Avsnitt
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“I haven’t had any medical people tell me that I shouldn’t go all out,” says our protagonist in this episode, Nordic John. He’s 80 years young but still competing internationally in cross-country skiing despite the onset of Parkinson’s disease a decade ago. “That is really effective when you push yourself to the limit.”
Our expert guest, Dr. Jerry Vitek, Head of Neurology at the University of Minnesota Medical School, confirms John’s experience. “Exercise is one of the best things we can do and recommend to our patients.”
Nordic John’s wife, Gina, attests that John is no stranger to the vigorous challenge of cross country skiing. John directed the Nordic Skiing Program at the Craftsbury Outdoor Center in Vermont for decades. And both attended the 2023 Master’s World Cup of Skiing in Austria.
“I just need to get him to the start line because then when the gun goes off he just knows what to do,” she explains.
That means Nordic John’s muscle memory for skiing remains intact despite the onset of other symptoms, such as tremors and loss of balance.
“There's no question that when you start to become proficient at something, you've clearly changed those connections and strengthened them,” confirms Dr. Vitek.
We’ll also hear from Coach Ollie, who has taken over John’s former position at the Craftsbury Center yet now directs John at his Master’s practices. And we’ll learn about the important role played by the actor Michael J. Fox and his foundation in raising $1 billion for Parkinson’s research so far.
How do John and Gina fare in disappointing snow conditions at the Master’s World Cup? What important research is on the horizon for the many millions of Parkinson’s patients worldwide?
Tune in to learn more on this final My Body Odyssey episode of Season Two, Nordic John on the Parkinson’s Trail.
My Body Odyssey is a Fluent Knowledge production. Original music by Ryan Adair Rooney.
SHOW NOTES
Experts:
Jerrold Vitek, MD, PhD
Studies:
Deep Brain Stimulation for Parkinson Disease: An Expert Consensus and Review of Key Issues
Forced, Not Voluntary, Exercise Improves Motor Function in Parkinson's Disease Patients
Resources
What is Parkinson’s?
Parkinson’s disease: overview and symptoms
Stanford Medicine: The Benefits of Exercise for PD
Parkinson’s Foundation: Exercise
NIH: Role of Physical Activity in Parkinson’s Disease
American Parkinson Disease Association: Which types of exercise are best for Parkinson’s?
American Parkinson Disease Association: Approved Medications for Parkinson's
American Association of Neurological Surgeons: Causes of Parkinson's
Parkinson's Foundation: Postural Instability
Stanford Medicine: The science behind muscle memory
Preserved motor memory in Parkinson's disease
Benefits of physical exercise on Parkinson’s disease disorders induced in animal models
Neurotrophic Factors
Growth Factors
The Relationship Between Stress, Anxiety, and Parkinson's Disease
How Stress and Stress Management Impact Parkinson’s
Can Exercise Slow Parkinson's Disease Progression? with Daniel Corcos, PhD
The Michael J. Fox Foundation For Parkinson’s Research
John Broadhead: VT Ski Hall of Fame, 2019
Climate change makes the future of Nordic skiing uncertain
Craftsbury Outdoor Center
Ski For Parkinson’s
University of Michigan Udall Center of Excellence for Parkinson's Disease Research
Jaxon XC
Bethel Outing Club
NENSA
Nonstop Nordic
Silver Star -
The benefits of open water swimming are widely felt and observed but not yet fully documented by the scientific community, as they combine the effects of immersion in nature, cold water and strenuous exercise all at one time.
“It actually does change your pulse and it changes our physiology as humans,” says our protagonist, Atlantic Annie. “And it's apparently activating the parasympathetic nervous system, which I have come to understand over the last 10 years, is our relaxation response, activated when we sleep, when we're with our favorite pet, with a lover. And I was getting that by swimming.”
For Annie these benefits are particularly important because of childhood trauma which surfaced as full-blown PTSD some years later as an adult. She has since been successfully treating this chronic anxiety for two decades now, adding in open water swimming over the past ten years.
“I love the way I feel after, and I love the experience itself," Annie tells us after a swim at her favorite spot along the Southern New England shore. “And I haven't found many sports where I feel such a sense of calm.”
Annie is far from alone in feeling these benefits, according to our expert this episode, Dr. Heather Massey, a lecturer in Physiology at the University of Portsmouth (UK) and an avid open water swimmer.
“People have sent me their Garmin watch information about their resting heart rates,” Dr. Massey says, “and told me when their periods of regular outdoor swimming have been compared to when they haven't swam outdoors.”
Dr. Massey theorizes this calming effect has to do with a well documented phenomenon known as the Mammalian Diving Reflex. “Cold water swimming is what we call a perturbation, and it totally disrupts the status quo within the body,” she explains. “It's putting the body in a position where it needs to react to the stimulus of cold water.”
Open water swimming has serious risks and should not be undertaken alone or without prior medical consultation. But swimming safely against a small amount of potential risk may paradoxically have a calming effect on open water swimmers like Atlantic Annie and others with anxiety issues.
Tune in to find out more about the calm within the storm of open water swimming this episode, “PTSD & Open Water Swimming.”
My Body Odyssey is a Fluent Knowledge production.
Original music by Ryan Adair Rooney.
Expert:
Dr. Heather Massey
Show Notes:
What is post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD)?
CPTSD (Complex PTSD)
Open-water swimming: a beginner's guide
Health Benefits Derived from Forest: A Review
Harvard Health Publishing: Take the plunge for your heart
Improved mood following a single immersion in cold water
Cold Water Swimming—Benefits and Risks: A Narrative Review
Physiology, Diving Reflex
The Mammalian Diving Reflex: 4 Fascinating Things Happening to Your Body When You’re In Water
The Mammalian Diving Response: An Enigmatic Reflex to Preserve Life?
Parasympathetic Nervous System
Effects of Cold Stimulation on Cardiac-Vagal Activation in Healthy Participants: Randomized Controlled Trial
Vagus nerve stimulation
How Does Vagus Nerve Stimulation Reduce PTSD Symptoms?
Understanding PTSD From a Polyvagal Perspective
The effects of cold water immersion and active recovery on inflammation and cell stress responses in human skeletal muscle after resistance exercise
Health effects of voluntary exposure to cold water – a continuing subject of debate
Short-Term Head-Out Whole-Body Cold-Water Immersion Facilitates Positive Affect and Increases Interaction between Large-Scale Brain Networks
The Body Keeps the Score: Brain, Mind, and Body in the Healing of Trauma -
Saknas det avsnitt?
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Completing the 200-mile Pan Mass Challenge (PMC) bike ride every year for two decades would be an accomplishment for anyone; but it’s particularly remarkable in the case of Cycling Sue, who has ridden 10 of those 20 years with metastatic breast cancer.
“I've had many friends who I've met through this journey,” Sue tells us in this third episode of a series on cycling and cancer. “And they aren't here. But I also know that they would say, ‘What are you crazy? Just keep pedaling!’”
Sue entered into breast cancer treatment largely alone back in 2003 with her initial diagnosis. But she’s since found a community of caregivers and patients through the Dana Farber Cancer Institute and the PMC ride benefitting research there. In this episode (a first for My Body Odyssey), we speak with three of Sue’s actual caregivers from Dana Farber, past and current, about the challenge of metastatic breast cancer, the benefits of exercise for cancer patients, and the motivational power of the PMC event.
“She was all in, you know, welcoming me to Dana Farber like an ambassador,” recalls Jenn McKenna, Sue’s Nurse Practitioner (NP), of their first meeting over a decade ago. “I just really liked her right away.”
We’ll also hear from Sue’s current oncologist, Dr. Rachel Freedman of Dana Farber, as well as her former oncologist, Dr. Eric Winer, now President of the Smilow Cancer Center at Yale Medical. Through their insights, we get a deeper understanding of this chronic disease and the importance of a positive attitude like Sue’s during the demanding rounds of treatment.
“She doesn't spend… anytime feeling sorry for herself. None of that,” says NP Jenn McKenna of her patient and sometimes-Peloton-partner, Sue. “She just keeps living her life, doing all the things that make her happy in a way that we all should.”
Some high quality inspiration on this episode with Cycling Sue. And amidst a lot of perspiration, too. In addition to completing the 200-mile ride this year, Sue has again claimed an additional title: The Sweatiest Person at the PMC Award.
“You can't see it on the podcast, but I keep my wristband on for a few days and it's all gross and worn away,” she says in a boastful moment. “So I've crowned myself as The Sweatiest Person again.”
Special thanks to Producer Debbie Blicher for her reporting on this episode. And huge thanks to our expert guests as well; see more of their information in our show notes.
My Body Odyssey is a Fluent Knowledge production.
Original music by Ryan Adair Rooney.
Experts:
Rachel A. Freedman, MD, MPH
Eric Winer, MD
Breast Oncology Program Treatment Team at Dana Farber
Sources:
Metastatic Breast Cancer
Pan Mass Challenge
Physical Activity as the Best Supportive Care in Cancer: The Clinician’s and the Researcher’s Perspectives
Physical Activity and Cancer
Physical Activity Boosts Brain Health
The Benefits of Exercise for the Clinically Depressed
Physical Activity and Cancer Care—A Review
Exercise: 7 benefits of regular physical activity -
In this season two episode, Generational Gene details the serious risk of colon cancer and his two pronged approach of cycling and weight loss against three related medical issues– obesity, diabetes, and cancer, all of which run in his family.
This builds upon our season one episode where Gene described his choice of cycling to help manage blood sugar and hold off diabetes. “Some days it feels like your pedal to save your life,” Gene told us, “and in a lot of ways, you really are.”
Now a high school superintendent, Gene is also a former biology teacher. “One of the things I’ve learned in the last couple years,” he tells us after a short training ride, “is that cellulose and fat tissue is biologically active.”
That point is echoed by our medical expert this episode, Dr. Chika Anekwe of Mass General Brigham and Harvard Medical School, who adds that “the signals that fat cells send out can be carcinogenic, or cancer-causing.”
On the dietary/weight-loss front, Gene proudly recounts a story from some years ago where he lost 42 pounds in three months through crash dieting, winning a bet from a close friend. Soon after, though, he reverted to his original weight– like so many other dieters have experienced after initial weight loss.
“And that has a lot to do with this concept of the set point,” Dr. Anekwe explains, “No matter what you do to lose that weight, to bring it down, it always wants to go back to that set point.”
Challenges abound for Generational Gene on the exercise road, too. Gene participates in the annual Pan Mass Challenge, a 200-mile bike ride across Massachusetts benefiting cancer research at the Dana Farber Institute. But a training accident in the spring kept him off the bike with a hamstring injury for several important weeks.
“I just lost control of the bike and then just went down on the road,” he recalls. “And then I saw that the pedal was in the road. And I was like, man, the pedal snapped.”
Will Gene have the stamina for the 100-mile Saturday leg of the PMC? Will his new bike pedals support the effort? And how about that long term, often uphill challenge of losing weight for diabetes and cancer prevention?
Tune in for chapter two of Generational Gene’s body odyssey, as he pushes back against a family history of diabetes and cancer. With expert commentary from Obesity & Preventive Medicine Physician, Dr. Chika Anekwe of MassGeneralBrigham and Harvard Medical School.
My Body Odyssey is a Fluent Knowledge production.
Original music by Ryan Adair Rooney.
Show Notes:
Experts:
Name: Dr. Chika Anekwe
Resources:
NIH: Overweight & Obesity Statistics
Healthline: Obesity Facts
Role of Physical Activity for Weight Loss and Weight Maintenance
Acute and Chronic Effects of Exercise on Appetite, Energy Intake, and Appetite-Related Hormones: The Modulating Effect of Adiposity, Sex, and Habitual Physical Activity
Dietary Approaches to the Treatment of Obesity
Protein for Life: Review of Optimal Protein Intake, Sustainable Dietary Sources and the Effect on Appetite in Ageing Adults
Optimal Diet Strategies for Weight Loss and Weight Loss Maintenance
Recent advances in understanding body weight homeostasis in humans
Long-term weight loss maintenance
Is there evidence for a set point that regulates human body weight?
Obesity and Set-Point Theory
Cell biology of fat storage
Familial Adenomatous Polyposis
Colorectal Cancer in African Americans: An Update -
My Body Odyssey rode along the 20th Annual Maine Lighthouse Ride this year, interviewing 4 protagonists who faced steep uphill challenges to even get to the starting line of this scenic ride.
Rebecca, a yoga teacher in her early sixties, has missed the event the past few years- first, due to a recurrence of endometrial cancer, then COVID, and then work obligations. She counts three challenges in completing this year’s one hundred mile route.
“One is torn ligaments in my knee,” she told us, “ and one is that almost exactly two years ago today, I had my last chemotherapy treatment. And in the mix, I manage the energy of depression.”
Profiled in a previous episode, Larry is a Stage IV prostate cancer survivor taking on the 40-mile distance despite finishing chemotherapy three months ago and sustaining a training ride fall two days before the event.
“I was just gonna have a small ride and I fell off my bike onto a set of railroad tracks,” Larry explains. “The doctor said… I'll give you a 20, 30% chance of riding. So I may not do the full 40 miles.”
Also taking on the 40-mile ride is New Hampshire resident Jim, an engineering PhD who became partially paralyzed from a mountain biking accident twelve years ago. Nevertheless, getting back onto a bike -or a more stable three wheeled trike- became one of the major goals of his long rehab process.
“I have to concentrate really hard when I ride,” says Jim, who propels the substantial weight of his “trike” with only good leg. “So it's also done a lot for my focus.”
Eric, a Portland resident in his early thirties, had a serious hiking accident one year ago that required surgical attachment of a quad muscle as well as a rotator cuff repair. That put him in a downward spiral, both financially and behaviorally. Yet, he’s taking on the 62-mile ride today after gradually escalating his training mileage the past few months.
“I think it all saved me when I found the right athletic trainer that was able to work on my injuries,” he recounts. “She encouraged me to get help on my mental health issues I was battling... And then over a few months, I started getting more confident.”
Over 800 riders at this year’s Maine Lighthouse Ride, which benefits completion of the Eastern Trail, a 65-mile dedicated bike path from Kittery to Portland Maine for recreation and commuting. That’s a lot of mileage and a lot of stories. Tune in to find out if these four MBO protagonists– Rebecca, Larry, Jim and Eric– complete their ride distances. What rewards will they reap from the 20th Annual Maine Lighthouse Ride?
My Body Odyssey is a Fluent Knowledge production.
Original music by Ryan Adair Rooney.
Show notes:
Eastern Trail Alliance
Maine Lighthouse Ride
Cracked: My Life After A Skull Fracture
ZERO Prostate Cancer
Larry's Fundraising Page
Lana Wescott Events
Sea Change Yoga -
My Body Odyssey rode along with Larry Langmore on the 40 mile option of the 20th Annual Maine Lighthouse Ride this year, a benefit for the Eastern Trail Association that attracts 800 riders from near and far.
40 miles is a good long ride for anyone. But it’s both particularly challenging and potentially rewarding for a prostate cancer survivor three months out from chemotherapy.
“I was diagnosed with stage four prostate cancer in March,” Larry told us. “And so I've had four treatments of chemotherapy… But during that period, I was able to ride a hundred miles a month.”
That gave Larry the confidence to take on these 40 miles and, with daughter Katie, raise money for the non-profit ZERO Prostate Cancer in the process. Then a fall on a training ride two days prior to the ride put these goals into question.
“So my side is a little bit sore right now,” confesses Larry before the event. “The doctor said I'll give you a 20, 30% chance of riding. So I may not do the full 40 miles.”
Once out on the road, the bumps seem bumpier and the hills steeper than usual for Larry. Was that more than just a minor fall during his training ride?
Tune in to find out more about the Maine Lighthouse Ride, The Eastern Trail, and whether or not protagonist, Larry, completes his 40 mile cycling odyssey with both cancer and injury.
With expert commentary from exercise oncologist, Dr. Kathryn Schmitz, University of Pittsburgh, and cycling recordings by Kevin A. Kline, Sr. Audio Engineer.
My Body Odyssey is a Fluent Knowledge production.
Original music by Ryan Adair Rooney.
Experts:
Kathryn H. Schmitz, PhD, MPH
Resources:
Larry's Fundraising Page
ZERO Prostate Cancer
Eastern Trail in Southern Maine
Prostate Cancer: Symptoms & Causes
American Cancer Society: Survival Rates for Prostate Cancer
American Cancer Society: Physical Activity and the Person with Cancer
Physical Activity and Cancer Care- A Review
Cancer.Net: Osteoporosis -
My Body Odyssey attended the 51st Falmouth Road Race- the local, 7-mile pub crawl that quickly evolved into a major, international event with 75,000 spectators and ten thousand runners annually. Our episode features three participants at this year event, including the only runner to have completed all 51 Falmouth Road Races: Dr. Brian Salzberg.
“I've had just a slew of injuries,” said Dr. Salzberg, a professor of Neuroscience and Physiology at UPenn Medical School. “And they always happen away from Falmouth. So it never stopped me from running the Falmouth Road Races.”
Actually, what may not have stopped Dr. Salzberg is his own tenacity. He’s finished the event with a brain tumor and on torn ligaments. “I did the 7 mile course on crutches in 2008,” he jokes. “ And, as far as I know, I still have the crutch record.”
Born with Spina Bifida, fourteen-year-old wheelchair racer Madelyn Wilson displays a tenacity quite similar to that of Dr. Salzberg, whose race record she could eventually threaten. “Oh, this is my favorite race of the year,” she told us at the Health & Wellness Expo. “I'm always energetic and waiting to do this. Like, hurry up, let's go.”
Are dedicated, highly enthused runners and racers like Dr. Salzburg and Madylen born to train and compete at events like the Falmouth Road Race? Or do the benefits of training and competing motivate individuals to just keep at it until it becomes second nature?
Carol Crutchfield, a charity runner at this year’s race, firmly believes that nurture, not nature, creates lifelong runners.
“The main thing is, your mind's your worst enemy,” says Carol, author of a book for the beginning runner, And They Shall Run. “So you gotta make yourself get out the door, and that's the hardest thing.”
These inspiring odysseys may help you get out the door more often to run, cycle, walk, or whatever form of activity you choose. And they may motivate you to visit this now famous road race along the iconic Cape Cod shoreline looking out towards Martha’s Vineyard. Tune in for inspiration amidst perspiration at the 51st Falmouth Road Race.
My Body Odyssey is a Fluent Knowledge production.
Original music by Ryan Adair Rooney. -
As a former competitive weightlifter, strength coach, and now Chair of Physical and Rehabilitation Medicine at Vanderbilt Medical School, Dr. D.J. Kennedy specializes in the diagnosis and treatment of back issues that nearly all of us experience- including chronic back pain.
“The numbers are 80 to 90% of people have low back pain at some point in their life,” says Dr. Kennedy in the bonus episode, “which tells me 10 to 20% of people have a bad memory.”
Why is back pain so prevalent and persistent? Dr. Kennedy points to the complexity of spinal anatomy as a primary factor. "For the spine, we have L4-L5, L5- S1, “ says Kennedy, himself a back pain sufferer. “We have discs, we have facets, we have all kinds of things that can cause problems.”
Formerly a Stanford Medical School Professor, Dr. Kennedy emphasizes both the variety of back issues patients can experience, and the necessity of prescribing a wide array of treatments to address these issues. While at Stanford, Dr. Kennedy trained in the Gokhale Method featured in our previous episode. He then began recommending it to patients, many of whom saw positive results.
Are you a frequent back pain sufferer? Do you find yourself feeling back stiffness you thought might never happen to you? Tune in to learn from a spine expert who values posture-based therapies encompassing our complete movement chain- from foot angle to neck alignment. And please share this episode with others who may benefit.
My Body Odyssey is a Fluent Knowledge production.
Original music by Ryan Adair Rooney.
Our Expert Guest:
Dr. DJ Kennedy
Vanderbilt Faculty Page
Resources:
Cleveland Clinic: Back Pain
Back, Lower Limb, and Upper Limb Pain Among U.S. Adults, 2019
WHO: Low Back Pain
Is it Your Back, or Your Hips?
Building a Strong Core is Your Best Defense Against Back Pain
A Systematic Review of the Effects of Exercise and Physical Activity on Non-Specific Chronic Low Back Pain
What is the McKenzie Method for Back Pain and Neck Pain?
Kyphosis
What to Expect From Physical Therapy for Lower Back Pain
Publications:
Functional rehabilitation of lumbar spine injuries in the athlete
Return to play considerations for cervical spine injuries in athletes
The Challenges of Research on Interventions for Low Back Pain
The role of core stabilization in lumbosacral radiculopathy -
Three decades ago, Esther Gokhale created the Gokhale Method to apply primal posture to modern pain. Gokhale emphasized small improvements in everyday movements to prevent and heal back pain and musculoskeletal damage. Now, more than 20,000 people have learned to walk, sit, bend and sleep more efficiently by adopting Gokhale’s primal posture approach.
Dr. D.J. Kennedy, professor and chair of the Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation at Vanderbilt University Medical Center, told us how he sees the Gokhale method work for his patients in this episode. “I think she paints a picture that makes a lot of sense intuitively. And she's also going about trying to get the data to prove it,” said Kennedy. The Gokhale method is about to be tested in a randomized clinical trial at Stanford University.
In this MBO episode, we learn how Esther Gokhale developed the method in part due to her own suffering.
Pregnant with her second child, Gokhale was experiencing severe back pain even after a corrective surgery. Gokhale tried physical therapy, chiropractic, acupuncture, massage, yoga, stretching, strengthening, and “checking her head.”
Nothing helped. Thanks to an upbringing in India studying classical dance and observing the posture of local laborers, Gokhale knew that “something was wrong with this picture.”
In the quest for relief, Gokhale built on those childhood observations and her own scientific background to create a new theory of movement based on traditional practices. Soon after, she published Eight Steps to Pain Free Back, which has sold over 300,000 copies.
Today, the Gokhale Method may be poised for even wider acceptance. In addition to online courses and a nationwide network of teachers, the Method now offers a Posture Tracker app to help students reinforce better posture. Meanwhile, Stanford University researchers are embarking on a long-term study of the system’s efficacy in healing and preventing back pain and other musculoskeletal issues.
Listen and follow Gokhale’s journey from patient to inventor, teacher and modern day entrepreneur of the primal posture method.
My Body Odyssey is a Fluent Knowledge production.
Original music by Ryan Adair Rooney.
Show Notes:
Our Expert Guests:
Esther Gokhale
Dr. DJ Kennedy
Gokhale's primal posture methods:
Gokhale’s Substacking & “Just Right Chair”
Glidewalking
Thoracic Outlet Syndrome
Joint Hypermobility Syndrome
Anteverted Pelvis
Tucked Pelvis
Gokhale Method Teachers
Gokhale Posture Tracker
Gokhale Method Covered by Stanford STAP Funds
“The Posture Guru of Silicon Valley”
8 Steps to a Pain-Free Back
Other approaches to pain:
Alexander Technique
Noëlle Perez-Christiaens
Aplomb Association, USA
Cat-Cow -
You deeply love your sport and the community of those who play it. But your body, through pain and injury, is telling you it’s time to move on.
At some point in our adult years, we all deal with this transition. And in this episode, our protagonist, Mark, still in his early thirties, talks about his own transition from high level Ultimate Frisbee player (aka Ultimate Mark) to lower risk recreational soccer goalie (aka post-Ultimate Mark) accelerated by the spinal fusion he had back in high school.
In our Season 1 episode, Ultimate Mark described the intensity he brought to the game of Ultimate disc. “I kind of just developed this persona as the person who will get hurt multiple times per game,” he told us. But, as Dr. Mohamad Bydon of the Mayo Clinic explains, the threat of adjacent segment disease made Ultimate an increasingly risky proposition for Mark.
Mark needed a change of sport but feared losing the friendship he’d made through Ultimate. “I dare you to find a better community of athletes anywhere in the world than the ultimate frisbee community,” Mark said.
Can Mark move beyond his Ultimate identity? How can he leave the community loves? Dr. Michele Kerulis of Northwestern University describes the deep emotional attachments we all form to the sports we play. While our other expert guest this episode, Esther Gokhale of the Gokhale Method, concurs that Mark’s body will be at much less risk in the soccer goal than on the Ultimate Disc field.
Listen and learn about Post Ultimate Mark’s transition back to soccer — his first sport, which he played as a teen before spinal fusion — and his evolving relationship to the ultimate community, his own body, his athletic identity, and one very “sick” tattoo he wears over that long spinal fusion scar.
My Body Odyssey is a Fluent Knowledge production.
Original music by Ryan Adair Rooney.
Show Notes:
Our Expert Guests:
Mohamad Bydon, MD
Esther Gokhale
Michele Kerulis, EdD
Mark Stoutenberg, PhD
Medicine, Sports, and Neon Bending:
Exercise is Medicine
UCSF Health about spinal fusion surgery
Mayo Clinic on spinal fusion
American Ultimate Disk League
Boston Ultimate Disk Invite 2022
NYC Footy Soccer League
Sidelined USA
Neon Bending -
Long COVID can feel like a lifetime sentence — yet scientists are developing more effective treatments for these deeply debilitating cases. Dr. David Putrino, Director of Rehabilitation Innovation for the Mount Sinai Health System, is a major contributor to this effort. He joins Long COVID patient and journalist Kaelyn Lynch and My Body Odyssey co-host Brittany Thomas for a report from the front lines of Long COVID.
Putrino and Lynch discuss innovative approaches to Long COVID, including Autonomic Rehabilitation, where clinicians help patients retrain their nervous systems to improve breathing and blood pressure. They also delve into the reasons that Long COVID patients need that retraining, the syndromes that COVID can trigger, and how damaged nerves may cause whole-body symptoms post-COVID.
Join My Body Odyssey for a fascinating journey into the complex, challenging, yet guardedly hopeful state of COVID research and rehabilitation today.
My Body Odyssey is a Fluent Knowledge production.
Original music by Ryan Adair Rooney.
Show Notes:
Experts:
David Putrino, PhD
Dr. David Putrino: Mt. Sinai
Putrino Lab
Dr. David Putrino TEDx Talk: “We don’t treat patients, we train superheroes”
Resources:
One-Year Adverse Outcomes Among US Adults With Post–COVID-19 Condition vs Those Without COVID-19 in a Large Commercial Insurance Database
Nearly One in Five American Adults Who Have Had COVID-19 Still Have “Long COVID”
Autonomic conditioning therapy reduces fatigue and improves global impression of change in individuals with post-acute COVID-19 syndrome
Exercises for Dysautonomia Patients
Cleveland Clinic: Autonomic Nervous System
Exercise and Non-Pharmacological Treatment of POTS
Instructions for POTS Exercise Program—Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia
Nutritional Implications of Patients with Dysautonomia and Hypermobility Syndromes
Worsening Postural Tachycardia Syndrome Is Associated With Increased Glucose-Dependent Insulinotropic Polypeptide Secretion
Characterizing Long COVID: Deep Phenotype of a Complex Condition
Characterizing long COVID in an international cohort: 7 months of symptoms and their impact
COVID-19 Induced Postural Orthostatic Tachycardia Syndrome (POTS): A Review
Circulating SARS-CoV-2 spike N439K variants maintain fitness while evading antibody-mediated immunity
Long COVID is primarily a Spike protein Induced Thrombotic Vasculitis
COVID isn’t just infecting you—it could be reactivating viruses that have been dormant in your body for years
Yale Medicine- 13 Things To Know About Paxlovid, the Latest COVID-19 Pill
Long COVID 19 Syndrome: Is It Related to Microcirculation and Endothelial Dysfunction? Insights From TUN-EndCOV Study
Impaired Vagal Activity in Long-COVID-19 Patients
Cleveland Clinic: Vagus Nerve
A pilot randomized controlled trial of supervised, at-home, self-administered transcutaneous auricular vagus nerve stimulation (taVNS) to manage long COVID symptoms -
“Who am I with Long COVID?” When Kaelyn Lynch caught COVID-19, she was a multimedia journalist, filmmaker, mountain climber, weightlifter, and roller derby enthusiast. That changed when Long COVID crashed into her life.
After two back-to-back COVID infections, she had frightening symptoms – numbness, a racing pulse, and crushing fatigue so severe that sometimes she couldn’t even feed herself or speak. And if she tried her old exercise routines, her symptoms got worse.
How does an athlete destress when she can’t exercise? And how does a young professional survive without work? We talk with Kaelyn about her experience, and hear from Dr. David Putrino, Director of Rehabilitation Innovation for the Mount Sinai Health System, about how he diagnoses and treats Long COVID.
Putrino comments, “You don't fix that [Long COVID] by putting them on a treadmill and saying, no pain, no gain. You in fact run the risk of making them much, much worse if you try and fix an energy production problem, a cellular energy production problem, by smashing them up against the wall and hoping for the best.”
“One of the hardest parts for me,” Kaelyn said, “and I think for a lot of people, is I have always been someone that very much defines myself by the things that I do … I had to really try- and I'm still trying- to answer the question of, who am I when I can't do any of the things that I enjoy.”
How is Kaelyn figuring out who she is with Long COVID? And what can medical science tell us about how exercise interacts with Long COVID as well as postural orthostatic tachycardia syndrome (POTS), chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS), and post exertional malaise (PEM)? Tune in to learn more about Kaelyn and how Long COVID affects health, wealth, and identity.
My Body Odyssey is a Fluent Knowledge production.
Original music by Ryan Adair Rooney.
Show Notes:
Experts:
David Putrino, PhD
Dr. David Putrino: Mt. Sinai
Putrino Lab
Dr. David Putrino TEDx Talk: “We don't treat patients, we train superheroes”
Resources
Organizations:
Long Covid Families
Longhauler Advocacy Project
Long COVID Alliance
Long COVID Kids
Long COVID SOS
Long COVID Support
Long COVID Physio
Long COVID Association Inc
Dysautonomia International
Bateman Horne Center
Massachusetts MD/CFS & FM Association
Washington State Hospital Association Post-COVID Recovery Resources
ReCOVer Long COVID Clinic
UW Newsroom
U Michigan Post COVID-19 Clinic
Stanford Post-Acutre COVID-19 Syndrome (PACS) Clinic
UVM COVID-19 Recovery Program
Beaufor Memorial Long COVID Support Group
Stony Brook Medicine Post COVID Support Group
The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center Post-COVID Recovery Program
Resource Center for Independent Living
Cedars Sinai COVID-19 Recovery Program
The EPIC Foundation
Open Medicine Foundation
American Myalgic Encephalomyelitis and Chronic Fatigue Syndrome Society
Invisible Disabilities Association
Myalgic Encephalomyelitis/Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (ME/CFS) San Diego
ME/CFS & Fibromylagia Self-Help
Patient-Led Research Collaborative
Dartmouth Health Post-Acute COVID Syndrome (PACS) Clinic -
You find a bull’s-eye rash around a tick bite. If you get to the doctor quickly, get a Lyme disease diagnosis, and take the standard antibiotics, everything will be fine, right?
Not for a sizable percentage of Lyme patients. And not for our protagonist in this episode, Siri. She’s a seventeen-year-old Nordic ski racer from Vermont who’s suffered repeated bouts of pediatric Lyme disease.
Siri trains for cross-country ski racing at the Craftsbury Outdoor Center in Vermont, boosting her mood and stamina. But when she has deep fatigue, brain fog, and poor balance, training is often impossible. “There were many days,” says Siri, “that I just sat on the couch with my head between my legs.”
Siri’s second major onset of Lyme symptoms occurred at age 11. Perhaps due to previous infection and treatment, she does not test positive for Lyme then, so her doctors would not prescribe antibiotics. Yet her symptoms persisted, setting Siri and her mother, Kara, on a research and treatment odyssey.
Our expert commentator for this episode, Dr. Steven Phillips, finds this is often the case for people with chronic Lyme and Lyme related symptoms. “[In] most cases of Lyme, the subjective features vastly outweigh the objective features. Subjective means what the patient feels, what the doctor can't see versus what the doctor can see,” says Dr. Phillips. He’s a Yale-trained physician and author of the book, Chronic, about his personal struggle with Lyme and professional efforts to better understand the disease.
“What is very well recognized,” says Phillips, “is that a large percentage of patients develop chronic symptoms after acute Lyme disease.”
In Siri’s case, that meant trying a wide range of alternative therapies, some of which she’d rather forget.
Will Siri escape the physical and emotional depths of chronic Lyme? Can aerobic exercise like Nordic skiing help people with Lyme and other chronic conditions?
Tune in to learn more about Lyme disease and the rewards and challenges of cross-country skiing on this first episode of season two. And meet exceptionally resilient Siri, her devoted mother Kara, and a Nordic skiing family on an odyssey of twists, turns, and steep uphill climbs.
My Body Odyssey is a Fluent Knowledge production.
Original music by Ryan Adair Rooney.
Show Notes:
Experts:
Steven Phillips, MD
Steven Phillips Website
Steven Phillips Book (2020): Chronic: The Hidden Cause of the Autoimmune Pandemic and How to Get Healthy Again
Resources
Organizations:
LymeDisease.org
LymeNet.info
ILADS Medical Society
Further Readings:
"Chronic Lyme Disease vs Post-Treatment Lyme Disease Syndrome"
Chronic Lyme Disease: An Evidence-Based Definition by the ILADS Working Group
“Evidence assessments and guideline recommendations in Lyme disease: the clinical management of known tick bites, erythema migrans rashes and persistent disease”
"Lyme Disease (Borreliosis) in a Saint Bernard Dog: First Clinical Case in Turkey"
"Metamorphoses of Lyme disease spirochetes: phenomenon of Borrelia persisters"
"Review of evidence for immune evasion and persistent infection in Lyme disease"
"Recent Progress in Lyme Disease and Remaining Challenges"
"Hyperbaric oxygen therapy as an effective adjunctive treatment for chronic Lyme disease"
"Novel Diagnosis of Lyme Disease: Potential for CAM Intervention"
“The effectiveness of Samento, Cumanda, Burbur, and Dr. Lee Cowden's protocol in the treatment of chronic Lyme disease"
“Function and evolution of aquaporin IsAQP1 in the Lyme disease vector Ixodes scapularis"
“Comprehensive Review of Herbal Supplements Used for Persistent Symptoms Attributed to Lyme Disease”
"Supervised Resistance Exercise for Patients with Persistent Symptoms of Lyme Disease"
NIH: Chronic Lyme Disease
More at www.mybodyodyssey.com
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In this second of two holiday bonus episodes, MBO gets personal with four expert guests whose experiences inform their professional pursuits.
As a kid in Canada, Dr. Mark Stoutenberg (Temple University) dreamed of becoming an American football coach but changed course after discovering exercise physiology and the need for greater public accessibility to exercise programs.
Dr. Michael Riddell’s path to becoming a world-renowned authority on diabetes and exercise at York University (Toronto) began as a 15-year old with type one whose basketball teammates didn’t worry about blood sugar levels.
Dr. Shosh Bennett began a groundbreaking career in maternal behavioral health after two severe cases of postpartum depression.
And Dr. Kathryn Schmitz (University of Pittsburgh) had the all too personal experience of implementing exercise oncology with her own life partner.
Tune in for the personal sagas of My Body Odyssey (MBO) medical experts in these holiday bonus episodes. MBO is a Fluent Knowledge production; original music by Ryan Adair Rooney.
And follow us on:
Twitter: @mybodyodyssey
Facebook: @mybodyodysseypod
Instagram: @mybodyodysseypodcast -
In this first of two Season 1 bonus episodes, we get a bit more personal with the expert guests whose own experiences motivate and inform their professional endeavors.
Dr. Jacob Meyer, Director of the Wellbeing & Exercise Lab at Iowa State, confides that, “My own personal struggles with depression coincided with periods when I was much less active.”
Diabetes ran in the family of Dr. Sheri Colberg, diagnosed with Type 1 at age four. The author of a dozen books on diabetes and exercise, she recounts encouraging her Type 1 grandmother on laps around the backyard from an early age.
And DPT Lisa Lowe, former able-bodied competitor now para rowing athlete and coach, describes re-adopting the sport she loved after a horrific car accident did significant damage to her legs.
Listen in for the personal sagas of My Body Odyssey experts in these special bonus episodes.
My Body Odyssey is a Fluent Knowledge production. Original music by Ryan Adair Rooney.
Be sure to Follow/Subscribe to the show so you don’t miss an episode!
SHOW NOTES
Experts:
Dr. Sheri Colberg, PhD: Website, Google Scholar, Twitter, Books
Diabetes Motion
Relevant Publications
The Athlete’s Guide to Diabetes
Diabetes and Keeping Fit for Dummies
Exercise/Physical Activity in Individuals with Type 2 Diabetes: A Consensus Statement from the American College of Sports Medicine
Physical Activity/Exercise and Diabetes: A Position Statement of the American Diabetes Association
Jacob Meyer, PhD: Wellbeing and Exercise Lab, Twitter
Notable Publications:
Changes in physical activity and sedentary behavior in response to COVID-19 and their associations with mental health in 3052 US adults
Association of efficacy of resistance exercise training with depressive symptoms: meta-analysis and meta-regression analysis of randomized clinical trials
Dr. Lisa Russell Lowe, DPT: PowerHousePhysio
Dr. Russell Lowe’s blog
@powerhousephy
Resources
What is Multiple Sclerosis?
National MS Society
The prevalence of MS in the United States
What Causes MS?
Diabetes Stats - CDC
American Diabetes Association
Do I Have Prediabetes?
Prediabetes and What it Means: The Epidemiological Evidence
More at www.mybodyodyssey.com
Hear the full episodes featuring these experts:
Josie & Joe in Tandem vs. Multiple Sclerosis
Generational Gene: Cycling for Diabetes Prevention
Rowing Through Cancer, Injury, & Trauma: Three Body Odysseys at 2022 Head of the Charles
And follow us on:
Twitter: @mybodyodyssey
Facebook: @mybodyodysseypod
Instagram: @mybodyodysseypodcast -
“I plan to row till my last breath” is a strong endorsement for any sport. Yet we heard this sentiment numerous times at the 2022 Head of the Charles Regatta (HOCR), the rowing world’s premier event.
The resulting episode features three remarkable protagonists:
Jules from Portland, Oregon, was introduced to rowing twenty years ago as she battled a recurrence of cancer.
Ping, a traditional Chinese medical doctor, overcame acute knee injuries to return to this year’s event.
And Ron, paralyzed from a car accident while cycling, was initially anxious to get on the water while tightly strapped into a rowing seat. (Sure enough, Ron’s boat did capsize his first time out.)
Tune in for three odysseys on the rewards and challenges of rowing and learn more about this sport of a lifetime that instills many more thousands of rowers around the world with the goal of participating at the Head of the Charles – the sport’s annual celebration of competition, teamwork, and community.
Original music by Ryan Adair Rooney
SHOW NOTES
Experts:
Dr. Kristine Karlson, MD: Dartmouth Hitchcock Medical Center
Section Chief, Family Medicine; Director, Sports Concussion Program; Associate Professor of Community and Family Medicine, Associate Professor of Orthopaedics, Associate Professor of Pediatrics, Geisel School of Medicine, Dartmouth
Doctor Chases Her Olympic Dream: Crew: Kris Karlson finished medical school and still kept up with her training as a rower.
Kristine Karlson Olympic Results 1992
Publications:
Rib Stress Fractures in Elite Rowers
Rowing: Sport-Specific Concerns for the Team Physician
Dr. Lisa Russell Lowe, DPT
PowerHousePhysio
Dr. Russell Lowe’s blog
@powerhousephy
Resources:
Head of the Charles Regatta
Adaptive Para Rowing
U.S. Adaptive Programs - USRowing
Science of Rowing
More at www.mybodyodyssey.com
Subscribe to the show so you don’t miss an episode!
And follow us on:
Twitter: @mybodyodyssey
Facebook: @mybodyodysseypod
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Generational Gene may seem a special case; a middle-aged school superintendent with a father and grandfather who’ve contracted Type 2 diabetes, Gene is at high risk to develop the condition.
But Gene is like a huge percentage of North Americans over the age of 40 who, because of elevated blood sugar, are at risk for diabetes and cancer. In this episode, we learn how he’s taken on this challenge.
“I really do see the relationship between exercise and prolonging my life as a parent,” Gene confides, having become an avid cyclist.
Expert commentary here comes from two respected authorities, Drs. Michael Riddell of York University and Sheri Colberg, author of a dozen books on the subject, both of whom have Type 1 diabetes.
Gene credits his Dad for instilling an early love of cycling that he hopes to pass onto his own daughter. Tune in to find out how Gene’s working to avoid one other family tendency - the development of Type 2 diabetes.
SHOW NOTES
Experts:
Dr. Sheri Colberg, PhD: Website, Google Scholar, Twitter, Books
Diabetes Motion
Relevant Publications
The Athlete’s Guide to Diabetes
Diabetes and Keeping Fit for Dummies
Exercise/Physical Activity in Individuals with Type 2 Diabetes: A Consensus Statement from the American College of Sports Medicine
Physical Activity/Exercise and Diabetes: A Position Statement of the American Diabetes Association
Dr. Michael Riddell, PhD: Faculty Page, Twitter, Google Scholar
Dr. Riddell’s laboratory
Relevant Publications
Exercise management in type 1 diabetes: a consensus statement
A Brief Review on the Evolution of Technology in Exercise and Sport in Type 1 Diabetes: Past, Present, and Future
Resources:
Tour De Cure New England
Diabetes Stats - CDC
Cost Impact of Diabetes - CDC
American Diabetes Association
Do I Have Prediabetes?
Prediabetes and What it Means: The Epidemiological Evidence
More at www.mybodyodyssey.com
Original music by Ryan Adair Rooney
Subscribe to the show so you don’t miss an episode!
And follow us on:
Twitter: @mybodyodyssey
Facebook: @mybodyodysseypod
Instagram: @mybodyodysseypodcast -
We all know we should be more active. But life does have a way of getting in the way.
My Body Odyssey chronicles the rewards and challenges of individuals pursuing active lifestyles despite chronic illness, recurrent injury, behavioral issues and more.
We follow our “protagonists” over months and seasons and years as they pursue their favorite sports and activities against considerable odds.
And we feature expert commentary from respected MDs, nurses, researchers, psychologists, physical therapists, and others experienced in the study and practice of exercise as medicine. Such as the Neurosurgeon Dr. Mohamad Bydon of The Mayo Clinic and Exercise Oncologist Dr. Kathryn Schmitz of the University of Pittsburgh.
Striving to reap the rewards of a more active lifestyle but colliding with some serious challenges? Tune in for some inspiration and information toward better overall health and wellness.
My Body Odyssey is a Fluent Knowledge production.
Original music by Ryan Adair Rooney.
Be sure to Follow/Subscribe so you don’t miss an episode!
Find us online at www.mybodyodyssey.com
Drop us a line at [email protected]
And follow us on social media:
Twitter: @mybodyodyssey
Facebook: @mybodyodysseypod
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Howie has been an avid cyclist most of his adult life, with mileage equivalent to a few laps around the planet. But more remarkable is that he has done a good bit of that cycling with cancer – in fact, through six cases of lymphoma.
Howie credits cancer therapies for surviving this odyssey but is quick to add that cycling has contributed, too. “Because of all the riding I do,” he says, “they’re able to hit me harder with chemo, with radiation, when they have to.”
Exercise oncologist Dr. Katie Schmitz (University of Pittsburgh) concurs.
“Think about a little old lady, 85 years old, weighs 90 pounds soaking wet,” says Dr. Schmitz. “Then think about a regular cyclist – you are able to hit the one who has more muscle harder, which is treating the tumor better. “
Need to change gears on your commitment to exercise? Listen in for some inspiration from Cyclist for Life Howie.
Original music by Ryan Adair Rooney
SHOW NOTES
Expert Guests:
Kathryn Schmitz, PhD, MPH:
UPMC Hillman Cancer Center, Moving Through Cancer
Formerly: Penn State Cancer Institute
Leading researcher in exercise oncology
Notable Publications:
Moving through cancer: Setting the agenda to make exercise standard in oncology practice
American College of Sports Medicine Roundtable Report on Physical Activity, Sedentary Behavior, and Cancer Prevention and Control
Articles of Interest:
Annals of Oncology: Risk for second malignancies in non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma survivors: a meta-analysis
Annals of Oncology: I. Epidemiology of adult non-Hodgkin lymphoma
NYT: What to Know About Non-Hodgkin’s Lymphoma
The Atlantic: I’LL TELL YOU THE SECRET OF CANCER
Resources:
What is Cancer?
Small Lymphocytic Lymphoma
Cancer Data and Statistics
Leading Causes of Death in the US
Chemotherapy: R-CHOP
The New England Classic
Pan-Mass Challenge
The Bon Ton Rulet
More at www.mybodyodyssey.com
Follow us on:
Twitter: @mybodyodyssey
Facebook: @mybodyodysseypod
Instagram: @mybodyodysseypodcast
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Six months ago, Josie was bedridden with a flare-up of the Multiple Sclerosis (MS) she's been battling for the past decade, alongside her husband, Joe, and some help from their much loved custom tandem bike. Over that same period, Josie and Joe have logged over 10,000 miles and raised $100,000 for research into MS, a disorder where the immune system attacks the nervous system.
But would her latest flare-up permanently sideline this avid cycling couple?
“When this happened, I could not move a muscle,” recalls Josie.
“And when you were flat on your back and said you wanted to bike again,” recalls Joe, “I was skeptical… but hopeful.”
Six months later, we cycled next to their tandem bike and heard about that uphill journey back from her flare-up, along with the ups and downs since our first interview at the National MS Society Bike Maine Getaway in 2019.
Expert commentary is provided from Dr. Mary A. O’Neal, Director of the Women’s Neurology Program at Brigham & Women’s Hospital (Boston), and Dr. Jacob Meyer of Iowa State, both suggesting we broaden our understanding of the benefits of physical activity to include improved mood and motivation.
Listen in for an informative, inspiring story of perseverance and teamwork against the steep challenge of MS.
My Body Odyssey is a Fluent Knowledge production. Original music by Ryan Adair Rooney.
What's your body odyssey? Let us know: https://fluentknowledge.com/contact
SHOW NOTES
Expert Guests:
Mary A. O’Neal, MD: Brigham and Women’s Hospital
Director of Women’s Neurology Program
Notable Publications:
A Review of Women's Neurology
Neurologic diseases in women: Five new things
Jacob Meyer, PhD: Wellbeing and Exercise Lab, Twitter
Principal Investigator of the WellEx lab at Iowa State University
Expert on the neurobiological effects of exercise on depression
Notable Publications:
Changes in physical activity and sedentary behavior in response to COVID-19 and their associations with mental health in 3052 US adults
Association of efficacy of resistance exercise training with depressive symptoms: meta-analysis and meta-regression analysis of randomized clinical trials
Resources
What is Multiple Sclerosis?
National MS Society
Da Vinci Tandem Bikes
Bike MS: Bike Maine Getaway 2022
The prevalence of MS in the United States
What Causes MS?
Find Support
More at www.mybodyodyssey.com
Subscribe to the show so you don’t miss an episode!
And follow us on:
Twitter: @mybodyodyssey
Facebook: @mybodyodysseypod
Instagram: @mybodyodysseypodcast - Visa fler
