21st Century Pain Solutions

Nobody is exempt from feeling pain after a surgical intervention but is it possible to reduce the chronic consequences that we could suffer because of it? Surely it is! Dr. Mona Mubarak joins us again to talk about post-surgical pain and how can we take action to prevent it from happening. She is also discussing the main factors that can increase the possibilities of being affected by it and the most effective solutions to this common, but invisible, problem.  ABOUT TODAY'S GUEST - Dr. Mona Mubarak Dr. Mona Mubarak is a Consultant in Chronic Pain Management and Anaesthesia since 2016. After getting a worldwide experience of pain management in Ireland, Australia, and the UK, her enthusiasm extended to the USA where she finished the Fellowship of Interventional Pain Practice (FIPP) in 2017. Dr. Mubarak was a full-time chronic pain management consultant at Birmingham University and Dorset University Hospitals for the last three years. Prior to that, she was appointed as a substantive chronic pain and Anaesthesia consultant in the Royal National Orthopedic State of Art hospital in Birmingham, UK.

Do you know what is behind your chronic pain and what does it really implies? You are about to know it! Today, Dr. Mona Mubarak joins us to talk about everything about chronic pain diagnosis and treatment: what is the biological basis of it, its usual obstacles, and possible results. She will also talk about the consequences of the lack of correct diagnoses and the evolution of chronic pain on the integrity of the body, and her actual work developing a multidisciplinary pelvic pain clinic.  ABOUT TODAY'S GUEST - Dr. Mona Mubarak Dr. Mubarak is a Consultant in Chronic Pain Management and Anesthesia since 2016. After getting a worldwide experience in pain management in Ireland, Australia, and the United Kingdom, her enthusiasm extended to the United States, where she finished the Fellowship of Interventional Pain Practice (FIPP) in 2017. She also has had private practice privileges in the most prestigious hospitals in the UK, including The Nuffield, Ramsay Health, and the BMI group.

Do you feel that you are empowered enough to overcome what is constantly causing your pain? Well, this may help you solve your problems. Today, Mihael Mamychsvili is here to talk about the three-stepped neuropath reset method, which is a pain therapy that has been recently designed by him, and describe the components that it involves in every instance. He will also discuss some of the obstacles that are involved with patients' treatment, as well as the benefits of understanding, by his own experience, the emotional component of chronic pain.  ABOUT TODAY'S GUEST - Mihael Mamychsvili Mihael Mamychsvili is the Founder and Lead Therapist of Angel Hands Integrative Programs. His specialty is reconnecting the communication between mind and body. After becoming a Shiatsu Therapist in 2001, he has developed his own style of therapy and methodology that focuses on the body-mind connection. Through his treatments, which look at the complete person, he has helped clients change themselves. He is also recognized by complementary as well as conventional health agencies like VGH Cardiac Rehab Centre, PainBc, and The Cancer Society, where he is often asked to be a keynote speaker or educator.

ABOUT TODAY'S EPISODE: Are you waiting for the discovering of a new method that can end with your problems? Did you know that you can do more for yourself than anybody else? Because that is the truth! Today, Mark Pew joins us to discuss a variety of topics related to neuroplasticity, behavioral therapy, and the use of alternative methods, such as medical marijuana and cannabidiol. He is also describing the importance of finding the correct treatment according to each situation, and the change of mindset that is really necessary to truly heal from chronic pain.  ABOUT TODAY'S GUEST - Mark Pew Mark Pew, Advisory Board member at BioNutraceutical Health Solutions, is a passionate educator and agitator. Mark is a recognized thought leader in workers’ compensation and award-winning speaker, blogger, author, and jurisdictional advisor. Also known as the RxProfessor, he is focused on the intersection of chronic pain and appropriate treatment, particularly as it relates to the clinical and financial implications of prescription painkillers non-pharma treatment modalities, and the evolution of medical marijuana.

ABOUT TODAY'S EPISODE: Have you ever suffered from chronic pain? Are you conscious of the multiple consequences that it has? Because it can considerably influence multiple aspects of your daily life. Today, Dr. Trevor Campbell joins us to talk about how pain can affect both individuals and society. The variety of results that it can potentially have in social, economic, and daily life, and the involvement of all the facets of the human being, such as the biological, psychological, and social ones, makes it an important aspect of health to focus on. He is also discussing the actual problem of addressing successful treatments for chronic diseases, and the challenge that it represents to the physician.  ABOUT TODAY'S GUEST - Dr. Trevor Campbell Dr. Trevor Campbell is a family physician who studied medicine at the University of Cape Town, South Africa, before emigrating to Canada, where he became interested in treatments for chronic pain. He has worked in multi-disciplinary pain management and opioid reduction programs and has served as medical director for a leading pain management provider in Western Canada.

ABOUT TODAY'S EPISODE: Is there any benefit in trying cannabinoid medicine in pain treatments? We are still walking along the path of really understanding its physiology, but there are many good reasons to implement it. Dr. Sara-Ara Ahmed joins us today to talk about her trajectory in pain and cannabinoid medicine, how can both be used to benefit patients with chronic diseases, and what are the obstacles that she finds every day in her practice with this controversial methodology. She will be also talking about its possible relation with the immune system, and the impact of the actual situation of COVID-19 in patients' attention.  ABOUT TODAY'S GUEST - Dr. Sana-Ara Ahmed Dr. Sana-Ara Ahmed is a practicing clinical Anesthesiologist, Interventional Pain & Cannabinoid Medicine Specialist in Canada. She holds membership with national and international cannabis research societies and is an avid advocate for dignified patient access to medical cannabis. Successfully incorporating medical cannabis in treating chronic pain with the combination of regenerative medicine has well established Dr. Ahmed as a national expert in this emerging field of medicine. As an avant-garde entrepreneur and visionary, her chronic pain holistic clinic, known as Genuvis Health, provides integrative, compassionate, and personalized pain management solutions. Her diverse practice focuses on targeted pain control for accurate pain diagnosis and opioid harm reduction for post-surgical pain patients.

ABOUT TODAY'S EPISODE: Did you know that 40-80% of chronic pain patients were given wrong diagnoses of their diseases? Yes, that is true; and what is more, it can really have a negative impact on their healing process. Today, Dr. Nelson joins us to talk about his researches referred to pain treatments' success, the great number of incorrect diagnoses in clinics, and the development of a new online questionnaire, which is based on Bayesian analysis and may truly change the paradigm of modern pain diagnosis methodology. ABOUT TODAY'S GUEST - Dr. Nelson Handler Nelson Hendler has graduated from Princeton in 1966. He has received an MD in 1972, and an MS in neurophysiology in 1974 from the University of Maryland, and did his residency training in psychiatry at Johns Hopkins Hospital from 1972 to 1975. He published four books, 34 textbook chapters, and 69 articles. He was past president of the Reflex Sympathetic Dystrophy Association of America and also of the American Academy of Pain Management. The Pain Validity Test that he has researched predicts with 95% accuracy which patient will have abnormal medical tests, and the Diagnostic Paradigm and Treatment Algorithm gives diagnoses with a 96% correlation with diagnoses of Johns Hopkins Hospital doctors and recommends the proper diagnostic tests to use.

Did you know that behind the decisions of legislators there are many people paying the consequences? Sometimes, laws associated with health services, which real objective is to reduce critical problems related to them, can strongly affect patients and the way they face their diseases. Juan Hincapie Castillo joins us to discuss the restriction of opioids medications and both positive and negative consequences that this legislative decision has on the general population. He will also talk about the actual problem of illicit opioid overdoses, the use of fentanyl substances and what are the trends that are happening while these laws are implemented.  ABOUT TODAY'S GUEST - DR. Juan M. Hincapie-Castillo, Pharm.D, M.S., Ph.D Dr. Juan M. Hincapie-Castillo, Pharm.D, M.S., Ph.D., joined the Department of Pharmaceutical Outcomes and Policy as an assistant professor in 2019. He has received the degrees of Doctor of Pharmacy (2013), Master of Science in Pharmaceutical Sciences (2017), and Ph.D. with a concentration in Pharmacoepidemiology (2019) at the University of Florida College of Pharmacy. His research interests include the study of drug utilization and safety in the area of pain management, the evaluation of the effects of State and Federal laws on patient outcomes, and the assessment of patient safety and quality for inpatient pain management.

Are you aware of the many effects that pain can have on the integrity of our bodies? Because it can really affect us! Dr. Lucas MacMillan joins us to talk about how pain can disrupt not only our daily habits but the chemistry of our whole bodies. He will also describe the different consequences of it both in the psychological and biological extracts of the person; and how did he do, by his own experience, to overcome chronic pain every day of his life. ABOUT TODAY'S GUEST - Dr. Lucas MacMillan Dr. Lucas MacMillan was trained first as a Registered Nurse, then as a Doctor of Naturopathic Medicine. He has written various articles covering topics such as chronic pain approaches, the professional training of naturopathic doctors, research on medicinal uses of curcumin, indications, and uses of prolotherapy and platelet-rich plasma (PRP). Lucas enjoys discussing health and treatment options with his patients and genuinely looks forward to teaching others about health, medicine, and methods to improve one’s health and wellbeing outside of the doctor’s office.

Do you really know what it is like to deal with and fight against chronic pain? You are going to discover it! Camilla Yong Bratteli joins us today to tell us about her experience dealing with pain, what does it feel like, and how it can strongly affect people in various aspects of their lives. She will also describe the process that she had gone through to finally heal from it and feel better with herself.  ABOUT TODAY'S GUEST - Camilla Yong Bratteli Camilla is a thirty-nine years-old woman, mother of two children aged fifteen and three. She has bachelor's degrees in social worker, and sports and nutrition. Ms. Yong is also a certified instructor at gymnastics and her passion is to help other people to reach better health, both physically and mentally, internally and externally.

Do you want to know even more about chronic pain? Well, you are going to learn some new and useful things! Dr. Avinash Ramchandani joins us to talk about chronic pain and what are the factors that cause it. He is also reflecting on what does he take into account when he treats a patient and gives a little advice to those who are dealing with chronic pain in their daily lives. ABOUT TODAY'S GUEST - Dr. Avinash Ramchandani Dr. Avinash Ramchandani is board certified in physical medicine and rehabilitation and pain management. He received his B.A. Molecular in Cell Biology from UC Berkeley. After residency, he completed his fellowship in Pain Medicine at the Oregon Health and Science University in Portland, Oregon. Dr. Ramchandani incorporates pain procedures, nutrition, exercises, and medications to customize treatment options for patients in pain. He enjoys being on the cutting edge of proven treatments for pain management and believes in optimizing the functional being so that pain is controlled and people may live with the highest degree of dignity.

Did you know that you can have an active role in keeping yourself and others healthy? Because you surely can, and you definitely have to assume it! Today, Prof. George Grant joins us to talk about the global situation that is affecting us nowadays: COVID-19; and what can we do, generally, to keep ourselves and others safe. He also tells us that it is not all about intervention, but prevention; and we have to be responsible and conscious of this fact in order to act benefiting our health.  ABOUT TODAY'S GUEST - Dr. George Grant Dr. George Grant, known as The Caring Doctor, is considered the Canadian authority in Integrative/Functional Medicine and a global wellness ambassador. He is a scientist, professor, chemist, toxicologist, nutritionist, biofeedback, stress management, and pain specialist. Dr. Grant is an expert in biofeedback, stress, anti-aging, and natural pain management. He helped clients at Sunnybrook hospital in Toronto recover from clogged arteries as well as 10,000 clients worldwide. He has also worked as a Senior Consultant for Health Canada, FDA and CDC as well as in private practice.

Did you know that although benzodiazepines are used for many conditions, they can bring undesired effects that represent a challenge for both physicians and yourself? Because, in the end, that is what really happens. Dr. Steven Wright joins us to talk about the different variants of benzodiazepines, their combination with opioids in treatments, and what truly happens in the taking period and withdrawal process. ABOUT TODAY'S GUEST - Steven Wright, MD Steven Wright, MD, is a residency-trained family physician with a 37-year clinical career. He has been active in addiction medicine for 32 years, and in medical pain management for 16 years. His interests include the neurophysiology and treatment of pain and addiction, non-opioid analgesia, opioids, benzodiazepines, cannabis, adverse consequences, and policy development. He is the medical consultant for The Schreiber Research Group and the Alliance for Benzodiazepine Best Practices.

Can chronic pain difficulties be affected by the culture in which we live and are constantly changing? They surely can. And they do! Today, Dr. Praveen Ganty joins us to talk about the different problems that modern society has when it comes to chronic pain. He includes topics such as overmedication, social stigmas, the cannabinoid system, and what can we do in our everyday life to deal with this pain and improve our quality of life.  ABOUT TODAY'S GUEST - Dr. Praveen Ganty Dr.Ganty is a consultant in Pain Medicine and Anesthesiology, currently working at Allevio Pain Management, in Toronto. He trained in Anesthesiology in India and then re-trained in the United Kingdom, where he also completed a Fellowship in Chronic Pain, and was a consultant from 2010 to 2016, treating patients in chronic pain. He was also actively involved in research projects. His passion is to get patients off “the chemicals that treat pain, including opioids”, to encourage self-help, and to manage chronic pain through non-pharmacological methods.

Could you imagine yourself living with strong physical pain for many years? Brittany Quiroz did it, that's why she is definitely a warrior. Today, she joins us to talk about her experience, how it all began and changed her life forever. She is also talking about the change of mindset that was necessary to overcome this painful situation, and what were the benefits of that transformation. ABOUT TODAY'S GUEST - Brittany Quiroz Brittany Quiroz is a mother, a wife, a motivational speaker, singer, songwriter, motivational vocalist and advocate for change for younger generations who have disabilities. She was diagnosed with Secondary Progressive Multiple Sclerosis at the age of 30, which was a fight or flight moment in her life, that would either break her entirely or turn herself into a voice. She chose to follow the second path. "By broadening our horizon for changes like this not only we do empower others fighting chronic illness, but we also break the stigma attached with what disability is supposed to look like", says proudly.

Did you believe that you already knew everything about chronic pain and its treatment? You are going to find it out! Dr. Robyn Prescott joins us today to talk about every aspect of chronic pain: what is it, how can it be cured, and what really makes the difference. She is also talking about some of the challenges that physicians face and what are the strategies they could use to help their patients overcome their pain situation.  ABOUT TODAY'S GUEST - Dr. Robyn Prescott Dr. Robyn Prescott received her medical degree from the Boucher Institute of Naturopathic medicine in 2014 where she graduated with the prestigious Spirit of Boucher award acknowledging her for outstanding commitment to both the community and academics. For the past five years, Dr. Prescott has operated her own successful private practice in North Vancouver, BC before recently relocating to Kamloops, BC. Her practice focuses on pain management, personal health optimization, and hormone balancing for all individuals. She currently holds a certification in prolotherapy, neural therapy, therapeutic, and is one of the few naturopathic physicians in Canada to perform injections under ultrasound guidance.

Would you believe me if I told you that there are painless therapies that would help you with your pain? Because they really exist, and total motion release is one of them. Hannah Castro Llego joins us today to talk about how pain not only affects a determined area but the whole body and its motions. She also describes the procedures and results of this innovative therapy, which is painless and very effective in kids and adults.  ABOUT TODAY'S GUEST - Hannah Castro Llego Hannah Castro Llego is a registered physical therapist with the College of Physical Therapist of British Columbia (CPTBC) since 2004. Originally from the Philippines, she obtained her bachelor’s degree in Physical Therapy (BSCPT) from De LaSalle University- Health Sciences. She holds membership with the Canadian Physiotherapy Association (CPA)- Pediatric Division and she is a member of the Physiotherapy Association of British Columbia (PABC). Her training includes Total Motion Release for Tots n Teens® (TMR-TnT), Introduction to Neurodevelopmental Techniques (NDT) in Pediatrics and Kid's Yoga Teacher Training.

Have you heard about it before? Right now you are going to learn about one of the most important associations when it comes to chronic pain management. Today, Penney Cowan, founder and CEO of the American Chronic Pain Association, joins us to talk about the reasons why she decided to found it, what are its present projects, and what is really important if a person is dealing with chronic pain. ABOUT TODAY'S GUEST - PENNY COWAN Penney Cowan is the founder and CEO of the American Chronic Pain Association (ACPA), which provides peer support and education in pain management skills to people with pain and their families; and works to build awareness about chronic pain among professionals, decision-makers, and the general public. Ms. Cowan is a recognized speaker advocating a multidisciplinary approach to pain management. Most recently she is a Co-founder and Board Member of the World Patients Alliance. She has been an advocate and consumer representative for pain issues and received numerous awards from organizations, such as the Institute for Public Service, American Pain Society, and American Academy of Pain Medicine.

Do you know what can you do to effectively minimize your chronic pain? You're about to learn! Dr. Majeed joins us in this episode to talk about the experience of pain; what really happens in your body when you have it; and what can you do to fight against this problem. She also discusses the stigma of being part of the elderly population, and what can be done to optimize the quality of life of this vulnerable group of society.  ABOUT TODAY'S GUEST - Dr. Yasmine Majeed Yasmine Majeed is a Consulting Pain Physician at the Calgary Chronic Pain Center, and Medical Director and Site Medical Lead for Age Care. She is currently President in the Section of Chronic Pain of the Alberta Medical Association. Dr. Majeed is also the founder and President of the Canadian Global Care Society. She feels passionate about caring for chronic pain around the spectrum.

What happens when we take a more complete approach to the problem and try to find different, but convergent, ways of solving it? You are about to know it! In this episode, Dr. Zach Cohen joins us to discuss the effectivity of using a variety of sciences and techniques to reduce the pain; and also talks about the opioid crisis era that we are living in, what are the consequences in people, and what are the health benefits of reducing those opioids to better levels.  ABOUT TODAY'S GUEST - Zach Cohen Dr. Zach Cohen is double board certified by the American Board of Anesthesiology in both Anesthesiology and Pain Medicine. He completed a Chronic Pain Fellowship at the University of California San Diego, which was recently rated the best chronic pain fellowship in America by the American Academy of Pain Medicine. Dr. Cohen often employs a team approach to helping patients overcome their pain issues, working alongside surgeons, neurologists, physiatrists, and psychologists. He considers himself part of the new age of interventional pain medicine and understands that many patients do not want to be on medications, especially opioids and finds ways to reduce their pain while helping them reduce the use of these medications.