Brain & Body Things

Board-certified neurosurgeon Ali H. Mesiwala, MD, FAANS, takes a solution-based approach to determine anatomic and functional abnormalities and then treats them with leading-edge technologies and integrative medicine.  At his three offices in Newport Beach, Marina del Rey, and Rancho Cucamonga, California, he focuses on helping all of their patients return to their normal lives, getting back into motion as quickly as possible. His team treats a vast array of neurological conditions. After intensive neurological exams and diagnostic testing, they recommend the best nonsurgical treatments for each person's unique health care needs. They recommend surgery when symptoms are severe or persist despite conservative care. Patients seek Dr. Mesiwala for his expertise in brain and spine surgery, as well as peripheral nerve surgery and artificial disc replacement surgery.  He's an expert in complex brain and skull base surgeries, and he has the most experience in artificial disc replacements on the West Coast, including multi-level operations and all types of spinal decompressions. After earning a Bachelor of Science in biomedical engineering and electrical engineering from Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore, Maryland, Dr. Mesiwala received his Doctor of Medicine from the University of California, San Francisco.  Then he finished his neurological surgery residency at the University of Washington in Seattle, Washington. He completed his skull base and cerebrovascular fellowships at the University of Washington, International Neuroscience Institute in Hannover, Germany, and the University of Pittsburgh in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. As a respected researcher specializing in the development of novel technologies and minimally invasive techniques for brain and spine surgery, Dr. Mesiwala holds multiple patents for medical devices used in spinal surgery.  In addition to his private practice, Dr. Mesiwala is the faculty surgeon for various artificial disc operations and spinal fusion operations with innovative techniques. He's a fellow of the American Association of Neurological Surgeons (FAANS).In this episode, we discuss: Concerns and fears when considering back surgery.The spectrum of spine treatments from the conservative to the invasive.Decompressions, disc resections, disc replacements, and neuromodulation.The future potential for spine treatments and surgery.The podcast episodes drop weekly on Mondays in seasonal chunks. Subscribe to stay up to date, and tune in when you can! Be sure to rate, review, and follow on your favorite podcast app and let me know what other brain & body things you'd like to hear about. For more information about me, check out my website.Follow me on Instagram, Twitter, or Tik Tok @drnatashamehta. Follow Dr. Ali Mesiwala on Instagram. Here is his practice website.This episode is not sponsored.

Arti Thangudu, MD, is a triple board-certified physician and endocrinology, diabetes, and thyroid specialist who provides high-level, well-rounded care at Complete Medicine in San Antonio, Texas. She takes an evidence-based approach to care, focusing on the whole patient, not their disease or symptoms. At her membership-based practice, Dr. Thangudu offers her patients direct access via phone, text and email, long and frequent visits, continuous glucose monitoring, access to diabetes technology and constant support to help her patients achieve their health goals. She received her Doctor of Medicine from the University of Texas Health Science Center in San Antonio, internship in internal medicine at Baylor College of Medicine, and residency at Tulane University.  She completed a fellowship in endocrinology, diabetes, and metabolism at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center, one of the busiest endocrinology training centers in the country. She has received nutritional training at Cornell University’s Center for Nutrition Studies as well as a 200-hour yoga training so she could coach her patients on using mindfulness to prevent, treat, and reverse chronic disease. Dr. Thangudu holds board certification in internal and lifestyle medicine, as well as endocrinology, diabetes, and metabolism. She’s also certified in plant-based nutrition.In this episode, we discuss:How a continuous glucose monitor (CGM) is used in medicine.How a CGM works.Pros and cons of CGMs.Glycemic index.Personal, daily, and lifestyle variations in blood sugars.The podcast episodes drop weekly on Monday over the summer. Subscribe to stay up to date, and tune in when you can! Be sure to rate, review, and follow on your favorite podcast app and let me know what other brain & body things you'd like to hear about. For more information about me, check out my website.Follow me on Instagram, Twitter, or Tik Tok @drnatashamehta. Follow Dr. Arti Thangudu on Instagram @drartithangudu. Here is her practice website.This episode is not sponsored.

Shanika Esparaz M.D. is a board-certified Ophthalmologist who is currently in private practice at Northeast Ohio Eye Surgeons. She provides comprehensive care as well and performs cataract surgery. She serves as a clinical associate professor of surgery at NEOMED. She enjoys connecting with her patients in clinic as well as teaching and connecting with young professionals on social media platforms. She is also board certified in Lifestyle Medicine as well as a certified health coach. She enjoy coaching other women in healthcare in terms of their health and wellbeing. Dr. Esparaz has launched two digital courses- Mindful Nutrition and Master Your Mindset. They are geared towards women in healthcare, especially early career physicians and physician moms who want to take a crash course in nutrition science and/or learn how to become more intentional and mindful to uplevel their mental well being. Here is the website to check out more!In this episode we discuss:The path to ophthalmology.Ophthalmology versus other eye specialists.Eye anatomy.Red flag symptoms.Screen time.Healthy eye development in children.My silly questions: eye rubbing, cosmetics, and eye skincare.The podcast episodes drop weekly on Mondays in seasonal chunks. Subscribe to stay up to date, and tune in when you can! Be sure to rate, review, and follow on your favorite podcast app and let me know what other brain & body things you'd like to hear about.For more information about me, check out my website, www.natashamehtamd.com.Follow me on Instagram, Twitter, or Tik Tok @drnatashamehta.Follow Dr. Esparaz on Twitter and Instagram. Here is her private practice website.This episode is not sponsored.

Dr. Andrew Hill is the founder of Peak Brain Institute and a leading neurofeedback practitioner and biohacking coach for clients worldwide. He has lectured on psychology, neuroscience, and gerontology at UCLA’s Department of Psychology where he received a PhD in Cognitive Neuroscience.At Peak Brain, Dr. Hill provides individualized training programs to help you optimize your brain across goals of stress, sleep, attention, brain fog, creativity, and athletic performance. He is the host of the Head First podcast and continues to do research on attention and cognitive performance. In this episode we discuss:Neurofeeback - what is it?Brain Mapping.QEEG.Specific disorders that neurofeedback may provide useful therapeutic potential.Limitations and considerations to pursuing neurofeedback.Opinions about the future of brain mapping with AI.The podcast episodes drop weekly on Mondays in seasonal chunks. Subscribe to stay up to date, and tune in when you can! Be sure to rate, review, and follow on your favorite podcast app and let me know what other brain & body things you'd like to hear about.For more information about me, check out my website, www.natashamehtamd.com.Follow me on Instagram, Twitter, or Tik Tok @drnatashamehta.Follow Dr. Hill on Twitter and Instagram. Here is the Peak Brain website.This episode is not sponsored.

Just a quick thank you as I get my $tuff together.

Anum Saeed, MD is a Cardiologist & Lipidologist based in Pittsburgh. She is currently an Assistant Professor of Medicine at the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine and a staff cardiologist at UPMC. She completed a clinical and research fellowship in Atherosclerosis and Lipidology at Baylor College of Medicine followed by her clinical cardiology fellowship training at UPMC. She is a non-invasive cardiologist who is specialized in general cardiology, cardiovascular disease prevention strategies, echo reading and nuclear studies.She has received numerous local and national awards for her research which currently is focused on investigating the longitudinal association of lipidomic and other novel metabolites with cardiovascular and neurodegenerative diseases (aka alterations in the Heart-Brain axis). Additionally, Dr. Saeed investigates large healthcare systems based utilization and clinical outcomes for cardiovascular disease prevention.Dr. Saeed serves on the Cardiovascular Disease Prevention Leadership Council of the American College of Cardiology and the Genomic and Precision Medicine Committee of the American Heart Association. In this episode we discuss:The impact of atherosclerotic disease on overall health.How lipids contribute to atherosclerotic disease.Definitions - what is a fat vs lipid vs cholesterol?The Lipid Profile.What you need to know about "good" cholesterol.Additional work up and laboratory values such as Lp(a) and apoB.Target reference ranges.How dietary fats influence the lipid profile.How dietary carbs influence the lipid profile.Lipids and the brain.The podcast episodes drop weekly on Mondays in seasonal chunks. Subscribe to stay up to date, and tune in when you can! Be sure to rate, review, and follow on your favorite podcast app and let me know what other brain & body things you'd like to hear about.For more information about me, check out my website, www.natashamehtamd.com.Follow me on Instagram, Twitter, or Tik Tok @drnatashamehta.Follow Dr. Saeed on Twitter.This episode is not sponsored.

Leia Rispoli, MD, is an experienced interventional pain medicine physician who offers exceptional pain management and physiatry services to patients in and around Marina Del Rey and Newport Beach, California. Double board-certified in Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation and Pain Management, Dr. Rispoli has a profound empathy for patients suffering severe or prolonged pain. She uses innovative, non-surgical interventions alongside evidence-based treatments to restore function and reduce or eliminate her patients’ pain. She treats people with a variety of painful conditions but I’ve brought her on the podcast today to talk about pelvic pain. This is an area of the body that has been historically challenging to treat when it is painful and we are going to dive into the what’s, why’s, and how’s today.Dr. Rispoli studied for her undergraduate degree at Rutgers University in New Brunswick, New Jersey. She was co-captain for the Division-1 women’s soccer team and, for four consecutive years, was a National Athletic Honor Society member. Dr. Rispoli earned her medical degree at Rutgers New Jersey Medical School in Newark, New Jersey, and completed her Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation residency at New York-Presbyterian Hospital’s Columbia University and Weill Cornell Medical Center in New York City. Her interest in the treatment of pain led her to complete an interventional pain medicine fellowship under the Weill Cornell Tri-Institute Pain Fellowship program in New York City, doing rotations at New York-Presbyterian Hospital, Memorial-Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, and Hospital for Special Surgery. Dr. Rispoli specializes in advanced neuromodulation (spinal cord stimulation) techniques, pelvic pain (both male and female), ultrasound-guided interventional procedures, and regenerative medicine techniques such as platelet-rich plasma (PRP) or stem cell therapy.At her private practice, Dr. Rispoli offers comprehensive, compassionate care that aims to enhance and optimize her patients’ quality of life.In this episode we discuss:Common pelvic problems.Things to do if you are experiencing pelvic pain.Work up and treatment options.Peri and Post pregnancy pelvis.The podcast episodes drop weekly on Mondays in seasonal chunks. Subscribe to stay up to date, and tune in when you can! Be sure to rate, review, and follow on your favorite podcast app and let me know what other brain & body things you'd like to hear about.For more information about me, check out my website, www.natashamehtamd.com.Follow me on Instagram, Twitter, or Tik Tok @drnatashamehta.Follow Dr. Leia Rispoli on Instagram, here is her practice website.This episode is not sponsored.

Dr. Meredith Smith received her doctorate in Physical Therapy from Elon University and her Bachelor’s degree from the College of Charleston in Exercise Science. She completed a neurologic residency program with OhioHealth and Ohio University. Meredith is a Board Certified Neurologic and Geriatric Clinical Specialist. She works in the outpatient setting treating individuals with neurologic and/or vestibular diagnoses. Meredith is also an adjunct professor with Bowling Green State University's DPT program in the neurologic and aging adult classes. Her clinical passion is treating individuals who have had a brain injury or stroke and is a strong advocate for best practice initiatives with these populations.In this episode we discuss:The neurologic benefits of high intensity exercise.Aging with an exercise program.The basic components to every exercise program.Specific guidelines and considerations for: stroke, spinal cord injury, Parkinsons disease, multiple sclerosis, and traumatic brain injury.The podcast episodes drop weekly on Mondays in seasonal chunks. Subscribe to stay up to date, and tune in when you can! Be sure to rate, review, and follow on your favorite podcast app and let me know what other brain & body things you'd like to hear about.For more information about me, check out my website, www.natashamehtamd.com.Follow me on Instagram, Twitter, or Tik Tok @drnatashamehta.This episode is not sponsored.

Dr. Joe Verghese graduated from St. Johns Medical College, Bangalore, India in 1989. He did his postgraduate training in Internal Medicine and Neurology in United Kingdom. He completed his Neurology residency at the Albert Einstein College of Medicine, Bronx, NY in 1998. He did his fellowship training in Neurophysiology as well as Aging & Dementia in 1999 at the same institution. He received a Master of Science degree in Clinical Research Methods with Distinction in 2001. Dr Verghese is board-Certified in Neurology. Dr. Verghese is Professor of Neurology and Medicine, Murray D. Gross Memorial Faculty Scholar in Gerontology, and Director, Resnick Gerontology Center at Einstein. He is the Chief of the Division of Cognitive and Motor Aging (Neurology), and former Chief of Geriatrics (Medicine 2012-2023).Dr. Verghese is a recipient of the Beeson award from the National institute on Aging as well as national awards from the American Geriatrics Society and the Gerontological Society of America. His research interest is the effects of disease and aging on mobility and cognition in older adults. He has over 300 peer-reviewed publications, and several current and past federally funded grants in this area. His current projects include non-pharmacological interventions to prevent dementia, the role of divided attention tasks such as walking while talking in predicting outcomes such as disability and cognitive decline, pre-dementia syndromes (Motoric Cognitive Risk syndrome), and global health studies.In this episode, we dive deep into the evidence between lifestyle and dementia.In this episode we discuss:Different types of dementia.Differentiating dementia from other types of cognitive impairment.Early predictors of dementia.The impact of movement on the brain.Motoric Cognitive Risk Syndrome.The future landscape of dementia care.The podcast episodes drop weekly on Mondays in seasonal chunks. Subscribe to stay up to date, and tune in when you can! Be sure to rate, review, and follow on your favorite podcast app and let me know what other brain & body things you'd like to hear about.For more information about me, check out my website, www.natashamehtamd.com.Follow me on Instagram, Twitter, or Tik Tok @drnatashamehta.This episode is not sponsored.

Dr. Preeti Raghavan is a Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation Physican who specializes in neurorehabilitation after stroke or brain injury. After completing her medical education in India, Dr. Raghavan trained at the Albert Einstein College of Medicine in the Bronx and Columbia University. She began her career at Mount Sinai School of Medicine, followed by Rusk Institute of Rehabilitation Medicine at New York University Langone Medical Center, and is now at Johns Hopkins Medical Center where she is a Professor of Stroke Treatment, Recovery, and Rehabilitation. She is an associate professor of physical medicine and rehabilitation and is a partner in a scientist founded start up called Mirrored Motion Works. She has recently published a text book on Spasticity and Muscle Stiffness. She has published in both the brain injury and stroke rehabilitation literature. Her research interests include interventions to enhance motor recovery after stroke and other forms of brain injury; development of novel technology and new treatments for muscle stiffness; emotional regulation and its interaction with recovery. In this episode we discuss stroke recovery across a variety of different impairments with an emphasis on physical recovery. In this episode we discuss:A typical stroke recovery timeline.Common concerns when recovering from a stroke.Specific impairments such as weakness, spasticity, neglect, and cognitive changes.Neuroplasticity.The podcast episodes drop weekly on Mondays in seasonal chunks. Subscribe to stay up to date, and tune in when you can! Be sure to rate, review, and follow on your favorite podcast app and let me know what other brain & body things you'd like to hear about.For more information about me, check out my website, www.natashamehtamd.com.Follow me on Instagram, Twitter, or Tik Tok @drnatashamehta.This episode is not sponsored.

Neal A. Mesnick, M.D., M.A., FAAPMR is board certified in Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation. He is a fellow of the American Academy of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, a member of the American Board of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, a member of the American Medical Association and a member of the Medical Society of the state of New York. He is an attending physician at New York Presbyterian Medical Center and is on the faculty at Weill-Cornell Medical College where he is an Assistant Clinical Professor in Rehabilitation Medicine. He has published abstracts and has presented at national conferences.Dr. Mesnick specializes in musculoskeletal injuries including neck and back pain, shoulder pain, knee and ankle pain. He believes and treating the patient as a whole in order to return them to full function.  Dr. Mesnick takes a thorough history and physical, including diagnostic testing if necessary, in order to oversee proper physical therapy. He may also prescribe medication or perform procedures such as injections to alleviate acute pain. He works closely with the licensed professionals at Advanced Sports Medicine & Rehabilitation to ensure the best possible outcome for his patients.Dr. Mesnick has his own practice conveniently located next to Union Square in NYC.In this episode we discuss:Dr. Mesnick’s personal journey with strength training and reasons behind his preference for power lifting.The importance of strength training particularly for injury prevention with aging.Starting a power lifting program at any age.Programming strength, hypertrophy, and maintenance.The importance if recovery and how to individualize recovery time periods.Re-evaluating goals and metrics as we age.Considering mobility and cross training.Referenced in the podcast:Starting Strength by Mark RippetoeThe Barbell Prescription: Strength Training for Life after 40The podcast episodes drop weekly on Mondays in seasonal chunks. Subscribe to stay up to date, and tune in when you can! Be sure to rate, review, and follow on your favorite podcast app and let me know what other brain & body things you'd like to hear about.For more information about me, check out my website, www.natashamehtamd.com.Follow me on Instagram, Twitter, or Tik Tok @drnatashamehta.Connect with Dr. Mesnick via his website.This episode is not sponsored.

In this episode you will hear - just me.A break from our usual interview-style content while I work on next season for you all!I'm sharing a little bit about exercise prescription with a spin towards the brain and nervous system considerations. Inspired by a lecture I recently gave about this topic. We will have a future episode next season diving into exercise prescription specifics for neurological disorders.This is a short episode, so take a listen and let me know what you think! Subscribe to stay up to date, and tune in when you can! Be sure to rate, review, and follow on your favorite podcast app and let me know what other brain & body things you'd like to hear about.For more information about me, check out my website, www.natashamehtamd.com.Follow me on Instagram, Twitter, or Tik Tok @drnatashamehta.This episode is not sponsored.

Dr. Leada Malek is a licensed physical therapist and board-certified sports specialist located in the San Francisco Bay Area. She is one of the 9% of therapists in the US who are specialized in sports therapy. She received her doctorate degree from Samuel Merritt University and completed her bachelors degree from the University of San Francisco in Exercise & Sport Science. She completed her graduate internship with Stanford University's varsity athletics and has since continued to work in the outpatient setting treating a variety of patients. Dr. Malek uses a combined approach of manual therapy and specific therapeutic exercise to help her patients move better, perform better, and compete again. She is passionate about using a variety of modalities including cup therapy and the TRX system to get creative with her care. She believes in retraining the body as a whole, and not just the area of discomfort. She has worked with patients of all ages and has treated professional dancers, athletes, weekend warriors, and young athletes. She is a volunteer physical therapist for triathlons and local semi-professional soccer and basketball teams. Her professional insight has been featured in numerous media outlets including Popsugar, Healthline, SELF, Livestrong, and Thrive Global. Contrary to popular misconceptions, physical medicine & rehabilitation (PM&R) doctors are different from physical therapists (PT). I (a PM&R doctor) loved having this conversation with Leada (a PT) because we often work together to treat patients. This type of teamwork is what first drew me to this field of medicine.In this episode we discuss:A typical physical therapy appointment or visitWorking through pain with physical therapyWhy mindset mattersTiming of physical therapyTranslating physical therapy to a virtual platformCost concerns related to therapyThe podcast episodes drop weekly on Mondays in seasonal chunks. Subscribe to stay up to date, and tune in when you can! Be sure to rate, review, and follow on your favorite podcast app and let me know what other brain & body things you'd like to hear about.For more information about me, check out my website, www.natashamehtamd.com.Follow me on Instagram, Twitter, or Tik Tok @drnatashamehta. Follow Dr. Malek on Instagram, Tik Tok, and YouTube @drmalekpt. You can check out her favorite products on her Amazon storefront.  If you'd like to learn more about her business & how to work with her, check out her website.This episode is not sponsored.

Dr. Kirkham is currently serving as the Program Director for the Geriatric Fellowship at Grant/OhioHealth in Columbus, OH. She is proud to be part of a team dedicated to teaching residents, fellows, and peers the very real opportunities that exist in the care of their older adults. She was a university system internist until 5 years ago when she completed a mid-career, geriatric fellowship and moved to a large community-based teaching setting. With her new-found knowledge and resources, she looks forward to engaging others in the very real potential of clinically richer, more effective care of their older adult patients.In this episode we discuss:The role of a geriatric physician in healthcareWhen you or a loved one should consider an evaluationFactors associated with aging including falls, muscle atrophy, appetite, memory, and moreThe podcast episodes drop weekly on Mondays in seasonal chunks. Subscribe to stay up to date, and tune in when you can! Be sure to rate, review, and follow on your favorite podcast app and let me know what other brain & body things you'd like to hear about.For more information about me, check out my website, www.natashamehtamd.com.Follow me on Instagram, Twitter, or Tik Tok @drnatashamehta. This episode is not sponsored.

Aniket Natekar, MD, MSc, is a board certified general neurologist and board certified headache specialist. He uses individualized approaches to the treatment of headache and develops long-term relationships with his patients.He completed his undergraduate degree from Western University in London, Ontario and his Master’s of Science in Pharmacology at the University of Toronto. He then moved to Honolulu, Hawaii for 4 years to complete his medical education at the John A. Burns School of Medicine at the University of Hawaii. He then completed his residency in neurology at Thomas Jefferson University Hospital in Philadelphia, including a fellowship in Headache Medicine.Dr. Natekar believes in a complete approach when treating patients, working as a team with patients and other providers to provide the best patient care. He enjoys learning about new advances in neurology and within headache medicine, as many of these conditions are treatable. Treatment of headache disorders is rapidly expanding and there is renewed optimism to improve the quality of life.In this episode we discuss:Headache pathophysiologySubstance impact on headache including alcohol, cannabis, and hallucinogensSupplements and headacheThe point of this conversation is not to be authoritarian or admonishing to anyones choices - but to better educate people on how & why they could be experiencing changes in headache with substances. The podcast episodes drop weekly on Mondays in seasonal chunks. Subscribe to stay up to date, and tune in when you can! Be sure to rate, review, and follow on your favorite podcast app and let me know what other brain & body things you'd like to hear about.For more information about me, check out my website, www.natashamehtamd.com.Follow me on Instagram, Twitter, or Tik Tok @drnatashamehta. Follow Dr. Natekar on Twitter @natekar_MDThis episode is not sponsored.

Dr. Richard Ulm is a chiropractor who developed his interest in the human body and it’s physical capabilities as an athlete. He studied English, philosophy and political science at Ashland University while training in track and field under the guidance of now 4 time Olympian, Jud Logan.He is a former collegiate track and field coach who competed in the 2004 Olympic Trials in Sacramento, California.  Following the Olympic Trials he coached at New Mexico State University where he was both a strength and conditioning coach as well as the head throwing coach. He completed a doctorate of chiropractic in 2008 at National University of Health Sciences.  National University is an evidence-based institution for Chiropractic Physicians.  While at National, he focused his efforts on biomechanics, anatomy, orthopedics, gait assessment and rehabilitation.In 2011, Dr. Ulm opened Columbus Chiropractic & Rehabilitation Center (CCRC). To ensure that he is providing the best, most cutting edge care to his patients, he has continued to study multiple techniques and approaches from around the world.  He is now full body certified in Active Release Technique (perhaps the best soft tissue technique in the world); he became one of only 177 Chiropractic Physicians in the world certified in the McKenzie Method (traditionally a certification reserved for physical therapists); he became a certified therapist of Dynamic Neuromuscular Stabilization by the Prague School of Rehabilitation (regarded by many as the most cutting edge rehab approach in the world). Dr. Ulm blends all of these techniques to provide the most effective and patient-specific care he can to the patients and athletes with whom he works.  He teaches rehabilitation and strength training to medical professionals, personal trainers and strength coaches all over the world. He is a International instructor of DNS for the Prague School of Rehabilitation; he is an instructor for the Motion Palpation Institute and is the founder and lead instructor for Athlete Enhancement, an education platform where Dr. Ulm is able to take his clinical experience and knowledge and apply it to the performance industry, helping coaches better train their athletes.In this episode we discuss:A deep dive into the history of core bracing.The different components of the core brace.How the core brace protects the low back.Improving spinal effeciency. The importance of practicing stabilization. How you stabilize your core matters.The continuum of rehabilitation to performance. The podcast episodes drop weekly on Mondays in seasonal chunks. Subscribe to stay up to date, and tune in when you can! Be sure to rate, review, and follow on your favorite podcast app and let me know what other brain & body things you'd like to hear about.For more information about me, check out my website, www.natashamehtamd.com.Follow me on Instagram, Twitter, or Tik Tok @drnatashamehta. Follow Dr. Richard Ulm on Instagram  @richardulmdc. Also, check out his podcast.This episode is not sponsored.

Aaron Bunnell, M.D., is a board certified physician at the Rehabilitation Clinic at Harborview and a UW assistant professor of Rehabilitation Medicine.  Dr. Bunnell specializes in treatment of severe traumatic and neurologic injuries and neuromuscular diseases. He aims to help patients return to the health, activities and interests that give them quality of life by providing individualized, compassionate care.  Dr. Bunnell earned his M.D. at UC San Francisco. He is triple board certified in Brain Injury Medicine, Electrodiagnostic Medicine and Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation. His clinical interests include acute inpatient rehabilitation of stroke, spinal cord injury and traumatic brain injury, early mobilization and rehabilitation of critically ill patients, outpatient stroke rehabilitation, diagnosis of neuromuscular diseases including peripheral neuropathies, carpal tunnel syndrome and motor neuron disease. His research interests include critical Illness neuromyopathy, electrodiagnostic testing and neuromuscular ultrasound.In this episode we discuss:Dr. Bunnell's personal experience with spinal cord injury.The life changing implications of a spinal cord injury.The transition from rehabilitation to fitness.Ableism in fitness.Tips for adapting fitness.The podcast episodes drop weekly on Mondays in seasonal chunks. Subscribe to stay up to date, and tune in when you can! Be sure to rate, review, and follow on your favorite podcast app and let me know what other brain & body things you'd like to hear about.For more information about me, check out my website, www.natashamehtamd.com.Follow me on Instagram, Twitter, or Tik Tok @drnatashamehta. You can't follow Dr. Bunnell on social media, and good luck trying to catch him with his busy & active lifestyle in Seattle :)This episode is not sponsored.

Laura B. Vater, MD, MPH is a gastrointestinal oncologist, writer, and speaker. She has published a number of narrative medicine essays, is a member of the Pegasus Physician Writers at Stanford, and is working on her first novel.  In 2017, she developed and trademarked a tool to help patients and clinicians simplify and prioritize health (the SMILE Scale™). This tool is being used in schools and clinics in the US and UK. Laura earned a Bachelor of Science from the University of Notre Dame, a Master of Public Health from the University of Pittsburgh, and a Doctor of Medicine from Indiana University School of Medicine. She completed her residency in Internal Medicine and fellowship in Oncology at Indiana University. She stayed on as faculty at IU where she cares for patients with gastrointestinal and hepatobiliary cancers, among others.In this episode we discuss:Managing life with a cancer diagnosis.Navigating treatment options.Dealing with the unknown.Preventing what you can with lifestyle choices.Looking with hope into the future.The podcast episodes drop weekly on Mondays in seasonal chunks. Subscribe to stay up to date, and tune in when you can! Be sure to rate, review, and follow on your favorite podcast app and let me know what other brain & body things you'd like to hear about.For more information about me, check out my website, www.natashamehtamd.com.Follow me on Instagram, Twitter, or Tik Tok @drnatashamehta. Follow Dr. Laura Vater on Instagram and Twitter @doclauravater.This episode is not sponsored.

Dr. Heidi Prather is an Attending Physiatrist at Hospital for Special Surgery. She specializes in sports medicine and the diagnosis and nonsurgical treatment of spine and hip disorders and conditions.After receiving a Bachelor of Arts Degree with Honors in biology and chemistry from Drury College, she received her Doctorate of Osteopathic Medicine from the University of Health Sciences College of Osteopathic Medicine. Following medical school, she completed a Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation residency at Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine. Dr. Prather served as Professor, Vice Chair of the Department of Orthopaedic Surgery and Founder and Division Chief of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation in the departments of Orthopaedic Surgery and Neurology at Washington University School of Medicine in St Louis, Missouri from 1998-2020. Dr. Prather also served as the Outpatient Medical Director of the Joint and Spine Center at Barnes-Jewish West County Hospital, and Founder of the Living Well Center. Dr. Prather co-founded the Sports Medicine Fellowship in Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation and served as Co-Director of the NASS recognized Spine and Intervention Fellowship.Dr. Prather is a Diplomat of the National Board of Medical Examiners and board certified by the American Board of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation and Sports Medicine. She is also a Certified Diplomate of the American Board of Lifestyle Medicine. She has been an Oral Board Examiner and Written Board Examination-item writer and self-examination assessment writer for the American Board of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation. She is a founding Senior Editor for the journal of the American Academy of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, PM&R. She has served as President of the Physiatric Association of Spine, Sports and Occupational Rehabilitation and North American Spine Society.Dr. Prather has authored many peer-reviewed articles, review articles, and book chapters teaches and lectures nationally on topics related to the sports, spine, and musculoskeletal medicine. Her clinical and research interests include the lifestyle medicine approach to care for musculoskeletal conditions with a special interest in gender differences, pre-arthritic hip disorders and their relationship to pelvic girdle and lumbar spine disorders.In this episode we discuss:Common reasons joints can become painful.Joint anatomy.Determining the cause of joint pain.Joint pain over a lifespan. Lifestyle choices and impact on joint pain.Integrating lifestyle medicine into joint pain management.Decision making for joint replacement.The lumbar pelvic and hip connection - challenges in evaluation and management. The importance of individualizing treatment.The podcast episodes drop weekly on Mondays in seasonal chunks. Subscribe to stay up to date, and tune in when you can! Be sure to rate, review, and follow on your favorite podcast app and let me know what other brain & body things you'd like to hear about.For more information about me, check out my website, www.natashamehtamd.com.Follow me on Instagram, Twitter, or Tik Tok @drnatashamehta. Follow Dr. Heidi Prather on Twitter @heidipratherpmr. This episode is not sponsored.

Dr. Amy Moore is a plastic surgeon at The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center. She specializes in super microsurgery for peripheral nerve injuries and peripheral neuropathies including complex hand and trauma reconstructive surgery. She regularly performs procedures to reanimate limbs, relieve patients’ debilitating pain, and restore sensation for those with nerve injuries.She is one of the few peripheral nerve surgeons in the world, and she has a focus on improving her patients’ quality of life. Nerve growth is a years-long process, and she supports her patients the entire way through recuperating and regaining function after surgery.Her research is focused on developing treatments to make nerve regrowth more efficient and faster. She is also exploring strategies for rewiring nerves with the goal of preventing muscle atrophy, restoring motion and relieving pain. She has authored more than 100 peer-reviewed journal articles in addition to other publications.she also leads a federally funded translational scientific research investigation of advanced limb reconstruction.In addition to this she helps to train the next generation of physicians. She is a professor ands serve as the chair of the Department of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery at The Ohio State University College of Medicine. She is on the scientific advisory board for the International Symposium of Neural Regeneration, the board of the American Association for Hand Surgery and the American Society for Peripheral Nerve.In this episode we discuss:What is a nerve? How does it function?Various ways nerves get damaged and try to heal themselves.The anatomy of nerve regrowth, for better or for worse.Nonsurgical options after nerve injury.Neuropathic pain descriptors.What is Wallerian degeneration? How does it influence timing of nerve testing?Surgical options after nerve injury.Common and uncommon examples.The growing & expanding field of peripheral nerve injury.The podcast episodes drop weekly on Mondays in seasonal chunks. Subscribe to stay up to date, and tune in when you can! Be sure to rate, review, and follow on your favorite podcast app and let me know what other brain & body things you'd like to hear about.For more information about me, check out my website, www.natashamehtamd.com.Follow me on Instagram, Twitter, or Tik Tok @drnatashamehta. Follow Dr.  Amy Moore on Instagram @amymooremd.This episode is not sponsored.