Talking About Health! Topics

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The Importance of the Human/Pet Bond & The Latest Health Tips for Pets
Guest: Jamie McVicker, DVM
Doctor of Vetinary Medicine, Willard Veterinary Clinic, Quincy, MA.

Most households in the United States have at least one pet. Why do people have pets? There are many reasons. Some of the health benefits of pets are:
- Decrease blood pressure
- Decrease cholesterol levels
- Decrease triglyceride levels
- Decrease feelings of loneliness
- Increase opportunities for exercise
- Increase outdoor activities
- Increase opportunities for socialization
Many groups support the health benefits of pet ownership. You can learn more about the health benefits of pets and how to keep your pets healthy by visiting: Health Benefits of Pet-Ownership.

Willard Veterinary Clinic is one of the premier animal clinics in the Quincy area. They can develop a unique individualized small animal wellness and preventative care program and can accommodate most family pets needs, offering general outpatient medical care coupled with general surgical and dental services.
Heart Disease in the Golden Years and Fatherhood After 50!

Guest: Jeff Popma, MD
Senior Attending Physician, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center
Associate Professor of Medicine, Harvard Medical School

Dr. Jeffrey J. Popma coordinates and standardizes high quality and integrated invasive cardiovascular care. According to Popma, “High-quality cardiovascular care can now be found in our community hospitals, offering patients more convenient and personalized care.”

Dr. Popma was most recently the Director of Interventional Cardiology and Director of the Interventional Cardiology Fellowship Training Program at Brigham and Women’s Hospital. Dr. Popma joined the staff at the Washington Hospital Center, in Washington, D.C., where he established the Angiographic Core Laboratory that served as the central analysis laboratory for a number of new coronary devices, including coronary stents, and completed more than 300 studies that have been submitted to the FDA.
Where Can I Find What I Need & At No Cost?

Join us with our very special guest, Teresa Burns, founder and principal of MT Care Navigators while she explains the newest, most exciting concept in referral sources, MT Care Navigators. MT Care Navigators will evaluate a person’s needs and put them in touch with the best resources for their situation - at no cost!
The Mind-Body Connection

Patricia Martin Arcari, PhD, RN
Director, Calm Mother, Happy Child Program

Dr. Arcari joined the Benson-Henry Institute for Mind Body Medicine at Massachusetts General Hospital (BHI) in 1993 and also serves as clinical director of Affiliate Programs and a researcher at the BHI.

She earned her PhD in nursing at Boston College. Dr. Arcari is an Associate in Medicine, Harvard Medical School, and an Associate at Boston College School of Nursing.

Dr. Arcari's specialties include parenting, infertility and meditation.
Understanding the Heart of Hospice

Since 1981, Hospice of the South Shore, the first Medicare-certified hospice program in the region, has provided home health care and support for terminally ill patients and their families. They offer 24-hour care to individuals living in their own home, assisted living, or long-term care facilities.
The Benefits & Quality Care Available Through New Hampshire Hospices

New Hampshire Hospice and Palliative Care Organization (NHHPCO) is a nonprofit, 501©(3) charitable organization offering resources and support to improve end-of-life care in our community. NHHPCO exists to benefit the people of New Hampshire. In collaboration with others, NHHPCO advocates for improved access to excellent hospice and palliative care and for related services to meet health care needs of people facing life-threatening conditions and provide support to their families.
What is Friedreich's Ataxia?
Friedreich’s ataxia (FA), a genetic disorder, is a debilitating, life-shortening, degenerative neuro-muscular disorder that affects roughly one in 50,000 people in the U.S. Onset of symptoms can vary from childhood (between the ages of 5 and 15) to adulthood. The mental capabilities of people with Friedreich's ataxia remain completely intact. The progressive loss of coordination and muscle strength leads to motor incapacitation and the full-time use of a wheelchair by teens or early 20s. There are currently no treatments for FA. Patients are monitored for symptom management. Friedreich's Ataxia Research Alliance (FARA) is funding research to find a cure.

Symptoms include, but are not present in all individuals with FA:
- Loss of coordination (ataxia) in the arms and legs
- Fatigue - energy deprivation and muscle loss
- Vision impairment, hearing loss, and slurred speech
- Aggressive scoliosis (curvature of the spine)
- Diabetes mellitus (insulin - dependent, in most cases)
- Serious heart condition (enlarged heart - hypertrophic cardiomyopathy)
What is Holly's Hope? Holly is a 15 year old who has been diagnosed with Friedreich's Ataxia. Holly and her friends, family, and classmates are working hard to try to fulfill Holly's hope by hosting fundraisers, selling jewelry, and spreading the word. All proceeds go to the Friedreich's Ataxia Research Alliance (FARA), which is coordinating efforts to find a cure.
Home Care & Hospice and Health Care Reform Updates

Caritas Home Care is a world class Visiting Nurse Association (VNA) of the Caritas Christi Health Care System that offers a host of comprehensive services that are usually covered by private insurance or Medicare such as: NursingPhysical, Speech and Occupational TherapyHome Health AidesMedical Social WorkersAs a part of a Catholic Health Care System theirs is a ministry with roots in the teachings of the Church and the Gospel message of Jesus. Their values are the principles or beliefs that guide their work.
Assisted Living - When is the Right Time?

Featured guest: Carolyn Shea, LSW , Outreach Director for Atria Longmeadow Place in Burlington, MA.

Assisted living facilities are for people needing assistance with Activities of Daily Living (ADLs) but wishing to live as independently as possible for as long as possible.

Assisted living facilities offer help with ADLs such as eating, bathing, dressing, laundry, housekeeping, and assistance with medications. Many facilities also have centers for medical care; however, the care offered may not be as intensive or available to residents as the care offered at a nursing home.

Assisted living is not an alternative to a nursing home, but an intermediate level of long-term care appropriate for many seniors. Most assisted living facilities create a service plan for each individual resident upon admission. The service plan details the personalized services required by the resident and guaranteed by the facility. The plan is updated regularly to assure that the resident receives the appropriate care as his or her condition changes.

Ohh...My Aching Back!

Two of New England's leading specialists in spine care, pain management, and backache.

Stephen M. Gutting, M.D.
Neurosurgeon Co-Director,
St. Elizabeth’s Spine Center

Joseph R. Reyes, D.O.
Anesthesiology, Pain Management
Pain Medicine Fellowship
St. Elizabeth’s Medical Center

Neurosurgery is surgery of the nervous system. A neurological surgeon, or neurosurgeon, is a specialist who is trained in surgery of the nervous system, and can perform surgery on the brain, spinal cord, or other parts of the nervous system. This specialist is sometimes called a brain surgeon. The neurosurgeon also works with patients to diagnose, evaluate, and treat diseases or disorders of the nervous system, and aids in critical care of patients before, during and after surgery.

Pain medicine specialists work with patients to relieve suffering and discomfort that may be present during a medical or surgical procedure, or because of a disease or condition.

An anesthesiologist is a physician who has had special training and is board-certified in pain management. A pain medicine specialist can be an anesthesiologist, neurologist, or psychiatrist.

The Love Response

Treating Parkinsons with Advanced Surgery

Guest: Craig van Horne, M.D., Ph.D. Dr. van Horne is Chief of Neurosurgery at St. Elizabeth's Medical Center and is revolutionizing Deep Brain Stimulation (DBS), a progressive treatment for Parkinson’s Disease. Many patients undergoing DBS are able to dramatically reduce or even eliminate their medications. Dr. van Horne’s efforts have improved the DBS procedure making it less time consuming and more comfortable.

Parkinson's disease is a degenerative disease of the brain (central nervous system) that often impairs motor skills, speech, and other functions.

Deep brain stimulation (DBS) is a surgical treatment involving the implantation of a medical device called a brain pacemaker, which sends electrical impulses to specific parts of the brain. DBS in select brain regions has provided remarkable therapeutic benefits for otherwise treatment-resistant movement and affective disorders such as chronic pain, Parkinson’s disease, tremor and dystonia.

For more information visit the National Parkinson Foundation
Depression - How do we cope?

Guest: Jeffrey D. Rediger, MD, MDIV Dr. Rediger is medical director at McLean Hospital Southeast, and an instructor in the Department of Psychiatry at Harvard Medical School. He has a Master of Divinity degree from Princeton Theological Seminary and publishes in the fields of medicine, psychiatry and spirituality. He is medical director of the Institute for Psychological & Spiritual Development in Cambridge, Massachusetts.

Stress: Forces from the outside world impinging on the individual. Stress is a normal part of life that can help us learn and grow. Conversely, stress can cause us significant problems.

Depression: In any given 1-year period, 9.5 percent of the population, or about 18.8 million American adults, suffer from a depressive illness. Depressive illnesses often interfere with normal functioning and cause pain and suffering not only to those who have a disorder, but also to those who care about them. Depression can destroy family life as well as the life of the ill person. But much of this suffering is unnecessary.
Diabetes 101 - the Facts & the Hope

Guests: Dr. Mohammed F. Saad, MD, FRCP Service Chief, Division of Endocrinology, Carney Hospital former Professor of Medicine, UCLA School of Medicine & Margaret, Kocal, RN Diabetes Nurse Educator, Carney Hospital, President & CEO, Old Colony Hospice

Diabetes is a disease in which the body does not produce or properly use insulin. Insulin is a hormone that is needed to convert sugar, starches and other food into energy needed for daily life. The cause of diabetes continues to be a mystery, although both genetics and environmental factors such as obesity and lack of exercise appear to play roles.
Is Hospice Part of the Solution?

Guests: Ms. Catherine M. Congo, MPA/HA & President & CEO Old Colony Hospice

When the goal of treatment begins to shift from an illness to providing comfort, it is time to consider hospice. When your loved one says "I just want to go home," it is time to consider hospice. When someone you love is in pain, it is time to consider hospice. When someone you love is struggling to live each day to its fullest, it is time to consider hospice. When YOU need support in managing the day-to-day care of someone you love and don't know where to go for help, it is time to consider hospice.

Old Colony Hospice provides compassionate care and wonderful support to individuals and their families who are living with a terminal illness. Hospice helps unite families and friends together to support the seriously ill person in an environment that provides comfort, respect and dignity while maintaining quality of life. Old Colony Hospice, Inc. is a non-profit, Medicare certified, accredited health care organization that provides interdisciplinary services to meet the physical, spiritual and psychosocial needs of patients with advanced disease and their families/loved ones.
Robot Assisted Surgery

Ingolf A. Tuerk, MD,PhD is chief of Urology and director of the Robotic-assisted Surgery Program at St. Elizabeth’s Medical Center. Dr. Tuerk is a world renowned expert in laparoscopic and robotic urologic surgery and has pioneered several laparoscopic techniques including radical prostatectomy, radical and partial nephrectomy, right side donor nephrectomy, pyeloplasy and radical cystectomy with continent urinary diversion.

Since November 2006, Dr. Tuerk has become an expert in the use of the da Vinci® surgical system, recently acquired by St. Elizabeth’s, and has performed more than 500 robot-assisted radical prostatectomies in the past two years, the most performed by a single surgeon in New England during that time period.

Everybody Loves A Winner

Happy Sleep = Happy Life

Three most vital things you can do for your health: eat whole foods, exercise regularly, and sleep well. However, the importance of sleep is usually overlooked in our harried, nonstop lives. The state of the economy and world affairs - together with whatever is going on personally - doesn't help.

Stop and rest. Sleep restores balance to your system and is when you undergo healing and restoration. Getting 7-8 hours' sleep daily is critical to your well-being. And sleep deprivation is proven to unleash a domino effect on your quality of life and can have serious health consequences.

But how do you get a good night's sleep? Learn how to de-stress and create an environment conducive to a slumber that will make you happy, healthy, and in high spirits. Join us and our guest Tracy Jean-Chronberg for an hour focused on sleep. Founder of WUL (100% natural, hypoallergenic bedding), Tracy's mission is to evangelize about health benefits of a great night's rest. www.wulusa.com
Health Care For All

In the past two alnd a half years, health reform has expanded health care access to over 432,000 people across Massachusetts. Despite this success, gaps in coverage still exist, affecting people’s ability to access health care services.

Health Care For All seeks to create a consumer-centered health care system that provides comprehensive, affordable, accessible, culturally competent, high quality care and consumer education for everyone, especially the most vulnerable. We work to achieve this as leaders in public policy, advocacy, education and service to consumers in Massachusetts.

A frank and candid discussion with ssion with Ms. Lindsey Tucker, Health Reform Policy Manager & Amy Whitcomb Slemmer Executive Director Health Care For All.

	Everyone wants to be a winner—but a true champion knows that success without character is no success at all. When all is said and done, your values and integrity should rise above the fading limelight, more highly valued than a tarnishing bronze trophy or a tattered blue ribbon.
	In this book, Dr. Jeffrey Brown unveils The Competitive Edge—a set of seven principles that are vital for everyone who aspires to be a champion. If you follow these principles, you’ll never have to compromise your integrity or your values, and you’ll see your spiritual strength increase.
	Jeffrey L. Brown, Psy.D., ABPP Licensed Psychologist Instructor, Department of Psychiatry Harvard Medical School