidance and how it helped propel her to write not just one or two books but twelve in a year.

This is definitely and episode that you will enjoy.

Listen on Apple Podcast, Google Play, Stitcher, Soundcloud, iHeartRadio, Spotify

Sponsors:

Lunch and Learn Community Online Store (code Empower10)
Pierre Medical Consulting (If you are looking to expand your social reach and make your process automated then Pierre Medical Consulting is for you)

Links/Resources:

drshanicka.com
www.herdailyjournal.com
Facebook - @drshanicka and @drshanickaauthor
Instagram @drshanicka
Twitter @drshanicka
BlackDoctor.org

Social Links:

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For More Episodes of the Lunch and Learn with Dr. Berry Podcasts https://www.drpierresblog.com/lunchlearnpodcast/

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Episode 104 - Bridging-the-Gap- Full TranscriptDownload [showhide type="post" more_text="Episode 104 Transcript..." less_text="Show less..."] Introduction: Dr. Berry And welcome to another episode of the Lunch and Learn with Dr. Berry. I’m your host, Dr. Berry Pierre, your favorite Board Certified Internist. Founder of Dr. Berry.com as well as Pierre Medical Consulting. Helping you empower yourself with better health with the number one podcast, where patient advocacy helping you empower yourself with better health. This week we have an amazing guest. A good friend of mine, Dr. Shanicka Scarbrough who is going to educate us on how we bridge the gap. We get to talk about National Minority Health Month. We get to talk about a lot of her endeavors. Because she's a phenomenal woman who just does absolutely amazing things and is probably busier than me, right? And I know I know a lot of people say I'm busy. With this one, she is a busy one. Like this kind of doors and my works, like she makes me work a little harder when I see the amount of work that she gets done. So quick bio. I know you guys need that credibility boost so you know like hey, make sure Dr. Berry is just talking to anybody. Dr. Shanicka Scarbrough a.k.a. America's favorite family medicine doctor. Graduated from the University of Illinois College of Medicine in 2009. She completed her family medicine residency program at Advocate Christ Medical Center in 2012. Since then she has gained invaluable experience as a board-certified family physician. She has had the privilege of owning and operating a private medical practice. She is a bestselling author with four titles including As the Wind Blows Vol. 1 and 2. As well as her Daily Journal Series where she emboldens women to take one step closer to Christ and a longtime physician entrepreneur where she teaches at a physician and physicians in training how to start her medical practice. Currently, Dr. Shanicka is the Medical Director of Black Doctor.org and works as a wound care specialist in Sacramento where she lives with her husband Pastor Darrell Scarbrough and their three rambunctious dogs. Dr. Shanicka mission is to be transparent about her life in hopes and share her testimonies will help bring others closer to God. Haven't been the featured MC of the Diva M.D. radio show on urban broadcast media as well as a variety of other platforms on television social media. She speaks in various educational inspirational settings travels internationally including Haiti and many countries in Africa to extend her knowledge skills and expertise around the globe and you do and you'll have the links to her website and her daily general series that I think you guys all need to pick up because it's absolutely amazing. And like I said you know this is amazing person right. And again weekly, we talk a lot about her work with Black Doctor.org or we talk a lot about her work with the international mission trips as she does. So you just got to sit tight and be ready for another great episode but remember before you do that make sure you hit that subscribe button. Make sure you share this with a friend of yours. Tell them to hit the subscribe button and leave 5-star review. Dr. Shanicka 5 star review. Let her know she did an amazing job and you guys have a great take. You're ready for an amazing episode. Episode Dr. Berry: All right, Lunch and Learn community. Again, you heard amazing intro from not only a person I respect in the health community especially when it talked about minority health and it talked about physician empowerment. But a friend of mine, Dr. Shanicka Scarbrough, who is, you know, really helped educate us on, you know, obviously when rational minority health needs. You know, what the roadblocks of being an author. You know, why, as she kinda, taken upon herself to get physician out there, own way. You know, put the pen and paper. So definitely excited about today show. And again, Dr. Shanicka Scarbrough, thank you for coming. Dr. Shanicka Scarbrough: Thank you so much for having me, Dr. Berry. Dr. Berry: Again, again, Lunch and Learn community, I can't hide this person enough. Again, I think, things were going on almost 3 years now I think and it's (Yes, sir). Quite some time and as see, we both see each other grow. Its pace is been absolutely amazing and I'm the biggest geek fan. I watch a lot of my colleagues from afar. Do amazing things. So I knew Lunch and Learn community, that I needed to get her, you know, to educate us a little bit and talk about some things I think is important. Especially in this month that we're in now when we talk about National Minority Health Month. Again, first of all, before that, Dr. Shanika, please tell Lunch and Learn community a little bit about yourself and you know, they may not know, they may not read the bio about of. Dr. Shanicka Scarbrough: Absolutely. Again, thank you, Dr. Berry, for having me on your podcast, Lunch and Learn. This is an amazing platform. I am a geek as well, looking from afar (laughing). And all of you guys do some amazing things and watching you all, do your amazing things is actually what motivated me and some of the positions that I have now, to be able to amplify that. So, super excited about that and we can talk about that and just a bit. And I am back, Dr. Shanicka Scarbrough, formerly Dr. Shanicka Williams. Scarbrough came two and a half years. No. Yeah. Two and a half years. Now, my husband is a pastor. We are originally held from Chicago. Then we moved all the way to Sacramento, California. Our work, he has called to pastor church. My church, Homboss church in Sacramento. So I'm super excited about what God is doing in the city of Sacramento itself and our church community. I am a Board Certified Family Medicine Physician. I went to the University of Illinois at Chicago College of Medicine (laughing), in hometown 2009. And did a residency in family medicine. I'm an advocate of Christ in 2012. Since then, I have a multitude of opportunities and things to do within the family medicine scope. That's really shaped to why become as a physician as well as some of the physicians that I currently have. I am currently the medical director of Black Doctor.org as of September of 2018. And I am a skilled wound care physician and that's a wound care specialist where I going to nurse and council. I take care patients who have wounds, all types of wounds, diabetic wounds, pressure ulcers, so any wounds that inspection, any wound that you can think of, I'm taking care of those, in the nursing homes. And over the past, since September, actually been able to prop of my lifestyle to fit the way I wanted to look. You know, as a physician. It's always a tough thing to do. (You're right about that). Yeah. (Laughing). That's always a tough thing to do but I think right now, I think I fit that sweet spot. So, yeah. I'm excited about what happens in medicine, what happens in the African-American community, as far as the physician, and the growth of physician in medicine, increasing the diversity in medicine. So all of that is important to me. Dr. Berry: Love it. So again, Lunch and Learn community until you see, some special. I usually, I guess. I got a lot of special friends and she's definitely one of them and you know, I thought of, depending on where you listen to his month of April, National Minority Health Month which obviously, I'm biased, right? Because a minority, as a physician, I’m keying to a lot of the different concerns that the, especially the African-American male faces on a daily basis when it comes to healthcare. Obviously, tell us, especially with the month going on as it is in your role at Black Doctor.org. What does national minority health month kinda mean to you? Dr. Shanicka Scarbrough: Yeah, absolutely. So, I've always had a passion for the African-American community, not just because I'm an African-American or I'm an African-American physician. But because of our inequality in health. I have a passion for any person or group of people that are marginalized, that is decent advantage, especially when it comes to healthcare because that's my profession. That is what I see the most. So, everything that I do is centered around career wise and education wise and getting the word out is centered around education, educating the minority population on health disparities, things that they need to know, to live a healthier life and that is ultimately how I became to be the medical director of BlackDoctor.org. So national minority health month is huge for me because I feel like, it is my duty (strong word). It is. It is my duty, not just in April, right? Not just in February, you know. It's my duty on a daily basis to educate and whatever that's look like. That's what I'm gonna do. Whatever capacity or rule that I'm in. That's what I'm gonna do. So I'm a first lady of the church. We have the first lady's health initiative where we are around the country. We have chapters around the country that focus on health in the African-American churches. So I didn't want just to be a pastor's wife. I didn't want just to be a pastor's wife right? I used my platform to educate and that it's all about. So National Minority Health Month has just been an exemplification of what my goal is to do on a daily basis, every day of the year. Dr. Berry: And it's so important, right? Lunch and Learn community. We talked about various diseases here in a podcast, where diabetes, heart diseases, and immortality and birth. You've heard them (Absolutely). And the minority seems to be more adversely affected by it, right? So it's definitely something that drives a lot of us to really want to do more because we need to do more, right? It's a duty. A lot of us really feel like it is our duty to do more because if we don't if we continue to trend, right? It's not gonna be good. Dr. Shanicka Scarbrough: It's detrimental to our community. Absolutely. Dr. Berry: I like. Actually, it's a first lady, what is that? Dr. Shanicka Scarbrough: So a first lady is just a pastor's wife. (Right). If you are a pastor's wife, your pastor having a church, you are considered especially in the African-American community to be the first lady of that church. And if you can even see me but I'm putting up air clothes, as I'm talking. So you know, there are a lot of people like you know, that take that rule very seriously and you know, unfortunately, but fortunately, people, they follow you, like that. Because you have that rule. So I don't want to be, miss in my responsibilities and that's what God is calling me to do. Any opportunity, it's not just a title to me. Any opportunity that I have, I gonna push God's agenda, all the time, every time. (Love it). And He has a passion for the marginalized. Dr. Berry: Speaking of roles, as a medical director, again, I've always been familiar about Black Doctor.org has been, one of those websites, even as a medical student, as a student, oh ok, this is speaking to me, right? And I'm always, always keen to stuff that, kinda speech directly to me. SO that, I actually love the way website. Obviously, you have been the director. What's the rule kinda and tell them what some say that you know what, I can do this? Dr. Shanicka Scarbrough: I'm always pushing whether act to do this. That is always the question of my life, am I qualify for this? Am I doing just fine? But, so, actually, Black Doctor.org, I became aware of them because they are Chicago-based company. Maybe a company. And I've always loved looking at their articles, receiving their newsletter, all of those things. So kinda develop he relationship with the CEO, over the course of many years. I did a few educational Facebook live for them while I'm living in Chicago and even came back. And you know, once I move, but because of that relationship, the rapport that I built with the CEO, I was able to relate to him some of my passions, some of my desires and some of my frustrations, about the way medicine was going and share with him some of the jobs I was working in frustrated me. And you know he's a business mind and ok, let’s create some solutions. All right! Let's do it. Officially, as of September of 2018, I became their very first medical director Black Doctor.org and my role is essentially is to create programs and services that ultimately connect positions with the patient. And one of my ideas was what we just launched last month. Web video connects directory. Is a directory, culturally sensitive positions. So that patients can go on our site. Our site already has over a hundred thousand kids a day where patients are looking for doctors. So we have to find a doctor feature. Now, we are building our list of African-American physicians that are culturally sensitive physicians. You don't have to be African-American to be a part of our directory, but it does mean that you have a passion for decreasing the health disparities in the African- American community. So yeah, so we're building that directory right now as we speak and positions across the nation are joining and we are hearing testimonials of a patient coming to the doctor office saying I found you on Black Doctor.org and I trust you. That in itself, ok look, we are on the right track. We are growing, we supposed to do. In the ultimate goal is to really bridge that gap and help disparities present patients with physicians that they trust so that they can get good access to care, that's the bottom line. That's our ultimate goal in any of the products and services that we create. Dr. Berry: Now was especially that first business of just connecting patients to physicians. Was that something that a lot of the viewers and people come to a website that ask for, hey, how do I found one in Detroit? How do I found one where I living? Dr. Shanicka Scarbrough: Absolutely, we would see that questions all of the time. Like our facebook page, in our customer support, asking where can they find physicians that look like them or as culturally sensitive. You would also see it. Even if some of our doctor's work. People don't know that we have a small community or even a large community of doctors where we talk to each other across the nation and we would get the question of, hey looking for African-American doctor in Philly, that you now, see OBG. We would have those conversations among ourselves because we want to refer our patients to people that we trust. So it was twofold, you know. Not only with the consumers asking but also the doctor. I wanna, need a doctor that I wanna send my patient too for, especially to care or happy is. I' m so, we are definitely trying to fill that void and make that easier for people to connect. Dr. Berry: And Lunch and Learn community, I wanna really stress on, I think we talked about this in the past. It's already been shown that if you're doctor shares similar characteristic like you, it kinda looks like you, you are one more likely to follow the direction, you're more likely to take the medication was supposed to and see them when actually supposed to. It adds to the cycle of becoming healthy and getting healthier. When you actually follow the direction of the doctor. Dr. Shanicka Scarbrough: Absolutely, absolutely. Dr. Berry: I remember, there was a doctor, I forget, where the person I suppose to be while back where the family didn't speak in English, English were not there primary language and the physician actually upset that the person can't speak in English. Speaking of a non-culturally competent physician. Like that's where a lot of people run into. They run a lot of physicians who don't respect their culture, don't look like them and can't relate to them and this is no way they can possibly treat them to best of ability. So I'm definitely excited about this, the connection. That’s really it is. I know a lot of time when people talk about these disparities. They always say they would just go to, they can't really find them. It's not that they don't want to go to OB, they really don't want to go to PH, and they really can't. They don't know where they're at. (Exactly). Not a twofold part because again actually, me and Dr. Shanicka talked about all time, a lot of us physician, we don't do that a bit job, let folks over here, right? If you've heard Dr. Shanicka, she let you know she's in the building, when she's here. There is no question about it. But a lot of us, unfortunately, what we did during medical school, during our residency, we get to a place, we don't tell people, hey this is why you need to come to me. Definitely thankful for, Black DOctor.org just can able to say hey we gonna do the legwork for you. Dr. Shanicka Scarbrough: Yeah. And we're also, our goal is to be able to offer cultural sensitive training as well. So hospitals and organizations can offer webinars or seminars or some type of didactic so that they are able actually to get culturally sensitive training, right. For all of the physicians. You know, we need it. I'm not just saying that just African-American. Listen. If I have Chinese patients or I have Korean patients, or I have Muslim patients, I wanna know culturally acceptable, right? (That's so true.) We can all use it, you know. That the United States is supposed to be united. (Talk about it). Laughing. Just say it. Dr. Berry: Speaking of United, again I want to, you know, Dr. Shanicka business right, before. For those again, if this is the first time you’ve heard of her. She does now only amazing work here in the United States, but she, let her said, her passport is full. She might already on the second book. I don't know even know. Right? She probably in the second book. Because she is, not only the Christian to the world of health care right? In the United States and try to get us together. But she does outside the country. Can you tell Lunch and Learn community, just a little about your international work, right? What's influenced you? Again I'm in awe in some of the stuff that you do. Dr. Shanicka Scarbrough: Laughing. Let me just tell you. The guy blesses my feet. He's definitely blessed my feet. In the past year and a half, I wanna say. I have been to Africa five times. In Haiti in May, it would be at least three or four times. I try to lost count. But I go again, I go again in May. I was, actually really blessed to come across a young lady Sheryl Posla, a missionary for Christ, whose vision and the mission was so completely in line with everything that I stand for. That I have not on a mission trip without her and her team yet. So every trip that she's goes on that I'm able to go on. I just go. I just go. We've been in too many parts of Africa. We've been to South Africa with our church as well. We've been to South Africa, West Africa. You know, a lot of different parts. Burkina Faso, Chad, Cameron, like Kenya, it has been, which the other one, I trying to, I see it in my head and I can't, oh Ivory Coast. Dr. Berry: If you like Lunch and Learn, I tell you, you thought I'm playing if I said she's in the second book. I think you know, the first book is like, put away somewhere. Dr. Shanicka Scarbrough: No. Claim it, claim it. It's not yet but claims it. I'll take it. Yeah. So you know, her vision. I'm a Christian. I'm a follower of Christ. What we do is we spread the Word. Not only, will a lot of these countries not let you in. You know just to talk about Christ. Period. So she has few bringing medical care and treatment to countries all over the world and just so happen over the past two and a half, it's been, Africa. But she goes wherever she leads her. And you know also, try to save souls. We have awesome times. We were usually gone for 10 days. We usually go three or four times a year. It has been you know, be most. I don't even know how to describe it. Amazing experience. If any physicians, whether you are a Christian or Muslim. Whatever you know, whatever you are, that holds no bearing for what God is calling you to do. But if you are a physician and have not done a mission trip. It puts the United States healthcare system on the front line. Ok. When you see so many people that do not have access to care and the appreciation that they have for members to come and bring them medical care, to bring them to health education, to try to treat their diseases. I've seen miracles happened. I've seen patients who were ostracized by their country or by their tribe because of medical condition that they have that easily fixable, right? But they didn't have access to care. Just the stigma, you know, laid upon them. Just the feeling of gratitude to be able to assist them and to help them, to love on them. To come across the country for them. It just, it has been an amazing ride. If you are a physician and you have not done medical mission trips, you know, please, please, please. Get with the organization and go. Dr. Berry: Try to have Dr. Shanicka. (Get with me). And I think, you said a great point because I remember going to, I believe it is Jamaica and the act of gratitude. Like they were so happy that I was just saying hey, this is what you should take for blood pressure. Something that we take for granted. I'll be honest, we take for granted over it sometimes right? Just abilities, oh just take this medication, just do this here. And when you go to the country that you know. Yes, we have some resource unavailability here in the United States. Like it doesn't even compare, right? Doesn't even compare when you go to these countries and just as you see the look of their face and just happy to talk to them. Because they are happy because they know the work that you have do just to come to their country. You know what, thank you. I've never heard so many thank you when I did a medical trip because they were just so thankful that I was just there to take blood pressure and to do vitals. It's just an amazing thing, with that sentiment. So you have heard basically what does mean. Dr. Shanicka Scarbrough: I am, oh my gosh. Yes. As many times as financially possible that I can go, absolutely I am all over. And when I say it put the US healthcare system in the front line. I hear some of these surgeons that are going out and operating, for instance, like cataract surgery, there's a doctor out in Kenya who does cataract surgeries and it costs the patient maybe $20. Now $20 to them is a lot of money, you know, and they have to gather their resources and they have to do the things they have to do to get that $20 but what can you get? You can't get to get Starbucks by yourself and get free and a cup of coffee and a Donut, $20 you understand what I'm saying? That it costs, you know, thousands and thousands of dollars putting people in debt for surgeries that could be, you know, costs pennies on the dollar. So it, you know, it frustrates me the way our health, the direction our healthcare is turning to. It's really frustrating. And not only that and that's a whole another soapbox to get into. Dr. Berry: Well probably, we probably have to do a separate episode. Where do we upset about with them? Dr. Shanicka Scarbrough: Because you know, I can go in and I can go in all day long, (Yes.) on our healthcare system. Then I won't do it on this podcast Dr. Berry. Dr. Berry: No, that's a future one, that's a future one. Lunch and Learn community, she already says she'll come back for a second one so we don't, we gonna talk about the ills of our healthcare system. Just to get a look on our side. Dr. Shanicka Scarbrough: Yeah, absolutely. I'm all for it. I'm all for it. We got to make a change. Right? If we don't talk about it, we can't do anything about it. Dr. Berry: I agree. It is speaking to talk about it. One thing that what I love about you as you love the document, right? One thing is people are gonna know what you're doing because you're going to let people know what you're doing. Right? Can you talk about just how important it is to really document one story and you know, get their truth out there? Dr. Shanicka Scarbrough: Absolutely. So I don't do it just so people can know what I'm doing. I'd do it because I want people's lives to be transformed. If I, if I could be honest with you, I’d transparent with you if I’d never posted again on a social media site. But if you were to look back from my post from 2010 where I was just posting to be posted versus you know, the posts that you see now, all of my posts have some transformative message. Then I want you to get that, you know, if you are not born to get it anywhere else, you scroll past my page and at least gave it for me. You know, sometimes people say that your life is, you know, maybe the only Bible people read, you know. So, and I want to be a testament. I want to be a testament to God's goodness. I want to be a testament of if it mobilizes you to do good for someone else. Awesome, I've done my job. So that's, that is the intent behind my content of sharing with people. Is, I really want people's lives to be transformed. Whether their health, whether it's spirituality, whether you know, whatever the case may be. I want you to be transformed. Dr. Berry: And speaking of that, can we, can we just, can we talk about the, your, your, your journal series just to bring the Lunch and Learn community, just kind of talking about it again. And that's where I really want to really, really dive deep. And because I think one thing about you that I love is that your word is so consistent. It's been consistent for three plus years. Through ups, through downs. It's, it's just been this like, I want you, and depending on who you are, whatever the subject is, I just want you to do better. Dr. Shanicka Scarbrough: Yeah, no, that's that. That's it right there. You said it in a nutshell. That's how the Her Daily series, Her Daily Journal series was born. Um, I was literally in the car with my husband driving to you know, San Francisco or Oakland. Driving somewhere is fun . And God spoke to me and I said I needed to write a journal a month for the next year. And you know, see how that transform people's lives. And what it is, is every for the month or for the year of 2018. The beginning, the end of 2017 to almost the end of 2018, I literally live in front of everyone watching. Wrote 12 books in 12 months and each one detailing some biblical principle. That you know, that and it's mostly geared towards women. That they can use to help them in their everyday lives. And that was one of the most difficult but amazing journeys I've ever taken in my life. To be able to hear God speak one thing and then see Him bring it to finish 12 months later. And the close of the journals was at the death of my mom right after the death of my mom. So that final journal was, was dedicated to her. And actually, her death actually brought everything full circle for me and brought everything into perspective for me. And, and it just made me just love God more. So that was an amazing journal, that journal, you know, those journals are out and they can be used every, every month for the rest of your life. Yeah. I have people that are going through the journals for the second time. We're now doing a hard daily journal live online book club for women. So on the last day of each month, we go over the journal. That you know, what was going on for that month. For April, we're going up a prayer daily chats with God, how much talks about how to pray prevalently and what that means, what does it mean to pray. So yeah, it's, it's been exciting. I've been, you know, I get so many messages about, you know, women's lives are being transformed by these journals and it's just a blessing. I didn't write one of them. Okay. I didn't write one of them. It was the Holy Spirit that led me the entire way. I thought I had a list of topics I was going to cover and God was like, (I got this, I got this) Laughing. I got this. Exactly. And you can actually see as I'm going through them again, you can actually see my progression as I get close to Christ. And that's, that's the model. You know that these journals helped embolden women to take one step closer to Christ. And you can literally if you did journal by journal starting from December. December, what's the first one you can see my journal, my journey of growth. And that's what epitomizes for me is that I want women to grow as they continue to go through each of the journals. Dr. Berry: I love it. And, and, and it's so, so interesting, especially because again, we, we've known each other for a while. So, ah, you know, we used to watch, I used to watch and take care of your mom and I could just see the love that was there. I could see, you know, that I can see regardless of what was going on, you are there to brighten up her day. And she brightens up. And again, Lunch and Learn community, you know, we're fear at the logo, so leave it I guess to say we've actually been rocking the, again for a good time, but you know, pretty close. I definitely am happy for, for everything that's been going on, but especially the accumulation of the journal series. You know that. Dr. Shanicka Scarbrough: I appreciate that. Thank you for your support. You've always been very, very supportive and I'm very appreciative of that. Absolutely. Dr. Berry: So, so you've, you've taken, you've taken what God's kind of put your heart into your mind, right? And put it on paper. But then when I noticed, right, again, again, cause I get it, I'm watching from afar. You did channel that energy to get other people to do the same. What, what was, what was that motivation and how did, like, because again, you dropped 12 books, I figured you're like, Oh wow, (laughing). Oh, I'm bringing you along with me. (Yeah) It gets again, right? Because again, this the subject, you, the, you, the word you is always objective, right? But whoever that you is, I'm going to bring you along with me and I want you to tell your story. Like what was that thought process? And, and again, as I said, I'm always surprised at the stuff you do. So I just very you, regardless of whatever you want to do, you just go ahead and do it. Dr. Shanicka Scarbrough: Hey, you know what? That's the whole point is to be obedient, right? If God gives you something, you want to be obedient in what He tells you to do. And that's what I've been and you know, really focusing on over the past couple of years is number one, being able to hear him clearly and then two, you know, acting on what he tells me to do. I don't want to just be a consumer, you know, I want to be able to give, you know, give what you told me to do and do it because it's not about me. It's about the fruit. It's about the people that are being blessed by it and the lives that are being changed by it. And that's basically the concept. Um, and I believe you're speaking of as the wind blows series. Yes. Yeah. So those are, those are two analogies that I've done and I'll probably continue those, but everybody has a story. Everybody has a testimony. Everybody has something that they have gone through that they have overcome. And you know, I want it to be able to share that with people. I want you to hear other people's struggles and let them know that you are an overcomer, that you can overcome this, that just because you're in the situation that you're in right now, it doesn't mean that number one, God doesn't love you. And number two, that he's not going to bring you out of it. You just got to trust him. So to be able to see people tell their testimonies and even watching them, watching them write it and the transformations that they had reliving it as they put their pens and paper and you know, the cleansing that came from releasing their stories. Some of these people, they never shared their stories with anyone before in life. So to be able to open up their heart on, on pen and paper and to share with the world is huge for them. And to see the feedback given to them because they were so transparent and because they were so open and willing to share their story of redemption. I think that's what it's all about. You know? How, how did God transform you? How did, how did he shift? How did he change you? You know what? What steps did you take to become, you know, who you are now? How did you overcome the abuse? How did you overcome the addiction? How did you overcome depression? Right? So those are, those are all stories that need to be told. Um, and I think if more people open up their mouths right, then more people will be transformed. Dr. Berry: Now, was it difficult to get them to put that on the paper to get them to open their mouth of that was, that was where they, in a way, it was there some issue, (No). That we caused them to say like, I've been, I didn't want to do it before. Dr. Shanicka Scarbrough: Well, as some, sometimes some people didn't actually know that that's what they were supposed to do until they saw the calling. Does that make sense? (Yeah). So they were like, oh wait, I do have a story. Oh, oh wait, I did survive the abuse. He tried to kill me and I did survive that. Maybe I’m rape. Right? For some people, it was a revelation. Other people, this was the first step to the full book that they needed to, right? So one of them, my authors wrote just a, uh, a snippet of her story and we just finished her book. Lishel Evans, Breakthrough. We just finished her, but she completed her whole book. So it was a stepping stone and something that gave her the courage to say, listen, I want to tell more of my story and I want, I want people to hear it so that they can be transformed. Dr. Berry: Beautiful. Like I say it again. Let me, like we alluded earlier, Lunch and Learn community. When you know, when you have special guests like Dr. Shanicka and you can just kind of see the different facets of her life and her work. But you can always see at the end, right? It's always about, you know, becoming a better you. When we talk about national minority when we're talking about a National Minority Health Month. But how can we help our minority community to become better again? Right? When we talk about international work, like how can someone become better, right? So that's a theme that a, is such a sight to see. And sometimes I, and I, I like to, I always, I always like to get on my friend, right? Because a lot of times we're doing so much great work that we don't really have the time. Right. So like the lay it all out say, Oh wow, look at all the stuff I'm doing it right. So this is why I started to like to brag on because they, cause they won't brag on the cell. That too humble. Fortunately for me, right? Humility sometimes still working on it. Right. So like I can recognize like when I'm doing something and I could recognize when they're doing so again, that's why, you know, I said yeah she, we, she gotta be on the show because we got and we just got to talk about her and you know how she can help us become better us. Dr. Shanicka Scarbrough: Oh, that's amazing. Thank you. Dr. Berry: Before I let you go, because I know I've been long talking to you. Right? I want, you know, just, you know, just some, some quick caveats like how is, I probably already said it right when I, how is what you're doing, you know, not only, you know, empowering other women really to the better, better excels and better control of their health and everything else. But like just like the world, how are you, how are you doing that? Dr. Shanicka Scarbrough: Oh boy. But no. That's, you know, to sum it all up, whenever you see me do, you may be in a different position, you know, next week or you might see me in a different country next month. Just know that everything that I do has a purpose. I'm still working on me. I'm still, you know, that still has some things in me that I, that needs to be ironed out and, and kicked out and punch that. (Laughing).It tells something. But I'd like to share that journey because the transparency on that journey, whether it's, you know, you know I have a post on my Vimeo right now that yeah, I gained, I gained 20 pounds. I like to be transparent and my journey to show that you know, number one I'm human. Number two, you are human, you know, and if you know God is still working on me, he's still working on you, (yes) right? So health-wise, mentally, physically, spiritually, however, I can get you to a place where you are healthier, you are smarter, you are spiritually field, and you, you know, you are everything to make your home, then that's what I'm going to do. I come to bear fruit. That’s it. Dr. Berry: Love it. We appreciate it. Where can others, you know, find you, right? Where can others find you, whether it be at, like a or where the media international or list them links out cause you know, they're gonna want, they're gonna want to read the books. They're going to want to read a series. Like, tell them. Dr. Shanicka Scarbrough: Yeah. Absolutely. So everything can be found at www.shanicka.com. That is, um, that'd be www.shanicka.com. You can find some free gifts for health. You know, a free shopping cart lists that you can take to the grocery store to help you shop for better foods. And you'll also find my books. You'll also find how to join the Her Daily Journal. If you want to go directly to the book club, you just go to www.herdailyjournal.com and it has us, you can donate to mission partners for Christ, you know so that we can continue our medical missions. It has everything on that one site and finds out where, you know, all of my social media handles, everything is on that site. Oh d, oh wait! I used to do a radio show, The Diva MD show. (Laughing). Dr. Berry: Again. Honestly, regardless if she says she used to do blank. I'm a believer. Okay. There are no reasons. Like she's already shown me three years of work to say that she probably could do whatever, you know we put in front of her so it's a believer. Dr. Shanicka Scarbrough: That was a health show. So you know, if you want to go back into the archives and listen to some old health shows, we can do that as well. Dr. Berry: Perfect. And again, Lunch and Learn community, if you're driving, you know, at work, take a shower, whatever. All of these links will be in the show notes. Because again, you definitely, this is definitely a person. If you can only follow one person on a social media platform, this is definitely a person I think you should choose you guys. Absolutely amazing. Again, Dr. Shanicka thank you for coming to the Lunch and Learn community and you know, really blessing us, educating us, putting our thoughts into motion of how we can be better us. Dr. Shanicka Scarbrough: I appreciate you Dr. Berry for having me. This is an amazing opportunity and all of the work that you're doing is, is phenomenal. You know, I follow the blog, I follow, I get all of your emails. Yes, and the podcast. Dr. Berry: I apologize for this. Dr. Shanicka Scarbrough: But that great information, they'll make sure that you guys are subscribing to this podcast because you know we are movers and shakers and medicine so we want to make sure that you guys are aware and hanging out with Dr. Berry. Dr. Berry for Lunch and Learn. Dr. Berry: Yes, thank you. And again, Lunch and Learn community. See you guys next week. You have a blessed week. Dr. Shanicka Scarbrough: Take care. [/showhide]

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Introduction... On this week's episode of the Lunch and Learn with Dr. Berry, we have a three time returning guest to the show, Maria Davis-Pierre to talk about Autism Awareness month and why she decided to take her passion for Autism and help black families.

April is the month where we highlight Autism Awareness nationally and and as a father of an autistic child it hit closer to home the importance of knowing, diagnosing and early intervention.

On this episode we talk about the importance of early intervention, growing up as an autism parent and why she decided to focus on black families.

Is Autism awareness month needed? Like with most things in healthcare early intervention is key. I remember when my daughter was first diagnosed how much work my wife had to put in to practically beg for services to be started. Because she was considered too young for the diagnosis we had to go through much more hurdles to get the care we need.

The early intervention has been nothing short of life saving when I think about where my daughter is now compared to where she was before getting her started.

This is why this month is so special because I know that autism awareness will help some parent or child get over the hurdle that is placed before them on this lifelong road.

Listen on Apple Podcast, Google Play, Stitcher, Soundcloud, iHeartRadio, Spotify

Sponsors:

Lunch and Learn Community Online Store (code Empower10)
Pierre Medical Consulting (If you are looking to expand your social reach and make your process automated then Pierre Medical Consulting is for you)

Links/Resources:

Autism in Black Official Website
Facebook - @autisminblk
Instagram - @autisminblk

Social Links:

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Introduction... On this week's episode of the Lunch and Learn with Dr. Berry, we have Dr. Amber Robins, who helps us get the best of medicine and media in order to become the most healthy we can be.

If you are like most people you get a lot of your medical information secondhand. Whether it be from your favorite physician (someone like me), your favorite health blog (www.drberrypierre.com) or even a podcast on the way to work like (Lunch and Learn with Dr. Berry).

On the episode we talk about some of the dangers of media & how you navigate through the clutter. We also get a personal glimpse at the work of Dr. Robins and what inspired her to become a physician in media.

How do we get the best of medicine thru media? There has been this love/hate relationship with the media and medicine. For many people it has helped open a broad range of topics of health to the forefront that probably would have never seen the day of light. It has allowed the conversation of health to be something that everyone can have and with anyone.

Before you were confined to talk about your health with your doctor because she/he was the expert in that field and no one else knew enough to talk about it. When healthcare became more accessible it allowed the conversation to extend to the kitchen table and outside the doctor's office.

For many it was a great thing to happen because it allowed them to be a better empowered in their health care but unfortunately what also came with it was the decline of respect for physicians and their level of expertise.

The term Dr. Google was derived to indicate those who were qualified to make medical decision based on their google searches. Initially it was seen in jest but overtime the respect for physicians continued to dwindle and soon many people less qualified were seen as qualified to give advice.

The goal of getting the best of medicine thru media is to know which information you can trust, which information you can take and build upon and which information you take to your local health care provider.

Listen on Apple Podcast, Google Play, Stitcher, Soundcloud, iHeartRadio, Spotify

Sponsors:

Lunch and Learn Community Online Store (code Empower10)
Pierre Medical Consulting (If you are looking to expand your social reach and make your process automated then Pierre Medical Consulting is for you)

Links/Resources:

Dr. Robin's official page
Facebook - @dramberrobins
Instagram - @dramberrobins

Social Links:

Join the lunch and learn community - https://www.drpierresblog.com/joinlunchlearnpod
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Introduction... On this week's episode of the Lunch and Learn with Dr. Berry we celebrate National Physicians Week. It occurs from March 25-31 and helps to highlight the work of physicians.

I think quite often as a physician you go through all this heartache, pain & struggle to become a physician and then once you get the ultimate goal there is a sense of gratitude is often missing.

On the episode you'll hear about how it started out as just a day of appreciation & evolved into the National Physicians Week.

Also, get a chance to hear who are my top 6 favorite doctors thus far on my journey of becoming such a great physician.

How to celebrate National Physicians Week For those of you who have a favorite physician whether it be your outpatient clinical specialists (Internist, Family Physician), your Cardiologist/Surgeon, or even your child's Pediatrician whoever it is let them know how much they are appreciated.

Call their office, leave a message on their facebook pages or just post a status on your social media pages letting the world know what your doctor means to you.

Questions I hope to answer for you... What is National Physicians Week? Who are my favorite physicians? How did it go from National Doctor's Day to National Physicians Week? Listen on Apple Podcast, Google Play, Stitcher, Soundcloud, iHeartRadio, Spotify

Sponsors:

Lunch and Learn Community Online Store (code Empower10)
Pierre Medical Consulting (If you are looking to expand your social reach and make your process automated then Pierre Medical Consulting is for you)

Links/Resources:

Physicians Working Together (PWT)

Social Links:

Join the lunch and learn community - https://www.drpierresblog.com/joinlunchlearnpod
Follow the podcast on Facebook - http://www.facebook.com/lunchlearnpod
Follow the podcast on twitter - http://www.twitter.com/lunchlearnpod - use the hashtag #LunchLearnPod if you have any questions, comments or requests for the podcast
For More Episodes of the Lunch and Learn with Dr. Berry Podcasts https://www.drpierresblog.com/lunchlearnpodcast/

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Introduction... On this week's episode of the Lunch and Learn with Dr. Berry we celebrate two accomplishments. Our 100th episode and a feature with the Culinary Doctor. The 100th episode here on the podcast is a milestone that we can not overlook. I want to take the time out & thank every single one of you who have ever listened to an episode or gave a recommendation to a friend/family member about the show.

It has been such an amazing journey joining this world of podcasting & I am glad that there is an audience out there who are ready to take control of their health and are willing to allow me to help that movement.

Now for the 100th show we have a special guest Dr. Lauren Powell, The Culinary Doctor who is going to talk about the role nutrition has on our health. March is National Nutrition month so I thought what better way to educate the Lunch and Learn community by bringing on a physician who underwent additional training in culinary medicine.

On the episode Dr. Lauren Powell goes through her journey to becoming the Culinary Doctor, why as physicians we need to stress the importance of healthy eating and the mindset needed to make that shift.

Why you need Food Essentials. This is a great book and resource for those who are always on the go and can't seem to get over the mental block of proper nutrition. In this book you will learn how the Culinary Doctor uses six key principles to stay ahead of her nutritional goals.

2. What's in store for The Culinary Doctor? Dr. Lauren talks about some of the amazing opportunities that have been afforded to her as she continues to pursue her passion. Ranging from speaking opportunities, live courses & cooking classes.

Questions I hope to answer for you... How important is nutrition for weight loss? What side item should be included with every meal? What is the beverage of choice for health excellence? Listen on Apple Podcast, Google Play, Stitcher, Soundcloud, iHeartRadio, Spotify

Sponsors:

Lunch and Learn Community Online Store (code Empower10)
Pierre Medical Consulting (If you are looking to expand your social reach and make your process automated then Pierre Medical Consulting is for you)

Links/Resources:

Official Page for Dr. Lauren

Social Links:

Join the lunch and learn community - https://www.drpierresblog.com/joinlunchlearnpod
Follow the podcast on Facebook - http://www.facebook.com/lunchlearnpod
Follow the podcast on twitter - http://www.twitter.com/lunchlearnpod - use the hashtag #LunchLearnPod if you have any questions, comments or requests for the podcast
For More Episodes of the Lunch and Learn with Dr. Berry Podcasts https://www.drpierresblog.com/lunchlearnpodcast/

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Leave a Five Star Review on Apple Podcast because your ratings and reviews are what is going to make this show so much better
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Introduction... On this week's episode of the Lunch and Learn with Dr. Berry I talk about the important role of a hospital physician better known as the hospitalist. When I made the transition from primarily an outpatient physician to an inpatient one I had to spend a lot of time explaining to my people exactly what my new job title was.

I know you are aware that when you go to the hospital that someone is assigned to take care of you but there is this assumption that those doctors spend a portion of their day in the hospital and a portion outside of it. It has not been a long time since we started having physicians who dedicated themselves to a life of working in the hospital.

Why is a hospitalist important ? As a hospitalist you serve on the front line

Which drug prices rise many people have to make these life or death decisions on a daily basis. Medication compliance because an issue and if you are someone who is trying to Empower Themselves For Better Health than it would impossible doing so without the medications you required.

Can a physician do outpatient and be a hospitalist? Short Answer Technically Yes..

Long Answer - When I first started out after residency I did just that. I would see my patients in the office & before clinic, on my lunch break or after work I would see patients in the hospital but overtime as my outpatient practice got busy it wasn't feasible enough for me to do both which happens to most physicians these days.

Questions I hope to answer for you... What is a hospitalist? How long as the term hospitalist been around? Why are hospitalist so important to patient care? Listen on Apple Podcast, Google Play, Stitcher, Soundcloud, iHeartRadio, Spotify

Sponsors:

Lunch and Learn Community Online Store (code Empower10)
Pierre Medical Consulting (If you are looking to expand your social reach and make your process automated then Pierre Medical Consulting is for you)

Links/Resources:

Society of Hospital Medicine

Social Links:

Join the lunch and learn community - https://www.drpierresblog.com/joinlunchlearnpod
Follow the podcast on Facebook - http://www.facebook.com/lunchlearnpod
Follow the podcast on twitter - http://www.twitter.com/lunchlearnpod - use the hashtag #LunchLearnPod if you have any questions, comments or requests for the podcast
For More Episodes of the Lunch and Learn with Dr. Berry Podcasts https://www.drpierresblog.com/lunchlearnpodcast/

If you are looking to help the show out

Leave a Five Star Review on Apple Podcast because your ratings and reviews are what is going to make this show so much better
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Introduction... On this week's episode of the Lunch and Learn with Dr. Berry we discuss rising drug prices, an unfortunate but common practice in the health industry. Often when we talk about price gouging we tend to hear about unlawful business owners preying on those in need in times of great difficulty.

Probably the most common time is during natural disasters where all of the sudden gas stations start charging $20 for a case of water because the supplies are low. On this episode I am going to talk about rising drug prices and what the drug companies do to families on a daily basis.

Whats the big deal with rising drug prices? As a former outpatient physician I learned very quickly which medicines my patients could afford and which they couldn't. It got to the point where I didn't even suggest medications because I knew it would mean that my patient would have to choose between getting dinner and filling a prescription.

Prescription drug price rising in 2019 Did you know that every year drug prices rise in which companies attribute to inflation but what is unfortunate that many drug companies tend to raise the price of these drugs with little added benefit to the customer(patient).
Are rising drug prices a health risk? Short Answer Yes..

Long Answer - When patients continue to see their life saving medications that were routinely affordable one year only to be "upgraded" and had their prices sky rocket they will just stop taking them.

Questions I hope to answer for you... Why are drug prices rising? What are some of the most common drugs that have seen there prices sky rocket? What can we do to avoid having to make tough decisions about care? Listen on Apple Podcast, Google Play, Stitcher, Soundcloud, iHeartRadio, Spotify

Sponsors:

Lunch and Learn Community Online Store (code Empower10)
Pierre Medical Consulting (If you are looking to expand your social reach and make your process automated then Pierre Medical Consulting is for you)

Links/Resources:

COPD Med
LEMS Med
Congress and Drug CEOS
Canadian International Pharmacy Association

Social Links:

Join the lunch and learn community - https://www.drpierresblog.com/joinlunchlearnpod
Follow the podcast on Facebook - http://www.facebook.com/lunchlearnpod
Follow the podcast on twitter - http://www.twitter.com/lunchlearnpod - use the hashtag #LunchLearnPod if you have any questions, comments or requests for the podcast
For More Episodes of the Lunch and Learn with Dr. Berry Podcasts https://www.drpierresblog.com/lunchlearnpodcast/

If you are looking to help the show out

Leave a Five Star Review on Apple Podcast because your ratings and reviews are what is going to make this show so much better
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Introduction... On this week's episode of the Lunch and Learn with Dr. Berry we discuss recent findings from the American Cancer Society which discussed the "improvement" in racial disparities in regards to cancer. The study highlights what drove this improvement & what still needs to be done for better result. Of course you will hear my thoughts on the matter as an African American physician.

Is this a good thing? Whenever you have a study that says that something like cancer rates are improving you have to acknowledge the positive benefits from it. The biggest one is that if less people are being diagnosed with cancer than less people are dying form it. And with cancer being the number 2 cause of death in the US (see episode 96 for the number 1) its great to see less people affected.
So why we shouldn't jump for joy Probably the biggest reason why we should not go screaming from the roof tops the amazing effort that has taken place to get these improved numbers is the fact that they were so bad in the first place. In the episode we will go over just how bad some of the numbers were.
So where do we go from here? As we talk about Cancer & racial disparities we must talk about the key factor that has played a role in its existence. If we are looking to get even better numbers the next go around that we have to attack the root of the problem.

Questions I hope to answer for you... What are the racial disparities in cancer care? What has been the driving force behind the disparities? What can we do to improve upon these results? Why race/ethnicity and social economic differences must play a central role in cancer care? Listen on Apple Podcast, Google Play, Stitcher, Soundcloud, iHeartRadio, Spotify

Sponsors:

Lunch and Learn Community Online Store (code Empower10)
Pierre Medical Consulting (If you are looking to expand your social reach and make your process automated then Pierre Medical Consulting is for you)

Links/Resources:

Cancer Study

Social Links:

Join the lunch and learn community - https://www.drpierresblog.com/joinlunchlearnpod
Follow the podcast on Facebook - http://www.facebook.com/lunchlearnpod
Follow the podcast on twitter - http://www.twitter.com/lunchlearnpod - use the hashtag #LunchLearnPod if you have any questions, comments or requests for the podcast
For More Episodes of the Lunch and Learn with Dr. Berry Podcasts https://www.drpierresblog.com/lunchlearnpodcast/

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Leave a Five Star Review on Apple Podcast because your ratings and reviews are what is going to make this show so much better
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Introduction... On this week's episode of the Lunch and Learn with Dr. Berry we provided a well needed update on the number one killer in the world but also the number one killer here in the US which is heart disease. Last year we had Dr. Mike discuss the importance of staying heart healthy but for reasons some that you can control & some that you can't this hasn't been the case.

Who can't relate? We have tons of new information associated with heart disease and because of it's prevalence we are finding more relationships and associations with almost every field of medicine to study. There are very few medical specialities that get to avoid the affects that heart disease has had on this country.
Just who is to blame? On the episode we are going to talk about guideline changes that may have played a role in over 121 million people suffer from heart disease. The American Heart Association offers its reasons but one that is telling is that one that me and Dr. Ducatel actually predicated would happen in episode 48
So where do we go from here? As we talk about heart disease being one of the most deadliest diseases in the world we have to understand that it is not a death sentence and for most people you have the time to lessen the affects from it.

Questions I hope to answer for you... What are the early signs of heart disease? What are some of the most interesting facts about heart disease? What are the different types of heart disease? Why is heart disease such a big deal? What you can eat when you are diagnosed? Is there a way to prevent Heart Disease? Listen on Apple Podcast, Google Play, Stitcher, Soundcloud, iHeartRadio, Spotify

Sponsors:

Lunch and Learn Community Online Store (code Empower10)
Pierre Medical Consulting (If you are looking to expand your social reach and make your process automated then Pierre Medical Consulting is for you)

Links/Resources:

Mayo Clinic on CVD
Heart Healthy Foods

Social Links:

Join the lunch and learn community - https://www.drpierresblog.com/joinlunchlearnpod
Follow the podcast on Facebook - http://www.facebook.com/lunchlearnpod
Follow the podcast on twitter - http://www.twitter.com/lunchlearnpod - use the hashtag #LunchLearnPod if you have any questions, comments or requests for the podcast
For More Episodes of the Lunch and Learn with Dr. Berry Podcasts https://www.drpierresblog.com/lunchlearnpodcast/

If you are looking to help the show out

Leave a Five Star Review on Apple Podcast because your ratings and reviews are what is going to make this show so much better
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Introduction... On this week's episode of the Lunch and Learn with Dr. Berry we are going to discuss the topic of Pneumonia. A topic that has gotten a lot of publicity of late as news that Kim Porter's , former model, actor and ex-wife of Sean "Diddy" Combs death was ruled due to natural causes from Pneumonia. What was interesting to me was the social media reaction that someone so young could die from something like pneumonia. Not very often you see one of the top ten causes of death worldwide being reduced to such a small stature but there it was so I decided to bring this episode to you front and center and maybe get a little appreciation of how deadly pneumonia can be.

Questions we hope to answer... How can Pneumonia kill you? What are the causes of death from Pneumonia? How long can you live with Pneumonia? How long does it take to recover? What are some interesting facts about Pneumonia? Is there a way to prevent Pneumonia? Listen on Apple Podcast, Google Play, Stitcher, Soundcloud, iHeartRadio, Spotify

Sponsors:

Lunch and Learn Community Online Store (code Empower10)
Pierre Medical Consulting (If you are looking to expand your social reach and make your process automated then Pierre Medical Consulting is for you)

Links/Resources:

American Lung Association
Don't sleep on the flu

Social Links:

Join the lunch and learn community - https://www.drpierresblog.com/joinlunchlearnpod
Follow the podcast on Facebook - http://www.facebook.com/lunchlearnpod
Follow the podcast on twitter - http://www.twitter.com/lunchlearnpod - use the hashtag #LunchLearnPod if you have any questions, comments or requests for the podcast
For More Episodes of the Lunch and Learn with Dr. Berry Podcasts https://www.drpierresblog.com/lunchlearnpodcast/

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Leave a Five Star Review on Apple Podcast because your ratings and reviews are what is going to make this show so much better
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Introduction... Starting this year I am going to be giving my podcast audience a chance to listen to my live stream Empower Yourself For Better Health Series. This week I give you 8 tips to have a successful New Year Resolution.

Sponsors:

Lunch and Learn Community Online Store (code Empower10)
Pierre Medical Consulting (If you are looking to expand your social reach and make your process automated then Pierre Medical Consulting is for you)

Social Links:

Join the Livestream on Facebook on Friday Afternoons- http://www.facebook.com/drberrypierre
Watch a replay of the recording - http://www.youtube.com/drberrypierre

If you are looking to help the show out

Leave a Five Star Review on Apple Podcast because your ratings and reviews are what is going to make this show so much better
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Introduction... On this week's episode of the Lunch and Learn with Dr. Berry we have our first guest of year Dr. Sylvia Gonsahn-Bollie, America's Favorite Obesity Doctor who is here to educate the Lunch and Learn community about a real life disease process that plays a role in so many more that physicians deal with regardless of there speciality.

What to look for... On today's show we are going to find out why she first became motivated to talk about about obesity so freely, how she helps in the battle of weight loss and just how many people are able to maintain their weight. Listen out for tips on to begin the transformation of weight loss and why she HATES cheat days.

Listen on Apple Podcast, Google Play, Stitcher, Soundcloud, iHeartRadio, Spotify

Sponsors:

Lunch and Learn Community Online Store (code Empower10)
Pierre Medical Consulting (If you are looking to expand your social reach and make your process automated then Pierre Medical Consulting is for you)

Links/Resources:

National Weight Control Registry
Obesity Medicine Association
Obesity Action Coalition
Dr. Bollie's Website
- Twitter
- Facebook

Social Links:

Join the lunch and learn community - https://www.drpierresblog.com/joinlunchlearnpod
Follow the podcast on Facebook - http://www.facebook.com/lunchlearnpod
Follow the podcast on twitter - http://www.twitter.com/lunchlearnpod - use the hashtag #LunchLearnPod if you have any questions, comments or requests for the podcast
For More Episodes of the Lunch and Learn with Dr. Berry Podcasts https://www.drpierresblog.com/lunchlearnpodcast/

If you are looking to help the show out

Leave a Five Star Review on Apple Podcast because your ratings and reviews are what is going to make this show so much better
Share a screenshot of the podcast episode on all of your favorite social media outlets & tag me or add the hashtag.#lunchlearnpod

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Introduction... On this week's episode of the Lunch and Learn with Dr. Berry we have a follow up to last weeks show where we talked about New Years Resolutions. One key point that was brought up by one of the Lunch and Learn community members was that she didn't feel that a physician was such a big force in trying to lose weight and that her time would be better off chasing down those who could give her adequate time to learn.

What to look for... On today's show we are going to talk about why your doctor isn't likely going to be your FIRST choice when its time to get healthy but probably going to be one of the more important ones. We also talk about different career fields that will help you along the journey to becoming the better you.

Listen on Apple Podcast, Google Play, Stitcher, Soundcloud, iHeartRadio, Spotify

Sponsors:

Lunch and Learn Community Online Store (code Empower10)
Pierre Medical Consulting (If you are looking to expand your social reach and make your process automated then Pierre Medical Consulting is for you)

Links/Resources:

Food Essentials for the busy professional
Find a Registered Dietician
Bodyspace App

Social Links:

Join the lunch and learn community - https://www.drpierresblog.com/joinlunchlearnpod
Follow the podcast on Facebook - http://www.facebook.com/lunchlearnpod
Follow the podcast on twitter - http://www.twitter.com/lunchlearnpod - use the hashtag #LunchLearnPod if you have any questions, comments or requests for the podcast
For More Episodes of the Lunch and Learn with Dr. Berry Podcasts https://www.drpierresblog.com/lunchlearnpodcast/

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Leave a Five Star Review on Apple Podcast because your ratings and reviews are what is going to make this show so much better
Share a screenshot of the podcast episode on all of your favorite social media outlets & tag me or add the hashtag.#lunchlearnpod

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Introduction... On this week's episode of the Lunch and Learn with Dr. Berry we are talking about new years resolutions. That's right, it's that time of the year where we all look back at how the year went, see what could have been better and proclaim to the world (really just ourselves most of the time) that we are going to make the necessary changes to make the upcoming year a special one.

What to look for... On today's show we are going to get into all of the different kinds of New Years Resolutions I have heard over the years, the reasons why starting early on them is always better than later and most importantly how to attack those health related goals for the new year.

You also get a chance to hear what my new some of my new years goals are (hint if you picked up my last ebook The Power in Affirmation than you'll already know what some of them are.

Listen on Apple Podcast, Google Play, Stitcher, Soundcloud, iHeartRadio, Spotify

Sponsors:

Lunch and Learn Community Online Store (code Empower10)
Pierre Medical Consulting (If you are looking to expand your social reach and make your process automated then Pierre Medical Consulting is for you)

Links/Resources:

Power in Affirmation
Amazon List of Healthy Items
Bodyspace App

Social Links:

Join the lunch and learn community - https://www.drpierresblog.com/joinlunchlearnpod
Follow the podcast on Facebook - http://www.facebook.com/lunchlearnpod
Follow the podcast on twitter - http://www.twitter.com/lunchlearnpod - use the hashtag #LunchLearnPod if you have any questions, comments or requests for the podcast
For More Episodes of the Lunch and Learn with Dr. Berry Podcasts https://www.drpierresblog.com/lunchlearnpodcast/

If you are looking to help the show out

Leave a Five Star Review on Apple Podcast because your ratings and reviews are what is going to make this show so much better
Share a screenshot of the podcast episode on all of your favorite social media outlets & tag me or add the hashtag.#lunchlearnpod

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Introduction... On this week's episode of the Lunch and Learn with Dr. Berry, I get a chance to look back at the new year and reflect on all the things I have done right and wrong since my last birthday.

What to look for... Listen to the show today to see where I stand on my day job versus side job. Here what I struggled with leading up to my 35th birthday last year and what things I was able to accomplish leading up to my 36th birthday. There is also a surprise announcement for the website as well.

Listen on Apple Podcast, Google Play, Stitcher, Soundcloud, iHeartRadio, Spotify

Sponsors:

Lunch and Learn Community Online Store (code Empower10)

Links/Resources:

Power in Affirmation

Social Links:

Join the lunch and learn community - https://www.drpierresblog.com/joinlunchlearnpod
Follow the podcast on Facebook - http://www.facebook.com/lunchlearnpod
Follow the podcast on twitter - http://www.twitter.com/lunchlearnpod - use the hashtag #LunchLearnPod if you have any questions, comments or requests for the podcast
For More Episodes of the Lunch and Learn with Dr. Berry Podcasts https://www.drpierresblog.com/lunchlearnpodcast/

If you are looking to help the show out

Leave a review on Apple Podcast because your ratings and reviews are what is going to make this show so much better
Share a screenshot of the podcast episode on all of your favorite social media outlets & tag me or add the hashtag.

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Introduction... On this week's episode of the Lunch and Learn with Dr. Berry I get a chance to highlight an opportunity I had to provide some well deserving medical students with tips on how to succeed ERAS season. For those who may not be aware during the last year of medical school you have to apply to residencies using a standardized application (ERAS), and as a program director I have been in charge of reviewing all of the applications that come to our program. Over the past two years I have had the opportunity to see some common mistakes that medical students were making over and over again so I set out to correct it.

What to look for... Listen to the show as I discuss why I decided to venture out in the world of live webinars, what are the driving forces behind me when it comes to being a mentor and why I feel that closing the door isn't an option.

Listen on Apple Podcast, Google Play, Stitcher, Soundcloud, iHeartRadio, Spotify

Sponsors:

Lunch and Learn Community Online Store (code Empower10)

Links/Resources:

ERAS Webinar Wait List

Social Links:

Join the lunch and learn community - https://www.drpierresblog.com/joinlunchlearnpod
Follow the podcast on Facebook - http://www.facebook.com/lunchlearnpod
Follow the podcast on twitter - http://www.twitter.com/lunchlearnpod - use the hashtag #LunchLearnPod if you have any questions, comments or requests for the podcast
For More Episodes of the Lunch and Learn with Dr. Berry Podcasts https://www.drpierresblog.com/lunchlearnpodcast/

If you are looking to help the show out

Leave a review on Apple Podcast because your ratings and reviews are what is going to make this show so much better
Share a screenshot of the podcast episode on all of your favorite social media outlets & tag me or add the hashtag.

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Introduction... On this week's podcast episode we discuss what appears to be the tried and true tradition of bias against overweight and obese people in the health field. I would love to say that I am shocked by the findings but growing up always on the heavier side it was quite evident that things are different when you are overweight in the doctor's office.

What to look for... Listen to the show as I discuss just what happened to bring this podcast episode to the light. Learn about the steps physicians can take to lesson their bias against overweight patients and why has it gotten so bad that even medical students are picking up these horrible traits.

Listen on Apple Podcast, Google Play, Stitcher, Soundcloud, iHeartRadio, Spotify

Sponsors:

Lunch and Learn Community Online Store (code Empower10)

Links/Resources:

7 steps physicians can take to combat bias
Weight Stigma Kept Me Out Of Doctors’ Offices for Almost a Decade
My Doctor Fat-Shamed Me
Medical Students are biased toward obese patients

Social Links:

Join the lunch and learn community - https://www.drpierresblog.com/joinlunchlearnpod
Follow the podcast on Facebook - http://www.facebook.com/lunchlearnpod
Follow the podcast on twitter - http://www.twitter.com/lunchlearnpod - use the hashtag #LunchLearnPod if you have any questions, comments or requests for the podcast
For More Episodes of the Lunch and Learn with Dr. Berry Podcasts https://www.drpierresblog.com/lunchlearnpodcast/

If you are looking to help the show out

Leave a review on Apple Podcast because your ratings and reviews are what is going to make this show so much better
Share a screenshot of the podcast episode on all of your favorite social media outlets & tag me or add the hashtag.

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This week's podcast episode is a troubling one because I have to highlight what happens when you have a physician who isn't culturally competent. Today we highlight a terrible situation where a patient who is willingly seeking to take care of her health care needs but needs the help of her daughter to help translate only to find out her physician isn't accepting of this arrangement. Being culturally competent is something that unfortunately most physicians and professionals are not. I will be discussing why this has negative effects on you as the patient and on physicians as a whole.

Listen on Apple Podcast, Google Play, Stitcher, Soundcloud, iHeartRadio, Spotify

Sponsors:

Lunch and Learn Community Online Store (code Empower10)
Pierre Medical Consulting Inc.

Links/Resources:

Cultural Competency and Minorities
Being a culturally competent medical student
Article by Dr. Watson Ducatel
Video Clip

Social Links:

Join the lunch and learn community - https://www.drpierresblog.com/joinlunchlearnpod
Follow the podcast on Facebook - http://www.facebook.com/lunchlearnpod
Follow the podcast on twitter - http://www.twitter.com/lunchlearnpod - use the hashtag #LunchLearnPod if you have any questions, comments or requests for the podcast
For More Episodes of the Lunch and Learn with Dr. Berry Podcasts https://www.drpierresblog.com/lunchlearnpodcast/

If you are looking to help the show out

Leave a review on Apple Podcast because your ratings and reviews are what is going to make this show so much better
Share a screenshot of the podcast episode on all of your favorite social media outlets & tag me or add the hashtag.

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This week's podcast episode I talk about the importance of taking a well deserved mental break from certain life stressors and why you shouldn't ever feel compelled to do something for the sake of your mental well being.

Listen to the show as I discuss the top 5 reasons why I took a "vacation" from it all for a week and came back more fresh and rejuvenated.

Listen on Apple Podcast, Google Play, Stitcher, Soundcloud, iHeartRadio, Spotify

Sponsors:

Lunch and Learn Community Online Store (code Empower10)
Pierre Medical Consulting

Social Links:

Join the lunch and learn community - https://www.drpierresblog.com/joinlunchlearnpod
Follow the podcast on Facebook - http://www.facebook.com/lunchlearnpod
Follow the podcast on twitter - http://www.twitter.com/lunchlearnpod - use the hashtag #LunchLearnPod if you have any questions, comments or requests for the podcast
For More Episodes of the Lunch and Learn with Dr. Berry Podcasts https://www.drpierresblog.com/lunchlearnpodcast/

If you are looking to help the show out

Leave a review on Apple Podcast because your ratings and reviews are what is going to make this show so much better
Share a screenshot of the podcast episode on all of your favorite social media outlets & tag me or add the hashtag.

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This week's podcast episode is a special one as we have our first discussion with someone on the proverbial front lines in health care, THE PATIENT. With everyone wearing pink this month to bring awareness to Breast Cancer I knew that the point usually doesn't hit home unless its up close and personal. Bringing together a special episode is none other than a friend and former teacher of mines Pam Whigham discussing exactly what it means to be aware of Breast Cancer as she was recently diagnosed earlier this year and still is working on fully accepting the diagnosis.

Listen to the show as we discuss with Ms. Whigham why Breast Cancer was a diagnosis she did ever expect to hear, what did she do after first learning the diagnosis and what she would do different.

Listen on Apple Podcast, Google Play, Stitcher, Soundcloud, iHeartRadio, Spotify

Sponsors:

Lunch and Learn Community Online Store (code Empower10)

Links/Resources:

Donate A Mammogram
Breast Self-Exam
Susan G. Komen Association

Social Links:

Join the lunch and learn community - https://www.drpierresblog.com/joinlunchlearnpod
Follow the podcast on Facebook - http://www.facebook.com/lunchlearnpod
Follow the podcast on twitter - http://www.twitter.com/lunchlearnpod - use the hashtag #LunchLearnPod if you have any questions, comments or requests for the podcast
For More Episodes of the Lunch and Learn with Dr. Berry Podcasts https://www.drpierresblog.com/lunchlearnpodcast/

If you are looking to help the show out

Leave a review on Apple Podcast because your ratings and reviews are what is going to make this show so much better
Share a screenshot of the podcast episode on all of your favorite social media outlets & tag me or add the hashtag.

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On the podcast episode this week we discuss the importance of October and Breast Cancer Awareness and selfishly discuss why men should be a vocal supporter of the cause. With October officially being Breast Cancer Awareness Month we know its easy to be swept into the mania of wearing everything pink but I believe we really have to stress the true importance of not only being aware of the problem but learning how to recognize when help is warranted.

Listen to today's show as we discuss the signs and symptoms, risk factors and different diagnostic testing for Breast Cancer.

Listen on Apple Podcast, Google Play, Stitcher, Soundcloud, iHeartRadio, Spotify

Sponsors:

Lunch and Learn Community Online Store (code Empower10)

Links/Resources:

Donate A Mammogram
Breast Self-Exam

Social Links:

Join the lunch and learn community - https://www.drpierresblog.com/joinlunchlearnpod
Follow the podcast on Facebook - http://www.facebook.com/lunchlearnpod
Follow the podcast on twitter - http://www.twitter.com/lunchlearnpod - use the hashtag #LunchLearnPod if you have any questions, comments or requests for the podcast
For More Episodes of the Lunch and Learn with Dr. Berry Podcasts https://www.drpierresblog.com/lunchlearnpodcast/

If you are looking to help the show out

Leave a review on Apple Podcast because your ratings and reviews are what is going to make this show so much better
Share a screenshot of the podcast episode on all of your favorite social media outlets & tag me or add the hashtag.

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The podcast episode this week we have special guest Dr. Zarinah Hud (Dr. Zee) who is among America's best Sports and Pain Management specialist. She is on the show to help cap off a three part series discussing pain & pain control. Today she is giving up the four steps to long-term Pain freedom. She even stops by to give the Lunch and Learn community listeners a special offer for her best selling book 15 Minute Meals to Pain Freedom.

Listen to today's episode to hear what Dr. Zee has to say about pain control, the mindset of pain relief.

Listen on Apple Podcast, Google Play, Stitcher, Soundcloud, iHeartRadio, Spotify

Sponsors:

Lunch and Learn Community Online Store (code Empower10)
15 Minute Meals to Pain Freedom - (54 min mark)

Links/Resources:

Social Media Outlets @DrZarinah
Twitter / Facebook / Instagram
Official Website for Dr. Zarinah

Social Links:

Join the lunch and learn community - https://www.drpierresblog.com/joinlunchlearnpod
Follow the podcast on Facebook - http://www.facebook.com/lunchlearnpod
Follow the podcast on twitter - http://www.twitter.com/lunchlearnpod - use the hashtag #LunchLearnPod if you have any questions, comments or requests for the podcast
For More Episodes of the Lunch and Learn with Dr. Berry Podcasts https://www.drpierresblog.com/lunchlearnpodcast/

If you are looking to help the show out

Leave a review on Apple Podcast because your ratings and reviews are what is going to make this show so much better
Share a screenshot of the podcast episode on all of your favorite social media outlets & tag me or add the hashtag.

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This episode is a special bonus for the podcast community and is a replay of my recent Empower Yourself For Better Health Series episode 59 with Dr. Sabine Elisee where we are discussing the pending flu season, common fears associated with the flu vaccine and more. I thought the episode was too good not to give to my Lunch and Learn Community Podcast Listeners.

Listen to today's episode to hear what Dr. Elisee has to say for those with a million and one excuses about getting the flu shot.

Listen on Apple Podcast, Google Play, Stitcher, Soundcloud, iHeartRadio, Spotify

Sponsors:

Lunch and Learn Community Online Store (code Empower10)

Resources:

CDC - Flu
80,000 Deaths
Dr. Elisee's Facebook Page
Dr. Elisee's IG

Social Links:

Join the lunch and learn community - https://www.drpierresblog.com/joinlunchlearnpod
Follow the podcast on Facebook - http://www.facebook.com/lunchlearnpod
Follow the podcast on twitter - http://www.twitter.com/lunchlearnpod - use the hashtag #LunchLearnPod if you have any questions, comments or requests for the podcast
For More Episodes of the Lunch and Learn with Dr. Berry Podcasts https://www.drpierresblog.com/lunchlearnpodcast/

If you are looking to help the show out

Leave a review on Apple Podcast because your ratings and reviews are what is going to make this show so much better
Share a screenshot of the podcast episode on all of your favorite social media outlets & tag me or add the hashtag.

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This week's episode is a follow up to Episode 80 where I discussed some of the biggest fears physicians have today in regards to treating pain & more importantly prescribing pain medications. On this episode I discuss what happened after getting a call that a patient of mines had an untimely demise due to drug overdose.

Listen to today's show to hear first account my reaction on hearing about my patient's death and if I felt it could have been prevented.

Listen on Apple Podcast, Google Play, Stitcher, Soundcloud, iHeartRadio, Spotify

Sponsors:

Lunch and Learn Community Online Store (code Empower10)

Resources:

CDC - Opioid abuse
Chronic Pain and Suicide

Social Links:

Join the lunch and learn community - https://www.drpierresblog.com/joinlunchlearnpod
Follow the podcast on Facebook - http://www.facebook.com/lunchlearnpod
Follow the podcast on twitter - http://www.twitter.com/lunchlearnpod - use the hashtag #LunchLearnPod if you have any questions, comments or requests for the podcast
For More Episodes of the Lunch and Learn with Dr. Berry Podcasts https://www.drpierresblog.com/lunchlearnpodcast/

If you are looking to help the show out

Leave a review on Apple Podcast because your ratings and reviews are what is going to make this show so much better

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On today's episode we talk about the issue of pain control & just why your doctor is afraid to prescribe you adequate pain medication. The motivation behind this episode was two-fold, on my recent Lunch and Learn survey it was a topic that the community wanted hear about (the topic of opioid use & pain control) as well as the most recent celebratory death of Mac Miller, a well known hip hop artists. Listen to the episode today to see why physicians everywhere are so hesitant to prescribing opioid medications & the impact it has had on the medical community.

Listen to today's shows to also hear some startling facts on opioid deaths, use of synthetic opioids and more.

Listen on Apple Podcast, Google Play, Stitcher, Soundcloud, iHeartRadio, Spotify

Sponsors:

Lunch and Learn Community Online Store (code Empower10)

Resources:

CDC - Opioid abuse
Mac Miller Album
Poor Pain Control in Minorities

Social Links:

Join the lunch and learn community - https://www.drpierresblog.com/joinlunchlearnpod
Follow the podcast on Facebook - http://www.facebook.com/lunchlearnpod
Follow the podcast on twitter - http://www.twitter.com/lunchlearnpod - use the hashtag #LunchLearnPod if you have any questions, comments or requests for the podcast
For More Episodes of the Lunch and Learn with Dr. Berry Podcasts https://www.drpierresblog.com/lunchlearnpodcast/

If you are looking to help the show out

Leave a review on Apple Podcast because your ratings and reviews are what is going to make this show so much better

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On today's episode we talk about a recent Medscape Survey on Resident Lifestyle and Happiness. Medscape recently polled 1900 residents across the US and ask them questions such as their biggest challenge during residency, who bullies them in the hospital and what suggestions on avoiding burnout.

Listen to today's shows to understand what are some of the biggest issues your resident physician is facing today.

Listen on Apple Podcast, Google Play, Stitcher, Soundcloud, iHeartRadio, Spotify

Sponsors:

Lunch and Learn Community Online Store (code Empower10)

Resources:

Medscape Survey

Social Links:

Join the lunch and learn community - https://www.drpierresblog.com/joinlunchlearnpod
Follow the podcast on Facebook - http://www.facebook.com/lunchlearnpod
Follow the podcast on twitter - http://www.twitter.com/lunchlearnpod - use the hashtag #LunchLearnPod if you have any questions, comments or requests for the podcast
For More Episodes of the Lunch and Learn with Dr. Berry Podcasts https://www.drpierresblog.com/lunchlearnpodcast/

If you are looking to help the show out

Leave a review on Apple Podcast because your ratings and reviews are what is going to make this show so much better

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On today's episode we talk about health care accountability and ultimately who is responsible. With all of the recent changes in health care in the last decade and the people coming up on different sides of the coin when discussing whether healthcare is a right or a privilege I thought it would be interesting to see what some of the studies have shown when discussing the topic at hand.

Listen to today's shows to understand just what health accountability is, why its so important and ways to achieve the goal of success.

Listen on Apple Podcast, Google Play, Stitcher, Soundcloud, iHeartRadio, Spotify

Sponsors:

Lunch and Learn Community Online Store (code Empower10)
Lunch and Learn Survey (contest ends 9/1)

Resources:

Health Care Costs
Who is responsible for cost?
The New Paradigm Shift

Social Links:

Join the lunch and learn community - https://www.drpierresblog.com/joinlunchlearnpod
Follow the podcast on Facebook - http://www.facebook.com/lunchlearnpod
Follow the podcast on twitter - http://www.twitter.com/lunchlearnpod - use the hashtag #LunchLearnPod if you have any questions, comments or requests for the podcast
For More Episodes of the Lunch and Learn with Dr. Berry Podcasts https://www.drpierresblog.com/lunchlearnpodcast/

If you are looking to help the show out

Leave a review on Apple Podcast because your ratings and reviews are what is going to make this show so much better

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On today's episode we talk about Hospice care. With the recent news of Aretha Franklin being placed in hospice care and the almost immediate reaction from the general public I knew that having a discussion on just what Hospice is would be important for the Lunch and Learn Community.

Listen to today's shows to hear why Hospice could be an important service for your loved ones but also for the caregivers themselves.

Listen on Apple Podcast, Google Play, Stitcher, Soundcloud, iHeartRadio, Spotify

Sponsors:

Lunch and Learn Community Online Store (code Empower10)

Resources:

How does it work?
HospiceFoundation

Social Links:

Join the lunch and learn community - https://www.drpierresblog.com/joinlunchlearnpod
Follow the podcast on Facebook - http://www.facebook.com/lunchlearnpod
Follow the podcast on twitter - http://www.twitter.com/lunchlearnpod - use the hashtag #LunchLearnPod if you have any questions, comments or requests for the podcast
For More Episodes of the Lunch and Learn with Dr. Berry Podcasts https://www.drpierresblog.com/lunchlearnpodcast/

If you are looking to help the show out

Leave a review on Apple Podcast because your ratings and reviews are what is going to make this show so much better

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On today's episode I come to the true reason for the podcast. After going to Podcast Movement 2018 and having to explain to 40+ people just what the podcast was about I came to the realization that the main underlying theme was patient advocacy.

Listen to today's shows as I explain why patient's need someone advocating for them and what is in store on the podcast in the future.

Listen on Apple Podcast, Google Play, Stitcher, Soundcloud, iHeartRadio, Spotify

Sponsors:

Lunch and Learn Community Online Store (code Empower10)

Resources:

Patient Advocate Foundation

Social Links:

Join the lunch and learn community - https://www.drpierresblog.com/joinlunchlearnpod
Follow the podcast on Facebook - http://www.facebook.com/lunchlearnpod
Follow the podcast on twitter - http://www.twitter.com/lunchlearnpod - use the hashtag #LunchLearnPod if you have any questions, comments or requests for the podcast
For More Episodes of the Lunch and Learn with Dr. Berry Podcasts https://www.drpierresblog.com/lunchlearnpodcast/

If you are looking to help the show out

Leave a review on Apple Podcast because your ratings and reviews are what is going to make this show so much better

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On today's episode we sit down with Student Doctor Kendra Williams and discuss why the myth of the perfect medical student needs to be shattered to pieces. In today's episode hear how one of her tweets going viral helped shed light on a belief that has far too long that has caused some of our brightest members of society to change their entire outlook on their future careers based on a proposed standard of excellence that plenty people don't reach. You will hear about her path towards becoming a physician and what were some of the important life lessons she learned from her experience.

Today Student Dr. Kendra also discusses plans that she unveils for the first time here with the Lunch and Learn community.

Listen on Apple Podcast, Google Play, Stitcher, Soundcloud, iHeartRadio, Spotify Sponsors:

Lunch and Learn Community Online Store (code Empower10)

Resources:

Twitter - Student Dr. Kendra
Instagram - Student Dr. Kendra
Blog Site for Student Dr. Kendra
The Chocolate Docs - Twitter
Student Dr. Sandra Coker - Black Girl, White Coat
MentorMeMD - Twitter

Social Links:

- Join the lunch and learn community - https://www.drpierresblog.com/joinlunchlearnpod
- Follow the podcast on Facebook - http://www.facebook.com/lunchlearnpod
- Follow the podcast on twitter - http://www.twitter.com/lunchlearnpod - use the hashtag #LunchLearnPod if you have any questions, comments or requests for the podcast
- For More Episodes of the Lunch and Learn with Dr. Berry Podcasts https://www.drpierresblog.com/lunchlearnpodcast/

If you are looking to help the show out

- Leave a review on Apple Podcast because your ratings and reviews are what is going to make this show so much better

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On today's episode we discuss minority mental health month with Maria Davis Pierre LMHC, a follow up to last week's discussion on the burden Mental Health plays on minorities. In this episode we will discuss one of the biggest reasons why there is a dedicated month to mental health in the minority community. Also, I ask Maria what are some of the reasons minorities have trouble getting help for their needs and what types of mental health issues that they deal with more frequently.

Today Maria also discusses a new self care book she is working on to commemorate Minority Health Awareness Month.

Listen on Apple Podcast, Google Play, Stitcher, Soundcloud, iHeartRadio, Spotify

Sponsors:

Lunch and Learn Community Online Store

Resources:

Therapy for Black Girls
Therapy for Black Men
Autism in Black
Preorder Self Care Book *(Available starting 7/18/18) by Maria Davis-Pierre LMHC

Social Links:

- Join the lunch and learn community - https://www.drpierresblog.com/joinlunchlearnpod
- Follow the podcast on Facebook - http://www.facebook.com/lunchlearnpod
- Follow the podcast on twitter - http://www.twitter.com/lunchlearnpod - use the hashtag #LunchLearnPod if you have any questions, comments or requests for the podcast
- For More Episodes of the Lunch and Learn with Dr. Berry Podcasts https://www.drpierresblog.com/lunchlearnpodcast/

If you are looking to help the show out

- Leave a review on Apple Podcast because your ratings and reviews are what is going to make this show so much better

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On today's episode we discuss minority mental health month and what the toll is of being a very public black physician has on my every time thought process. Those in the Lunch and Learn Community knows what it means to have your mental health in the best shape you can but what usually gets overshadowed is the effects of just being a minority has on the status of your mental health. As a physician who has taken care of patients from the hospital setting to the rehab facilities and all the way to the ambulatory setting including home visits I am very familiar with the burden of being right has on our decision making. Today I going into had it has affected me on a personal level and the things I do to ensure that the patients as well as myself are taken care of.

Listen on Apple Podcast, Google Play, Stitcher, Soundcloud, iHeartRadio, Spotify

Sponsors:

Lunch and Learn Community Online Store

Resources:

Black Therapist Directory

Social Links:

- Join the lunch and learn community - https://www.drpierresblog.com/joinlunchlearnpod
- Follow the podcast on Facebook - http://www.facebook.com/lunchlearnpod
- Follow the podcast on twitter - http://www.twitter.com/lunchlearnpod - use the hashtag #LunchLearnPod if you have any questions, comments or requests for the podcast
- For More Episodes of the Lunch and Learn with Dr. Berry Podcasts https://www.drpierresblog.com/lunchlearnpodcast/

If you are looking to help the show out

- Leave a review on Apple Podcast because your ratings and reviews are what is going to make this show so much better

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On today's episode I wanted to talk about some of the most common things we don't tell our physicians and explore should the patient even have to. With much media fanfare for a certain hip hop star not wanting to disclose the fact that he had a child much has been made at whether we have the right to even know. I ask this because when we think about the doctor/patient relation its built on trust and believing that if you tell the doctor everything thing then the outcome will be better for you. Unfortunately this begs the question, if I decide to hold a little back from my doctor will I be ok in the long run?

Listen on Apple Podcast, Google Play, Stitcher, Soundcloud, iHeartRadio, Spotify

Sponsors:

Lunch and Learn Community Online Store

Social Links:

- Join the lunch and learn community - https://www.drpierresblog.com/joinlunchlearnpod
- Follow the podcast on Facebook - http://www.facebook.com/lunchlearnpod
- Follow the podcast on twitter - http://www.twitter.com/lunchlearnpod - use the hashtag #LunchLearnPod if you have any questions, comments or requests for the podcast
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On today's episode I wanted to thank all the listeners over the past year who helped me get to season 2 of the Lunch and Learn with Dr. Berry. It has been amazing ride thus far and I can't wait to continue to deliver the bout of excellence I can with the podcast. On this episode find out what has been going on over the past year, why quitting was never an option and just how to I plan to move the podcast forward. Also listen for a chance to get an exclusive discount for the lunch and learn listeners on my new shop page.

Listen on Apple Podcast, Google Play, Stitcher, Soundcloud, iHeartRadio, Spotify

Links Discussed

- Shop Page

Social Links

- Join the lunch and learn community - http://www.drpierresblog.com/joinlunchlearnpod
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- Follow the podcast on twitter - http://www.twitter.com/lunchlearnpod - use the hashtag #LunchLearnPod if you have any questions, comments or requests for the podcast
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On today's episode we discuss the important of June as it relates to mens health. Prostate and Colon Cancer are the typical highlight themes of the month but with the most recent media attention to mental health & wanted to take a closer look at the subject in relation to men today. Some of the statistics are surprising and I hope this episode can serve as a wake up call to someone out there that becoming mentally fit is as important as staying in the gym.

Find out on today's show why suicide has become one of the rising reasons for death in men, why over 6 million men deal with depression and what toxic masculinity has to do with it all.

Listen on Apple Podcast, Google Play, Stitcher, Soundcloud, iHeartRadio, Spotify

Links Discussed

- Don't say man up
- Men talking about their feelings
- Why women outlive men

Social Links

- Join the lunch and learn community - http://www.drpierresblog.com/joinlunchlearnpod
- Follow the podcast on Facebook - http://www.facebook.com/lunchlearnpod
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On today's episode I ask an all important question in the pursuit of mental health & well being. Do you trust your doctor enough to be able to tell them that you need help. With the most recent highly publicized suicide deaths of Kate Spade & Anthony Bourdain the awareness of suicide is definitely on the rise but the important question is for how long.

Find out today why suicide rates have increased across the country since 1999, why it has become a public health concern and what you and your doctor can do to recognize when someone needs help early.

Listen on Apple Podcast, Google Play, Stitcher, Soundcloud, iHeartRadio, Spotify

Links Discussed

- Suicide deaths rising
- Medical Spotlight - Depression

Social Links

- Join the lunch and learn community - http://www.drpierresblog.com/joinlunchlearnpod
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- Follow the podcast on twitter - http://www.twitter.com/lunchlearnpod - use the hashtag #LunchLearnPod if you have any questions, comments or requests for the podcast
- For More Episodes of the Lunch and Learn with Dr. Berry Podcasts http://www.drpierresblog.com/lunchlearnpodcast/

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On today's episode I am discussing the most recent guideline changes for colon cancer screening. This is a disease that kills over 50,000 people yearly with the sad fact that over 90% of cases could have been prevented.

Find out today why colon cancer deaths are becoming a public health crisis, get a refresher on risk factors associated with colon cancer and ways you can get screened for colon cancer without getting the "dreaded" colonoscopy.

Listen on Apple Podcast, Google Play, Stitcher, Soundcloud, iHeartRadio, Spotify

Links Discussed

- Colon Cancer in the African American Community
- Colon Cancer in Young People

Social Links

- Join the lunch and learn community - http://www.drpierresblog.com/joinlunchlearnpod
- Follow the podcast on Facebook - http://www.facebook.com/lunchlearnpod
- Follow the podcast on twitter - http://www.twitter.com/lunchlearnpod - use the hashtag #LunchLearnPod if you have any questions, comments or requests for the podcast
- For More Episodes of the Lunch and Learn with Dr. Berry Podcasts http://www.drpierresblog.com/lunchlearnpodcast/

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On today's episode I am discussing the most recent media story to hit the timeline about a dermatologist/cosmetic surgeon Dr. Windell Davis-Boutte. It is a story of two different issues, once about malpractice, the other about proper social media rules your physician should be following. Find out today why I was a little bit disappointed in my other physician colleagues regarding this story as well especially those who already use social media to increase their brand presence.

Listen on Apple Podcast, Google Play, Stitcher, Soundcloud, iHeartRadio, Spotify

Links Discussed

- HIPAA Monster
- Lips by Dr. Dulce

Social Links

- Join the lunch and learn community - http://www.drpierresblog.com/joinlunchlearnpod
- Follow the podcast on Facebook - http://www.facebook.com/lunchlearnpod
- Follow the podcast on twitter - http://www.twitter.com/lunchlearnpod - use the hashtag #LunchLearnPod if you have any questions, comments or requests for the podcast
- For More Episodes of the Lunch and Learn with Dr. Berry Podcasts http://www.drpierresblog.com/lunchlearnpodcast/

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- Leave a review on Apple Podcast because your ratings and reviews are what is going to make this show so much better

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Today's episode I am discussing the importance of cholesterol and why all your annual physicals include getting that tested. This topic is pretty long overdue seeing that we have talked about everything else that affects heart disease. Right in the beginning I am going to bring up some numbers that should have everyone in the lunch and learn community wondering if there numbers are something that they should be concerned about. Also as bonus I explain why you always have to fast before getting your blood testing for your physical and why not fasting could put you in serious harm. Find out today all you should know about cholesterol and why it is associated with the top 5 cause of death in the world.

Listen on Apple Podcast, Google Play, Stitcher, Soundcloud, iHeartRadio, Spotify

Social Links

- Join the lunch and learn community - http://www.drpierresblog.com/joinlunchlearnpod
- Follow the podcast on Facebook - http://www.facebook.com/lunchlearnpod
- Follow the podcast on twitter - http://www.twitter.com/lunchlearnpod - use the hashtag #LunchLearnPod if you have any questions, comments or requests for the podcast
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Today's episode I discuss when and why I started on my path to serve my patients, my community and last but not least the Lunch and Learn Community. Over the past month I have attended to two very different conferences one focused on putting myself in the position to serve myself better and the other on how can I put my medical residents in the best position to succeed. Both had different agendas but the underlying theme was the act of serving.

Find out just when I made the decision to go on this path of medicine where the act of serving is what kept me going even at the low points.

Listen on Apple Podcast, Google Play, Stitcher, Soundcloud, iHeartRadio, Spotify

Social Links

- Join the lunch and learn community - http://www.drpierresblog.com/joinlunchlearnpod
- Follow the podcast on Facebook - http://www.facebook.com/lunchlearnpod
- Follow the podcast on twitter - http://www.twitter.com/lunchlearnpod - use the hashtag #LunchLearnPod if you have any questions, comments or requests for the podcast
- For More Episodes of the Lunch and Learn with Dr. Berry Podcasts http://www.drpierresblog.com/lunchlearnpodcast/

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Today's episode is a discussion on which type of a physician is the best one to take care of you in the clinic setting. This week I was able to attend the American College of Internist conference for residency trainers and it hit home that I was truly assuming the role as an academic physician. There has always been discussion on the importance of the academic physician in healthcare and medical education but for the Lunch and Learn community the question becomes is that academic physician better to take care of patients on a day to day basis than the community doctors. Find out today why some doctors choose to go the academic route and why others shy away from the responsibility.

Listen on Apple Podcast, Google Play, Stitcher, Soundcloud, iHeartRadio, Spotify

Social Links

- Join the lunch and learn community - http://www.drpierresblog.com/joinlunchlearnpod
- Follow the podcast on Facebook - http://www.facebook.com/lunchlearnpod
- Follow the podcast on twitter - http://www.twitter.com/lunchlearnpod - use the hashtag #LunchLearnPod if you have any questions, comments or requests for the podcast
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Today's episode is a reflection of a great weekend at the Momentum in Medicine conference. I officially come back as a rejuvenated physician ready to take on the world again. As a former academy graduate it was amazing to see such the new class MMC18 cross the proverbial stage of entrepreneurship and freedom in this health industry. I honestly became so rejuvenated that I decided to make a pledge that you will hear about in today's episode. This episode is not your typical educational episode but I promise I will get back on schedule next week.

Listen on Apple Podcast, Google Play, Stitcher, Soundcloud, iHeartRadio, Spotify

Social Links

- - Join the lunch and learn community - http://www.drpierresblog.com/joinlunchlearnpod - Follow the podcast on Facebook - http://www.facebook.com/lunchlearnpod - Follow the podcast on twitter - http://www.twitter.com/lunchlearnpod - use the hashtag #LunchLearnPod if you have any questions, comments or requests for the podcast - For More Episodes of the Lunch and Learn with Dr. Berry Podcasts http://www.drpierresblog.com/lunchlearnpodcast/

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Today's guest is Dr. Nicole Washington, a Board Certified Psychiatrist, best selling author & speaker. She is here to give the Lunch and Learn Community some much needed advice on the importance of seeing a psychiatrist, why finding one that fits is most important in the way of treatment and discuss why she has turned her focus on the high level professional. This episode is full of great educational tips on medications, coping habits and includes a special offer for her best selling book.

Links

- From Introspection to Action - Listen to the episode for the free shipping code
- Dr. Nicole's Website

Social Links

- - Join the lunch and learn community - http://www.drpierresblog.com/joinlunchlearnpod - Follow the podcast on Facebook - http://www.facebook.com/lunchlearnpod - Follow the podcast on twitter - http://www.twitter.com/lunchlearnpod - use the hashtag #LunchLearnPod if you have any questions, comments or requests for the podcast - For More Episodes of the Lunch and Learn with Dr. Berry Podcasts http://www.drpierresblog.com/lunchlearnpodcast/

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- - Leave a review on Apple Podcast because your ratings and reviews are what is going to make this show so much better

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Listen on Apple Podcast, Google Play, Stitcher, Soundcloud, iHeartRadio, Spotify

Sometimes a relationship that you thought was meant to be doesn't last and right before the breakup is official the other person decides to test the waters before they are officially allowed to. That is what is happening in the healthcare industry and what we see is more startling than many believe. Today on the podcast we discuss why your doctor is no longer in love like they once were .

Links

- Burnout amongst Healthcare Workers
- Medscape Burnout Survey
- Physician burnout affecting patients

Social Links

- - Join the lunch and learn community - http://www.drpierresblog.com/joinlunchlearnpod - Follow the podcast on Facebook - http://www.facebook.com/lunchlearnpod - Follow the podcast on twitter - http://www.twitter.com/lunchlearnpod - use the hashtag #LunchLearnPod if you have any questions, comments or requests for the podcast - For More Episodes of the Lunch and Learn with Dr. Berry Podcasts http://www.drpierresblog.com/lunchlearnpodcast/

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Listen on Apple Podcast, Google Play, Stitcher, Soundcloud, iHeartRadio, Spotify

April is Autism Awareness month and since the diagnosis of my oldest daughter this has been one of the months that I truly look forward to in an effort to continue to shine light on a problem affecting the communities I care deeply for. On today's show we have my wife Maria Davis-Pierre, LMHC and CEO of Autism In Black, Inc. We discuss the reason behind forming the organization, some of the the issues we faced after the diagnosis of our daughter and what she is doing to help black parents of children with autism.

Links

- The Gardiner Scholarship
- Mckay Scholarship
- Autism in Black official webpage
- Autism in Black Facebook Page
- Free Parent CheckList

Social Links

- - Join the lunch and learn community - http://www.drpierresblog.com/joinlunchlearnpod - Follow the podcast on Facebook - http://www.facebook.com/lunchlearnpod - Follow the podcast on twitter - http://www.twitter.com/lunchlearnpod - use the hashtag #LunchLearnPod if you have any questions, comments or requests for the podcast - For More Episodes of the Lunch and Learn with Dr. Berry Podcasts http://www.drpierresblog.com/lunchlearnpodcast/

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- - Leave a review on Apple Podcast because your ratings and reviews are what is going to make this show so much better

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Listen on Apple Podcast, Google Play, Stitcher, Soundcloud, iHeartRadio, Spotify

Every now and then something across my desk, timeline or social media feed that confirms that I need to keep doing that best I can at promoting smart healthy choices & passing out factual health information because if I don't than a lot of people are going to be led down a terrible path in trying to stay as healthy as they can be. It wasn't long ago that the only way you received health info & remedies was from your doctor & what your family passed down. On this episode we discuss why the changes happened and what you need to do to avoid going down the wrong rabbit hole.

Links

- Antibiotic Resistance

Social Links

- - Join the lunch and learn community - http://www.drpierresblog.com/joinlunchlearnpod - Follow the podcast on Facebook - http://www.facebook.com/lunchlearnpod - Follow the podcast on twitter - http://www.twitter.com/lunchlearnpod - use the hashtag #LunchLearnPod if you have any questions, comments or requests for the podcast - For More Episodes of the Lunch and Learn with Dr. Berry Podcasts http://www.drpierresblog.com/lunchlearnpodcast/

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Listen on Apple Podcast, Google Play, Stitcher, Soundcloud, iHeartRadio, Spotify

A quick search for the term "Physician frustration" brings up a whole list of different websites trying to come the conclusion of why physicians seem more frustrated now more than ever. Unfortunately, in the community of physicians we tend not to tell the other colleagues our problems and when asked everyone seems to be doing great until these anonymous surveys come out to tell us different. On today's episode I discuss the some of the frustrations that I learned physicians were having over the past few weeks.

In this episode you will learn:

- Four reasons why physicians are upset
- Some of the biggest regrets physicians have
- When I plan on retiring from traditional medicine
- Why relying on your medicine career is a thing of the past.

Social Links

- - Join the lunch and learn community - http://www.drpierresblog.com/joinlunchlearnpod - Follow the podcast on Facebook - http://www.facebook.com/lunchlearnpod - Follow the podcast on twitter - http://www.twitter.com/lunchlearnpod - use the hashtag #LunchLearnPod if you have any questions, comments or requests for the podcast - For More Episodes of the Lunch and Learn with Dr. Berry Podcasts http://www.drpierresblog.com/lunchlearnpodcast/

If you are looking to help the show out

- - Leave a review on Apple Podcast because your ratings and reviews are what is going to make this show so much better

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Listen on Apple Podcast, Google Play, Stitcher, Soundcloud, iHeartRadio, Spotify

One of my biggest pet peeves is the fact that the media throws every celebrity who enters inside a hospital on their final death bed with only "life support" keeping them around. Like clockwork once rapper Rick Ross was found unresponsive over the weekend the media went to work putting out headline after ridiculous headline so this week will learn about life support and what different varieties it could be.

Links

- rick ross remains in the hospital

In this episode you will learn:

- About rapper Rick Ross
- How many patient's Dr. Berry has taken care of on life support
- What it means to truly be on life support
- An common procedure that also puts you on "life support" that we don't talk about

Social Links

- - Join the lunch and learn community - http://www.drpierresblog.com/joinlunchlearnpod - Follow the podcast on Facebook - http://www.facebook.com/lunchlearnpod - Follow the podcast on twitter - http://www.twitter.com/lunchlearnpod - use the hashtag #LunchLearnPod if you have any questions, comments or requests for the podcast - For More Episodes of the Lunch and Learn with Dr. Berry Podcasts http://www.drpierresblog.com/lunchlearnpodcast/

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- - Leave a review on Apple Podcast because your ratings and reviews are what is going to make this show so much better

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Listen on Apple Podcast, Google Play, Stitcher, Soundcloud, iHeartRadio, Spotify It's the leading cause of death WORLDWIDE. Its will cost the US over 200 billion per year and that number is only going to go up. This month as we have our annual celebration of valentines day and the release of The Black Panther I wanted to make sure we end the note understanding just how important staying heart healthy is to everyone. On this week's podcast we have Dr. Mike Morris, a renowned board Certified Cardiologist and newest contributor to the Lunch and Learn community who is going to show us why we need to be heart healthy today and stress the importance of seeing a cardiologist before its too late.

Links

- Official Website http://www.drmikemorrismd.com
- Dr. Mike's Best Selling Book http://www.drpierresblog.com/DrMike
- Dr. Mike's Practice - http://www.atlantavanguard.com
- Social Media Handle- @DrMikeMorrisMD
- Head Strong Heart Smart Private Group - http://www.hshsgroup.com

In this episode you will learn:

- Why it's important to go to the cardiologist
- What is heart disease
- What it means to be heart healthy
- The Importance of American Heart Month
- Best way to avoid becoming a broken down car (prevention options)

Social Links

- - Join the lunch and learn community - http://www.drpierresblog.com/joinlunchlearnpod - Follow the podcast on Facebook - http://www.facebook.com/lunchlearnpod - Follow the podcast on twitter - http://www.twitter.com/lunchlearnpod - use the hashtag #LunchLearnPod if you have any questions, comments or requests for the podcast - For More Episodes of the Lunch and Learn with Dr. Berry Podcasts http://www.drpierresblog.com/lunchlearnpodcast/

If you are looking to help the show out

- - Leave a review on Apple Podcast because your ratings and reviews are what is going to make this show so much better

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Being uninformed is no longer an excuse in 2018. Sexual assault is front and center on our television sets, newspapers and right in front of our faces. We have prominent figures rightfully being taken down their pegs of fame because of these terrible acts. Women now march in huge numbers to get the point across that no longer will they settle for the status quo of keeping quiet while being taken advantage of. Last week we had Rhodena Mesadieu, a licensed clinical social worker help us establish the foundation of what is sexual assault and this week I have the pleasure of having Marline Francois-Madden, a licensed clinical social worker who is going to help up pick up some of the pieces left over from sexual trauma.

Marline is the owner of Hearts Empowerment Counseling Center and Founder of Far More Precious Inc. In this episode not only are we going to be discussing the importance of healing from sexual trauma, but we will also get into a discussion on sex trafficking, why she started the non profit organization Far More Precious and her work with the Haitian community.

Links

Official Website http://www.marlinefrancois.com
Non profit organization http://www.farmoreprecious.org
Brunch and Bond - http://www.brunchandbond.com
Practice website- http://www.heartsempowerment.com

In this episode you will learn:

What are the effects of sexual trauma?
What event caused her to be working with the population she does
Get educated on what is sex trafficking & who are the culprits
Why she started Far More Precious, Inc
What is Brunch and Bond & why its so important
How do we work on getting the Haitian community involved with mental health care

Social Links

Join the lunch and learn community - http://www.drpierresblog.com/joinlunchlearnpod
Follow the podcast on Facebook - http://www.facebook.com/lunchlearnpod
Follow the podcast on twitter - http://www.twitter.com/lunchlearnpod - use the hashtag #LunchLearnPod if you have any questions, comments or requests for the podcast
For More Episodes of the Lunch and Learn with Dr. Berry Podcasts http://www.drpierresblog.com/lunchlearnpodcast/

If you are looking to help the show out

Leave a review on Apple Podcast because your ratings and reviews are what is going to make this show so much better

Download the MP3 Audio file, listen to the episode however you like.

Transcript of the show -

http://www.drpierresblog.com/ep55notes

M. Pierre: Thanks for listening to the Lunch and Learn with Doctor Berry. Here to help educate, motivate, and put you on the right path to take control of your health through weekly discussions on topics in the medical field, public health arena, and in your community. Now your host, Dr. Berry.

Dr. Berry: Welcome to another edition to the Lunch and Learn with Dr. Berry, this is episode 55. Like always, head over to get the show notes at lunchlearnpod.com or drpierresblog.com/llp055. Today we have another great one. If you were able to listen to last week's episode, we had Rhodena Mesadieu, a licensed clinical social worker who specialized in sexual assault & sexual trauma. We follow right along with the same lines. I told you guys this was a two part episode of discussion. We have Marline Francois, out of New Jersey and again, I'm not going to butcher her bio. I'll let her do her own from that standpoint, but she, not only has experience and expertise in sexual trauma but she has also worked with victims of sexual trafficking. She'll get into discussion of what sexual trafficking actually means and I'll tell you right now. My only experience with it was naïve and what I would see on TV and what I would see on SVU.

Dr. Berry: So, she really breaks it down for us. And, we'll also talk about her organization Far More Precious, where she works primarily, with teenage at risk women. As well as, how mental health in the Haitian community is being affected during this time. So, sit back listen to another amazing episode with Marline Francois.

Dr. Berry: Alright ladies and gentlemen. First of all, thank you for joining another episode of the Lunch and Learn with Dr. Berry and I'm excited. We have an amazing guest today, Marline Francois and I'm not even going to butcher her bio. She's got a bio a mile long of amazing things that she's doing. Today, is going to be another special episode. We're going to be getting into some deep discussion, deep conversation that I think needs to be had. Of course, like you guys know whenever I want to listen and learn about a topic, that I may not be the foremost expert on. Again, I was obviously, as being an internist, I know a lot about a lot. I also know where my boundary lies. This is one of these topics where the boundary hits a full stop. So, I wanted to bring on an expert here on the Lunch and Learn and again, I just want to kind of give you guys a warm welcome to Marline Francois. Marline, thank you for joining the podcast today.

Marline Francois: Thank you for having me today.

Dr. Berry: So Marline, can you give a little quick bio of the Lunch and Learn community. Kind of let them know who you are, what you've been doing, and why you're doing such an amazing job at what you're doing.

Marline Francois: Yes, no problem. So, I am Marline Francois-Madden. I'm a licensed clinical social worker in New Jersey. I also do speaking engagements in the community, local churches. I've spoken at the Congressional Black Caucus for Women and Girls. I also run workshops for teens. I have a non-profit organization and I'm also the owner of Hearts Empowerment Counseling Center which is a therapy practice for women and girls. So, that's just a little bit of what I do. I also have a therapist planner which is a product that I sell for therapists. The first ever planner that has a lot of mental health diagnoses in there. Also has psychotropic medications so a lot of things that set social workers and psychologists and mental health therapists utilize. So, I incorporated all that into a product for them. So, that's a little bit of what I do.

Dr. Berry: All right, ladies and gentleman. I told you I was not playing. Marline is doing absolutely amazing things. We're going to get into everything. We're going to get into her nonprofit. We're going to get into the therapist planner which my wife is a loyal and happy customer of. So, again, we'll make sure we're going to deep dive in. Again, if you're not around where you can kind of write some of these things down, remember I will be putting all of her information in the show notes. So, you'll be able to get the therapist planner. You'll be able to get in touch with her nonprofit organization. If you're in the area, you'll be able to get in touch with her company as well. Like I said, this is a person doing absolutely amazing things. We're just excited to have her here to talk about a topic that again, unless you've been sleeping under a rock, has been kind of hitting you front and center.

Dr. Berry: The discussion of sexual abuse, sexual assault, and sexual trauma in general. Marline, can you kind of give us a little intro on, especially with your expertise and kind of where your focus is at as far as sexual trauma. How would you as a therapist define sexual trauma for the lay person who may not fully understand the subtle differences between a lot of the terms that they're starting to hear?

Marline Francois: Yeah. So, there's a lot of terms. You hear sexual trauma, you hear sexual abuse, sexual assault. So, for me the way I like to define it, so the sexual trauma, I believe that is what your symptoms that you're experiencing as a result of sexual abuse or assault. So, any of that could be related to rape, molestation, sexual harassment. Anything that involves with not having your consent. That can result to sexual trauma.

Dr. Berry: I think a big thing you talked about especially the consent aspect of it. I know being a male and being around social circles with a lot of males, I think the topic has came up in our groups. What is consent? It's two fold. Again, I like to play devil's advocate, but I think a lot of the men in the circles that I'm with or be with or just being around in earshot are at loss. For some reason, they don't understand what consent is anymore. They'll even say statements like, "What can I do now?" Can you kind of give a fresh breather on what consent means and why is it so important to actually have it?

Marline Francois: Yeah. So, for me, you need to hear the person physically verbally say yes or no. If you don't have that clear consent, it makes it a blurred line. I think if you've built a relationship with someone and you know that person, then it's one thing to understand clearly you're not going to ask your wife every single night like, "Hey babe, yes or no?" You kind of built that relationship with them, but if you don't really know the person, it is very important to have permission. If that person does not give you permission, then you're pretty much trying to take something from them without having that consent. So, it's so important. I think this is something even for young children and for young children, parents sometimes will teach kids that they own their body and for kids to understand what consent means and understand you own your body. You can tell people no.

Marline Francois: Because so often, even me as a Haitian person, growing up, when you walk in a room, you have to give everyone a kiss on the cheek. You have to say hi to people. You can't just wave. You have to go up to each person. So, you normally know. With little kids, sometimes there are people they don't want to be around, don't want to say hi. Now, you've kind of taken that right away from them and you're telling them, "You need to say hi to this person. You need to go up to them and give them a kiss on the cheek. You're being disrespectful by not giving them a kiss on the cheek." Now, that child, they no longer feel comfortable saying no. Then your girls become an adult. Then you don't know if you have that consent to say no. You just feel like, "You know what? I'm just going to do this because the other person want it. Even though I really don't want to deep down inside."

Marline Francois: Then you're left with the cognitive distortions and the shame and the guilt of the aftermath of what occurred. So, consent is such a huge thing. It's a matter of, "Okay, do I have this person's acceptance? Do I have an agreement with them to do this? Do I have their approval, whether it's through their verbal consent or their nonverbal cues that they're giving off?" Because sometimes people's nonverbal cues will tell you if they want to consent to doing something or not. So often people bypass those things.

Dr. Berry: Let me ask a question. What kind of drew you to the topic and the conversation and the field of sexual trauma and wanting to help especially women and young women in that circle? What drew you to that?

Marline Francois: Well, so since I was five years old I told my parents that I was going to be a clinical psychologist. So, at a very young age, I knew I was going into this field, but I think part of it also stemmed from the fact that I was a survivor of child sexual abuse at a young age, but I didn't disclose it to anyone until I was in college. So, at a young age, I would say my early teen years, I would read Teen Vogue magazine and there were other magazines like 17 and they would have these Q&A sections in a magazine where they would pose questions to mental health professionals and medical doctors and people would answer the questions. It was like a ask health section. So, there were always questions related to sexual abuse so I would always read those questions and read the response that the psychologist would reply back or the medical doctor would reply back.

Marline Francois: I was like, "Wow, this is so intriguing. I want to be that person who has a column in a magazine or helping young women to kind of find their healing journey." So, I think part of it stems from my own childhood pain and being able to grow up and fall in love with psychology because at a young age, I was really in to counseling and therapy. So, I just knew that I wanted to do some type of work that related to working with women and young girls that had a background of trauma.

Dr. Berry: Wow. Okay. First of all, thank you for sharing your story. Because I know a lot of times, that comes from a sense of strength of being able to experience something so traumatic and be able to kind of build on top of it. Now, you're kind of spreading that seed and helping others who are in positions that you may have been or your family or just people that we know kind of growing up. I'll be honest, just kind of like when I was doing my own research, I didn't realize how young sexual trauma and sexual assault and sexual abuse started. I think now we're seeing ... When we see all the stuff that's happening on TV and in Hollywood and almost now every industry which, again, isn't surprising. If it's happened in Hollywood, it's probably happening right down the road. So, we shouldn't be surprised that it happens in all these industries.

Marline Francois: Yeah.

Dr. Berry: But I think I was surprised and taken back of how early it starts. Could you explain just the mental toll that especially some of your clients and your patients experience and they have to go through when they experience it at such an early age but still have to kind of continue and grow and build and become their own.

Marline Francois: Yeah. So, it can start at a very young age because especially for children, they're very vulnerable. They're very vulnerable and you may trust a person, so about at least 90% of the time, you know who the abuser is. The perpetrator. Most people know who it is. It's either a family, a close friend, it's someone who has direct access to that person because what they do is half the time is they go through some sort of grooming process where they will think of sexual assault and sexual abuse. They automatically think that if somebody put a gun to your head like, "Hey, this is going to happen right now," but that's not the case in a lot of the assaults that occur. It sometimes it could be someone who's watching that child and they're playing games with them and they tell them don't tell anyone. Now the child is conflicted. What do I do?

Marline Francois: So, then they don't tell anyone. Then this person's like, "If you say something, then you won't have this. I will no longer give you these games or give you this." So, they're pretty much rewarding or bribing the child with something and now that child is conflicted and it can cause a lot of psychological affects afterwards. For some people, even some physical conditions. So, I've even worked with infants, babies that were under two that were raped I should say. It sounds really bad to say that. It's really hard to see a situation like that because then you could just think about the effects for that child and have the child having to go into surgery and the impact it it does on that child as they get older. They have to think about what happened to me?

Marline Francois: So, you just have to treat each case separately. Even as far as women who were in college, one in five women will be assaulted while they're in college. That's 20%. So, I think that's why a lot of colleges are also now starting they have sexual assault programs in school for college students so that way they can bring their awareness and free that safe space for you to go and approach people about what has happened to you.

Dr. Berry: That's really sad that even it starts as young as an infant from the lack of protection. In your practice, you see this trauma and you see the mental anguish. How do you as a health professional, how are you ... Patients will ask me that sometimes. They'll say, "Well, Dr. Pierre, how are you able to see from point A to point Z? Whether it be good times, whether it be bad times? Then you're just able to go home." "Clock out." Especially as a therapist. I'm always very intrigued with the therapist community because I'll be honest, as a physician, we may spend 15, 20 minutes. A lot of times we're kind of shooting the breeze. Maybe we're more directly asking questions and not really listening to answers in that point, but when you have the field of therapy where you guys are doing a lot more in depth talking, in depth discussion, how are you able to then move on or then clock out or then go home without that continually having to drag you on?

Marline Francois: Lots of self care. So, one of the things early on in my professional career, after I graduated with my undergraduate degree in psychology, I was working for Child Protective Services in the state of Pennsylvania where I resided at the time. So, the unit that I worked for was the adolescent crisis unit and it was children and adolescents. I had to be in their home three or four times a week. Very high crisis cases. Sex offenders. We'd go to sex offenders facilities. A lot of sexual assault and physical abuse cases. So, I remember in those moments when I was working late night and they're getting phone calls about someone running away or someone was just raped or we just went to the house and you couldn't believe it was this person who assaulted the child.

Marline Francois: I remember the burden that I had. I would go home and you would cry because you're pulling kids out of their home to put them in foster care. You're separating families. I remember the burden that I had and I was just like, "This is not healthy for me because if I continue to be this way," and I like to call that emotion compassion fatigue is what I like to call that. It's somewhat out of a burnout because you care so much and then eventually you burn out. So, when you get to that point, you can no longer really serve them effectively. So, in that moment, I had to realize I have to have clear boundaries. I need to set self care for myself and realize once I leave work, I am at home.

Marline Francois: It doesn't make me less passionate about what I do in any way because what I know when I go home, I need to have the self care to kind of rejuvenate myself and refuel myself and have time to do more research so I can learn, "Okay, what are some new methods that are out there? New interventions that I need to learn?" I think it's really important to have a great support system. I always recommend that therapists go see therapists or have therapists as friends.

Dr. Berry: Oh yes.

Marline Francois: Yeah. I have a large network of therapist friends and they have been very helpful when I needed that place to vent and just talk about things. My husband has been very helpful too. I think it's very important to have a support system that you can go to that will listen because so often, I find that when you go to people and talk about things, people are like, "Oh me too. I'm going through that too," but no one's really listening to what you're going through. So, it's important to have that. I think it's important to establish self care. It's important to establish boundaries because if not, you're going to feel the effects of it. It's going to be very difficult to really engage with your client in therapy and offer them the support that they need and some therapists also to evade there's this thing called counter transference where the client is talking about a situation that they're going through and now you're having flashbacks of what you went through relating to what the client is going through.

Marline Francois: So, that's why it's so important for therapists to have some sort of clinical supervision group or peer support group that they can talk about these things so they can figure out what do I need to do so I'm in a good space to help this client or else the client is going to, the client is giving you a therapy session in the room.

Dr. Berry: Oh yes. Physicians that are listening to the lunch and learn, I want y'all to really take heed. Again, you see the therapists are doing it. They understand that if they need self love, they need self care, they go seek others. They go seek it. It's no reason to be trying to hold it all in and deal with the anguish and deal with the stress that our field kind of holds on. So, I'm definitely happy that you brought that up because again, I have a few physicians who listen to me so I want to make sure they're all open ears. Now, Marline I was looking at the bio. Again, one thing that was very interesting to me was your work with women in Haiti in regards to sex trafficking. Now, I'll be honest. Again, as an internist, I know what I know. I know what I don't know. When I think about sex trafficking, all I think about is SVU.

Dr. Berry: I don't really have that great of a grasp of just the topic itself. Can you kind of give us a little bit of intro on just what the topic or the field of sex trafficking is and then really delve in to how are you doing such amazing work in that field.

Marline Francois: Oh yeah. Absolutely. So, with sex trafficking, it's an illegal business where people make it seem like it's not. It's a multi-billion industry that is happening so-

Dr. Berry: Billion?

Marline Francois: Yes. It's just like how pornography is. So, it's pretty much coercion, recruiting, transportation of a person or a child for the purpose of sex. So, so often when people think of sex trafficking or even human trafficking, when people think of that topic, they think of, "Oh, this is happening in other countries. It's not happening here," but it's always happening right in our back yards and January happens to be human trafficking awareness month. What people don't realize, for instance, New Jersey, so I reside in New Jersey and I'm near a lot of major highways. For people that a lot of the pimps I should say. The pimps, the johns, whatever you want to call them. The people who are running these businesses that are illegal, they tend to like to be near major highways.

Marline Francois: So, that way they can transport the young child, girl, women, man. They can transport them across state lines. So, they don't stay in one place too long. So, in New Jersey, we're near major highways to get to Philadelphia, south Jersey, Atlantic City, BC. So, we're near a lot of major highways so it's easy for them to kind of just be stationed there and then move the girls from one place to the other. What people don't realize with human trafficking, it starts at the age of 12. The age of entry is 12. The younger they can get the better for them they feel like. Some of them will also brand their girls. They'll put tattoos on the girls so they'll mark their girls as their property so that way they can not leave. When they leave and try to go somewhere else, another pimp will be able to identify that she belongs to so and so.

Dr. Berry: Wow.

Marline Francois: A lot of times, with these girls, they're vulnerable. So, you hear either girls that are running away. They may come from a home where they're getting abused or neglect. Foster home. You hear things like that. You also hear girls who come from a somewhat of a stable household. They may come from a household where they go to a good school, they have their parents' support. You think they have everything that they need because sometimes we tend to stereotype groups and families and I think even sometimes even physicians you have someone in their office. Like, oh, okay. She's pretty healthy. Everything's good. You find out something else and you're like, "Oh. Okay. Now, let's discuss that."

Marline Francois: So, people tend to sometimes stereotype like, "Oh, well, she just don't wanna act right. That's why she's in the situation." Not realizing that the pimps are getting very smart. They're up to date with technology and what's happening out there. So, they're using social media. A lot of times, people think the pimp is this older man with a gold tooth with a hat with a little feather and the pimped out suit. The thing that I found growing up back in the day on TV, but no. It may be the young guy who's 19 years old. They're attractive. He's driving a BMW and then this girl's in high school. She's like, "Oh, he got a car. He can take care of me." Because that's what they do. They tell them I will take care of you. I will get you a modeling contract. I will buy you this. I will buy you that. So, they go through this whole grooming process and for some of the girls it may take months or a few weeks to do that grooming process.

Marline Francois: Eventually that girl falls in love with him and he's like, "Babe. I don't have money. I need you to do this for me." Now, this girl's like not sure what she wants to do. Then she decides to do it and it's like you need to bring me back $1000 tonight or I'm going to kill you. I'm going to go back and kill your little sister at home. I know where your family lives because they've built that relationship with them so they know so much about that girl and her family that they now are cohorts into this. When they are picked up by the police, which is the sad part, is that they end up in a juvenile detention center or if they're over 18, they may end up incarcerated for prostitution.

Marline Francois: So, I know some states have made the changes with labeling it as child sexual exploitation and then other states are still working on changing the terminology when it comes to sex trafficking and the labels that they put on these girls, but they're not getting treated with trauma informed therapy and that's what they need.

Dr. Berry: So, now I gotta ask. Wow. What drew you to that? Was there a certain client and then you just kind of went in that direction? Especially of course, being of Haitian descent. I think and I saw it as oh. Okay. I gotta ask about this because again, I think you hit it right on the money. When I think about sexual trafficking and human trafficking, I always think it's out the country. I don't think it's in Florida or in New Jersey or in New York or in California. I think that concept is kind of lost on the fact that it happens right in our backyard, right under our nose and we're not even sure. Maybe we see, especially I'm on social media a lot so I'm always seeing I feel like it's almost every one or two weeks now so and so is missing. I always wonder. Unfortunately my first question is, "Alright, did they get kidnapped?" But secondly, did that happen? Did they go in that direction and that's why we can't find them anymore?

Marline Francois: So, the reason I went into this, I used to work for a residential therapeutic foster care program. So, pretty much these were kids that were in a foster home but they were in a ... they were foster homes, but then there's something a step higher than that which is a therapeutic foster home where the kids were required to see a psychiatrist once a month and you're required to go to therapy sessions weekly. So, working in that environment and working with teenagers, a lot of them were running away. Some of them had boyfriends that were older than them. I did some trainings as far as on running groups related to human trafficking for teams. I think running the group is when I watching the videos about it and then learning so much from the girls about how they had friends in high school who were getting all this money and had this older boyfriend or trying to coerce them into getting into the same route and saying, "Hey, girl. Do you want to come to me with this party? You can make some money tonight just by doing this. It's only this one time."

Marline Francois: So, then they were just going after these other girls too that I worked with. So, I think that's what made me really dive into it because I really thought it was like, "Okay. This is just an international issue. It doesn't really happen in New Jersey," but then I realized it was happening and I was seeing more stories and articles being pulled up about it. Having other friends who were also passionate about it and doing the work I recognized, okay. This is a global issue. It's happening everywhere and it's not being talked about enough in the US. So, that's how I got involved in it.

Marline Francois: Then eventually, it kind of led me to Haiti via interaction on social media with another person who was I believe a occupational therapist in Haiti at the time working at an orphanage. She connected me with someone else who was living in Haiti who was opening up their own transitional housing program for girls that were involved in human trafficking in DR and Haiti and were called the Jacks for Health and it was located in Jacmel. So, I got involved with them and went out to Haiti and got to work closely with some of the girls that were in this program. So, they provided safe housing for them, education, food, they had so many different programs they had with the girls.

Marline Francois: Having health educators there, having dance, Zumba, going to church every week. So, the girls really got to just reclaim who they were as a woman and just learning how to heal and just realize like okay. I can own my body back despite what happened. Hearing a lot of their stories really traumatic. Because you're dealing with something very different in Haiti. You're dealing with there's an economic crisis in Haiti. We know that. We know how in Haiti it's really hard for so many people to survive. It was just like a lot of these women felt like they had no choice. It was like my kids need to eat. They need to go to school. I needed this money so this is all I can do in the moment. I didn't want to, but I had to do it.

Marline Francois: Or hearing how them being beaten and raped by different men. Just the stigma with knowing what to call that and not being able to label it as rape. They didn't know how to label it as rape or sexual abuse or saying I was abused by this man. It was just like, "Oh, I had this friend and he would give me money. We would do things." It was like, "Well, did you want to do those things?" No, not really but I had to. Then the more and more I talked about it, the more and more the tears will come down their face and the embarrassment, the shame. It was like this is not your fault. I don't want you to put the blame on yourself. You were forced into this. Someone tried to take advantage of you.

Marline Francois: So, I think a lot of times, they didn't know. I think there's still that stigma I think even in the African American and Caribbean cultures when it comes to sexual assault and trauma. Things of that sort. So, for these girls where they feel like, "Okay. My family needs to survive and I need to do this so I can have $25 to put my kids in school for the entire month." Where here, public school. You have public school. You can go to school for free. You can buy your kid some clothes, but over there, it's like you have to pay for education. If you don't pay for education, what's going to happen with your kids? Trying to have money for food just the bare minimum they needed. It felt like they had no more option.

Dr. Berry: So, it's a lot of it seems especially it seems to come from a sense of an origin of survival. Whereas and again, obviously we don't want to belittle anyone who may be obviously going through the same things here, but it seems like almost a level of connectedness. There's a lack of connection one way or the other and that's how they get connected to said pimp and that's how they get connected to said home and away from home in a way because there's that lack of it.

Marline Francois: Yep. Yeah. Absolutely. There's no safety. There's no safety. Your basic needs aren't being met so now you're looking for another option.

Dr. Berry: How has especially all this stuff that's kind of been stemming from the fact that now it's popular, right? Now it's popular to have this discussion on sexual assault and sexual abuse and sexual trauma and hopefully soon sexual trafficking. How has that kind of helped spur your field and the clients that you may see now versus maybe a few years ago?

Marline Francois: I think now, because you have the whole Me Too campaign happening, you're seeing a lot more dialogue and discussion when it relates to women just advocating for each other and stepping up and fighting for their rights. So, you're seeing a lot more of that discussion happening so I think that women are ... Not just women. And men. So, people are becoming a little bit more comfortable with sharing and disclosing their own trauma and things that has happened to them and people are becoming more willing to go and seek help and see a mental health therapist. I also think also too, as therapists, we're putting ourselves out there a little bit more with speaking up more about what does it look like? What does your first appointment seeing a therapist look like? What is anxiety? What is depression? How do I know if I'm sad? What is mental health versus mental illness?

Marline Francois: So, we're having those discussions and I think it's becoming a little bit more accepting. We'll see someone. Look at Jay Z. He's out there talking about therapy. He put it on his album. He had it on his album and so I think when people are seeing celebrities talking about therapy and having the Me Too hashtag and campaign happening and seeing people all across people talking about it, people are like, "Wow, you too?" So, I think that's what people need. When they can see that, "Okay. I am going through something that you also went through or we share the same pain," it makes it easy for people to feel comfortable to share what they're going through and be more vulnerable.

Dr. Berry: At the level especially from being open, because I know obviously you work with primarily women and young girls. Do you find the bar much higher for men to want to come out and who may have experienced sexual trauma sexual abuse growing up to even admit it? Even to say me too? Do you find that to be a very stark difference, especially with the movement that we have now that, I don't want to say primarily seems to be women centered, but of course, again, correct me if I'm wrong. I think a lot more women suffer from sexual assault and sexual trauma.

Marline Francois: Yep. Yeah. Women definitely suffer more from it. I think when it comes to men, there's still this stigma like that didn't happen or people laugh at them. There's still this laughing concept like, "Oh, a man can't get raped." People don't understand it. Men also to themselves if they're put in that position, they don't want to speak out about it because that dialogue is not happening so frequently as far as what does it look like for a man who does not consent to this? It also for the statistics, only one in nine girls will experience sexual abuse before they're 18 compared to 1 in 53 boys under the age of 18.

Dr. Berry: Wow.

Marline Francois: So, the rate is higher for women to experience sexual assault and abuse. For me, maybe I think there's also maybe too lack... it's under reported. It's under reported not just for men, but I also think that in the African American community, it's under reported as far as sexual assault when it comes to the data. For men, if it happens, who do they go to? Because then it's like, "What do I say?" I think the impact also too if they were sexually abused by a male or a female there's a different impact. Because I know recently there was a story of a teacher who got pregnant by one of her students. The family were excited. The family of the young boy was excited about this that our son is having a baby with this-

Dr. Berry: Oh. Tell it. Talk about it.

Marline Francois: Yeah.

Dr. Berry: Talk about it.

Marline Francois: I had to shut it off. I'm like, "I can't do this. I can not do this right now." Then but you always hear that dialogue. I remember growing up always hearing that dialogue when I was in high school. The boys like, "Oh yes. I can just bang that teacher." It was like something you want to do. I remember growing up watching Dawson's Creek on TV and the boy, he was in high school, forgot his name. He was sleeping with his teacher. It was an okay thing for them. It was the thing that they wanted to do. So, it's still that thing where if a situation like that did occur, you can just only imagine. So, if he's telling his guy friends in the locker room like, "Yeah. Me and so and so." It would be like, "Me and so and so had sex." It wouldn't even be like, "Man, so and so came at me and she raped me." Because if he says that, the other guy's like, "What? I wish she would rape me."

Dr. Berry: Exactly. Exactly.

Marline Francois: You would hear ... Yeah. So, then it's like at that point, it's like-

Dr. Berry: It's so slanted for men to want and accept something that's clearly sexual assault, that's clearly rape, it's clearly sexual trauma, but mentally they're like, "Oh, no no. I'm okay with it."

Marline Francois: Yeah.

Dr. Berry: Absolutely. Yeah.

Marline Francois: Yeah.

Dr. Berry: How can, especially as a physician and of course I always feel that our therapists are really the front line when it comes to mental health and getting our act together as a community, as a country together. But I think the numbers don't lie. A lot of your patients will come see their primary care first, right? Not necessarily for mental health issues, but for their blood pressure. For their cholesterol. For some random.. but they still have those same characteristics. What are some things that, especially me as a physician, should be really looking out for and really keying in on when we're thinking about a history of sexual trauma or the effects of sexual assault when they're young, that I should even incorporate tomorrow in my practice and in my history taking?

Marline Francois: I think it's important to ... Some warning signs I would say look out. So, with the medical profession I would say asking them questions as far as with depression. I think it's called a PQI or PHI scale. There's a questionnaire we can ask them where it can kind of assess for depression or suicidal thoughts. So, looking out for some of those normal things like how's your energy level, your appetite, any sleeping pattern changes. Ask them questions about if they had nightmares or any flashbacks because nightmares and flashbacks are associated to PTSD and trauma. If you're scoping out their body, checking their heart rate and their arms to get their vitals things like that, seeing if you see any unusual cuts or bruises on their body to see is this person being abused or some sort of domestic dispute happening or are they engaging in self harm behavior.

Marline Francois: STDs is another big one. If they have had a history of any STIs or STDs, asking them if they remember how they contracted it as far as their sex life. Ask them questions about that to see what's going on with that because sometimes you may have people where they will tell you that their sex life is no longer the same because of some experience that they had that they weren't comfortable with. Maybe even assessing for drug and alcohol behaviors. Asking them who they reside with, who do they live with. Do they feel safe? So, you always want to assess for safety. I think safety is one of the biggest things and making sure that they feel safe where they reside at. Where they work at, where they live, go to school. Do you feel safe here? Are they in an abusive relationship or not?

Marline Francois: So, look out for those things. If you're working with a adolescent or a child, how are your grades in school? How are things going? Looking for unusual behaviors and asking the parents too. Have you seen any difference? Any significant changes lately in your child? Are they spaced out all day? Do you have a child who is in school now and now they're dealing with enuresis? So, they're bedwetting all day or they're reverting back to that behavior so that's happening too. That's another sign of some sort of sexual abuse so asking about that. Assessing those things as much as possible when you have that child or adult that's in your practice and figuring out, "Okay. What is unusual that's happening? Do you feel safe?" Just seeing how they engage with you in that moment.

Dr. Berry: I think that's important because I would have patients come in for very vague complaints. As a physician, especially if you're not thinking in that mental health aspect first and asking more in depth serious questions, you're running tests, you're ordering, you're sending them to different specialists and I remember specific, I had a patient. She came in. It was probably three times in one month which is totally unusual. Three times in one month came and it was always for something vague. It was always for something that it just didn't make sense when she told the story. I remember just asking one day. I said, "Is everything okay at home?"

Dr. Berry: That was all I said. Is everything okay at home? She began bawling tears. She began bawling tears because clearly she was coming because she wanted to say something but she didn't know how to say it. All it took was me for to ask that one question and it was almost like the floodgates. She was able to open up and talk about some of the issues that she was facing at home in particular. This particular case was domestic violence and get to the point where she was able to open up because she couldn't do it at home. Her way to get out the house was to have a doctors appointment and to be "sick." So, I definitely agree with just ... It almost sounds bad, but I think some of our doctors, we're just not asking questions. We're just not doing enough of that.

Marline Francois: Yeah. Well, I think also too, I know there was a doctor. I think her name is Dr. Burke. She's a pediatrician out in California. She did a TedX talk on the affects of child abuse and she talked about how when she was in her training and residency working in the ER and children were coming in with various complaints, but no one was really asking the right questions. She realized a lot of what they're going through are because of their trauma. Not the sexual trauma, but other forms of trauma that kids may experience. So, if you witness your parents in a domestic dispute, if you've seen someone get shot. So, a lot of the other trauma that occurs and how that affects a child. So, she started doing a lot of research and study around that and just being able to ask questions related to that. So that way she can better provide service and recommendations and care for the patients that were coming in to see her.

Dr. Berry: So, I want to, because I obviously this is such a powerful episode, such a powerful topic, but I do want to end on a more lighter note. I want to kind of segue and kind of talk about your nonprofit, right? I'll say this and I'm on this enough, but I'm a little bias, right? As a founder of a nonprofit organization, I love when I see other young professionals be able to say, "You know what? Yes I'm doing okay, yes I'm doing great in my field, but I want to do more. I want to do more for those in need." So, can we talk just a little bit about Far More Precious, your organization. Your nonprofit or 501C-3 nonprofit organization. For those who listen, that means you can donate money and be a tax write off.

Marline Francois:Yeah.

Dr. Berry: Can we talk a little bit more about that? Because again, I'm excited. I absolutely love the program. I love the theme of it. I always get inspired when I see someone who's like oh ok you have a nonprofit too? okay. I like it.

Marline Francois: Yep. So a lot of it stems from when I was in graduate school. I knew I wanted to give back for girls. Underserved communities and for me, a lot of it had to do with in my profession and in internship experiences working with teenagers and realizing that they were limited on resources when it came to academic roles and professional development and not knowing what opportunities are out there for them. So, this was a way to kind of give back in the community by providing those resources for young girls that were in high school. Being able to provide some academic scholarship. So, it was a way to kind of get into the schools and kind of do a lot of talks about self esteem and social media etiquette and goal setting workshop.

Marline Francois: So, that was my way of kind of just doing that for girls. Then also this year, what we're doing is that we're doing a five city tour in New Jersey, Brooklyn, New York, Baltimore, Maryland, DC, and Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. We're doing a five city tour where we're going to target 40 girls per city and we're doing a brunch experience for the girls. So, millennials love to brunch. I love to brunch. I'm obsessed with brunch, but then it seems like for young girls ... Yeah. There's a lot of events. Women are doing a lot of women empowerment events. There are conferences. There's a lot that's happening for young professionals, but for a lot of these young girls, they have conferences and workshops that happen with their school where you go to this workshop and it's like, "Okay. This is good. I sit here and listen to you talk all day. This is great," but being able to have something where they have brunch and you can sit there and chop it up with some girls you don't know just to be like, "Sis, I got you."

Marline Francois: Just to have that engagement and just to be vulnerable. Just have that safe space where we can talk about badder things that happen. So, we can talk about the cyber bullying that's happening in their community. We can talk about the young girls that have been dying from suicide. We can talk about the young girl who some young boys thought that she had their marijuana so they had her strip on Facebook live. Stripped her completely. Took her wig off and called her all types of degrading names. Only to find out that she didn't have the marijuana on her and for her to leave there embarrassed. So, you can just imagine the public humiliation that goes with that.

Marline Francois: So, a lot of these girls are dealing with issues that is not being addressed in their school and some of them don't have the opportunity to leave and go to some sort of community agency that they can go to or have some after school enrichment program. They may not have access to a therapist or maybe they don't know how to go how to seek help. So, then being able to provide a safe space for young girls to come out and eat food because we love to eat. Then they can take selfies but then they can learn something. So, it's me along with another therapist who's located in Philadelphia. We're teaming up together because we love working with teens and we're just going to talk about these issues. So, whether it's self harm, suicide, depression, your self esteem and trying to figure out what do I want to do with my life? So, that's pretty much what we're doing this year with Far More Precious is having this teen tour.

Dr. Berry: Yeah. Lunch and Learn community, y'all see how she kind of humble bragging. Like, "Oh that's all we doing this year. Just a five city tour. Couple coming near you." A little brunch. You know I love it. Again, especially because I'm around a lot of millennials, I'm around a lot of entrepreneurs. I'm around a lot of minority folks really doing big things. So, my interests are always piqued when things like that are happening. So, please definitely Marline, reach out to me whenever it comes time for donation time so I can definitely I would love to put my hat in and sponsor or kind of do something to kind of help those girls out. Because I think it definitely starts young. It definitely starts where we need the most help. Like I said, not to say that our older folks don't need help right. Again, I love the fact that I can call myself older now. I'm at the age now where I can say, "Back in my day," and say it with confidence.

Dr. Berry: You dropped a Dawson's Creek reference and I'm pretty sure we're going to have some people who are going to be like, "Dawson's Creek? What is"-

Marline Francois: Dawson's Creek. I know! That's what I said too. I was like, "Oh my gosh. They probably don't know what I'm talking about. Dawson's Creek."

Dr. Berry: So, I absolutely love it. Again, please definitely reach out. Of course, I will definitely be putting her information in the show notes for her nonprofit organization. Remember, 501C-3, that means you can donate that money and it will be a tax write off. So, don't lose, Lunch and Learn community. Definitely please reach out. Especially if you're in that northeast area and you can help out in any which way with the financial support, body support, location. Whatever you can do. Please reach out to her and try to make the thing happen for the 40 girls in each of those cities. Hopefully next year she can make it 60 girls and 80 girls. Because that's the direction and trajectory it should go.

Marline Francois: Yeah absolutely.

Dr. Berry: Now, I would be remiss if I didn't have discussion, especially when we talk about mental health. Someone would not like me if they say, "How did you have a therapist of Haitian descent on your show and you did not talk about us Haitians when it comes to the mental health aspect of it?" First of all, I'll preface it with what I face, just in the medical aspect of it. In the medical field, my Haitian community, you know I love y'all. But I face a lot of having to combat a lot of stereotypes. Having to combat a lot of juices and teas and different remedies that may have worked or not worked growing up in place of modern medicine. So, I know if I'm facing that in the medical realm in my community, especially because you're working with the young women in Haiti. How has that been accepted as far as mental health in general would you say?

Marline Francois: It's a trying ... Still learning because I've spent seven years working in a psychiatric hospital. I've worked in two separate psychiatric hospitals in New Jersey and in both of the areas, we have a large Haitian community so we've had Haitians come into the hospital. Some of them were accepting of their diagnosis and understanding that that they have schizophrenia, major depressive disorder, but then there were others who were like, "No. I don't have that. I just need to go to church," but I think it's so hard. It's really hard. It's a matter of just really engaging the community because as a Haitian community, we always go to the church first. The church is usually our stomping ground for a lot of our issues.

Marline Francois:So, you having some issues with your kid, you call the church. You call them to do a prayer at your house. I remember when I was little, I was sick one day. I decided to run around in circles or something and I was dizzy and I was dizzy for two days. How about my dad decided to bring the preacher to the house to pray for me? Instead of taking me ... Mind you. We've always had health insurance. Always had really great health insurance from his job. He was like, "Oh, no. We're going to have the leaders come over and pray for her. She'll be fine." I was good the next day. I probably needed to rest. Who knows? I was playing around too much, but it's those things that's like, "Oh. Let's just pray for you or we have this remedy."

Marline Francois: Every Haitian grandma has some sort of special remedy. Some ginger, some slice of orange zest leaves hanging in her house. Some bay leaves-

Dr. Berry: I done drunk plenty of tea.

Marline Francois: Yes.

Dr. Berry: I done drank plenty of tea. I done had to bath in plenty of tea growing up.

Marline Francois: Yeah. The funny thing is that I have started to incorporate some of those into my lifestyle like leaves, but it's just how we tend to go after more holistic approaches with the teas and the herbs or going to the preacher when it comes to something that's happening. Also too, in the Haitian community, people sometimes think maybe this is voodoo that's happening, so then people are going to a voodoo priest. So, it's things like that that are happening. So, I think a lot of the dialogue when it comes to mental health is bringing it to the churches. So, bringing it to the churches and just talking about what does depression look like? What does anxiety look like? What does ADHD look like?

Marline Francois: Maybe your child needs to get tested. How does that testing process work and evaluation when it comes to the school? Who can advocate on your behalf? Do you need to go to a hospital and get assessed by a psychiatrist? Do you need to get screened and evaluated? What would that look like for you? What does it look like to be put on medication? So, being able to just have that dialogue with them to let them know what it entails and how if you have a mother who's grieving the loss of her child or someone who just gave birth and dealing with post partum depression, what can we do to support her in that moment? So, I think sometimes in the Caribbean culture, we have this hush hush mentality. What happens in my home stays in my home. No one needs to know what happened and that's really not as effective when you need help because then you're suffering in silence.

Marline Francois: So, I think they need to be more vulnerability and them being able to know the resources that are out there. In New Jersey, we have a lot of support services, but it's a matter of getting more ... We need more Haitian therapists who speak Creole that are private practice. I think we can get more of them to go into private practice, that would help to change the game a whole lot. Especially when I'm getting phone calls from people who are like, "I prefer to see someone who's Haitian because I'm more comfortable. You understand the culture." So, being able to have more people for the referral boards because everyone has their specialty. So, I think the more and more we have those dialogues and offering just basic education and training, I think it starts there.

Marline Francois: Having that and then knowing where they can go for resources that's going to really help them realize, "Okay. Well, you know what? It's okay if I go get help. It's okay." Having the pastor support that. I think also having churches have some sort of counseling support services. I know the church that I attend, we have a list of directory of Christian therapists or groups. We have a grief share for people that are dealing with someone in their family that has cancer. There's groups of people that are recovering from substance abuse. We have groups for women survivors of sexual abuse, so having those things within the church too also helps because then people are more comfortable.

Marline Francois: The Haitian community seems like they trust the church. So, having that in the church may be helpful too.

Dr. Berry: Oh yes. Tell it. Tell it. That's so true because I used to have a lot of patients who would come to see me just for the simple fact that I spoke Creole. They would leave their doctor for years, but they're like, "No, you speak Creole so I'm going to come to you." Because it does make them much more comfortable. I can only imagine. It's like pulling teeth for me to get them to talk about their blood pressure and their weight and their diabetes. So, I can only imagine and I definitely do not envy your position having to get someone to open up about depression. Get someone to open up about bipolar disorder. Get someone to open up about being anxious. Again, I tip my hat because I already know. I already know the battles you're having to face probably trying to do just that.

Dr. Berry: How can, obviously if they're in the northeast area, maybe you can do virtual, but how can someone reach out and get in contact with you and get in contact with your organization or get your amazing planner like I said. Shameless plug, my wife is a customer of the therapist planner. So, I definitely can attest to the fact that if you're a therapist and you know, you're not as organized as you want to be. Now, I didn't say that you ain't organized, but you're not as organized as you want to be, this is definitely something you need to get in to.

Marline Francois: Yes. Yes. So, the way they can connect with me is why website. My website is marlinefrancois.com. I have several sites. Far More Precious website is farmoreprecious.org. If you'd like to get plugged in as far as with the girls brunch that we're doing, we are looking for sponsors and volunteers. That website is brunchandbond.com. I also have a therapy practice located in Montclair, New Jersey and the website for that is heartsempowerment.com.

Dr. Berry: Lunch and learn community, I told you had an amazing guest here doing absolutely big things. You listened to the list of things that she's running off. Again, these are amazing people doing some great things in our community and I'm just thankful that we were able to get her on and share her story and also educate us on what it really means. Like I said, we got a lot of learning to do as a health professional, as a physician. I take an onus in trying to make sure I empower myself so I can kind of help empower you guys as well. So, next week stay tuned for another amazing episode. Marline, thank you again. Like I said, I can't say it enough for coming on to the show and really helping to empower and educate us today.

Marline Francois: Thank you. Thank you for having me.

Dr. Berry: Thank you for listening to another episode of the Lunch and Learn with Dr. Berry. Please head over to lunchlearnpod.com where you'll get the most recent episodes as well as today's show notes for your listening and viewing pleasure. Like always, depending on where you're listening this to, please subscribe to the podcast so you can get all the latest episodes sent directly to you. We are at all of your favorite podcast listening stations including Apple Podcasts, Google Play, SoundCloud, IHeartRadio, Spotify, and Stitcher Radio. Again, thank you for taking the time to listen and empower yourself to take control of your health and we'll see you next week.

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In medicine being able to accurately establish your diagnosis can be the difference between life or death. If I don't correctly diagnose my patient, then I eventually incorrectly give the wrong treatment and ultimately can cause harm which I may not have a second chance to correct. At a time where sexual assault has almost become an everyday topic I knew that it would be important for the Lunch and Learn community to understand what is sexual assault and why it is so important to know the difference. On today's episode we have Rhodena Mesadieu, a licensed clinical social worker and we discuss the importance of defining the term Sexual Assault. Rhodena a trauma specialist who works in facilitating survivors' healing journey from sexual abuse in adult women and young girls.

Links

Rhodena's place of business - http://www.soulspringsflorida.com
Rhodena's Twitter Page - http://www.twitter.com/rhodena_m
Rhodena's on Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/SoulSpringCounseling/
Rhodena's email - rhodena@soulspringsflorida.com

In this episode you will learn:

What does sexual assault actually mean?
What are some signs and symptoms I shouldn't miss as a physician
What does consent really mean
Interesting statistics associated with sexual assault and abuse
What to do when you are ready to admit that you have been sexually abused

Social Links

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Download the MP3 Audio file, listen to the episode however you like.

Transcript of the show - http://www.drpierresblog.com/54notes

M. Davis-Pierre: Thanks for listening to the Lunch and Learn with Dr. Berry, here to help educate, motivate, and put you on the right path to take control of your health through weekly discussions on topics in the medical field, public health arena, and in your community. And now your host, Dr. Berry. Dr. Berry: Hey it's Dr. Berry here, board certified internist, host of the Lunch and Learn, and today's episode is going to be a great one. We have Rhodena Mesadieu. She is a licensed clinical social worker. She's going to be talking to us about sexual assault, how to really define it and really get to the nitty gritty of how it affects everybody, male and female. I really want to stress the male part, because I think that sometimes gets lost in this discussion. Dr. Berry: Unless you've been under a rock, you know sexual assault and allegations and sexual abuse have been all over TV, radio, Twitter, Instagram, Facebook; wherever you consume your media, there has been some discussion one way or the other regarding sexual assault, so I wanted to bring on a special guest who's an expert in this discussion to help me along and help the Lunch and Learn community, so stay tuned for an amazing episode like always. If you want the show notes, head over to DrPierresBlog.com/LLP054 and in the show notes, I'm also having a link for a transcript. We're actually going to be providing a transcript for you guys for this episode, so get ready and get set for another amazing episode here with the Lunch and Learn with Dr. Berry. Dr. Berry: First of all, thank you for joining another episode of the Lunch and Learn with Dr. Berry. Like I alluded to earlier last week, we have a special guest for a special topic. Unless you've been sleeping under a rock and haven't read a magazine, haven't turned on your TV, this is a topic that's been going across the board. There's really not an industry that is being affected primarily from the topic of sexual assault, sexual trauma. Like you know, as an internist, I know a lot about a lot. But when I don't know something, I always like to bring the big guns. I always like to bring the expert on. Dr. Berry: Today, I have one of those experts in the building. Lunch and Learn community, first of all, I want you to give a nice round of applause wherever you're listening to this episode, to Rhodena Mesadieu. She is a licensed clinical social worker whose specialty is trauma-focused cognitive behavioral therapy. But again, I'm not even going to butcher her bio. Rhodena, please tell the audience, tell the people listening who you are and why I am in such awe of why you're on the episode this week.

Mesadieu: Thank you, Dr. Berry. You are so kind. As you said, my name is Rhodena Mesadieu. I am a licensed clinical social worker, so I provide psychotherapy at a practice called Soul Spring Counseling in Palm Beach Gardens, and I am the trauma specialist there, specifically sexual abuse. I love that you're not only mentioning sexual assault, but you also mentioned sexual trauma, because that is more specific towards the different types of trauma that happen sexually rather than just the assault portion. I'm so excited to have this conversation and even amongst the climate right now, I'm very excited that we're opening up this conversation for everyone.

Dr. Berry: I got a lot of questions. I have a lot of user questions that were fed to me that they wanted me to ask you. But I think I wanted to start off right in the beginning, because I'll admit again, I'm an internist, but I'm naïve to some subjects. This is really one of them. Can you give us a definition or what does it mean to be sexually assaulted? What is sexual assault? Because in this day and age, I'm not entirely sure I get the one picture. When I see one situation, they are calling that sexual assault, and I see something on a different spectrum, they're also calling that sexual assault, and I'm not sure ... Again, and I'm naïve to the subject. If it's all under one umbrella, or is there certain levels of degree that I'm just missing?

Mesadieu: Yeah, so that is a very, very good question. Sexual assault would be more of the general term of the action. When you're talking about being in a place where someone takes an action against you, that would be considered assault. For example, in domestic violence situations. If you are hit by your spouse, that would be considered an assault or a battery but the pattern of the things that happen in their relationship is considered domestic violence.
Mesadieu: Sexual assault is the same way. It's the actual action of violating someone else, and then sexual abuse and sexual trauma is also a general term that falls into specific categories of abuse. Sexual harm can be subtle and it can be extensive, like you're bringing up with the different examples. It can go from being groped in the cafeteria line to rape without consent, to unwanted pattern of being exploited sexually. There's just such a wide gamut of things that happen in regards to sexual assault, so I think the more term that could be inclusive here could be sexual harm or sexual trauma.

Dr. Berry: As the expert in your field, do you find when people who clearly can't really grasp a term fully, when they just kind of use that sexual assault ... When they kind of use it willy nilly, do you find harm in that? Is that something that we just need to kind of learn to educate ourselves on? How would you ... What are your feelings, especially you being in the field?

Mesadieu: Yeah. I don't know if I would say that it causes harm. It could cause harm. For example, sexual assault could mean a physical action toward someone, right? And if someone said a word to me that I felt like, like harassment, for example, sexual harassment, that brings a different language to what I'm experiencing. So the different words that you use does bring a language.
Mesadieu: There's a difference between domestic violence and intimate partner violence that includes sexual content. It makes more of a specificness, and I would say that sexual assault is a general word. I don't think it would be harmful unless you're communicating something that's at a lesser degree that could cause negative consequences for that person. But for the general consensus for everyone, I would say sexual assault is a pretty common term in sexual abuse or sexual trauma.

Dr. Berry: Lunch and Learn community, I want to tell you again; you're going to be extremely very educated by this expert here. Again, I'm excited to have her on the show this week. Again, it's only been five, 10 minutes, and I'm already adjusting the mindset of what it even means to be sexually assaulted; to be sexually abused; sexually harassed. There were terms that even I as a physician just kind of lump together. If anyone in the field should be able to recognize the subtle differences, and sometimes really not so subtle differences, it should be those in the healthcare field. Dr. Berry: If those in the healthcare field like myself have trouble separating the terms, I can only imagine what our quote unquote "laymen" may be experiencing, especially when they turn on the TV and they see all the women and men coming out. Almost seems like droves and telling their story, just kind of getting filed under that one umbrella. I definitely don't want us to downplay the importance of the definition, because again, with definition comes power. If we define it like we're supposed to define it, it allows our mind to really embrace when a lot of ... Again, I don't want to ... I'm not sure if victim is the right term, and please correct me if I'm wrong, but a lot of the victims ... the people who come forward in their stories, it allows them to empower themselves as well.

Mesadieu: Yeah. And you know, legally, there's a huge range of ways to communicate a sexual assault or a sexual trauma. Definitions of rape and obtaining consent vary based on your state laws. Everyone's confusion or being able to lump it into one word, I think that goes along just with society and also with laws. People don't really know how you're going to define it unless you're looking at the statute that says, "This is exactly what it means."
Mesadieu: I mean, sexual battery in the statutes means oral, anal, or vaginal penetration by union with or the sexual organ of another. Anal or vaginal penetration of another or by another object. So that is just a portion of sexual assault or sexual harassment that we're talking about. There's harassment that don't involve any body parts actually touching each other. Even with the laws, it doesn't fully define all the aspects of sexual assault, and it's left to ambiguity until we have these words that allow us to talk about the different forms and the different crimes within that context. Like sexual assault, child sexual abuse, incest is a different aspect of sexual abuse and sexual assault that provides a different military action. Prisoner rape. Those are all different types of sexual assaults that occur.

Dr. Berry: Wow. Wow, that's ... Again, thank you for educating us. As someone in the health field who may run into or encounter someone who has experienced a sexual assault or sexual-type trauma, because I'm not fully trained in that field, what are some things that I should be looking for? What are some I guess common characteristics or mannerisms or symptoms that they would experience that would maybe help me clue me in to maybe those are questions I should be asking?

Mesadieu: Absolutely. First and foremost, I want to say that these are factors that are coming into play. I also say, never assume to know someone's story. What I'm going to mention is, it's not all inclusive, but they are things that have been related or have a high correlation to victims of any type of sexual trauma. I think a lot of the times, you'll see anxiety and depression. People come in to their physicians a lot for anxiety and depression, and one of the things that I would say to look at there are, is there any underlying trauma?
Mesadieu: Sexual assault is highly correlated to chronic and pain, especially in the [abdomal 00:11:40] or pelvic pain. Low pain threshold, anxiety, depression. If they're not taking care of themself. If you're noticing any self-neglect. Eating disorders have been attributed to childhood sexual abuse, so even in children, wanting to see any of those signs. Are they sensitive to touch? Do they react differently when I touch them in certain areas? That can be a factor there. Is there any alcohol or illicit drugs, or is there any associations between sexual activities? When you're talking about intimacy issues, is there any difficultly with getting aroused or being hyper aroused, or any pain during sex? All of those are associated. If they're a high intimate sexual partner when you're doing your screening or you're gaining your history. Any HIV, any STDs.
Mesadieu: Now, again, that's not saying every person who experiences this has been actually abused. However, these are factors that we know when you're seeing a lot of this, that that would be a question to ask. Fibromyalgia has a huge high correlation with sexual abuse. It goes up to 80 to 90% of folks that they've tested who had fibromyalgia had some type of abuse, physical and sexual abuse, in their past. That manifests itself through fibromyalgia. It's not a causation, but there is a high correlation of people who have that in their past history.
Mesadieu: So I think noticing pain, anxiety, because post-traumatic stress disorder is an anxiety disorder. They may not know because something that happened to me 10, 20, 30 years ago that they may not even mention, they're coming in for anxiety or depression and just seeing are there any underlying abuse here that's happening?

Dr. Berry: And for those who maybe that are unfamiliar with fibromyalgia, from an internist's standpoint, fibromyalgia is one of those diagnosis that we consider a wastebasket diagnosis. Reason being is that you have your patients who come in with chronic, excruciating pain and you may do a million dollar workup and not really find a reason why they're in pain. You check for everything. Arthritis, infection. Everything under the sun to try to see why is this patient in front of me having so much pain? And I can tell you as an internist, I will ... and as a physician in general, we are not the best. Again, I think I'm very fortunate. In close proximity, I have a therapist who likes to talk. And she stresses that I should like to talk. Dr. Berry: But I'll be honest. As a physician, that's not our forte. We tend not to talk a lot about the stuff we can't see. So because we can't physically see on the blood test, because we can't physically see on an imaging, we say we don't know. And we're not the best at trying to get down to the bottom of maybe there's another reason why she's having this pain and discomfort. In medical school, sexual trauma, sexual abuse isn't one of the questions we tend to ask when we have pain. It just isn't.

Mesadieu: Right. Right.

Dr. Berry: There's a laundry list of questions we ask, and I'm not sure if it's a factor of physicians don't want to go down that rabbit hole because they don't know, or they're just neglectfully saying, "I'm not even going to touch that," which is very interesting. Again, we could probably talk on that for quite some time, what physicians should be doing

Mesadieu: Right, and also, counteracting the studies that are happening. Studies that are happening in the mental health world, I'm not going to share the process of that completely coming over into the physician studies in the physician's world in counteracting how our mental health and our physical health come in together. I think it's more of having these conversations to say, "There are studies that have been made that are linked to specific past history." Physical abuse percentages are even higher when you're talking about fibromyalgia than sexual abuse. So just seeing how physical trauma affects the body, and it manifests itself in so many ways. I think would be part of that conversation.

Dr. Berry: And your line of work and of all the people you've seen, is there any common traits as far as who gets affected from sexual trauma, sexual abuse? Is there either gender or race or ... Is there a pattern that you tend to see a little bit more often than not that, again, would or should clue someone like me to say, "You know what? This person's kind of checking a few boxes. I really need to make sure I'm addressing and trying to go after to make sure I know all what's going on."

Mesadieu: Every 98 seconds, an American is sexually assaulted. And every eight minutes, that victim is a child. That statistic alone tells us that children are very vulnerable to sexual assault. And I know what's been talked about in the media has been about women. They are vulnerable as well but I think we tend to miss a little bit of the conversation towards making sure that our vulnerable youth are knowing about sexuality and being protected in that manner.
Mesadieu: One out of six American women has been the victim of an attempt or completed rape and about 3% of American men, so that means one in 33 have experienced being attempted or completed rape in their lifetime. Ages 12 to 34 are the highest risk years for rape and sexual assault. We're looking at the younger years here of where sexual assault happens. I mean, we know that it's a majority of women, but it does happen in males. One out of 10 rape victims are male. And the interesting thing is that males who are in college, who are attending college, ages 18 to 24, are approximately five times more likely than males who aren't in college to be a victim of rape or sexual assault. I thought that was pretty interesting, because in regards to campuses, while it's very much needed, the conversation about violence against women, we need to also be talking about violence against men and their increased opportunity here with being raped while they are in college.
Mesadieu: The highest race with greatest risk of sexual violence is Native Americans, so that are the Indian Americans here.

Dr. Berry: Oh, wow.

Mesadieu: And that is the cultural factors that are in place with that. Then when we're talking about the African-American community, while they are not in the spectrum of the high numbers or percentage, they're very much involved. But when we're addressing sexual abuse in the African-American community with women, we have to acknowledge that American history shaped the expression of black women's trauma. And we have to talk about how slavery plays a part into the pattern of the way that women were gazed upon, analyzed, owned, abused, and ridiculed for their African-American body.
Mesadieu: When we're talking about slavery and ... There's a pattern of watching them being attacked or abused by the slave owner and treated as the way that they want to, and then go into their own community and that happens as well, there can be a loyalty of protecting the individual who's doing the perpetrating in the community and so because of the silence and the shame, that continues. This is not only specific to African-American community, but the uniqueness is the American history of the way that black women were treated during slavery.

Dr. Berry: First of all, a lot of ... Again, Lunch and Learn community, a lot of gems being dropped today, especially for the men. The men. And I've said this before, I think some of our men are like, as superheroes, they act like nothing happens to them. They act like they can't get sick. They act like they're invincible. And they tend to avoid the physician. I think in a misogynistic way, we talk about sexual trauma, sexual abuse. Again, I'm not going to speak for all men, but I think a lot of them really assume that this is a female, a women's problem instead of a problem that affects a lot of people.

Mesadieu: Mm-hmm (affirmative). Yes, absolutely. I agree.

Dr. Berry: But those numbers, I'm actually surprised. I didn't realize it was that high.

Mesadieu: Yes. And you know what? In childhood sexual abuse, it's even higher.

Dr. Berry: Wow.

Mesadieu: It's even higher. In childhood sexual abuse, one in four girls get sexually abused and one in six boys get sexually abused. Those are things we're not talking about.

Dr. Berry: Wow. Wow, okay. All right, like I said, you know, I'm usually not stuttering or at a loss for words, but again, those are ... This is a very telling topic. When you hear facts and figures and you're just like, "Wow." It just takes you aback, because again, I think a lot of times, we think of this topic and we think, oh no, this is primarily women. Only primarily women are going to deal with this. And no, no, no. Clearly as day, there's probably a lot of men walking around now who's experienced some form of sexual abuse, trauma. And again, I hate that I'm just trying to gel the words, but I shouldn't. But they're experiencing some type of sexual assault that's occurred some time in their lifetime. Dr. Berry: Again, one out of six. That's a lot of people. And they're still manifesting that even as adults. Do you see that a lot where something occurred when they were 12, 13, 14, 15 and they suppress it, they buried it, but now they have certain mannerisms and traits in their adulthood that you can almost, especially in your field with your expertise, point back to? Like, no, see what happened to you when you were 12? That's why you're acting the way you are now.

Mesadieu: I think I know what you're getting at, and like I said, we never look at someone and assume because of the way that they're presenting themselves in front of us that we know exactly what they've gone through. We want to be careful with people's stories, and we want to be careful with the space and the pain and the hurt that's associated with that. But I will say, as people gain insight towards what they've gone through, you will definitely be able to see how it manifests itself later on.
Mesadieu: I mean, there are people who they would never have even said out loud that they were sexually abused. And then they come into therapy because they have anxiety or they come into therapy because they're having relationship issues, and then I have time and time again where my clients, they'll come in and they're doing their initial assessment, and there's questions regarding specifically about sexual abuse, because I specialize in that and we know the high rates, and they go, "Well, I didn't even realize that that was sexual abuse," or, "I haven't verbalized that was sexual abuse until I had to complete it in a questionnaire."
Mesadieu: Especially when things happen when you're young, we can repress them. And part of trauma, you lose memory. The repressions can be subconscious or it can be intentional, but yes, you definitely bury it, bury, bury. But it manifests itself in so many other ways, and at times, you don't know that that's related to your sexual abuse until you sit at the point and allow that to come into fruition through conversation.

Dr. Berry: Wow.

Mesadieu: However that may be; through therapy or talking to someone else about their story, or you work in the field, or you see something on the TV that triggers you. However that may come. It starts to show it, though.

Dr. Berry: Please correct me with this analogy, because a lot of the patients, especially my male patients, when they come to the doctor's office, it's usually some back end way of why they're coming. Let's say they're having some issues, some sexual health issues and they want those big three medications. If they're saying, "You know what? I'm having all these problems here," they may not directly come out and say, "Hey, I want the Viagra. I want the Cialis of the world." But they have a whole bunch of different excuses of why they're coming, and then right when I'm about to get out the door, they say, "Oh, by the way." Do you find that happening a lot as well, too, as far as they come in the door for something but then at the end, it's like, "No, no, no. This is what I really want."

Mesadieu: Yes. I'm laughing because it happens all the time, all the time. You'll talk about all these other things, and then it's like, "Okay, well, you ready to schedule for the next session?" And he goes, "Okay, before we go, I have to drop this whole entire bomb," that unfortunately, you're not always able to compact with them. But yes, it does happen. I think people ... We hear stories all the time, but each time, every time someone has to muster up the courage to make themselves vulnerable to share that. So I think that I never take it for granted when someone shares that with me, because I know all of the shame that comes with it and all of the vulnerability that's required. You sat here the whole time talking to me about other things, when in your mind, you wanted to share this with me. So yes, it happens. It definitely happens. And not just about sexual abuse; it happens about whatever in that moment is the toughest thing for that person to have gone through. They'll wait.
Mesadieu: And I don't know if it's maybe if I say it really quick, then I won't have to fully address it in that moment, and I could just leave that with you. And if that's what you need in that moment, I'll take it on for you in that moment until we're able to impact it in a space that's comforting and safe and non-judgmental.

Dr. Berry: That is just too funny. Because yeah, right when you say that, it's like, I wonder if they do that to you guys, too. Because I know they do it to us. But I know that they usually never come out and directly say, "Hey, no, this is why I'm here." All right, so again, I love to be enlightened, ladies and gentlemen. Again, this has definitely been an amazing one. Dr. Berry: How, especially in your line of work, how has all of the events that's been happening, starting from Hollywood and trickling to almost every industry now, where you got people getting kicked off the Today Show. How has that affected your field? Are you seeing more of an influx, or is it a different ... Is there more people coming, or are they coming at it different ways? What would you say that you've noticed as a big difference of the fact that now we are actually talking about it because we're forcing it in the open?

Mesadieu: Yeah, absolutely. What I've noticed is exactly what you said; it's more of the discussion about it. What I am noticing is that when one person shares a story, the other person shares the story. What also happens is that I'll have clients who will tell me, "I was watching TV and this story came up," and it triggered them. So I'm not saying that there has been a huge people running into therapy to talk about their sexual assault because of the things that are happening in the media. I'm not saying that that's not happening, but that's just not my personal experience in my practice.
Mesadieu: But what I am experiencing is that there's more of a conversation being had with the people in their lives, and I'm seeing more conversations occurring in media, more conversations occurring on social media, and I'm also getting mail reaching out to me because they know that's what I do. And they're asking me, "As a man, what do I do with this information that I'm seeing? How do I look and see what that line is?" I had someone call me and ask me, "When does consent start, and how much responsibility is put on the male? Is this worth someone losing their job?"
Mesadieu: It's just conversations that they wouldn't ask me that if they would've saw ... if this wasn't happening in the media. So now I'm seeing that even guys are starting to reflect. This is serious. People are losing their jobs. Women are being hurt, and they're coming out in droves. We can't ignore it anymore, so how do I address that and how do I need to pretty much check myself as a male to see am I contributing to any of this occurring?

Dr. Berry: I'm so glad-

Mesadieu: So that's-

Dr. Berry: Ooh, I love it. Ooh, I'm so glad you said the men need to check themselves. Because I'm privy to a lot of obviously male conversations, right? Because they feel much more freer to talk. And instead of saying, "You know what? I need to make sure that what I'm doing doesn't cross any line," and I think we can talk about what consent means. They're talking in the sense of, "Oh, I need to protect my job." Or, "I don't want women around me, because for some reason, I'm such an animal, I cannot control myself if there's a woman in the board room, and I cannot control myself if there's a woman in the office, so let me just get rid of them instead of trying to change myself." Dr. Berry: And again, and I'm speaking ... I speak as a contingent, being privy to conversations. I'm like, does that make any sense? Again, I have two daughters. I have a wife. I have a mom. I have cousins. I'd never want them to ever feel that, one, they can't go to work. One, they can't act as if they want to act for fear of, oh, I might get fired. Or they're not going to be able to act, quote unquote "normal" around me.

Mesadieu: Yeah, and I think that could bring a conversation about culture, too. We got to bring the conversation about what society deems as normal in regards to sexuality, we have to bring a conversation of how do I relate to a woman if it's not just about a romantic interest or if it's not just about two consenting adults? How do I have-

Dr. Berry: Talk to them.

Mesadieu: You know? Yeah. I mean, in that conversation, he was like, "Well, don't women put these clothes on so that they can get attention or that they can get a comment? Or why do you do your hair? Why do you get your hair done? Isn't that to get a comment or attention to a man?" And I'm like, that is an unhealthy view about women, because the perception is that woman is here for the entertainment and attention of a male. And that is very unhealthy, and I think that can gauge into even if it's not your intention, to harass someone. But if you had that thought process going about how this is how I relate to women, then that can happen.
Mesadieu: So I think the conversation is bringing up, how do you view women outside of the people that you're in a relationship with or outside of wanting to be in a relationship with them? How do you view them when you're looking at their bodies, even if it's not something that you say, but in the way that you're viewing, you're perceiving, your culture, your environment, and that's going to come out unintentionally or intentionally in the way that you relate to them professionally and in the way that you relate to them personally.

Dr. Berry: I'm so glad you said some of that, because I definitely wanted to make sure ... Because I have a lot of men who listen to the podcast as well, and again, when I hear that conversation, I'm like, "Bro, what are you talking about?" You know, honestly, I have to say that. "What do you mean?" And they always use that crutch; "Well, you know, I have sisters. I have a mom. I respect women, but ..." It's always a but. How come I can't talk about this in a certain way? And I say, "Once you have to say a but, stop right there." That's where you should-

Mesadieu: Right.

Dr. Berry: That's where you should end it.

Mesadieu: Absolutely, and I think the confusion with the consent with this particular conversation is, okay, well, if I say or act or do something to one girl and she's not offended, and then I do it to another girl and she is offended, how do I as a male relate or know when I'm being offensive? When does consent start, pretty much. And when is it deemed sexual harassment? Is it deemed sexual harassment when someone gets offended, even though I said the same thing? Or is it deemed sexual harassment when whatever I say, even if the person is offended or not.
Mesadieu: These are great conversations to have, and I think we should have them more in co-ed spaces, so that men could provide their perspective and women could provide their perspective in being able to respect each other and increase the conversation about respecting one another outside of sexuality.

Dr. Berry: Amazing, amazing gems. And you know what? Again, the men who are listening, you know what? If you have a question, just ask. Right? A lot of times, they won't even ask. They're like, "How come I can't do ..." Did she say you could? I immediately will point to them, "What if someone ..." Let's say if they're heterosexual. "What if someone of the same sex did that to you? Would you have no problem with that?" And automatically, you get the, "Well, I don't want ... No, no, no." Dr. Berry: Well, if you can understand what it means to have an unwanted sexual advancement, unwanted sexual comment in your presence, unwanted display of power, because I think men use it a lot from a power standpoint, whether position in a job, position at work, position in school. I think they use it as power more than anything, and when we start saying, "Well, you know what? You can't actually talk like this around women in your office, or women in your school." Right? I think they take it as, "You're taking my power away and I don't want my power being taken away in this matter. What other way can I circle around it while still keeping my power?"

Mesadieu: Yes. I'm so glad that you mentioned that, because it feels like that sometimes. It feels like you're asking me, "Well, what can I do to change, but I really don't want to change. I really want you to not be offended, but how can I avoid the sexual harassment so I don't lose my job?" And it's, "Are you really asking because you want to know, or are you really ready to look at the things that we've been naturally conditioned ..." This is not necessarily all your fault. Naturally conditioned to how to relate to women or how to ... We're talking about men and women, but women with men.
Mesadieu: I was in a place with someone that I was dating, and this woman walked up and just started touching all over his body. They didn't ask him. That's sexual harassment. And so I think we have the conversation about men to women, but there's also a conversation about women to men. It's, this person is not just a sexual being. How do you relate to them, and what is the conversations we need to have? And asking is for sure the number one thing, and being open to change your way of thinking and your way of doing things.

Dr. Berry: I know we don't have you for long, so I want to ... There's a few more questions. For those who do come forward, after that step, because obviously it's a big step. We don't want to belittle the step of actually acknowledging something happened or something is happening. What's next for them? I think this is where you take the ball and run. What is next for them? What do you educate and empower them with to help continue moving forward?

Mesadieu: Right. The main thing when someone has gone forward, and the gone forward doesn't necessary mean I went to media and wrote a letter. It doesn't necessarily mean I went to law enforcement and filed a report, because that generally doesn't happen either. It could just mean I disclose to somebody. I shared it to someone who was other than myself. I took it from outside of my head and something that I put in the past and I shared it to someone. The main thing there is gaining support.
Mesadieu: It takes so much courage and so much pushing past stigma and pushing past shame, because realistically, there's a lot of victim blaming. I think the main thing there is not asking, "Well, what did you do for that to happen?" Or, "Why didn't you scream?" or, "Why didn't you push ..." I mean, I was even reading a statute and it said, "If the person is physically able to resist, then ..." That was part of the limitations. And I think even that is victim blaming. You're telling me if I don't physically resist, although someone has power, although someone might be using force, then therefore that's a limitation to you considering this being a sexual violation towards me. I think the main thing would be in that moment is providing support, emotional support, physical support. Linking them to professional help, which would be me-

Dr. Berry: Yes.

Mesadieu: ... or group therapy, or we have our local victims advocate. There would be considered professional support. Knowing what's out there. Getting medical examination if it involves sexual activity which is appropriate, getting an HIV testing to make sure that you are clean and that you are safe after you've been violated in that way, and allowing, just even as physicians, allowing them to bring people in with them if that's the reason that they're coming, of whatever type of support that they need in that moment.
Mesadieu: The next thing that they need is safety planning. Brainstorm in ways to feel and be safe again. Once you're violated sexually, verbally, you're playing that in your mind. You have flashbacks towards that. You may get triggered by things that you're not even aware that were triggering you. Sitting down and talking as a support, what do you need to feel safe in this moment? What do you need to feel safe next week? Who are the unsafe people that you feel uncomfortable around? And creating a system for where they constantly know that they are safe, because when you're violated, you lose your sense of security.
Mesadieu: Calling the National Sexual Assault Hotline, which is at 800-656-HOPE, 4673, and having people readily available to talk to you through it. I think crisis hotlines and rape hotlines, sexual assault hotlines, national suicide hotlines, all of those are great because they're generally anonymous. So even if they felt like there was no one in your life that you could talk to, you at least know that you can call someone up who will be able to walk you through how you're feeling, even if it's just for that moment or for that five minute phone call that you're on. Then also, looking at reporting options, because we do want to make sure that if you know who it is, you are reporting it so that they're not then offending other people.

Dr. Berry: Do you ever place a timeframe where they should ... I hate to say it, but they should, I guess, move on? Is there ever a good time when after a month, after six month, after ... Is there a one size fits all when you talk about moving forward?

Mesadieu: There's not a one size fits all, and when we're talking about therapy specifically, some people, they come in, and they're in therapy for a few months and they feel like, "I'm processing this a little better. I can move forward." And then there's people who find it beneficial to stay in therapy and have it to be more long-term. There's never this is exactly how long you should take, and after that, you're lingering just on the side. There's never that, because it affects so many aspects of your life. It's not just, "That happened to me." It's, "That happened to me, and that is associated with so many different things that I'm going through."
Mesadieu: In therapy, you're providing a place to talk through the problems and the challenges, and they're learning new coping skills and they're learning ways to deal with their feelings, and their strategies and their stress. You just never know what triggers, what sets you back. Or what new experiences that are coming up that are related. We're talking about intimacy issues in marriage that could be based on the fact that you had sexual trauma. We can talk about shame, anger, resentment, anxiety, self-worth. How long does it take to build back your self-worth? Would you say that's a few months, or would you say that's a few years? It's just really hard to say.
Mesadieu: I personally would go on the end of, if it took them 40 years ... Let's just say 40 years, because it happens. If it took them 40 years just to tell someone else that they were sexually abused, how long do you think it would take for them to be able to walk through that in all those years that they went without sharing?

Dr. Berry: Very powerful. Very, very powerful. Before we go, for one, we definitely want to let people know how they can find you. But for someone who may be listening and just judging off the numbers, it's a pretty good chance that someone's listening who hasn't come forward. Is there anything that you would say to them that's say, well, I know it hasn't happened yet, but eventually it happened. Is there anything that I can say or you could say or something that ... help them, say, "You know, there is help out there."

Mesadieu: Yeah, absolutely. I'm glad that you mentioned is there anything that you could say, because what I would like to see in regards to physicians, specifically, is being able to open up that question in a natural way, to where it doesn't feel like it's something that you're trying to avoid, we all need to check our own comfort level with asking the hard questions and allowing the space for that to happen, and knowing that someone's story is their story, and you're not pushing them to share their story. But you're allowing them to know that at all times, there's someone there who could support you in that. At all times, even if it's no one in your life, there's someone there who can relate to what you go through and there's someone there that you do not have to walk through those pain, through those memories, and through the discomfort by yourself.
Mesadieu: For someone who hasn't mentioned it to anyone, to someone who hasn't gone forward, I want them to know, number one, it's never your fault. It's never your fault that that has happened to you, that someone has violated your trust in that way. And two, I want them to know there's always hope and there's always someone, one person, that you can turn to for that comfort and for that level of safety. I think that's the key thing here when we're talking about dealing with sexual assault.

Dr. Berry: This has been absolutely amazing. Again, I can't understate how amazing it's been to have someone in your field, an expert like yourself, be able to really educate. Again, I know you're educating the Lunch and Learn community, but I can tell you, you definitely have educated me. The wheels are turning as far as what can I do as a physician to make sure I'm asking those questions and making sure it's not super awkward or something I'm just trying to get through to get to the next patient room. So thank you

Mesadieu: Do you have it included in your screenings, any type of trauma?

Dr. Berry: I can tell you-

Mesadieu: For a patient family history, or patient history?

Dr. Berry: I can tell you we do not. It's definitely not something that ... And it's weird because usually, our medical history is, "I hypertension, diabetes." And maybe one of the questions, if I think about it, maybe a couple of those questions may have it, but they probably have to go through 10, 15 different medical diagnosis before they even get to that point. Again, that's the physician, the health practitioner has to go to 10 to 15 different medical questions before they may ask. I'm not even saying they will. They may ask. If it's checked off, great. But the likelihood that a physician's going to offer up, "Hey, by the way, anything ..." is extremely low. Unfortunately.

Mesadieu: Right. Yeah. I would say that would be part of providing that safe space too, right? If I already see that you are putting it on a screen or that you're opening a discussion, even if I don't want to tell you that time, I can see that this is a safe place for me to talk about this, because you're acknowledging it before I have to. So if there's ever a place where I want to talk to my physician about it, I know that I can talk to him because that has been somewhere in some aspect of the screening or a conversation or something that some brochure, whichever, is there. I would say that that would be part of helping to bring in a safe space professionally in a physician's office.

Dr. Berry: Amazing. Before we go, please tell our community, how can they get in touch with you? Because I think there's people who are going to be listening to it, people are going to read this and read the transcript and want to seek some help. How can they get in touch with you?

Mesadieu: Absolutely. They can always get in touch with me at SoulSpringFlorida.com. I am at Rhodena at SoulSpringFlorida.com. Our practice has a website, and we are also on Facebook, so you can like us at Soul Spring Counseling. And yeah, that is the best way to get in contact. I'm also on Twitter, at Rhodena_M. If you wanted to get in contact with me on Twitter, if you wanted to send me a tweet while you're listening to this, I could definitely respond. We can engage in a conversation, we could take the conversation to Twitter as well. Those would be the main channels to get in touch with me.

Dr. Berry: And everybody, we will have a full transcript, and obviously in the show notes, we're going to have all of your contact information as well, so even if you're driving and you can't write down everything, you'll have access to it. And please reach out. If this is a topic and you've seen the TV, you've read the blogs, you've read the news, and you've seen all of these things happen and in the back of your mind, you're saying, "You know what? I think I may be a statistic in this amazing topic here," please feel free. Reach out to her at your earliest convenience, at your private time. Because again, getting help, empowering yourself is really why we do what we do on a daily routine. We love to see the transformation, love to see the mental strength that comes from saying, "I have a problem and I need help, and can you please help me?" Dr. Berry: So please feel free again, bombard her. She has been absolutely amazing. Again, for Lunch and Learn community, thank you for all that you do. And again, as always, Dr. Berry here, helping to empower you to take control of your health today.

Mesadieu: That's good. Thanks for having me.

Dr. Berry: Hey, Dr. Berry here. You have just listened to another great episode of the Lunch and Learn with Dr. Berry. Hope you learned something from today's episode. Hope you learn from all of the episodes that you get a chance to listen to. Before you leave, if you not have already done so, go ahead and subscribe to the podcast. I am everywhere where you like listening to podcasts at, whether it be Apple Podcast, Google Play, SoundCloud, Stitcher Radio, iHeartRadio, wherever you like listening to podcasts, the Lunch and Learn with Dr. Berry is there. Dr. Berry: Also, go ahead and follow me on my social media outlets. I'm on Instagram. I'm on Facebook as well as Twitter. All at Lunch Learn pod, whether it be Twitter.com/LunchLearnPod, Facebook.com/LunchLearnPod, and Instagram.com/LunchLearnPod, where you can get any videos, any pictures I may post, any messages or writing. Please follow me on there, right after you go ahead and subscribe to the podcast, and right before you leave me a five star review on either Apple Podcast or Stitcher Radio, or wherever you can actually leave a review. I'm much appreciative of all you guys' support, and like I said earlier in the show, I will see you next week. Bye.

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It is normally exciting news to hear that a company such as Amazon is making a push into a new venture and in my case healthcare but unfortunately the news has brought on many more questions than answers and I believe shines a light on a problem that has been in our face but for the general public we didn't even know it. Amazon's move in this direction isn't a result of a company wanting to try something new for the fun of it but a company realizing that the current health system is no good. On today's episode we talk about how bad our health care system is, how physicians have tried to get in front of the problem and what mindset patients will need to shift towards to make it a better place for all.

Links

World Access to Health Care
Amazon, JP Morgan Chase & Berkshire team up

In this episode you will learn:

What do Amazon,JP Morgan Chase & Berkshire have in common
What does this mean for health care?
Just how bad is our health care
What are physicians doing to stay ahead
Why patients will have to change their mindset to get better care

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Every year around this time I know you all get bombard with the TV commercials, your local pharmacies and your physicians all pleading with you to get your annual flu shot. For some of you (Approximately 40%) you heed the calling and get the flu vaccine and go about your merry way. Unfortunately, for the majority of the population for a plethora or reasons you don't get your flu shot and the culmination is what we continue to experience on a yearly basis where you continue to have reports of worsening flu seasons then the year's past. Today on the show I discuss some of the most recent startling facts about the flu season & why 2018 maybe one of the worst we have experienced in quite some time.

Links

Lunch and Learn Episode 8

In this episode you will learn:

Flu Virus Facts
How many people are dying weekly this year?
Recent hospital patient who "only" had the flu
Where you can get your flu shot

Social Links

Join the lunch and learn community - www.drpierresblog.com/joinlunchlearnpod
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2018 is here and the podcast is heading in an amazing direction. On this episode you are going to here what all we have in store for this year. We have been added to the directories of both iHeartRadio & Spotify and continue to look to expand every related to the podcast. Like always we like to thank all the listeners of the podcast to making 2017 an amazing endeavor and hope to continue to bring you the best health podcast out there.

In this episode you will learn:

The 3 biggest changes to the podcast
Events planned for the new year
Why the changes were necessary
Why you should expect to hear a lot less of me

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2017 is coming to a close I look to answer the question that many of you have at the end of the year when your New Year's resolution has come and gone & you gear up to tell yourself that next year is going to be different. We are going to take a look first at what was my crash and fail moment for 2017 and see how I plan on correcting that myself for 2018.

Links/Resources

Affirmation 2016 ebook

In this episode you will learn:

What is the one bad thing I have held onto into adulthood
Why are doctors the worst patients?
Top 5 reasons why you aren't meeting your health goals

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Join the lunch and learn community - www.drpierresblog.com/joinlunchlearnpod
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With my birthday coming up on the calendar I have decided to focus this week's podcast on all of the great & not so great things that have occurred over the year. Looking back at 2017 it would be an understatement to say that my life both professionally & personally is much different now than where I was this time last year.

Links/Resources

Saying goodbye to the old job
Inky Johnson

In this episode you will learn:

Who was the brains behind the mental shift change
What was the worst thing about my last job
Toughest decision over the past year
Plans for 2018

Social Links

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Listen on Apple Podcast, Google Play, Stitcher, Soundcloud

New blood pressure guidelines have caused an uproar in the medical community.Some of the numbers are eye opening according to experts that estimate that approximately 25 million more people will be diagnosed with high blood pressure because of these recent guideline changes. This week's episode we have Dr. Watson Ducatel, a board certified Internist and Co-Founder of Healthy Bodies Medical & Dental Center to discuss how serious the impact these new guidelines will have on clinical practice. Both Dr. Ducatel and I have serious reservations the practically associated with these guidelines and wonder whose best interest they really are for.

Links/Resources

Podcast Episode 7 - High Blood Pressure
The Silent Killer
Race and Culture Essay by Dr. Ducatel
Healthy Bodies Medical & Dental Center

In this episode you will learn:

What were the old guidelines?
What are the newest guidelines?
How many total People are now considered to have high blood pressure because of it?
How practical are these newest guidelines
What are ways for both patients and physicians to deal with these newest findings

Social Links

Join the lunch and learn community - www.drpierresblog.com/joinlunchlearnpod
Follow the podcast on Facebook - www.facebook.com/lunchlearnpod
Follow the podcast on twitter - @LunchLearnPod - use the hashtag #LunchLearnPod if you have any questions, comments or requests for the podcast
For More Episodes of the Lunch and Learn with Dr. Berry Podcasts

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If you are looking to help the show out

Leave a review on Apple Podcast because your ratings and reviews are what is going to make this show so much better
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2017 has been an absolutely amazing year and I love to say that it all started in December of 2016 when I made four bold affirmations that have forever changed the course of my personal & professional career. In the office I run into patients all the time who make these bold statements about how they are going to change their life for the better, whether it be through losing weight, exercising more, stop smoking or just make a conscious effort to take better care of themselves. Those patients are who inspired me to make the changes I set out to make that would propel myself to a level I did't think was even possible. On today's episode I discuss just how important affirmations are whether you are a business professional or someone who is just trying to become a better and healthier you for the new year. Listen as I talk about my first ebook Affirmation 2016 and discuss the newest endeavor before the new year.

Links/Resources

Affirmation 2016
Four Affirmations for 2017

In this episode you will learn:

The Importance of Affirmations
Common Health Affirmations people make
What goals were accomplished in 2017
Affirmation 2016 & whats new on the horizon.

Social Links

Join the lunch and learn community - www.drpierresblog.com/joinlunchlearnpod
Follow the podcast on Facebook - www.facebook.com/lunchlearnpod
Follow the podcast on twitter - @LunchLearnPod - use the hashtag #LunchLearnPod if you have any questions, comments or requests for the podcast
For More Episodes of the Lunch and Learn with Dr. Berry Podcasts

To share your thoughts:

Leave a comment
Share this show on Twitter, Facebook

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Leave a review on Apple Podcast because your ratings and reviews are what is going to make this show so much better
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Download the MP3 Audio file, listen to the episode however you like.

Transcript for the Episode 47

--Transcript--

Maria Pierre: Thanks for listening to the Lunch and Learn with Dr.Berry, here to help educate, motivate and put you on the right path to take control of your health through weekly discussions on topics in the medical field, public health arena and in your community. Now your host Dr. Berry.

Dr.Berry Pierre: Welcome to Lunch and Learn with Dr.Berry, this is episode 47 of [00:00:30] the Lunch and Learn heading to the home stretch of 2017. For show notes like always you can head over to DrPierresblog.com/llp047, again if you want today's show notes please head over to Dr.Pierresblog.com/llp047

If you're just joining us, last week we talked about how to not make a mistake when signing [00:01:00] up for health insurance. We had our guest sponsor of Capital Insurance that talked about the mistakes that patients make when signing up for health insurance. So please check out that episode, it's episode 46 on all of your favorite podcast outlets, as well as the website. But you know particularly Apple podcasts, Sound Cloud, Google Play, Stitcher Radio. Find out what you can do [00:01:30] to make sure you don't sign up for the wrong health insurance plan, especially as we know Open Enrollment is coming up and it's going to be finishing on my birthday, which is December 15th. So if you need any way to remember when does Open Enrollment finish up and close, is going to be December 15th, Dr. Berry's birthday.
So today's episode, episode 47 we're going to be talking about affirmation, we're going to be talking about health affirmations and we're actually going to be giving [00:02:00] nice little sneak peek on an upcoming book that I'm dropping the end of December, early January. 'Affirmation 2018', which is actually a follow up to my book 'Affirmation 2016' and we'll talk about why I actually labeled it 2018 versus 2016. So get ready for another great episode, and like the motto says, here to prevent the preventable death, one person at a time.

[00:02:30] Alright so thank you for listening to another episode of the Lunch and Learn with Dr.Berry. Today's theme is going to be right still on par with the health coaching theme that we tend to do with these podcasts. Today we're talking about affirmation and why I feel that everyone, and not just those who are really focused on certain goals, [00:03:00] especially in regards to their health, but why everyone should have an affirmation and why it was something that I took a part in just last year. So from the motivations standpoint, so the motivation of today's episode was two part, 'cause when we do these things I always try to see how can we intertwine health care with what we do especially on a podcast when we sometimes [00:03:30] talk about like the personal coaching aspect of it. Just to start of right, when I talk about affirmation, like what does that mean?

So affirmation, even just a plain definition means the process of affirming. It's a process of pretty much putting stuff out there to the world as it's true. Lots of people do this, there's lots of various reasons why they do this, those of you may be very familiar when you do your New Years resolutions. So that's [00:04:00] an affirmation, in the beginning of the year you say I am going to do less of this, or I am going to do more of that. That is an affirmation that you put out to the world. When we talk about in health care, and majority of the time in health care usually affirmations range from wanting to just become more healthier, either wanting to see the doctor more, see the doctor less depending on you know where you fall in that spectrum.

[00:04:30] Whether it be losing weight, gaining weight, and for some people whether it be just trying to get off the medications that they're on. Like in health everyone has their different health affirmations that they want to go abide by on a daily basis, on a yearly basis, where they each want to try to take the control of their health care.

That's important because I think for a lot of us when we [00:05:00] set out these goals, because we tend to try to keep these goals secret, and within ourselves, and a lot of that is almost a self defeating attitude. We figure if we tell people what we want to do, then it may not happen right. If it doesn't happen right then there's no one to hold you accountable for it. This is what happens a lot in the world of the health affirmations. Like you know you want to get healthier, lose weight, gain weight, see the doctor more, see the doctor less, you [00:05:30] know you want to do these things but you don't put it out there to the world, because you don't then want the responsibility of having to do those things. Like at the time when before you go in with in an affirmation, it's more of a hey I want to do these things. But the second you put it out there to the world, the second you put it out in public that you want to lose weight. The second that you put it out in public that you want to get healthier, it almost becomes a need right? Like you need to do these things because everyone else [00:06:00] knows I need to do this, and I told everyone I want to do it.

So that's where when we'll talk about why this is so important, especially for the patients. Especially for the patients who are listening and those who may be in tip top shape, but you know you have family members and moms and dads, and uncles, and grandparents, and cousins, brothers and sisters, someone who you know probably isn't where they want to be at in that health [00:06:30] sphere. Sometimes this is a great motivator to kind of get them over the humps that do come right, 'cause in the end we don't like to sugar coat things here on the podcast. We understand that there's going to be bumps that you're going to run into, there's going to be obstacles that you're going to hit. The question is, when you hit those, not if you hit them, when you hit them, what are you going to do about them? I think that's where this affirmation process comes in, where [00:07:00] like now that I've put it out to the world that I want to do X, now that I put it out to the world that I want to lose weight. Now that I put it out to the world that I want to get off my medications, now someone out there can hold me responsible for it.

I would say that this topic just kind of popped in my head, but it didn't. My coach, a coach of mine, for those who've been following me over the past year know that I've been very vocal about the need [00:07:30] for coaching in whatever industry you're in. I was, I am a physician, I'm a board certified internist, I'm a program director in Internal Medicine Residency, but still I understand the need for coaching and someone who is above me in terms of maybe social status or a place, or a business stature. I know I want to get there but I don't know exactly [00:08:00] how to get there. I encourage everyone who feels that they're at a point in their life where they want to get to point B but they don't really seem to know how. That instilling the help of a coach could be very important and very meaningful.

So my coach Dr. Drai, actually as we speak, is having a tele summit about momentum in medicine. It's a [00:08:30] conference he does, honestly it's probably the most amazing conference I've ever been to, especially as a medical professional where we're in conferences like all the time. Hands down the best conference I've ever been to. One of his guests, Dr.Tanya Lowe, who's a mind set wizard, I just had to say it short and sweet, she's absolutely amazing. She talked about how she has all of her clients put down, write down, verbally say out loud [00:09:00] what their affirmations are, like it's a requirement for her. I felt that you know what, I definitely have to reach out and touch the Lunch and Learn listeners with this message, 'cause it's way to important. It's something that I follow, it's something that I practice what I preach, but I didn't even realize I was doing it.

Just kind of listening to her talk about affirmation and like how it's [00:09:30] had such an important impact on her career as well as the lives of the people she touches, only made more sense that we were going to make sure that before the year ends out. Before 2017 ends out right, like that we put it out in the air, that we need to really start working on our affirmations, especially propel us forward in 2018, from the medical side. So that was my business side of why we wanted to do this affirmation right.

[00:10:00] But from the medical side, I had a patient, very recently, who's family member had met some unfortunate circumstances with their health. Because this family member, which is again this is not out of the ordinary, because this family member had not seen a doctor for years, had not taken care of themselves for years. Because this family member had did this, a lot of unfortunate medical issues [00:10:30] began to arise. What this family member, who again who was not the patient, but what this family member stated that, that was just seeing their family member kind of go through all of the trials and tribulations that she had to go through just because she wasn't regularly checking up with her doctor and making sure her health condition was on point. Was enough to turn her around, made her turn a complete 180, and say you know what [00:11:00] if I don't take care of myself no one will be able to take care of me and I won't be able to take care of others.

So that was, she put it out to the world, she said I'm going to get on insurance like right now, 'cause again this was a patient who didn't have insurance, just like the friend, the family member did not have insurance and the patient did not have insurance. So again there's some reasons why she didn't go see a doctor as long as she was supposed to. She made it a point, she said I'm going [00:11:30] to go see a doctor like right now, like I got to get myself checked out, I need to know if anythings wrong with me we're going to take care of this like asap. So those two things are extremely telling. It was saying you know what something happened in my life that changed the course, that said you know what if I don't put it out there to the world that I want to do A, B and C, I don't think I'm ever going to do it. That was the motivation [00:12:00] for when I did my book last year.

So I have a book called 'Affirmation 2016' and in that book it was, and again I didn't realize I was doing it at the time, I just knew I needed to do it, because I knew myself. For a lot of us and I always encourage my patients, like know yourself, you need to know your limits, you need to know what motivates you. You need to know what's going to make you take it to the next level. What's going [00:12:30] to help you work out that extra gym session? What's going to help you put down that food that you're not supposed to be eating? What's going to help you take the medications you're supposed to be taking? We all know what it is that makes us do it, but a lot of times we tend to avoid it. So when I talk to the patients family member, when I talk to the patient, a lot of it was, you know what with this situation I just got to put it out there in the world. So that's what I did with [00:13:00] the book, when I was with the book I was in a much different space than I'm in now.

Like right now from a career standpoint, it's absolutely amazing, I absolutely love what I do now, but I didn't really have these same feelings last year. I didn't have these same feelings in 2016, going into 2017. I didn't love the job, like I liked the people at my job, I didn't love the job. It [00:13:30] was getting more and more telling that where I wanted to go wasn't the direction the job wanted me to go. So it was a depressing time period for me, and of course you know you're thinking, oh Dr.Berry you're a physician, you're seeing a lot of patients, you're making a lot of money, how could you be depressed? I always tell my mentees this all the time, regardless of how much someone is willing to pay you if you don't like the job [00:14:00] you're not going to do it right. We see this all the time, especially in the world of health care, like where you get paid a lot of money, you do, especially in comparison to the average person. You get paid a lot of money, but if you don't like doing what you do, you'll be those ... Unfortunately there's a lot of them still walking around in this profession. You're going to be those old cantankerous physicians who are upset at the world, mad at everybody, yell at everybody and no ones going [00:14:30] to really want to talk to you.
I knew that I never wanted to be like that physician, so I had to make a way, and I had to make my steps to get out there. But what was I going to do? What was I going to do to ensure that I can go out, go out from the position I'm at, but still do what I love. 'Cause I love medicine, so I didn't want to go away from medicine. So in that book, in 2016 I had a few affirmations, and I wrote four of them, and what was absolutely [00:15:00] amazing was that it all came into fruition. Like I think that was the crazy thing that I'm still like kind of shocked by, like I'm still like when I look back, 'cause I read it the other day and I'm like, oh my God actually did everything I said I was going to do. I'm not sure if it was divine will or was it for the simple fact that I wrote it down and I knew that I had no choice to do it.

So in like the first part, and I talked about getting back some of my time, like when I was in 2016 [00:15:30] I was doing all of this work for this company that I didn't like and I couldn't do work for myself. Like I couldn't work for myself, I couldn't work on the side, I couldn't do anything I really wanted to do. So I set out to say, you know what I'm going to reclaim my time, and I've said this before, time freedom is absolutely gold to me. It means much more than any dollar amount, if I have my time, I have my sanity, I [00:16:00] have my mental health, I'm good. So I started out saying you know what I want to get some of time back, and I made the necessary steps to get that.
Another thing you're listening to it, I said you know what I want to start a podcast, and I had lots of reasons for starting a podcast, I actually put a link in the show notes of why I wanted to start to podcast. But I wanted to start a podcast and as you can see you're listening to episode 47 of the podcast, right, like it's been [00:16:30] absolutely amazing and I almost wish I would have started podcast earlier. That's how much, that's how amazing it's been kind of starting this podcast. I wanted to become a paid speaker, like I wanted to become a paid speaker. For those who know me, know I like to talk, talking is something that I can do very well and I can a lot of it. Unfortunately in the medicine world, and you know I do blame some of our predecessors in the medicine world we tend to do a lot of speaking for free. We tend to [00:17:00] do a lot of our expertise and give away our expertise for free. A lot of the times it's just 'cause we don't really ask for it, we don't ask for it and because we don't ask for it no ones just going to hand it to you.

So I was very assertive in putting it out there that if you want me to come speak at your event, if you want me to come talk and give my expertise you will have to compensate for that. It's been almost [00:17:30] life changing, 'cause for one thing I stopped getting those requests, I stopped getting those requests left and right. 'Cause I used to get them all the time, oh can you speak here, can you speak there? But once I started putting it out to the world that, no, if you want me to speak you'll have to pay me, all of a sudden I got less speaking engagements. For those who are maybe thinking, like what does that make sense? Like you're talking less? Well actually remember my first thing was I'm trying to reclaim my time back, because again, I [00:18:00] don't know about you, when I go to speak I'm not just kind of winging it. I'm not just oh I got to go speak at eight o'clock, I'm not even going to think about what I need to speak till 7:40. No, it takes time to actually prepare for said speech, and then do a good job at said speech.

So I took a lot, I take a lot of pride in my speaking, and I take a lot of pride and preparation for speaking. So it takes time to do it, and if you want me to do that you got to compensate. So what [00:18:30] tended to happen was I was getting less speaking engagements and I was getting more of my time freedom back. The speaking engagements I did get, I got paid for them, 'cause all of a sudden like oh, okay sure, not a problem, here's a fee. I wasn't asking for 20,000 a speech, at least not yet right? I wasn't asking for $20,000 to talk, but I was asking to be compensated, and it's a beautiful thing when you're actually compensated for doing the thing you actually love doing. I tell it [00:19:00] all the time, when you actually love doing what you need to do, the fact that they pay you is absolutely amazing. The opposite works the same, when you hate what you want to do, when you hate doing what you're doing, it doesn't matter how much they're paying you an hour, per year, per month, it's not going to matter. You're going to absolutely hate it and the moneys never going to be something that's going to sway you.

Last but not least I wanted to become a published author, and the reason why I wanted to do that, for several reasons. I wanted to put it out there [00:19:30] in the world that hey I know how to write, I wanted it to be out there to say, hey I'm a best seller. That happened as well too right, so even though I don't usually do the full introduction when I talk, I guess my tag line if you would say is 'Dr.Berry Pierre, Board Certified Internist, founder of Dr.Pierresblog.com, best selling author, host of the Lunch and Learn with Dr. [00:20:00] Berry'. That's a lot, like imagine if every time I came on I had to say that. That's a lot of talk, but you know what I've got a good resume for me.

So all of the stuff that I wrote down in that book 'Affirmation 2016', like I did it. It's been so amazing that I said, oh I got to do it again. That's kind of where we're at now, so we're at a point where we're getting into 2018, and all of the stuff that I said I wanted to do I've done. [00:20:30] So now I have to do more of it, so starting probably towards the end of December, maybe early January, I will definitely let you guys know. I'm actually going to be working on 'Affirmation 2018'. If you didn't notice it, like my first book was 'Affirmation 2016' my second book will be 'Affirmation 2018'. Reason why I'm doing that is because when I was going back and forth with my wife and some others, we were going through the title. They asked [00:21:00] me, well what year did you want to date it? I dated it for the year that I wrote it, when in hindsight Monday morning quarterbacking, maybe I should have dated it for the year, like the upcoming year.

So that's why I wanted to do this year, so this years going to be 'Affirmation 2018', essentially going to be the same format, I'm going to have maybe like four affirmations where I talk about what the plans are for 2018, where do I want to go, [00:21:30] what's the next level for me. But I'm also going to have, yeah 'cause it's not just a book that I can read myself. 'Cause sure it's going to be a pretty interesting read, but what's going to be important, I'm going to have tips that can help you. I'm going to have tips that help, what did I do to break the mold and go to that next level. Because anything I do especially with Dr.Berry, Dr.Berry related I want to make sure you guys get as much out of it as I do. [00:22:00] So there's going to be sections on there, there's going to be areas where you can even take notes. Where it goes through the process of helping you get to your affirmation and how you can get there as well.

Remember like I said, last year 2016 I had no podcast, I wasn't getting paid to speak, I was working all the time, I had no book out. By the time 2018's going to roll around I'm going to have at least two, I already have two books out now, I'm [00:22:30] going to have at least three, especially if we can get it out before the end of December. I'll be on close to episode 50, yeah about episode 50, so you know a lot of great things are happening here. So I want to make sure that I give all of the tips and tricks that are in the bag to kind of help you get your affirmation together as well. 'Cause again we're not calling it a New Years resolution, we're putting it out there to the world to say, hey this is what we're going to do in [00:23:00] 2018, whether you like it or not.

So either you're with us, or you're not. So like that's the goal, I want you to kind of take this podcast and say, you know what, Dr.Berry's ramping up his affirmation, you know what I've got some health affirmations for myself. I got some business affirmations for myself, I want to go to this next level, and if I don't go to the next level it's because I'm not putting it out there to the world. Like that's where we end it, [00:23:30] I want you guys to become accountable for what you want to do. Stop being the best kept secret, don't let your business be a best kept secret. Don't let your goal be a best kept secret, put it out there to the world. If you want to go ahead to Dr.Pierresblog.com/llp047, leave it in the comments or you can hit me on all of the social media outlets. [00:24:00] I'm at @LunchLearnpod, across the board and you know just mention me, DM me, drop it on a Facebook inbox. Wherever you want to put it at, and let us know what your affirmation for 2018 is going to be as well.

For my podcast listeners especially those who are still listening right to the almost the very end, I'm going to have a little discount code for you guys for the book. So for the book you'll [00:24:30] be able, nice little discount code, and pick that up as well. So 'Affirmation 2018' will be out towards the end of December, and 'Affirmation 2016' still available on the website. Just go to Dr.Pierresblog.com and it's under books, and you'll be able to get it there. You'll also be able to get a link to my best selling Amazon best seller, for it as well, for last year. So you guys have a [00:25:00] great, blessed day and I'm going to see you guys next week.

Hey Dr.Berry here, you have just listened to another great episode of the Lunch and Learn with Dr.Berry. Hope you're excited and hope you learned something from today's episode, hope you learn from all of the episodes. Now that you get a chance to listen to before you leave, if you have not already done so go ahead and subscribe to the podcast. I am everywhere where you like to listen to podcast at, whether it be Apple podcasts, Google Play, Sound Cloud, Stitcher Radio, I heart Radio, wherever you like listening to podcasts that Lunch [00:25:30] and Learn with Dr.Berry is there. Also go ahead and follow me on my social media outlets, I'm on Instagram, I'm on Facebook as well as Twitter, all at Lunch Learn pod. Whether it be Twitter.com/lunchlearnpod, Facebook.com/lunchlearnpod, and Instagram.com/lunchlearnpod, where you can get any videos, any pictures I may post, any messages or writing. So please follow me on there, right after you go ahead and subscribe to the podcast [00:26:00] and right before you leave me a five star review on either Apple podcast or Stitcher Radio, or wherever you can actually leave me a review.

I'm much appreciative of all of you guys support, and like I said earlier in the show I will see you next week.

View Details

Its the time of the year that as an outpatient physician I looked forward to and that was the open enrollment period. Before the Affordable Care Act(Obamacare) the United States had 44 million uninsured citizens in this country but with it that number has dropped to almost 28 million, dropping the number of uninsured residents to 10.4%. Cost has still been a problem in getting people to signup for health insurance especially in states that didn't vote to expand medicaid. Today I wanted to bring you in during the process of signing up for health insurance. Open enrollment is from November 1st to December 15 so the time is now to start talking about signing up for insurance. The guest sponsor for today episode is Classic Insurance Services.

Links/Resources

Health Insurance Quote Classic Insurance Services
Facts about the Uninsured Population

Sponsor Contact :

Roger Marc
Phone - (678) 964-5431
Address - 1720 MLK drive SW Atlanta,Ga 30314
Email - classicinsuranse@gmail.com

In this episode you will learn:

How Life Insurance and Health Insurance is connected
What are different types of Health Insurance
What to look for when signing up for health insurance
Common mistakes made when signing up for insurance
Why its best to sign up for health insurance through an agent

Social Links

Join the lunch and learn community - www.drpierresblog.com/joinlunchlearnpod
Follow the podcast on Facebook - www.facebook.com/lunchlearnpod
Follow the podcast on twitter - @LunchLearnPod - use the hashtag #LunchLearnPod if you have any questions, comments or requests for the podcast
For More Episodes of the Lunch and Learn with Dr. Berry Podcasts

To share your thoughts:

Leave a comment
Share this show on Twitter, Facebook

If you are looking to help the show out

Leave a review on Apple Podcast because your ratings and reviews are what is going to make this show so much better
Just like I said earlier subscribe on Apple Podcast, Google Play, Stitcher, Soundcloud and tell just one friend to subscribe as well.

Download the MP3 Audio file, listen to the episode however you like.

View Details

A disease that affects 2.5 million worldwide usually doesn't get much fanfare but tell that to the 2.5 million affected. This week's topic is on Multiple Sclerosis, a immunological disorder that affects the nervous system including the brain, spinal cord & optic nerves. We will learn today just what exactly is Multiple Sclerosis, who gets affected and what are the signs & symptoms to look for.

Links/Resources

National MS society
Treatment option for MS

In this episode you will learn:

What is Multiple Sclerosis (MS)
Signs and symptoms
My first experience in treating a patient with MS
What it is like to experience MS from a patient's perspective

Social Links

Join the lunch and learn community - www.drpierresblog.com/joinlunchlearnpod
Follow the podcast on Facebook - www.facebook.com/lunchlearnpod
Follow the podcast on twitter - @LunchLearnPod - use the hashtag #LunchLearnPod if you have any questions, comments or requests for the podcast
For More Episodes of the Lunch and Learn with Dr. Berry Podcasts

To share your thoughts:

Leave a comment
Share this show on Twitter, Facebook

If you are looking to help the show out

Leave a review on Apple Podcast because your ratings and reviews are what is going to make this show so much better
Just like I said earlier subscribe on Apple Podcast, Google Play, Stitcher, Soundcloud and tell just one friend to subscribe as well.

Download the MP3 Audio file, listen to the episode however you like.

View Details

Every now and then we are going to have a podcast episodes that overlap both the personal coaching that I normally give regarding your health care along with some coaching for my entrepreneurs. Today I discuss just what even caused me to really be mindful of the fact that I can't do it all regardless of how hard I try. In medicine we rely on different specialities to help take care of the patient and the same goes for business. There maybe some things that you can do to help build your business but there comes a time when you have to ask "Am I the right person to do this?" and is it benefiting my maximum self worth to be doing such as activity. The same things also hold true when you are trying to be healthier. Yeah you maybe able to read up on all the books, diets and exercise plans to be successful in losing weight but your journey maybe much shorter if you follow those who are an expert for the field

Links/Resources

Consultation with Rana Campbell
Dr. Nii Darko
The Life Style Pharmacist- Dr. Jamie Hardy

In this episode you will learn:

What are common goals for entrepreneurs & my patients
When is it time to get help
What cost me an hour of my life?
Update for DrPierresBlog.com

Social Links

Join the lunch and learn community - www.drpierresblog.com/joinlunchlearnpod
Follow the podcast on Facebook - www.facebook.com/lunchlearnpod
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Prince, Lil Wayne, and Elton John have all suffered from the disorder of seizures. Yesterday I witnessed a video of Wendy Williams who looked to have suffered from one on live TV say that it the lights in the room was just too hot. Now I can't be 100% certain but on today's episode I think I make a compelling point that what she had suffered was more than just heat stroke.

One in ten people will suffer from a seizure episode in their life time.
Two or more seizure episodes is known as epilepsy
You CANNOT swallow your tongue during a seizure, DO NOT put something in someones mouth if they are having one
1% of americans will develop epilepsy
Only 60% of patients will respond to the first antiseizure medication given

Links/Resources

In this episode you will learn:

What are seizures?
What are the different types
What are the different stages?
Did Wendy Williams have a seizure?
Treatment options and diagnostic test

Social Links

Join the lunch and learn community - www.drpierresblog.com/joinlunchlearnpod
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Follow the podcast on twitter - @LunchLearnPod - use the hashtag #LunchLearnPod if you have any questions, comments or requests for the podcast
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As a hospital physician I have learned that not only is the patient not prepared to deal with their hospital stay but the family is even more ill prepared. Over the past few weeks I have had experiences of both spectrums of care where I had family members who were amazing while taking care of the their loved ones and I had family members who I couldn't wait to heal their loved ones and discharge them home.

In this episode you will learn:

At least 8 actionable tips for a better hospital experience
Why its important for the family to be active in the role of taking care of the patient
Who spends the most time with your loved ones in the hospital
The most important factor in dealing with your loved ones in the hospital

Social Links

Join the lunch and learn community - www.drpierresblog.com/joinlunchlearnpod
Follow the podcast on Facebook - www.facebook.com/lunchlearnpod
Follow the podcast on twitter - @LunchLearnPod - use the hashtag #LunchLearnPod if you have any questions, comments or requests for the podcast
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Every now and then I get to take a "Vacation" away from taking care of patients but being that I have never been the vacation type I always seem to end up at a medically related function. This time I end up in Washington D.C., a place I hadn't been in almost 10 years when I was applying to medical school. I had a fabulous time there if you take away the fact that I spent my first night in my room as I was still getting over a sinus infection my kids gave me before I left. The topics were amazing and I got to me ZdoggMD (Dr. Damania) which was one of the highlights of the trip. Like most medical conferences there was plenty updates to learn so during this episode I discuss wants new in the fields of HIV, domestic violence and opioid epidemic. It didn't make the podcast but I also got to chance to listen to a great speech by a friend and fellow fraternity member (deja vu)

Links/Resources

ZdoggMD
Spotting the signs of domestic Violence
Dr. David Pierre
2016 ACOI recap

In this episode you will learn:

What meeting ZdoggMD meant to me?
What did he say that made his encounter a highlight of the event
What is next in the treatment of HIV
What are the responsibilities of physicians with patients suffering from domestic violence
What helped fuel the opioid epidemic?

Social Links

Join the lunch and learn community - www.drpierresblog.com/joinlunchlearnpod
Follow the podcast on Facebook - www.facebook.com/lunchlearnpod
Follow the podcast on twitter - @LunchLearnPod - use the hashtag #LunchLearnPod if you have any questions, comments or requests for the podcast
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At the time of the recording I had a totally different game plan for tonights episode but being that it was World Mental Health Day I didn't want to miss an opportunity to bring up a topic that I hold near and dear to me. I again enlisted the assistance of Licensed Mental Health Counselor, Maria Davis-Pierre to give her professional take on the sheer importance of World Mental Health day in regards to recognizing the problem of the lack of awareness for mental health. During the episode we talk about not only why we need to continue the discussion of mental health but focus on giving less power to the stigmas associated with it.

Links/Resources

Death and Dying Episode
SStop telling young boys to man up
Healing and Recovery Group
Day by Day Therapy
Maria Davis-Pierre's Business Page

In this episode you will learn:

Importance of World Mental Health Day
Why we have to take the time to recognize when we have a problem
When she would seek help
The best ways professionals can approach patients who may not be directly asking for help

Social Links

Join the lunch and learn community - www.drpierresblog.com/joinlunchlearnpod
Follow the podcast on Facebook - www.facebook.com/lunchlearnpod
Follow the podcast on twitter - @LunchLearnPod - use the hashtag #LunchLearnPod if you have any questions, comments or requests for the podcast
For More Episodes of the Lunch and Learn with Dr. Berry Podcasts

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Breast Cancer Awareness Month is upon us. Did you know that Breast cancer is the second leading cause of death in women and is the second leading cancer diagnosis in women. Did you know that every 2 minutes a woman is diagnosed with breast cancer or how about the fact that African American Women under the age of 45 are not only more likely to be diagnosed with breast cancer but also more likely to die from it. There is a reason why the whole month of october is dedicated to promoting awareness for Breast Cancer. In today's podcast we will go over various aspects Breast Cancer, you are going to hear a couple of patient case presentations that are going to help open the mind to different ways breast cancer can present.

Links/Resources

Lunch and Learn Episode 53

In this episode you will learn:

What is Breast Cancer?
Why do we dress in pink?
Who is affected by it?
What are some of the risk factors?
What are some of the signs and symptoms
Diagnostic Options for detecting breast cancer
Treatment options presented

Social Links

Join the lunch and learn community - www.drpierresblog.com/joinlunchlearnpod
Follow the podcast on Facebook - www.facebook.com/lunchlearnpod
Follow the podcast on twitter - @LunchLearnPod - use the hashtag #LunchLearnPod if you have any questions, comments or requests for the podcast
For More Episodes of the Lunch and Learn with Dr. Berry Podcasts

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Back with another discussion on a very important and common autoimmune disease - Rheumatoid Arthritis. In my office quite often when patients were asked about their medical history some would check off that they have rheumatoid arthritis when they really meant to just say osteoarthritis. Its a phrase we hear a lot on television but very few understand the overall severity of the disorder. On our Facebook page it was one of the most engaged discussions we have had for the Lunch and Learn so I decided to bring it to the podcast today.

Links/Resources

Live Lunch and Learn Episode - RA
Osteoarthritis Review
Facebook Post

In this episode you will learn:

What is Rheumatoid Arthritis
Background information
Yes kids can get it too
Osteoarthritis vs Rheumatoid Arthritis
Risk Factors
Signs/Symptoms
How is it diagnosed
Certain treatment options

Social Links

Join the lunch and learn community - www.drpierresblog.com/joinlunchlearnpod
Follow the podcast on Facebook - www.facebook.com/lunchlearnpod
Follow the podcast on twitter - @LunchLearnPod - use the hashtag #LunchLearnPod if you have any questions, comments or requests for the podcast
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Chest pain is one of the most common complaints in the emergency room. Reports show that it is responsible for approximately six million visits a year. As a hospitalists I am usually tasked with taking care of these patients in the the hospital to ensure the number #1 goal that anyone should have when walking into the hospital, being able to walk out. Because of hurricane season in south florida many of my more sedentary patients are suddenly doing all this extra curricular work in preparation. Unfortunately, many are finding out the hard way that being physically unfit causes lots of issues that can be fatal.

Links/Resources

Heart Disease and Prevention
Why should you care about heart disease

In this episode you will learn:

Why its important to recognize chest pain
5 top causes that will kill you
Signs and symptoms of the causes
Several patient scenarios involving the causes

Social Links

Join the lunch and learn community - www.drpierresblog.com/joinlunchlearnpod
Follow the podcast on Facebook - www.facebook.com/lunchlearnpod
Follow the podcast on twitter - @LunchLearnPod - use the hashtag #LunchLearnPod if you have any questions, comments or requests for the podcast
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Hurricane season has been a yearly occurrence for me growing up for as long as I can remember. Born and raised in south Florida it was an all too common time getting the preparations in order for yet another season of uncertainty regarding this phenomenon that had loomed over our summers. It didn't matter how much you prepared for it there was always something we wish we had done more of. As a Physician, hurricane season has taken on a whole new meaning for me. Recently Hurricane Irma took its toll on the region and while many friends and family were wanting to see if I had plans for evacuation the only plans I had time to think about was how to deal with the stress of patients who were either in the hospital or needed to be. I don't think people take for granted the importance of healthcare workers in a time of crisis but I they think they honestly forget that we tend to run towards the danger than away from it. On this episode I talk about the importance of the healthcare workers and even spotlight my Internal Medicine Residents and their efforts.

In this episode you will learn:

My plans when then Hurricane Irma was on the way
Acknowledgements for the residents
Difference between team A & B in the hospital setting
Who else deserves a round of applause in the hospital

Social Links

Join the lunch and learn community - www.drpierresblog.com/joinlunchlearnpod
Follow the podcast on Facebook - www.facebook.com/lunchlearnpod
Follow the podcast on twitter - @LunchLearnPod - use the hashtag #LunchLearnPod if you have any questions, comments or requests for the podcast
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Sickle cell disease is a disorder that has affected both my professional & personal life. I have watched patients suffer from a disease that we don't seem to have a very good handle on time and time again. Noted as the most common genetic disorder in the United States, sickle cell disease earns the honor of getting its own month to shed some spotlight on it.

Links/Resources

My overview from last year

In this episode you will learn:

Sickle Cell Awareness Month
Which parent is responsible for passing it down to you
Who is affected the most
What are some of the big complications
How do we treat it

Social Links

Join the lunch and learn community - www.drpierresblog.com/joinlunchlearnpod
Follow the podcast on Facebook - www.facebook.com/lunchlearnpod
Follow the podcast on twitter - @LunchLearnPod - use the hashtag #LunchLearnPod if you have any questions, comments or requests for the podcast
For More Episodes of the Lunch and Learn with Dr. Berry Podcasts

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Self confidence is an issue that affects everyone. It is a very common determinant of a positive outlook and I have found that over the years as I have continued to grow in both my professional & personal development that it is something that will hinder anyone from their full potential. I remember finishing up residency and starting to work and one day looking around wondering was this it? Now if you are familiar with my backstory I had wanted to become a doctor since I was about 8 years old and everything I did up until that point was to make sure that dream happened. But here I was sitting in the office wondering if I was doing enough with the position I had earned. I had so many ideas and thoughts that would run through my head that I would never take any action on because of the fear of failure. Then I began to realize that many people in similar professional positions had these same negative thoughts that didn't allow them to take a leap of faith on something they actually wanted to do.

So when I think the people I take care of on a daily basis who may not be where they want to be on the health aspect its true that the same principles of negative thinking and lack of self confidence are present. Imagine being diagnosed with diabetes, high blood pressure, obesity and trying everything you can to change that only to find that it isn't enough. As a physician it's my duty to help build the self confidence my patients will need to overcome their health deficiencies. On this episode you are going to listen to me talk about how I have struggled with self confidence and how I used to be the main person stopping me from my greatness.

Links/Resources

I'm in an Essence Magazine

In this episode you will learn:

Why is self confidence an issue amongst even your top professionals
What were some of the decisions that were holding me back
What are some of the reasons why we suffer from a lack of self confidence
How does having a low sense of self confidence affect our health and well-being

Social Links

Join the lunch and learn community - www.drpierresblog.com/joinlunchlearnpod
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Follow the podcast on twitter - @LunchLearnPod - use the hashtag #LunchLearnPod if you have any questions, comments or requests for the podcast
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It is the bodies normal defense mechanism to keep us from doing things that will cause us harm. The conversation of death, grief & loss is one of those things that we avoid until we absolutely have to face it. For many health care providers these conversations can become daunting because the reaction is never the same for two families alike. I wanted to approach the subject because I have seen far too often families be more devastated by the lack of preparation for the inevitable than that actual event itself. This week I enlisted the assistance of Maria Davis-Pierre LMHC, who specializes in grief in loss to discuss not only what we as health care workers can do to help further the discussion but how families can start the process as well.

Links/Resources

Day by Day Therapy (best way to contact for counseling services)
Maria's Business Page
Maria's Facebook Group

In this episode you will learn:

Who is Maria Davis-Pierre, LMHC
How has she been so important in the way I practice medicine
Why it is important to talk about grief & loss
How she prepares mentally to discuss grief/loss with other families
The stages of grief
When is the right time to have the discussion
What is the best way to start the conversation
What is the biggest thing holding others back from discussing grief/loss

Social Links

Join the lunch and learn community - www.drpierresblog.com/joinlunchlearnpod
Follow the podcast on Facebook - www.facebook.com/lunchlearnpod
Follow the podcast on twitter - @LunchLearnPod - use the hashtag #LunchLearnPod if you have any questions, comments or requests for the podcast
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It seemed like August in the hospital was bring all your liver problems to me month because I had way too many people being admitted to the facility with liver issues. It got me thinking that if I was going to work on preventing these things from happening than I needed to scream from the rooftops why your organ, the liver was so important. Some important fun facts regarding the liver includes it being the largest organ in the body, it's role in making you stop bleeding and exactly what happens when you get too much alcohol in you.

Links/Resources

Mayo clinic

In this episode you will learn:

What is the liver
What is the function of this organ
Causes of liver dysfunction
Symptoms of liver dysfunction
Patient examples of a liver gone bad

Social Links

Join the lunch and learn community - www.drpierresblog.com/joinlunchlearnpod
Follow the podcast on Facebook - www.facebook.com/lunchlearnpod
Follow the podcast on twitter - @LunchLearnPod - use the hashtag #LunchLearnPod if you have any questions, comments or requests for the podcast
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This is a time where taking care of your health is so important with all the different changes in healthcare on the horizon. An important question to answer is do you still trust your doctor to be in charge of your health. On the episode today I discuss the importance of trusting your physician, we go into detail about different doctor/patient relationships and give some tips to improve patient satisfaction. I also give a chance to get a free audio based chapter of a book I am working on.

Links/Resources

Reasons why minorities don't trust the health system

In this episode you will learn:

Why is important to have a good relationship with your doctor?
Why it is important to trust your doctor?
Different factions of the doctor/patient relationship
What can physicians do to improve patient relations.

Social Links

Join the lunch and learn community - www.drpierresblog.com/joinlunchlearnpod
Follow the podcast on Facebook - www.facebook.com/lunchlearnpod
Follow the podcast on twitter - @LunchLearnPod - use the hashtag #LunchLearnPod if you have any questions, comments or requests for the podcast
For More Episodes of the Lunch and Learn with Dr. Berry Podcasts

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Sexually transmitted diseases have become a mainstay in the primary care setting but with recent reports that the numbers are on the rise a Public Health crisis may not be too far behind. Today were are going to be focusing on just three STDs, syphilis, gonorrhea & herpes simplex. Because of the recent legal troubles Usher has been having regarding herpes transmission I thought I would shed some light on just how prevalent it was and should you get tested today.

Links/Resources

CDC on Herpes
CDC on gonorrhea
CDC on Syphilis

In this episode you will learn:

Learn about Syphilis, Gonorrhea & Herpes Simplex
Why it is becoming a public health crisis
Antibiotic resistance becoming a problem
Infection versus exposure

Social Links

Join the lunch and learn community - www.drpierresblog.com/joinlunchlearnpod
Follow the podcast on Facebook - www.facebook.com/lunchlearnpod
Follow the podcast on twitter - @LunchLearnPod - use the hashtag #LunchLearnPod if you have any questions, comments or requests for the podcast
For More Episodes of the Lunch and Learn with Dr. Berry Podcasts

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Prostate cancer is the most common non-skin cancer in men. In 2017 almost 160,000 people with diagnosed with prostate cancer with many more going undiagnosed. There are major symptoms associated with prostate cancer but the most common one will surprise you. Learn today why your doctor's are missing the boat on treating you for prostate cancer and if you are an African American male you don't want to miss out on this topic.

Links/Resources

Free PDF for Prostate Disorders
Learn more about skin cancer
Why socioeconomics play a huge role in health care

In this episode you will learn:

What is prostate gland?
What can go wrong?
Common facts about prostate cancer?
Risk factors, symptoms
The major symptom of prostate cancer
Prostate cancer in the African American male

Social Links

Join the lunch and learn community - www.drpierresblog.com/joinlunchlearnpod
Follow the podcast on Facebook - www.facebook.com/lunchlearnpod
Follow the podcast on twitter - @LunchLearnPod - use the hashtag #LunchLearnPod if you have any questions, comments or requests for the podcast
For More Episodes of the Lunch and Learn with Dr. Berry Podcasts

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It is a disease that affects women almost 90% percent of the time. Toni Braxton, Selena Gomez, Seal, Nick Cannon all suffer from the disorder lupus. This autoimmune disease is chronic in its presentation, has no triggers on what causes it but still manages to effect 1.5 million yearly and is responsible for 140,000 hospital visits per year. It's a disease that I will also keep an eye on because my very first patient suffered from the disease. On the episode today we talk about Lupus, go into detail about the specifics behind the disease and who & what gets affected.

As promised on the episode here are a list of just some of the symptoms associated with the disorder

Joint pain
Muscle pain
Fatigue
Hair Loss
Fevers
Sores in your mouth
Finger tip color changes
Skin sensitivity
Skin rashes
Chest pain when breathing

Links/Resources

National Organization
Drugs that can cause SLE

In this episode you will learn:

What is Lupus
Facts about Lupus
Symptoms and how its diagnosed
3 most common types
What do I see in the hospital regarding the disease

Social Links

Join the lunch and learn community - www.drpierresblog.com/joinlunchlearnpod
Follow the podcast on Facebook - www.facebook.com/lunchlearnpod
Follow the podcast on twitter - @LunchLearnPod - use the hashtag #LunchLearnPod if you have any questions, comments or requests for the podcast
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Somehow I went this far without talking about a disease that a day doesn't go by that I don't see it one way shape or form. Diabetes is a chronic disease that affects almost 30 million people here in the United States. It cost the health care system approximately $250 billion each year to take care of and the co-morbidities associated with diabetes are as long as a grocery lists. I have told my students in the past that diabetes isn't something I wished on my worst enemy for very good reasons which we will talk about today.

Links/Resources

Why I wouldn't wish it on my own enemy
Organization website

In this episode you will learn:

What is diabetes
Startling facts on diabetes
Symptoms of the disorder
Three most common types of diabetes
What is it like in the hospital setting

Social Links

Join the lunch and learn community - www.drpierresblog.com/joinlunchlearnpod
Follow the podcast on Facebook - www.facebook.com/lunchlearnpod
Follow the podcast on twitter - @LunchLearnPod - use the hashtag #LunchLearnPod if you have any questions, comments or requests for the podcast
For More Episodes of the Lunch and Learn with Dr. Berry Podcasts

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In my office more often than not "the rock" in the family is concerned about being over burdened. Its a very common theme to see with those who serve as the mental "rock" in their family because everyone tends to come to them because they are seen as the problem solvers. My biggest gripe is that for many of the "family counselors" they tend to have no one that they can lean on for emotional support so they are burdened with not only their personal issues, but the issues of everyone else.

On this episode I try to implore the family counselors of the world to stop this practice immediately because it is slowly killing them mentally and emotionally. There is a reason counselors, therapist & doctors like myself go through the training we do because you have to learn how to deal with the problems of others but not let it affect your own.

In this episode you will learn:

Help you identify if you are the problem
Why people are trained to be counselors
Why it is detrimental for your personal well being taking on the emotional burden of others
Techniques to lessen the load
Why just going to church isn’t helpful

Social Links

Join the lunch and learn community - www.drpierresblog.com/joinlunchlearnpod
Follow the podcast on Facebook - www.facebook.com/lunchlearnpod
Follow the podcast on twitter - @LunchLearnPod - use the hashtag #LunchLearnPod if you have any questions, comments or requests for the podcast
For More Episodes of the Lunch and Learn with Dr. Berry Podcasts

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To get a medical license or even renew your medical license we are required to take a 1-2 course on domestic violence. I remember seeing it listed and being pretty excited because I had learned about its serious effects from a public health perspective.

Some of the numbers are startling with one in four women and one in seven men over the age of 18 being a reported victim of abuse. Quite often its the physicians whether it be in the emergency room or in the routine often visit who could serve as the first line protectors IF they recognize the signs and are able to help.

On this episode I talk about certain cues that I look for in patients that prime me to dig in a bit deeper when I feel the situation arises because a majority of your patients will not just come out & say I am being abused. The great physician is one who recognizes when is the right time to take some action. Also, in this episode we talk a little bit about teen dating violence because as the numbers will suggest domestic & intimate partner violence is rampant.

Links/Resources

National Network to stop DV
Information on Teen Dating Violence
DV hotline

In this episode you will learn:

What can your doctor do to help
Statistics on domestic violence
Factors affecting teen dating violence
Find out how men are affected by domestic violence

Social Links

Join the lunch and learn community - www.drpierresblog.com/joinlunchlearnpod
Follow the podcast on Facebook - www.facebook.com/lunchlearnpod
Follow the podcast on twitter - @LunchLearnPod - use the hashtag #LunchLearnPod if you have any questions, comments or requests for the podcast
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If there is only one thing that I absolutely want you to take from all of my lunch and learn episodes is that I never want to see you pick up a cigarette for the first time or smoke it ever again. There is absolutely nothing that could be said that would make me that that smoking a cigarette in 2017 isn't the equivalent of slowly killing yourself. As a medical student you learn that if quitting or smoking cigarettes is an answer choice you choose that.

There isn't a cancer that isn't negatively affected by cigarette smoking or have cigarette as a huge cause. When you have the fact that heart disease in the number one killer in the world and then you throw on the gasoline that is cigarette smoking than you have your secret recipe for disaster.

Links/Resources

Why is smoking a cigarette still a thing to do?
Are you getting a heart attack

In this episode you will learn:

Who is doing all the smoking
Smoking by the numbers
Associated risk factors
Tips for quitting
Vaping benefits and risks

Social Links

Join the lunch and learn community - www.drpierresblog.com/joinlunchlearnpod
Follow the podcast on Facebook - www.facebook.com/lunchlearnpod
Follow the podcast on twitter - @LunchLearnPod - use the hashtag #LunchLearnPod if you have any questions, comments or requests for the podcast
For More Episodes of the Lunch and Learn with Dr. Berry Podcasts

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You know that I promote my love for Public Health whenever I get the chance and quite often find a way to point out how important it is in everyday medicine. Well, this is one of those times again with the subject of antibiotics. There isn't a shift that goes by that I have to prescribe someone an antibiotic for their illness but because of that we are beginning to run into a huge public health issue where we no longer have an arsenal of antibiotics to fight these common diseases.

What has been the biggest reason? Physicians overprescribing antibiotics just to keep the patient happy. I can't tell you how many times someone has come in my office in order to get antibiotics for something that is clearly viral and leaves upset because I won't prescribe it. For many the placebo of taking a medication is all they want regardless if it will help or not.

We know the cost of health care for patients dealing with resistant bugs is much more than those fighting resistant bugs and now its gotten to the point where it has become a global problem. Today I am going to talk to you about when you need antibiotics and when just some rest & relaxation is enough.

Links/Resources

Learn about Antimicrobial resistance
Resistant Gonorrhea

In this episode you will learn:

Go over common misuses of antibiotics
Signs and symptoms of Viral vs Bacterial upper respiratory systems
Proper use of antibiotics
Why its important not to use antibiotics when its not needed

Social Links

Join the lunch and learn community - www.drpierresblog.com/joinlunchlearnpod
Follow the podcast on Facebook - www.facebook.com/lunchlearnpod
Follow the podcast on twitter - @LunchLearnPod - use the hashtag #LunchLearnPod if you have any questions, comments or requests for the podcast
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Today's episode is a follow up from my finding out my child has autism podcast. I will be discussing some of the differences of raising kids together where one has autism and the others seeming do not. There are things now that my youngest kids(twins) do that I didn't realize you did at that age because my oldest daughter had a developmental delay. Some of the key differences from a developmental standpoint are still surprising me as we continue to watch them grow up. With Autism affecting 1 out of 68 children I knew there was a chance to have another child with autism so I think that is what sometimes causes me to be surprised at their development because they really aren't showing any signs of slowing down anytime soon.

Links/Resources

Are you aware?
Don't wait any longer on the diagnosis

In this episode you will learn:

How actions become louder than words
The differences in raising his youngest twins versus his oldest

Social Links

Join the lunch and learn community - www.drpierresblog.com/joinlunchlearnpod
Follow the podcast on Facebook - www.facebook.com/lunchlearnpod
Follow the podcast on twitter - @LunchLearnPod - use the hashtag #LunchLearnPod if you have any questions, comments or requests for the podcast
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Hearing that your child has autism can be life altering and usually brings out way more questions than you could imagine. I remember when my wife who is a licensed mental health counselor began noticing developmental delays in our child that she was just uncomfortable with waiting to see how things played out. Being an internist, who specializes in the treatment of adults I was in the dark and really couldn't offer any guidance at the time so it was refreshing to see my wife go to work and despite all of the "experts" tell her that it was too early to diagnose she pressed forward. It was a great lesson in the treatment of autism where early intervention will always trump all. On today's episode we discuss why autism is a big part in my life and why the key is early intervention.

Links/Resources

Waiting for a diagnosis
Getting aware of autism

In this episode you will learn:

Why its such a personal issue for me
Learn about his amazing wife efforts in the beginning
Why early diagnosis is key
How much it has made me a better father

Social Links

Join the lunch and learn community - www.drpierresblog.com/joinlunchlearnpod
Follow the podcast on Facebook - www.facebook.com/lunchlearnpod
Follow the podcast on twitter - @LunchLearnPod - use the hashtag #LunchLearnPod if you have any questions, comments or requests for the podcast
For More Episodes of the Lunch and Learn with Dr. Berry Podcasts

To share your thoughts:

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If you had to guess which is the most common cancer in the world how many of you would say skin cancer? In the episode today we will begin to shed the light on skin cancer and talk about how many diagnoses per year of skin cancer is found. In my office quite often do I have to tell my patients that getting a yearly test is almost mandatory (even though are insurance companies who think it is). Being in Florida the sun exposure is much higher than others parts of the country so its imperative to keep checking your self on a routine basis. Learn more about skin cancer on today's episode.

Links/Resources

Find a free screening spot

In this episode you will learn:

Fun Facts about skin cancer
Learn about Melanoma/Skin Cancer Detection and Prevention Month
What are the risk factors?
Why sun screen is important
Why being African American isn’t an excuse not to get your skin checked

Social Links

Join the lunch and learn community - www.drpierresblog.com/joinlunchlearnpod
Follow the podcast on Facebook - www.facebook.com/lunchlearnpod
Follow the podcast on twitter - @LunchLearnPod - use the hashtag #LunchLearnPod if you have any questions, comments or requests for the podcast
For More Episodes of the Lunch and Learn with Dr. Berry Podcasts

To share your thoughts:

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Heart disease is the number one killer in the WORLD. Cardiovascular disease as it is most commonly described as takes up 2 of the top 10 reasons world wide. As a primary care physician I have seen my faire share of patients who has suffered the ill effects of this disease. According to the CDC heart disease is accountable for 1 in 4 deaths here in the United States with about 600,000 deaths per year as the leading cause. In the episode today we are going to talk about just what it all entails, who suffers the most from it, and what you can do to help prevent it.

Links/Resources

What do you know about cardiovascular disease
15 reasons why you should care now

In this episode you will learn:

What is heart disease?
What are some risk factors?
Who is affected?
How can you prevent it?

Social Links

Join the lunch and learn community - www.drpierresblog.com/joinlunchlearnpod
Follow the podcast on Facebook - www.facebook.com/lunchlearnpod
Follow the podcast on twitter - @LunchLearnPod - use the hashtag #LunchLearnPod if you have any questions, comments or requests for the podcast
For More Episodes of the Lunch and Learn with Dr. Berry Podcasts

To share your thoughts:

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If you are looking to help the show out

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How many people you know suffer from migraines? It is probably one of the most incorrect complaints that I hear in the office. Like there are many people who suffer from headaches but not as many suffer from migraine symptoms. My goal of today's episode is to educate on what migraines really are because if you knew how debilitating they were you may feel a little bad saying your headache is a migraine. For my migraine sufferers take this episode as my On today's episode we are going to talk about exactly what a migraine is and discuss other types of headaches.

Links/Resources

What type of headache do you have?

In this episode you will learn:

What is a migraine?
Common signs & symptoms
Why knowing the difference could be life or death
How to get rid of your migraine?

Social Links

Join the lunch and learn community - www.drpierresblog.com/joinlunchlearnpod
Follow the podcast on Facebook - www.facebook.com/lunchlearnpod
Follow the podcast on twitter - @LunchLearnPod - use the hashtag #LunchLearnPod if you have any questions, comments or requests for the podcast
For More Episodes of the Lunch and Learn with Dr. Berry Podcasts

To share your thoughts:

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Talking about a very important sleep disorder today, the dreaded sleep apnea. Find out why having a good night's rest can be live saving in patients with sleep apnea.When trying to explain to my patients exactly what sleep apnea is I give them the analogy of holding your breath while you are sleeping but being too tired to realize it. There are 3 types of sleep apnea Obstructive, Central and Mixed type but the most common one and the one that we will discuss in the episode is Obstructive sleep apnea. Obstructive sleep apnea(OSA) is due to the physical blockage of the airway when we sleep which can last 20-30 seconds at a time. I have had the opportunity to see patient both inside and outside the hospital who suffer from OSA and the risk factors and side effects can be deadly. Links/Resources

Do you have sleep apnea?
NIH Research on OSA

In this episode you will learn:

What is sleep apnea?
5 signs and symptoms for Sleep Apnea
Who is affected by it?
What happens if you don't treat it

Social Links

Join the lunch and learn community - www.drpierresblog.com/joinlunchlearnpod
Follow the podcast on Facebook - www.facebook.com/lunchlearnpod
Follow the podcast on twitter - @LunchLearnPod - use the hashtag #LunchLearnPod if you have any questions, comments or requests for the podcast
For More Episodes of the Lunch and Learn with Dr. Berry Podcasts

To share your thoughts:

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Colon cancer is one of the leading causes of death in the United States and African Americans are hit even harder than the average. On this episode listen to some of the staggering numbers & effects of colon cancer that can almost be prevented with routine screening. I can tell you that I have always been a strong advocate for my patients but in particular my African American patients to get all their routine screenings. As a practicing Internist, the colonoscopy is one of the most difficult test to get your patients to warm up to but if are firm in your stance of it's importance many (not all) will come around to your point of view.

Links/Resources

Background Information on Colon Ca in the AA community
CDC colorectal rates by ethnicity

In this episode you will learn:

Why the focus on African Americans
How have they fared since 1999
One of the biggest reasons for the disparity
What can physicians do to help
Why this is a public health crisis

Social Links

Join the lunch and learn community - www.drpierresblog.com/joinlunchlearnpod
Follow the podcast on Facebook - www.facebook.com/lunchlearnpod
Follow the podcast on twitter - @LunchLearnPod - use the hashtag #LunchLearnPod if you have any questions, comments or requests for the podcast
For More Episodes of the Lunch and Learn with Dr. Berry Podcasts

To share your thoughts:

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When I got my osteopathic medical degree I pursued a master's in public health and it's been one of the best decisions I have ever made. See why I feel that the Public Health degree has made me a better physician and why all doctors should have one.

Links/Resources

NSU PH program
What can I do with the degree?

In this episode you will learn:

Who was influential in getting pursuing a MPH
Why I feel that the degree should be a requirement for all doctors
The issue with medical mission trips
How doctors could apply the public health degree to practice
The latest Measle epidemic

Social Links

Join the lunch and learn community - www.drpierresblog.com/joinlunchlearnpod
Follow the podcast on Facebook - www.facebook.com/lunchlearnpod
Follow the podcast on twitter - @LunchLearnPod - use the hashtag #LunchLearnPod if you have any questions, comments or requests for the podcast
For More Episodes of the Lunch and Learn with Dr. Berry Podcasts

To share your thoughts:

Leave a comment
Use the hashtag on social media #LunchLearnPod
Share this show on Twitter, Facebook

If you are looking to help the show out

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Doing a pre-op workups is pretty routine for most primary care doctors but lately I noticed that I had been spending more time answering questions that frankly the surgeon should be answering so thats what promoted the podcast episode today. needs to be the one to answer so in this episode I discuss questions that you should ask.

In this episode you will learn:

Importance of knowing what to expect with surgery
Some Do’ & Dont’s from your favorite PCP
What maybe harmful for surgery that you don’t know about
How to avoid more pain than expected

Social Links

Join the lunch and learn community - www.drpierresblog.com/joinlunchlearnpod
Follow the podcast on Facebook - www.facebook.com/lunchlearnpod
Follow the podcast on twitter - @LunchLearnPod - use the hashtag #LunchLearnPod if you have any questions, comments or requests for the podcast
For More Episodes of the Lunch and Learn with Dr. Berry Podcasts

To share your thoughts:

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Going to talk about an important cardiovascular disease, stroke on the podcast. I will be talking about the signs and symptoms of a stroke, how to diagnose it early and discuss some of the biggest factors associated with the disease. It can be one of the most debilitating things to happen to a loved one. One second everything can be fine and the next second life changing. Listen to some of the most common risk factors that you can change today. Also will be talking about how to recognize stroke symptoms early because it could mean the difference between life and death.

Links/Resources

10 common symptoms

In this episode you will learn:

Why the word FAST is important in stroke recognition
10 signs and symptoms of an acute stroke
Who is affected & how to help prevent it from happening to a loved one.

Social Links

Join the lunch and learn community - www.drpierresblog.com/joinlunchlearnpod
Follow the podcast on Facebook - www.facebook.com/lunchlearnpod
Follow the podcast on twitter - @LunchLearnPod - use the hashtag #LunchLearnPod if you have any questions, comments or requests for the podcast
For More Episodes of the Lunch and Learn with Dr. Berry Podcasts

To share your thoughts:

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Depression is one of the many disorders that I see manifest itself in a variety of different ways so its important to recognize the signs early. Today I talk about some signs and symptoms and how I have helped deal with the problems when they arise in my patients.

Links/Resources

Watch your family member
A more detailed focus on depressive symptoms
Screening Tools

In this episode you will learn:

Just how bad doctors are at asking about depression
Signs and symptoms of depression
Common stigmas of the disorder

Social Links

Join the lunch and learn community - www.drpierresblog.com/joinlunchlearnpod
Follow the podcast on Facebook - www.facebook.com/lunchlearnpod
Follow the podcast on twitter - @LunchLearnPod - use the hashtag #LunchLearnPod if you have any questions, comments or requests for the podcast
For More Episodes of the Lunch and Learn with Dr. Berry Podcasts

To share your thoughts:

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Making sure my patient's mental health has always been a big part of my teaching and way of practicing medicine so on today's episode follow along where I discuss why your mental health is just as important than the physical one. Today's episode is an important one as we touch on various aspects of it, well talk about why its important for primary care providers to take a more proactive role in assessing it as early as possible and why it is more common than you think to suffer from mental health issues.

Links/Resources

Can't pray it away
Medical Spotlight on Depression
MHA

In this episode you will learn:

Troubling facts about Mental Health
Barriers to access to Mental Health Care
Who is affected the most
How many people commit suicide yearly?

Social Links

Join the lunch and learn community - www.drpierresblog.com/joinlunchlearnpod
Follow the podcast on Facebook - www.facebook.com/lunchlearnpod
Follow the podcast on twitter - @LunchLearnPod - use the hashtag #LunchLearnPod if you have any questions, comments or requests for the podcast
For More Episodes of the Lunch and Learn with Dr. Berry Podcasts

To share your thoughts:

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As a physician and father of an autistic child I hate that we still have to have a debate on this topic but here we are. Yet again we have health professionals who despite all the evidence against the fact still continue to make the general public believe that there is somehow a connection to autism & vaccinations. Today we are going to discuss exactly how the controversy started and lay out facts to dismiss claims of a relationship.

Links/Resources

Vaccinating my child with Autism
CDC's Statement on Vaccines

In this episode you will learn:

Learn about where the controversy started
Public Health Risks of not vaccinating
What do the rise in numbers really mean
When to seek help?

Social Links

Join the lunch and learn community - www.drpierresblog.com/joinlunchlearnpod
Follow the podcast on Facebook - www.facebook.com/lunchlearnpod
Follow the podcast on twitter - @LunchLearnPod - use the hashtag #LunchLearnPod if you have any questions, comments or requests for the podcast
For More Episodes of the Lunch and Learn with Dr. Berry Podcasts

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In Florida we just approved it late 2016 for medical use and almost immediately I started getting calls on whether I would be subscribing it. Before you start I will let you know that it wasn't from people who were drug seeking but from people with complex medical conditions that reached a point where the only they had to turn to was the medical Marijuana. It has been one of hottest topics of medical debate over the past years. I can admit that I had strong opinions on the matter but after reading & doing my research I have changed my mind on everything. Listen to today's episode to see what happened.

Links/Resources

Medical Marijuana in Florida

In this episode you will learn:

Which side on stand on
The Pros/Cons of Medical Marijuana
Who benefits the most from it
Why it isn't legal everywhere
Why isn't there much research

Social Links

Join the lunch and learn community - www.drpierresblog.com/joinlunchlearnpod
Follow the podcast on Facebook - www.facebook.com/lunchlearnpod
Follow the podcast on twitter - @LunchLearnPod - use the hashtag #LunchLearnPod if you have any questions, comments or requests for the podcast
For More Episodes of the Lunch and Learn with Dr. Berry Podcasts

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Colon cancer is one of the most common cancers diagnosed in the United States. Which is unfortunate because it is also one that could easily be prevented by one test. Over 60,000 people in the United States will die from colon cancer and we can prevent almost 90% of that if we just got treatment before it was too late. Today we are going to talk about colon cancer, who gets colon cancer, and what you can do to stop it. I will also address a recent article that talks about which age group is on the rise for colon cancer

Links/Resources

Cancer on the rise
What is a colonoscopy?

In this episode you will learn:

What is colon cancer?
Who is affected by it.
How can it be prevented?
Startling facts and figures
Why this is no longer an old person’s disease

Social Links

Join the lunch and learn community - www.drpierresblog.com/joinlunchlearnpod
Follow the podcast on Facebook - www.facebook.com/lunchlearnpod
Follow the podcast on twitter - @LunchLearnPod - use the hashtag #LunchLearnPod if you have any questions, comments or requests for the podcast
For More Episodes of the Lunch and Learn with Dr. Berry Podcasts

To share your thoughts:

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With a disorder that affects 1 out of every 3 adults it was only right to have a discussion on high blood pressure. Not a day goes by where I don't have to take care of a patient who is affected by hypertension in who way shape or form. Sometimes we are able to catch it early enough where it doesn't cause any problems and you are able to control it with diet alone but quite often but the time patients come to see me they sometimes require not only one medication but several. Today we are going to talk about the common causes of hypertension, how to treat it and its effects on the African American community.

Links/Resources

The Silent Killer
Foods that help lower your BP

In this episode you will learn:

5 common causes of high blood pressure
Why its known as the silent killer
Who should be treated
How much is it costing us to take care of patients with high blood pressure
Fact regarding african americans and blood pressure

Social Links

Join the lunch and learn community - www.drpierresblog.com/joinlunchlearnpod
Follow the podcast on Facebook - www.facebook.com/lunchlearnpod
Follow the podcast on twitter - @LunchLearnPod - use the hashtag #LunchLearnPod if you have any questions, comments or requests for the podcast
For More Episodes of the Lunch and Learn with Dr. Berry Podcasts

To share your thoughts:

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One of the common questions I ask my patients right before the encounter is over is how their sleep is. For a few of them they respond that their sleep is amazing & probably sleep a bit too much but for most of them sleep problems have become such a common thing that they they just deal with it. Whether it be that they have trouble falling asleep or trouble staying asleep the results are still the same. The dream of getting 8 hours of sleep are something that they have never experierenced. If I had a penny for everytime one of my patients asked how they could get a good night sleep I'd be rich. I think one of my worst cases of sleep disorders was a patient who begin to have heart rhythm abnormalities that only occurred when they were trying to go to sleep. On today's episode we talk about some of the common reasons why you can't sleep & just how detrimental it can be for your health over the long run. You also be surprised to hear some of the tips that may help you starting getting a better night's rest today.

Social Links

Join the lunch and learn community - www.drpierresblog.com/joinlunchlearnpod
Follow the podcast on Facebook - www.facebook.com/lunchlearnpod
Follow the podcast on twitter - @LunchLearnPod - use the hashtag #LunchLearnPod if you have any questions, comments or requests for the podcast
For More Episodes of the Lunch and Learn with Dr. Berry Podcasts

To share your thoughts:

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Quite often when a man walks in my office his reasoning usually falls under 2 categories, his partner/wife/mother(yes mother)/close family member brought him here or he wouldn't be here and some sexual function issues. We are going to talk about the second reason today. Unless you haven't been connected to any form of technology in the past 5 years than you have probably seen/heard a commercial promoting boosting a man's testosterone levels.

Testosterone is the key word today. On this episode I am talking about the infamous low "T", you will hear my thoughts on getting testosterone supplements, when you should actually be concerned about low testosterone & what foods can improve it.

Links/Resources

Erectile Dysfunction discussion

In this episode you will learn:

The benefits
Signs and symptoms of low testosterone
Who should be treated
What foods can boost testosterone
Side effects of testosterone replacement therapy

Social Links

Join the lunch and learn community - www.drpierresblog.com/joinlunchlearnpod
Follow the podcast on Facebook - www.facebook.com/lunchlearnpod
Follow the podcast on twitter - @LunchLearnPod - use the hashtag #LunchLearnPod if you have any questions, comments or requests for the podcast
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June is the month that we put the focus on men regarding their health care. Honestly we men probably need a couple of months to really grasp how important their care is but I we are just going to have to make it work with one. In my practice the men tend to show up in my office for 3-4 common reasons which I discuss in today's podcast. I talk about the importance of Men's Health month, why men don't like going to the doctor and just how important loved ones are in getting a man to finally see one. Links/Resources

Health Organization
Common lies men tell their doctors

In this episode you will learn:

The Importance of Mens Health Month
Four Main pillars of Mens Health Month
The most common reason why men show up to the doctor’s office
How important loved ones are in men’s health care
Why all the problems in men’s health keep pointing back to one central issue

Social Links

Join the lunch and learn community - www.drpierresblog.com/joinlunchlearnpod
Follow the podcast on Facebook - www.facebook.com/lunchlearnpod
Follow the podcast on twitter - @LunchLearnPod - use the hashtag #LunchLearnPod if you have any questions, comments or requests for the podcast
For More Episodes of the Lunch and Learn with Dr. Berry Podcasts

To share your thoughts:

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If you are looking to help the show out

Leave a review on Apple Podcast because your ratings and reviews are what is going to make this show so much better
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With June being Men's Health month it was only right that we get to one of the fundamental issues that we see amongst the genders. For anyone who has ever worked at a nursing home or retirement village you know that women outnumber the men in bunches. There is no secret that women outnumber men as we get older. I am going to talk about some of the most common reasons why men die younger than women. You may be surprised by what I think the central issue of it all is.

Links/Resources

Free PDF - 10 reasons why men die younger

In this episode you will learn:

Common causes for men dying young
What key word is associated with men dying faster
Why many of these issues began when men are young kids

Social Links

Join the lunch and learn community - www.drpierresblog.com/joinlunchlearnpod
Follow the podcast on Facebook - www.facebook.com/lunchlearnpod
Follow the podcast on twitter - @LunchLearnPod - use the hashtag #LunchLearnPod if you have any questions, comments or requests for the podcast
For More Episodes of the Lunch and Learn with Dr. Berry Podcasts

To share your thoughts:

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Share this show on Twitter, Facebook

If you are looking to help the show out

Leave a review on Apple Podcast because your ratings and reviews are what is going to make this show so much better
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Failure is just one of those things that I have come to accept is apart of life. For many of us failure at some point of our life has had life changing effects whether it be for better or worse. As a kid growing up I knew I wanted to be a doctor even tough I didn't know how or even knew someone who was one. This is a personal episode today for encouragement. I talk about some of the about some of my past failures on my path to become a physician. I also give some words of encouragement for premedical & medical students on their journey.

Links/Resources

Dr. Berry's Facebook Page
Personal Blog story on failures

In this episode you will learn:

How Dr. Berry overcame the dreaded organic chemistry in undergrad
What happened during the first month of clinicals
The biggest misconceptions that premedical & medical students have

Social Links

Join the lunch and learn community - www.drpierresblog.com/joinlunchlearnpod
Follow the podcast on Facebook - www.facebook.com/lunchlearnpod
Follow the podcast on twitter - @LunchLearnPod - use the hashtag #LunchLearnPod if you have any questions, comments or requests for the podcast
For More Episodes of the Lunch and Learn with Dr. Berry Podcasts

To share your thoughts:

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If you are looking to help the show out

Leave a review on Apple Podcast because your ratings and reviews are what is going to make this show so much better
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Any person who embarks on a new journey always has a point in their path where there is no looking in any direction but forward. That is what Affirmation 2016 has meant for me. What started out as a blog post turned into the blueprint for achievement goals for me in 2017. Like many, every year we secretly make our new years resolutions for better things in the following year but I went as far as putting it out there publicly not only as motivation but to serve as the public announcement that I would be a better clinician, person and excel in all my outside endeavors. It is during this time that I initially laid out my plans to better brand myself not only has a physician but as a thought leader & entrepreneur. The work of my affirmations also helped me create my first eBook, titled Affirmation 2016.

Links/Resources

2016 ebook
Dr. Berry's FacebookPage

In this episode you will learn:

Why putting my goals out in public was a huge motivator
Why just being a regular clinician wasn't enough
His frustrations as a physician
What are the four new titles that I am hoping to accomplish by the end of 2017.

Social Links

Join the lunch and learn community - www.drpierresblog.com/joinlunchlearnpod
Follow the podcast on Facebook - www.facebook.com/lunchlearnpod
Follow the podcast on twitter - @LunchLearnPod - use the hashtag #LunchLearnPod if you have any questions, comments or requests for the podcast
For More Episodes of the Lunch and Learn with Dr. Berry Podcasts

To share your thoughts:

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If you are looking to help the show out

Leave a review on Apple Podcast because your ratings and reviews are what is going to make this show so much better
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Here is my introduction to the podcast that after many of you requested, I finally took the leap and now bring you the Lunch and Learn with Dr. Berry Podcast. I am not sure if it was nerves, or fear that prolonged me from getting into the podcast market but I have to say that I am finally relieved to be bringing you the lunch and learn to a podcast app near you. Take a listen to podcast to learn a little more about myself, my motivation to even start the Lunch and Learn series and what my ultimate goal for the series is.

When you are done listening don't forget to leave me a comment, rate me on apple podcast / google play / soundcloud /stitcher or wherever you listen to the podcast.

Links Mentioned

Live Lunch and Learn Videos - www.drpierresblog.com/videos
MelvinsHue Photography by Stephen Francis (my photographer) - www.melvinshue.com

In this episode you will learn:

Why this podcast was necessary
Who finally pushed me over the top to create the podcast
The value for the listeners
The value for myself

Social Links

Join the lunch and learn community - www.drpierresblog.com/joinlunchlearnpod
Follow the podcast on Facebook - www.facebook.com/lunchlearnpod
Follow the podcast on twitter - @LunchLearnPod - use the hashtag #LunchLearnPod if you have any questions, comments or requests for the podcast
For More Episodes of the Lunch and Learn with Dr. Berry Podcasts

To share your thoughts:

Leave a comment
Share this show on Twitter, Facebook

If you are looking to help the show out

Leave a review on Apple Podcast because your ratings and reviews are what is going to make this show so much better
Just like I said earlier subscribe on Apple Podcast, Google Play, Stitcher, Soundcloud and tell just one friend to subscribe as well.

Download the MP3 Audio file, listen to the episode however you like.

Lunch and Learn with Dr. Berry: Recent Episodes

Dr. Berry: Physician, Health Educator, Blogger, Speaker, Best Selling Autho