Let’s get political folks! As mental health overall has gotten more attention in the media over the last 4 years, so has the very important topic of PMADs, or Perinatal Mood and Anxiety Disorders. After the latest CDC findings on the alarming maternal mortality rate, many facets of government are starting to pay attention to mothers and birthing individuals and the toll that pregnancy and child-rearing can take on their mental health. Today, we have a returning guest on the show, Paige Bellenbau...
Oct 03, 2024•46 min•Season 8Ep. 16
Pain is real whether it is felt immediately after a traumatic event or in the absence of apparent tissue damage on imaging. We now know through pain neuroscience research and understanding the biopsychosocial approach to chronic pain that patients’ perceived experiences of pain are unique to them and are entirely valid. On the show today, we have Dr. Neel Mehta, MD. He is the Division Chief of the Weill Cornell Pain Management Center and an Associate Professor of Clinical Anesthesiology at Weill...
Sep 26, 2024•37 min•Season 8Ep. 15
Most healthcare professionals strive to put patients first. But what does that really mean? In the practice of physical therapy specifically, it means a lot of things, beginning with listening to the patient. On our show today, Dr. Diana Mayants joins us to chat about the physical therapy profession as she sees it. Diana is a dual-board certified orthopedic manual physical therapist, with over 13 years of experience as a doctor of physical therapy. We discuss the importance of full-body screenin...
Sep 19, 2024•33 min•Season 8Ep. 14
With advances in AI and robotics, neurosurgery has become an important field to begin integrating new technology for better patient care. Dr. Osama Kashlan, a Neurosurgeon at New York-Presbyterian Brooklyn Methodist Hospital joins us today for a lively chat on his recent work. On the show, he discusses the standardization of back pain and care at Weill Cornell along with the interdisciplinary approach that he supports for all of his patients. He dives into how robotics works in surgery along wit...
Sep 12, 2024•31 min•Season 8Ep. 13
Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome (EDS) is a multifactorial condition that can affect people across ages and genders. It can be very difficult to diagnose as some types of EDS are very rare and symptoms can be vague or be confused with other diseases. Pelvic floor dysfunction (PFD) is also a condition that can be difficult to diagnose for so many reasons. Both EDS and PFD are not taught to the extent to which they should in healthcare schools and is usually something that care providers need to research on...
Sep 05, 2024•26 min•Season 8Ep. 12
Endometriosis (commonly referred to as “Endo”) has a global impact on females of reproductive age. According to the World Health Organization, it affects about 10% of women and girls. What we know as doctors and practitioners who treat people who have endometriosis, is that it is extremely difficult to arrive at this diagnosis due to various various factors. On average it can take more than 5 years of someone suffering before they have an idea that endometriosis might be the cause. One of the mo...
Aug 29, 2024•26 min•Season 8Ep. 11
“What do you mean you’re going to poke me with needles?” You might ask this question if your medical professional believes that needles might help expedite your healing and recovery process from an injury. Typically people associate needles only with acupuncture. However, other medical professions use needles in different ways for different benefits. Today our guest is Dr. Timothy Garrison. He is a Partner and Physical Therapist with several credentials behind his name including: DPT, CMTPT, FMS...
Aug 22, 2024•37 min•Season 8Ep. 10
You may see a news report on a mom giving birth in a taxi. You may see Emily Blunt giving birth in silence in the movie “A Quiet Place.” You’ll hear all the stories from your friends and family where either the baby just “slipped out” in a few minutes or tore their mother apart after “5 days” of pushing. Regardless of what you’ve seen or heard of the birthing process, it is a very unique experience for each person in this world who gives birth. It is very important to be extremely educated on yo...
Aug 15, 2024•36 min•Season 8Ep. 9
What are some myths and truths about screen time and how it affects our eyes? What are good practices for wearing contact lenses and glasses? How can you optimize your eye health from a young age? These questions, and so many more, are answered in today’s episode. Joining us is Dr. Antonio Capone, an internationally recognized clinician, surgeon, and educator specializing in pediatric vitreoretinal diseases, complicated retinal detachment, ocular oncology, and macular disease. He shares with us ...
Aug 08, 2024•34 min•Season 8Ep. 8
Turning to ancient wisdom that is tried and true over centuries is one of the surest ways to help your health in the long run. Today, Nicole Kruck, one of the first practitioners of the Arvigo Techniques of Maya Abdominal Therapy, joins us today. Combining her degree in Oriental Medicine with massage therapy has helped her be one of the best holistic practitioners in NYC. Nicole discusses how her treatments can help people with fertility issues, easier labor/delivery, and other Women’s Health is...
Aug 01, 2024•39 min•Season 8Ep. 7
Sometimes the best health practitioners are those that ended up in their field almost out of chance. Today Jeremy Quinby, a craniosacral therapist, chats with us on his interesting journey into integrative health. We talk about how manual therapy and movement are key to improving health and the importance of trauma-informed care. He focuses on pediatrics and how he uses his modalities to help children of all ages improve their development. Jeremy dives into the way he listens to his patients and...
Jul 25, 2024•39 min•Season 8Ep. 6
There is more than one way to feed a baby. If you choose to pump and/or breastfeed, you better tune in! Today, we have Heather McFadden joining us on the show. Heather has over 10 years of experience as an International Board Certified Lactation Consultant (IBCLC). She has a thriving private practice offering home visits, virtual consults, and prenatal breastfeeding classes. I am extra lucky to have Heather on the show because she was the IBCLC who saw me at the hospital hours after giving birth...
Jul 20, 2024•50 min•Season 8Ep. 5
Pilates can look very different depending on who you talk to. When we view Pilates as a movement practice for healing the body, it nourishes the soul too! Joining us on this episode is Brittany Crosby, a mindful movement practitioner, instructor of contemporary STOTT pilates, witchy intuitive healer, and the founder of The Co Pilates. While her roots are in teaching Pilates her focus has shifted over the years to using Pilates as a launch pad into physical, emotional, and energetic awareness for...
Jul 11, 2024•51 min•Season 8Ep. 4
Jaw pain, headaches, and facial pain are all common and can have a profound effect on our quality of life. Lucky for us, we have an esteemed guest speaker on the show today to break these topics down and help us understand how we can overcome this pain. Donald R. Tanenbaum, DDS, MPH, graduated from the University of Pennsylvania in 1978 and then received his DDS degree from Columbia University School of Dental Medicine, and his MPH degree from Columbia University School of Public Health in 1982....
Jul 04, 2024•51 min•Season 8Ep. 3
I couldn’t have asked for a better kick off this season on Fit As A Fiddle! I chatted with 2 of my dear colleagues and friends Leigh Welsh and Alicia Ferriere. What we have in common is that we are all Pelvic Floor Physical Therapists New York City, we are all business owners, and we all gave birth in 2023 to our first child! On this show, we talk about all things motherhood from our perspective having treated pregnancy and postpartum for years. With our combined over 22 years of experience as p...
Jun 27, 2024•44 min•Season 8Ep. 2
This week is the 1 year anniversary of the last released episode on Fit As A Fiddle! So much has happened since then, particularly the birth of little Jiya Baby in May 2023. Please excuse the coos and occasional screams of my child in the background during this season. I truly did my best to be a mom, wife, business owner, physical therapist, and podcaster. This is a health and wellness podcast and health and wellness begins with basic human necessities. So many episodes on this show talk about ...
Jun 20, 2024•13 min•Season 8Ep. 1
During pregnancy, the physical changes come in fast, and sometimes, furious! A great way to tune into these changes and create more body awareness is through “yoga asanas”, which are movements and poses from the ancient Indian tradition that promote physical & mental wellbeing. Prenatal yoga is becoming more popular these days as research and science points to the immense benefits of healthy and safe movements for birthing individuals. Not only can it help pregnant people throughout each tri...
Jun 22, 2023•30 min•Season 7Ep. 18
Are you the person who finds themselves feeling the opposite of grounded and centered during a movement class, yoga, or meditation? Are you the type who can’t quite relax during a massage or a pleasant walk? You’re not alone! Today we have Dan Rindler GCFP, P-SEP, chatting with us today on his approach to trauma which draws on Somatic Experiencing and Feldenkrais Methods. Difficulty relaxing can be manifested in many ways. He encourages bringing awareness to this feeling and understanding that o...
Jun 15, 2023•50 min•Season 7Ep. 17
Inflammation in the body can manifest in many ways and ultimately exists to protect us. However, excessive inflammation that lasts a long time, or “chronic inflammation”, can be associated with cardiovascular disease, diabetes, cancer, inflammatory bowel disease, rheumatoid arthritis, and other disease states. Robin Randisi is a functional nutritionist helping people improve their health using a holistic, root-cause approach. In today’s chat, Robin shares her personal story of how she used food ...
Jun 09, 2023•40 min•Season 7Ep. 16
There is a lot to think about when finding support for your baby’s birth. The first thing to understand is the different roles that people play in a birth setting. What is the difference between a doula and a midwife anyway? And what about a baby nurse?! We sat down with Stephanie Heintzeler, a German educated midwife and acupuncturist as well as US-educated doula and Lactation Consultant (IBCLC). She is the founder of the New York Baby where she puts expecting parents/mothers in touch with doul...
Jun 01, 2023•42 min•Season 7Ep. 15
In our society today, we don’t quite learn how to breastfeed by observation as we once did in the past. You might think that it is completely natural for you and your baby, which it is to some extent. However, without coming into contact with the techniques involved with breastfeeding, it can truly be a foreign concept to most of modern society. And the unknown can often be scary! This is why it’s always beneficial to take a breastfeeding class prior to giving birth. LaShanda Dandrich, an Intern...
May 25, 2023•39 min•Season 7Ep. 14
When it comes to sexual health for women, there always seems to be a “hush hush” about it. But what might seem to be a quiet topic or a funny joke to some, for others it can be crushing and life altering. Today we have Dr. Bat Sheva Marcus joining us to talk about how important it is to clinically look at women’s sexual health closely and provide actionable tools to make people feel more empowered in their lives. She discusses how hormones and psychological issues of pain can affect low desire. ...
May 11, 2023•42 min•Season 7Ep. 13
Maternal mental health cannot be stressed enough folks. Sometimes it’s just referred to as “postpartum”, which is sad because it emphasizes how common perinatal mood and anxiety disorders (PMADs) are. We have a riveting episode here for you today with the wonderful Dayna Kutrz, LMSW, CPT. Dayna is a psychotherapist and author with a subspeciality in perinatal mental health. She touches on how birthing individuals are not supporting in America the way they should be from a political standpoint. S...
May 04, 2023•45 min•Season 7Ep. 12
Ayurveda is an age-old tradition originating from India around the 2nd millennium BCE (a very very long time ago!). “Ayur” in Sanskrit means “Life” and “Veda” means “Science” or “Knowledge”. The Vedas, or Hindu scriptures, are one of the oldest pieces of text on the planet that contain scientific knowledge that is gradually only now being proven by modern empirical methods. Ayurveda is a practice that is deeply studied by scholars, scientists, and practitioners today and is rooted in the spiritu...
Apr 27, 2023•47 min•Season 7Ep. 11
What is birth justice anyway? Sometimes it might feel like there are too many voices in that room and the birthing individual’s wants and needs aren’t heard. It may seem at times like it’s medicine vs. parent. But it doesn’t have to be that way. Today we talk to Janel Feliz Martir, a AAPI birth worker who has both medical school training in obstetrics as well as holistic prenatal wellness training that makes her one of the best birth doulas in all of New York City. Janel specializes in evidence-...
Apr 20, 2023•33 min•Season 7Ep. 10
Hello folks! Today's episode is a bit unique as it's my birthday and I'm 34 weeks pregnant! On the show I share a little bit about my journey over the last few months experiencing pregnancy after treating pregnant people for years and learning so much from all of the guests here on Fit As A Fiddle.
Apr 06, 2023•14 min•Season 7Ep. 9
Here’s a bold statement. Dancers, while extremely great at moving their bodies, sometimes don’t actually know how to do it optimally. Getting injured on and off the stage is not uncommon for dancers. Oftentimes these aches, pains and sometimes broken or torn tissues are directly a result of improper, overused movements. Our passionate and incredible guest today is Jesse Barnett, a New York City-based dancer, Pilates instructor, and Personal Trainer. He talks about how to prevent injuries in the ...
Mar 30, 2023•40 min•Season 7Ep. 8
You might think a strong core is the most important thing when it comes to physical fitness. You might also think that age dooms you to weakness and that there’s not much you can do about it. Think again! Our guest today, Irene Donahue, a fitness expert and personal trainer in NYC, teaches us that the whole body needs to work together throughout life to make us feel supported and empowered in our movements. Irene starts off with her personal story of pelvic floor dysfunction, which was unfortuna...
Mar 23, 2023•38 min•Season 7Ep. 7
Some people think physical therapy is all about getting massages. Others might think it’s about doing a few exercises. Still others (SADLY!) think it’s about getting a hot pack and ultrasound to their knee. Oof! Although my guest, Dr. Julia Rosenthal, and I are both physical therapists, we are not biased in knowing the truth that physical therapy is one of the only therapeutic professions that addresses physical and mental resilience, mindfulness, capacity building, trauma, pain management, and ...
Mar 16, 2023•37 min•Season 7Ep. 6
The ambiguities and the “gray space” of birth and parenthood can often make it difficult for people to process and articulate emotions. But while you would think to enroll your toddler into art class and not yourself, it might be worth it to consider the power of art therapy. Our guest, Sharon Itkoff Nacache ATR-BC LCAT PMH-C, is a Perinatal Mental Health Certified Art Psychotherapist. Sharon chats with us today on what creative resilience means and how art therapy can address reproductive menta...
Mar 09, 2023•35 min•Season 7Ep. 5
