HealthTalks NOW

Welcome to the Health Talks NOW podcast, a Baptist Health production committed to bringing you the facts you need to help keep you and your family well. We are wrapping up our mini-series Like A Pro. Today, we hear from Erin Simon. Erin is serious about nutrition and has seen how it impacts not only athletic performance, but also overall health and wellbeing. Today’s conversation touches on body image, eating disorders, nutrition, healthy eating and overall wellness. To kick off the...

We are continuing on with our mini-series Like A Pro. Today, we hear from Kyle Morton, goalkeeper for Louisville City FC. To kick off the conversation, Kyle shares his experiences with mental health and advocates for prioritizing mental wellness. As a professional athlete, Kyle recognizes that pushing his body to the limit takes a toll on mental health. He gives some tips for prioritizing mental wellness, such as finding balance and relationships away from work. Kyle shares how he has...

We are continuing with our mini-series Like A Pro. Today, we hear from Gemma Bonner, a defender for Racing Louisville FC. Gemma has learned firsthand the importance of self-care, recovery and rest. As a professional athlete, these things are critical to maintaining top performance—though they ring true for everyday life, as well. To kick off the conversation, Gemma shares that the older she gets, the more important a ritual of self-care has become in her life. She has learned that self-care...

We’re kicking off a special mini-series of the show! Baptist Health serves as the team physicians for both the men’s and women's professional soccer teams here in Louisville, Louisville City FC and Racing Louisville. We’ll team up with members of each team for this special series we’re calling Like A Pro. Today, we’re joined by Tyler Gibson. Tyler is a midfielder for Louisville City FC and is extremely passionate about nutrition and how it affects overall health and performance. To begin,...

On today’s episode, we hear from Nick Sarantis, the Director of Digital Health Services for Baptist Health, about the developments in digital health in the eighteen months since he last joined the show. We’ll also hear about what’s still to come as a new normal of hybrid and accessible healthcare options continues to develop! As the conversation gets underway, Nick shares an update on how the digital health space has changed in the last year and a half. The focus of Baptist Health, he says,...

We are so excited to be back for the third season of the show. Today, we hear from an expert who studies and treats one of the most important structures in the human body: the spine. Neurosurgeon Dr. John Serak provides comprehensive care, diagnosis and surgical treatment of disorders of the brain, spine and nerves. He treats all adult spinal disorders and brain pathology. To begin, Dr. Serak highlights common conditions he sees which classify as chronic back pain. Back pain can originate...

October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month. It is estimated that in 2021, approximately 30% of all new cancer diagnoses in women will be breast cancer. On average, a woman is diagnosed with breast cancer in the United States every 2 minutes, and there are an estimated 3.8 million breast cancer survivors in the United States. We know that mammograms save lives and are the most accurate method of breast cancer detection, with the ability to detect breast cancer before a lump can even be felt....

The language surrounding additional COVID-19 vaccine doses is important. While a booster dose and a third dose sound similar, and are sometimes being used interchangeably, they actually refer to two very different things. In this episode, we're talking with Amy Fabian, clinical pharmacy specialist in infectious diseases at Baptist Health Louisville. Amy explains the difference between a booster dose and a third dose, and answers common questions about the most recent recommendations and...

Advance Care Planning is for all adults, regardless of their medical condition. This type of planning prepares you and your loved ones for any future healthcare needs such as an unexpected emergency or accident. So much of life is unpredictable, but one thing we can do is plan ahead to make what is undoubtedly a really challenging time a little bit easier. In this episode we're joined by Rev. Alice Tremaine, Advance Care Planning Coordinator for Baptist Health, to discuss the importance of...

With back-to-school routines — and quarantines — in full swing, we connected with Kelcie Cobb, PA-C, a primary care provider and mom of two to discuss many of the concerns hesitant parents have about sending their child to school during a pandemic. She outlines ways parents can protect young students from the virus, how to help them cope with mental health issues, and signs they might be struggling. She also covers other contagious conditions parents should watch for as students return to...

Until 2020, the word “pandemic” wasn’t one we heard very often. Fast forward to 2021, and our vocabulary of public health-related buzzwords continues to grow. One term you may have heard in recent months is “long COVID,” also called long-term COVID, post-acute COVID or long-haul COVID-19. The condition has become so widespread that, in January, the World Health Organization revised its COVID-19 treatment guidelines to include the condition. What exactly is a COVID long-hauler? In this...

If you’re an adult on TikTok, you’ve very likely seen the surge of videos about adult ADHD. It’s gone viral and content creators are raising awareness, which is causing people to self-diagnose and wonder if they may be affected. On this episode, we're joined on the phone with Dr. Jonathan Martin, psychiatrist with Baptist Health Medical Group and an expert on ADHD so we can dig in and ask the questions that matter.

Over the past year many new buzzwords have been added to our everyday vocabulary. One that remains on the forefront today -- vaccine hesitancy. The World Health Organization defines vaccine hesitancy as a “delay in acceptance or refusal of vaccines despite availability of vaccination services." In this episode, primary care physician, Jai Gilliam, MD, explains what vaccine hesitancy is and why it's not such a new concept. He retraces history to explain why legitimate hesitancy exists today,...

The first Pride March was in June 1970, marking the anniversary of the Stonewall Rebellion in NYC. Since then, we’ve made progress, but there is a long way yet to go. In today's episode, we're joined on the phone by Dr. Eli Pendleton, primary care physician with Baptist Health Medical Group at our Deer Park location in Louisville. Dr. Pendleton is an amazing ally for the LGBTQ community and provides primary care to almost 250 transgender patients who travel in from all parts of KY and...

Adding to the list of things disrupted by the COVID-19 pandemic, many elective medical procedures, including cancer screenings, were primarily put on hold to prioritize urgent needs, focusing on reducing the risk of spreading COVID-19 in healthcare settings. Additionally, patients were dissuaded from pursuing screenings with fear of contracting the disease. In today's episode, we're talking with Amitoj Gill, MD, to discuss this further and understand the possible repercussions.

Deciding whether or not to receive the COVID-19 vaccine is intensely personal. Hear from frontline healthcare workers as they describe their decision process, recount their experiences, and share important information.

The meditation is perfect to prepare your body for restful, restorative sleep. You'll focus on breathing techniques to sync your mind and body and relax as you drift off to sleep. We believe in healthcare for the whole person. At Baptist Health, we focus on the whole person – body, mind, and spirit. Some people simply find it difficult to relax after a hard day at work or at home, while others struggle to understand why they can't fall asleep. Many of these same people suffer from common...

Many well-intentioned optimists go into a new year set on living a healthier life. However, research shows even the most heartfelt resolutions go by the wayside way before Valentine’s Day. For American Heart Month, the HealthTalks Now team catches up with Jamie Robertson, a Lexington, Kentucky, fitness specialist. As a certified personal trainer and ACE® Health Coach, Robertson provides lifestyle education to all ages through Baptist Health. In this podcast, she explains the role nutrition...

The meditation is perfect for an end of the day wind-down. You'll work on breathing techniques to sync your mind and body and relax, focusing on releasing anxiety and stress. We believe in healthcare for the whole person. At Baptist Health, we focus on the whole person – body, mind, and spirit. Our behavioral health services provide care for individuals dealing with mental illness, such as anxiety, depression, and drug and alcohol dependency. With treatment plans tailored to meet each...

Your primary care provider is often the first person you call when you’re sick and the physician who helps manage your overall health. During the pandemic, family doctors are pulling double duty, as they strive to strike a balance between providing safe care in-person and virtually. In this podcast, Russell Bird, MD, a Louisville doctor specializing in family medicine, offers his unique perspective to help us make sense of the pandemic. He explains the phased approach to vaccine...