If you have a loved one with dementia you must listen to this episode! Neuropsychologist Karen Sullivan, PhD is an expert in helping families navigate the complicated and challenging experience of having someone you love face dementia. You'll be struck by her deep compassion, hopefulness and highly practical tips for thriving as a family. Dr. Sullivan also provides tons of free education on the topic of brain health. You can find her on YouTube or at ICareForYourBrain.com (also ICFYB.com ). Defi...
Nov 23, 2022•47 min•Season 1Ep. 44
Life can be hard. When our "cup" is empty hard things are harder. And when our "cup" is full, life is simply easier. This week you'll learn a simple but powerful technique for figuring out how to fill your unique "cup," and once you practice it for yourself you will have a powerful tool to use with your patients. This technique is especially valuable for patients with distressing symptoms that don't seem to have a quick fix or a magic pill. Try it for you and then try it at work! Reach out anyti...
Nov 17, 2022•15 min•Season 1Ep. 43
Have you ever hurt your back with just a small twist or after lifting up a light object? It can feel impossible to be injured from such an insignificant event. Dr. Mary Jo Fishburn is a physical medicine and rehabilitation physician with expertise in the integrative approach to musculoskeletal wellbeing. She will explain what predisposes us to injury and pain and what we can do about it. She can be reached at: MJFishburnMD.com (medical practice) TheDirectedSelf.com (coaching practice) Please for...
Nov 10, 2022•38 min•Season 1Ep. 42
The Patient Dignity Question (PDQ) is the best question that you will ever ask your patient. It will supercharge your doctor-patient connection and give you key information that you might otherwise have missed. Listen and try it out in your practice. If you have a colleague who would benefit from learning about the PDQ, please forward the episode to them. Reach out anytime! Dr. Chiaramonte Coping Courageously: A Heart-Centered Guide for Navigating a Loved One’s Illness Without Losing Yourself is...
Nov 03, 2022•11 min•Season 1Ep. 40
We all know that there is a tension between being the empathetic physician that you want to be and getting your charts done so you don't stay at the office until 9pm. We also know that patients hate it when their doctor never looks up from the computer. Is there anything we can do? We can't get rid of RVUs or fix the whole healthcare system (at least not today), but there are a few very effective techniques for fostering connection with our patients without upending our whole schedule. Here are ...
Oct 27, 2022•13 min•Season 1Ep. 39
Buprenorphine gets a bad rap. Many physicians aren't clear on how to use it and we tend to shy away from things we don't understand. But what if a patient comes onto your service who is taking buprenorphine? We really shouldn't turn our collective heads away from this potentially very useful medication. Instead, we should learn more and increase our comfort so we can best care for all of our patients. That's where Dr. Ben Thompson comes in. He shares his expertise in using buprenorphine for pati...
Oct 20, 2022•36 min•Season 1Ep. 38
Physicians are suffering. Dr. Londono is one of the few LatinX female urologists, and she gets it. She became physically ill due to burnout. Twice! Not only did she find ways to lift herself up, she founded an organization to help other physicians who are suffering. Dr. Londono started Physician Coach Support, a free web-based support service for physicians. Check it out at www.physiciancoachsupport.com . You can also find Dr. Londono at https://dianalondonomd.com . Reach out anytime! Dr. Chiara...
Oct 13, 2022•1 hr 3 min•Season 1Ep. 37
Giving bad news well takes skill. Many physicians do an OK job at giving bad news but I encourage you to shoot much higher than just OK. Patients and families may remember that moment for the rest of their lives, and a physician who skillfully gives bad news can help relieve suffering for the patient and family. In today's episode of The Integrative Palliative Podcast you will learn 10 tips for delivering bad news like a pro. Share this episode with any oncologist, hospitalist, cardiologist, nep...
Oct 06, 2022•15 min•Season 1Ep. 36
This week I'm sharing an interview that I did on Dr. Tolulope Olabintan's show. We chatted about how to approach the hard stuff - when a loved one has a serious illness. Our conversation ranged from how to hav enough conversations to the biggest mistakes that loved ones make to how to find happiness even when facing a serious illness. Come listen! Dr. Chiaramonte www.integrativepalliative.com Are you a physician who wants to improve your skills in helping patients with serious illness? My Integr...
Sep 29, 2022•28 min•Season 1Ep. 35
Excellence in integrative symptom management is worth pursuing - for your patients and for yourself. It is a style of practice that is impactful and deeply meaningful. The 4 kept components are: 1) The mind-body-meaning-relationship approach 2) Seeking the symptom's underlying cause 3) Creating a bigger toolbox 4) Committing to keeping your own "cup" full. If you'd like to learn more click here: www.integrativepalliative.com/training . On Saturday 9/24/22 at 12:30 EDT I'm giving a webinar on thi...
Sep 22, 2022•10 min•Season 1Ep. 34
You may think that you can't add an integrative approach to your practice because your patients visits are too short. This is a myth. While it would be great to have hour long visits with each patient, the integrative approach can be snuck in to any patient care visit, no matter how short. This week you'll learn 10 tips for creating an integrative symptom management practice in the real world. You'll also want to check out the Integrative Symptom Management webinar for physicians that I'm offeri...
Sep 15, 2022•16 min•Season 1Ep. 33
Fibromyalgia is a challenging condition for both the patient and the physician. There is no quick fix and no magic medication that will fix fibromyalgia pain. With an integrative, multidimensional approach, however, people with fibromyalgia can absolutely feel better! Dr. Ziegenbein is a rheumatologist and expert in fibromyalgia. She shares her approach for helping patients with fibromyalgia reduce their pain and regain the joy in their life. You will love this episode! Dr. Ziegenbein has a podc...
Sep 08, 2022•39 min•Season 1Ep. 32
Other people's strong emotions can be scary. If you're in the exam room and your patient is crying what should you do? Should you prescribe an SSRI? Sometimes, but do you know for sure when crying is depression and when it's not? If you prescribe an antidepressant, what else should you do? What if the patient is not depressed, but is struggling with sadness. Do you know just what to do? This week on the Integrative Palliative Podcast we will explore how to know when a person is sad or depressed ...
Sep 01, 2022•23 min•Season 1Ep. 31
These have been hard times for all of us - patients, physicians, NPs, PAs, office staff - everyone. After more than 2 years of a pandemic everyone is stressed and tired. Physicians may feel stretched to the limit and patients may feel that they have to fight to get the care they deserve. The doctor-patient relationship is struggling. What can you do? Today you'll learn 5 steps to improve a challenging interaction with a patient. They're easy, they work, and using them will make your practice mor...
Aug 25, 2022•12 min•Season 1Ep. 30
You must listen to this episode with special guest Dr. Weili Gray. Dr. Gray is a sleep physician and certified life planner who helps physicians create the life of their dreams through her practice daretodreamphysician.com . But for this episode she shared her recent and raw experience supporting her dad at the end of his life. She shares deep insights and wisdom from her experience that will move you and guide you to a happier life. I was touched by what she shared. If you, like Dr Gray, are a ...
Aug 18, 2022•1 hr 6 min•Season 1Ep. 29
This week on The Integrative Palliative Podcast you'll learn 6 wisdoms that came directly from people near the end of their life. They share things that they want us to know so that we can best support them as they face their illness. Some of these came from my own patients, and some came from the loved ones of physicians who received 1:1 mentoring with me to learn how best to support their loved one. There is great wisdom here. Share with someone who needs to hear this message. - Dr. Chiaramont...
Aug 11, 2022•11 min•Season 1Ep. 28
This week we have a special guest, Dr. Janice Brown. Dr. Brown is an integrative physical medicine and rehabilitation physician and she is also a life coach. She started out as a massage therapist, then went to medical school where she chose PM&R because she loved the whole person approach. She is an acupuncurist, is certified in functional medicine and uses her life coaching skills both with her patients and in her separate coaching practice. This doctor has a huge toolbox! Come listen and ...
Aug 04, 2022•42 min•Season 1Ep. 27
People with cancer face significant side effects - both from their cancer and their chemotherapy, immunotherapy or radiation treatments. They often seek out complementary or integrative approaches alongside their conventional medical treatments, but they may have to figure out what to use without any medical guidance. The ideal scenario would be for the integrative approach to be folded into the oncology practice itself! In this episode of The Integrative Palliative Podcast we'll talk about the ...
Jul 28, 2022•15 min•Season 1Ep. 26
"She's a fighter" "We don't want her to give up" "Mr. Amos is comfort care now" Are these helpful words for families facing serious illness? Not so helpful? Should you avoid the words "death" and "dying" when talking to families? Words matter. And when caring for palliative patients with cancer, heart disease and other life-limiting conditions, words matter a lot. This week I'll give 6 examples of words or phrases that require a thoughtful approach an might be tripping you up. Please tell a coll...
Jul 21, 2022•15 min•Season 1Ep. 25
"Can I put coffee in my loved one's feeding tube?" "My dad won't eat and I don't know what to do" "She says food doesn't taste right anymore - what's going on??" We associate food with love so it can be very tough on a family when their seriously ill loved one can't, or doesn't want to, eat. This week I'll answer common questions about food and feeding for people with serious illness. - Dr C The Integrative Pain Management for Physicians Mastermind will be offered Sept-Nov 2022. Go to www.integr...
Jul 14, 2022•19 min•Season 1Ep. 24
Patients, families, physicians and other clinicians are afraid of the "H word." Hospice got a bad rap and clinicians seem to get tongue tied when it is time to talk about it. But it doesn't have to be scary or depressing and it definitely shouldn't be seen as shameful or hope-stealing. In today's episode of The Integrative Palliative Podcast you will learn to speak confidently about hospice to your patients with serious illness so that it becomes a service that they want rather than a conversati...
Jul 07, 2022•20 min•Season 1Ep. 23
You have got to meet Dr. Francis Yoo! He is a fascinating integrative physician with a huge tool box of skills. In his NYC practice he personally uses osteopathic manipulation, acupuncture, breath work and much more. Through his Whole Presence Laboratory he helps physicians achieve deep self-awareness and growth using diverse approaches such as enneagram work, Jungian psychology and guided self reflection. Dr Yoo is one of the most interesting people that I've ever met. His Podcast is The Legend...
Jun 30, 2022•39 min•Season 1Ep. 22
One of the hardest things about being a physician, or other healthcare provider, is when we try our best to take great care of our patients but an adverse event happens anyway. We may not have a plan for managing the unpleasant feelings that show up and we may just try to power through. This is not the best approach. Listen to "When Bad Outcomes Happen to Good Doctors" to discover 6 steps that can help you cope successfully when things don't go as planned. This is not about who you should tell o...
Jun 23, 2022•22 min•Season 1Ep. 21
What is "healing presence?" Do you have it? Do you want it? How do you get it? In this episode of The Integrative Palliative Podcast, Dr. Chiaramonte dispels myths about healing presence and gives practical tips for how to up your healing presence game. Follow Dr. Chiaramonte: @DrChiaramonte https://www.linkedin.com/in/deliachiaramonte/ http://www.tiipm.org Coping Courageously: A Heart-Centered Guide for Navigating a Loved One’s Illness Without Losing Yourself is available here: www.copingcourag...
Jun 16, 2022•21 min•Season 1Ep. 20
Dr. Saloni Sharma is our special guest this week and you don't want to miss her interview! Dr. Sharma is an integrative pain medicine specialist and she shares practical, evidence-supported lifestyle techniques to help your patients manage their pain. As the opiate crisis rages, all physicians need to learn adjuvant non-pharmacologic techniques to help patients improve function and wellbeing. Dr. Sharma's Book, The Pain Solution: 5 Steps to Relieve and Prevent Back Pain, Muscle Pain, and Joint P...
Jun 09, 2022•40 min•Season 1Ep. 19
We are physicians but we're also humans. Because we're humans our "buttons" can get pushed by our encounters with patients and this can impact our clinical care, our rapport and even our mood. We may not even realize that this is happening! We can heal our patients (and ourselves) even when cure is not an option. If you'd like a free guide to help you incorporate integrative palliative approaches into your practice sign up at www.tiipm.org . Coping Courageously: A Heart-Centered Guide for Naviga...
Jun 02, 2022•14 min•Season 1Ep. 18
Everyone has patients or patients' family members that get angry. It doesn't feel good and you may not know exactly how to handle this challenging situation. In this episode you'll learn 5 tips for dealing effectively with angry patients or family members. You still won't like having angry patients, but you'll find them much easier to deal with once you know exactly what to do! Sign up to learn about upcoming educational programs: www.tiipm.org Coping Courageously: A Heart-Centered Guide for Nav...
May 26, 2022•10 min•Season 1Ep. 17
Positive thinking is good, right? Well... sometimes. A regular gratitude ritual can help improve mood and wellbeing but imposing positivity on another person (or even on ourselves) can make people feel alone in their pain. In this episode we'll discuss the difference between gratitude and toxic positivity and share practical techniques to get the most out of positive thinking. Once you practice these techniques yourself, you will find yourself using them with your patients every week! Sign up to...
May 19, 2022•17 min•Season 1Ep. 16
Wouldn't it be nice to win a teaching award? Many of us teach medical learners from medical students to residents to fellows to attendings. Teaching effectively makes us look good and it makes us feel good. Come learn 5 common teaching mistakes that you might be making, and how you can avoid them. Coping Courageously: A Heart-Centered Guide for Navigating a Loved One’s Illness Without Losing Yourself is available here: www.copingcourageously.com Please review this podcast wherever you listen and...
May 12, 2022•10 min•Season 1Ep. 15
Central sensitization is the brain's way of keeping us safe. The brain's "smoke alarm" becomes overly sensitive and makes us feel pain when there is no actual tissue damage. Basically the brain lies to us and this lie can reduce function and quality of life. Pain education and mind-body techniques can decrease central sensitization, calm the nervous system back down and reduce pain. Here are some tips for how to teach patients about central sensitization. To hear about upcoming integrative palli...
May 05, 2022•17 min•Season 1Ep. 14
