Our Top Health Takeaways of 2024

Faith: Welcome to Health Matters, your weekly dose of the latest in health and wellness from New York Presbyterian. I’m Faith Salie.

And for our final episode of the year, we’re doing something special. We’re looking back over 2024 to revisit some of our favorite moments and top health takeaways from the year.

We’ll hear snippets from some of the episodes we did in 2024 and talk about some memorable things we learned from New York Presbyterian physicians. Joining me from the Health Matters team is Courtney Allison. You will recognize her voice since she’s also hosted episodes of the show. Hi, Courtney.

Courtney: Hi Faith. I’m excited to be here today.

Faith: Well, thank you for joining me, and this will be a pleasure to go through. We have so much in store for everyone, so should we just get into it?

Courtney: That sounds great.

Faith: Alright, well, I hardly need to tell you it’s the holiday season, which means that there are lots of opportunities to imbibe. And, you know, I, I’d say the coal in my stocking for this holiday season is the news that red wine is not good for us. I remember when I could just hold up and big glass of wine and think Hey I’m getting my daily does of resveratrol.

Courtney: We know that Health impacts of drinking alcohol has been in the news over the past year, and as you said, it’s just been kind of definitive. It’s just not great for you. a growing number of studies have shown that even small amounts of alcohol can have negative effects on health. I

Faith: It’s interesting because I feel like so many of the doctors we talked to at New York Presbyterian want to prescribe moderation. Like, hey, you have to live your life joyfully, everything in moderation. And, we’ve, like, this is, this is really one instance where we’ve learned,there is no moderate amount of alcohol that is good for you.

Courtney: Yeah…It’s a total bummer.

Faith: So, so earlier this year. I had this wonderful conversation with Dr. Robert Brown. He is a liver specialist and he described the effects of alcohol on the body and tips on how we can cut back. This episode was a listener favorite. I think not just because of Dr. Brown’s great advice, but because of Dr. Brown himself. He is simply delightful and boy, does he love the liver. So this is all very helpful to keep in mind during peak holiday season.

Dr. Robert Brown: Being a liver doctor, of course, I think of the liver as the most noble of organs.

Faith: Obviously. Don’t tell the others.

Dr. Robert Brown: And so everything that you eat, everything you put in your mouth that goes into your intestine goes first to the liver. And so the liver is your barrier to entry and determines what’s healthy and what’s not healthy. Processes your food and says food is good. We’re going to build the building blocks of your body.

Bacteria, toxins, viruses, no good. We’re going to get rid of them. And that barrier function that the liver does, is why it’s so essential, but also why it tends to be among the first to be in the line of fire when bad things come into your body, whether those are infections or toxins. You know, the only other way into your body is obviously breathing in or through your skin.

Faith: Are there any other health risks associated with regular alcohol consumption that you want to outline for us that don’t necessarily focus on the liver?

Dr. Robert Brown: Excessive alcohol use can affect all organs of the body. We worry most about, um, the effects on the brain over time. Significant alcohol use can lead to actual dementia like illness in its heaviest states and in its acute form, almost psychosis like state. And these are worsened if alcohol is replacing calories and people are malnourished. So vitamin deficiencies, particularly in thiamine, can lead to a worsening of the mental effects of alcohol. Excessive alcohol is also toxic to the heart and there is an alcohol related cardiomyopathy or heart disease related to heavy alcohol use.

It suppresses the formation of healthy red blood cells and it can affect reproductive organs too, particularly in men, where it leads to loss of testosterone. That’s why men who drink excessively can develop bigger breasts, smaller testicles, and lose their fertility.

Courtney: A lot of it is a surprise, even healthy red blood cells, the heart, it just seems like everything.

And something else that stuck with me is that basically if you’re splitting a bottle of wine with someone it means you’re drinking too much. So you probably shouldn’t split the bottle, maybe just have a glass, because I think it was one serving of wine is four or five ounces, which means there are five glasses in a bottle. So splitting the bottle means definitely one of you is drinking too much, probably both of you.

Faith: I think I think kind of the bottom line of all of this is mindfulness and you know, Dr. Brown did not waggle his finger and say never drink again, but it’s here’s the information drink with mindfulness and intention.

And we, we talked with Gabrielle Gambino, who’s a nutritionist at New York Presbyterian about starting to make mindfulness a practice around your eating habits.

Gabrielle Gambino: I think the first place to start is by identifying one or two Aspects of the mindful eating plan that you want to work on the most and trying those, maybe it’s, you know, Taking a deep breath before your meal and maybe putting down your fork every two bites or so And only doing that for maybe one meal a week and see how you feel with that see if you’re feeling any different And going from there

Faith: What I love about the idea of mindful eating is it’s not a prescriptive diet.

Everybody can choose their way in to how they want to start being more mindful about their eating.

Gabrielle Gambino: And I think that’s what this is. It’s not a diet. Our society is so used to diets. I think we need to just get away from them because obviously they’re not working. Um, we’re creating diet products in the market that, are not helping us.

Low sugar, low fat, none of this is helping. So we have to look at something else that’s going on and kind of taking a new approach to our lifestyle.

Faith: You know what, Courtney, I, I remember that conversation, but I did not remember her suggesting putting down my fork every two bites. I’m glad for that reminder. I’m going to try that. That’s a very deliberate technique. I also enjoyed, Gabrielle’s description of the eight types of hunger.

Courtney: I think about that one often because you talked about like auditory hunger. Like if you hear someone opening a bag of chips near you, you might think, huh, I want some chips. And I realize how much I do that I hear someone at work open a bag of chips and I’m like, I think it’s time for my chips. So I do try to think about that and take a minute. Am I hungry?

But something else I like that she mentioned, she said that she was giving a thought before your interview about how most days she just goes for her salad. That’s her daily lunch. She doesn’t even think about it. But since she was thinking about mindful eating ahead of your conversation, and she had a cold, she started to crave some soup. So I think she just talked about like kind of listening to your body’s cues and maybe it’s trying to tell you something that you need.

Faith: Yeah, she called that cellular hunger, where you’re really listening to what your, your body’s intuitively telling you, you need.

Courtney: Even if you want cake, I think she was saying maybe there’s something in the cellular level and the cake that you’re really craving, you know, and don’t always deny yourself.

Faith: My cells are saying yes, yes, yes to cake.

Speaking of eating and digestive health, there has been increased attention to studies that show a rise in colorectal cancer among younger populations, a 15 percent increase since 2004 in colon cancers among people between the ages of 18 and 50, which is so young.

Courtney: Yeah, this is so upsetting, and I think it’s something we’re hearing across the board about cancer just rising in young people in general. And one of the most important things I’ve learned working here is the importance of screening, getting your colonoscopy at the appropriate time, determined by your age and risk factors.

Faith: It’s, it’s honestly, it’s such a simple procedure, which is easy for me to say because when you have it done, you’re out. But once you get to a certain age where it’s just, understood that this, this is what you do. It is an absolutely essential, fundamental part of staying healthy. And I have reminded people my age, whom I love, like, have you done this? You know, you have to. And everybody’s like, yeah, I know. I know I have to.

Courtney: Yeah, absolutely. It’s just kind of demystified it for me. So many of our doctors are like, it’s just like a nap. You’re gonna have a great long nap and you’re gonna wake up.

Faith: so, to this point, here’s a short clip from my conversation with colorectal surgeon, Dr. Beatrice Dionigi, where she talks about how to spot some of the early signs and symptoms of colorectal cancer.

Dr. Beatrice Dionigi: there are four red flags, sign and symptoms that have been associated to colorectal cancer. First and foremost rectal bleeding, then abdominal pain, diarrhea or constipation, and iron deficiency anemia. Rectal bleeding in particular has been shown to have strongest association to colorectal cancer. So patients that have rectal bleeding, which can be bright red blood or even dark blood, so dark stool, should raise that concern to their provider.

Faith: So, if you’re exhibiting some of these symptoms, some of them seem pretty run of the mill benign. So, when do you know it’s time to see a doctor?

Dr. Beatrice Dionigi: I think is when it’s persistent. If you have the symptoms more than a month or two and you tried remedies, you can have changed your diet.

You can have taken stool softeners if you’re constipated and you feel that it’s not going away and it’s persistent, then I would suggest strongly to be seen.

Faith: This is just stuff we can’t be shy about. This is, it’s s o essential to talk with our doctors and, and get screened for colorectal cancer if we have any of these symptoms.

Courtney: Absolutely. I think talking to your doctor, raising concerns is so important. And doctors I’ve talked to over the years here have said that a colonoscopy, it’s not just screening. They can also remove polyps, which can grow into something cancerous. So it’s also preventative. You know, your body, if something feels off, go talk to them don’t be shy and get screened.

Faith: I was most surprised by the fact that most people only need to get a colonoscopy every ten years.

Courtney:Right. Faith, I was really moved by one of your conversations this year. It was an interview you did with, Dr. Alexis Melnick who is a reproductive endocrinologist and you two talked about fertility treatment which is you know a tough topic for people sometimes.

Faith: I love Dr. Melnick. She’s she’s so human and…

Courtney: Mm hmm.

Faith: …so attuned to the emotions of the people who come to her and she’s really aware of the fact that for some people, this is a sensitive topic. And, she focuses on the human connection rather than just on the medical aspect.

Courtney: And I think that really shone through in your conversation. Let’s hear a bit from your talk with Dr. Melnick

Faith: People come to questions about fertility with all kinds of expectations and ideas about how this relates to their identity. And their visions of their future identity, their worth, their family, and their hopes and their dreams. How do you help people navigate the really intimate and emotional side of, of making choices about fertility?

Dr. Alexis Melnick: So for me, one of the first things I will say to patients, um, is, look, if you want to be a parent, One way or the other, you will be a parent. There are a gazillion ways to build a family. What you have to get on board with early on is that, like most things in life, this may not happen the way that you thought it was going to happen.

And if you’re sitting in front of me, it may already mean that things have not happened the way they thought they were going to be. But I think that that’s really important for, for people to hear.

Faith: That’s such good preparation for actually becoming a parent, because once you do become a parent, it also doesn’t go the way you think it was going to go.

Dr. Alexis Melnick: Exactly. And I’ve had patients come back to me and say, you know, you told me I was going to be a mom and I didn’t believe you, but, and if you told me this is how I was going to do it, I would have told you absolutely not. But look, I’m here. I’m a mom. And thank you.

Faith: like so many doctors on the, at New York Presbyterian, she’s just, she’s just such a real person.

Courtney: I loved that moment when she said, It might not look the way you thought it would, but if you’re in my office, chances are something in life didn’t go the way you thought it would. And that, I just thought that was so moving because that happens in so many different situations in life.

Faith: I agree. So we’ve got just a couple clips left, and one of the more recent episodes, is applicable and relevant to just about anyone, and it’s about tech neck, which is something we’ve all heard about before and you might even be experiencing it right now as you listen to this, But here’s the kicker.

Maybe you don’t even fully realize that you are experiencing tech neck or incipient tech neck.

Courtney: We’re just all on our phones so much and I always get this alert at the end of the day like you were on your phone for like three hours and I’m like great I could have driven upstate but I was probably on social media or something. And then you realize that it’s actually affecting you physically a lot more than just your neck. It can lead to a lot of problems throughout the back and body, as the doctor talked about. And I learned neck pain is the fourth leading cause of disability and occurs at a rate of more than 30%.

Faith: If we don’t listen to Dr Chan’s excellent advice so to get a better understanding of how tech neck affects the body we talked to Dr. Chan. He is a neurosurgeon

Dr. Andrew Chan: When you’re fatiguing your muscles and that causes the pain, that’s the first sign that something’s going wrong. In the long term, when you keep having that fatigue on your muscles and the muscles aren’t supporting your head appropriately, you’re going to put a lot of stress on your intervertebral discs, your neck joints.

And when that happens, this is when the joints overgrow or the discs start having herniations or the discs actually overgrow as well and get bigger, causing these things called osteophytes. And these are the sorts of things that then could have a different clinical presentation that, you know, when you start having nerve pinching, pain shooting down your arms, pain shooting down the sides of your neck, weakness, numbness, and tingling, that is something that starts with just, you know, today in 2024, let’s say, just some neck fatigue, but it’s all related.

Faith: Tech neck could eventually cause pain shooting down your arms.

Dr. Andrew Chan: If you ultimately get some of the end stage aspects of this cascade of things that could result from not fixing your posture, not moving your neck around, not addressing this tech neck now. Everybody talks about tech neck, but I also think about tech back.

And the issue is a lot of people are sitting in Uh, different postures because of this new technology, right, that we were talking about the computers, the phones and the tablets. And the interesting thing is people are often told, you know, sit up straight. And actually that puts a lot of stress not only on your neck, but also on your lower back.

And so if you actually sit up very straight when you’re working on your computer for those eight hours a day that you talked about, you can not only have pain and fatigue in your neck, but also that same pain and fatigue in your lower back.

Faith: I don’t know about you, but I have changed the way I look at my phone when I think about it. I, I, I’m on the subway holding it out at eye level, taking up way too much space.

Courtney: That’s so smart. I know even as we’re talking right now, I’m trying to shift in my seat to try to balance my head better, but I’m like, Oh, no, I can’t sit up too straight. I’m also a big reader and so I think it’s tech neck, book neck. I’ve got all the necks.

Faith: We have a chair in our home in which I have breastfed both my children. It reclines. I always think I’m going to get rid of this chair someday after this episode where Dr. Chan told us that ideally when you sit. And especially when you’re looking at a computer, your neck should be back a little. Almost like slightly reclined on an airplane. I have now decided I will never get rid of the breastfeeding chair.

Courtney: That’s amazing and that sounds like a beautiful memory, so I’m glad you’re keeping the chair.

Faith: You  hosted a really important episode on blood donation.

Courtney: Yes, blood donation has been a real focus for us at New York Presbyterian and we continue to be really committed to getting the word out. I had a conversation earlier this year  with Dr. Elizabeth Stone about what’s involved in transfusion medicine…

Dr. Elizabeth Stone: Blood donation is extraordinarily important. there’s no substitute for blood.

Although many wonderful labs have tried very hard to create blood, we’re just not there yet. And so there are lots of different patient populations who need a lot of blood and who need blood sometimes emergently. So you have cancer patients, you have trauma victims, you have burn patients, And a lot of other patients who are getting routine surgeries also might need blood.

And so if we don’t have a constant supply of blood from healthy, altruistic donors, unfortunately, our patients will be in trouble. That’s one of the reasons why I’m very passionate about blood. Every time you donate blood, you can save up to three lives with each donation.

Courtney: I mean, that’s incredible. Three lives.

Dr. Elizabeth Stone: Yes!

Faith: OK, I’ll just echo you. One donation can help save three lives!

Courtney: Three lives. It does really encourage you to want to go give blood. I know it’s encouraged me and we had a lot of efforts this year to encourage blood donation and keep an eye out because we’re going to have more in the new year.

Faith: That’s a wonderful thing to do that. I I love that idea

So with that we are coming to the end of our episode Courtney, is there any health news or are there any takeaways from this year that that you want to call attention to?

Courtney: I mean, there are a few. There were so many amazing episodes, Faith. I loved your episode on procrastination and how to overcome avoidant behaviors. And everyone I talked to who listened to that episode went and did something they’d been procrastinating. And I know I was, I ended up working on a project that I’ve been struggling to kind of focus on. So I felt like that one was really impactful.

I interviewed someone on how to have a healthy breakfast, and she said like the number one tip is to drink a glass of water when you wake up because you’re dehydrated overnight and so that your healthy breakfast doesn’t even start with food.

So I try to have my glass of water every morning. That was something that stuck with me. How about you, Faith? What’s your biggest health takeaway of 2024?

Faith: I don’t know if I had one big one. I feel like one of the wonderful things about the doctors at NewYork-Presbyterian is that even in their respective fields, they all tend to echo each other when it comes to values, which is mindfulness, of course, listening to your body. If you have any concerns or questions, go to your doctor.

Your doctor wants to hear from you. But I will say, and this goes for the, the two seasons of the show that I’ve been lucky enough to host I always call it the F word. Like fiber. I have, I have, my life has been changed in, in several ways by this show, but one of them is, I am very conscious of eating fiber, and the good news about fiber is like a Venn diagram, like that overlaps with anti inflammatory foods.

It overlaps with making sure you get, you know, lots of fruits and vegetables. So fiber s sort of my new best friend and considering that I run a every other day in Central Park,

I think about when Dr. Morgan Busko, who is an Ironman person, so she knows what she’s talking about, talked about, making sure that you have a good cadence to your running, like literally counting how often your foot strikes the ground, not just cause it’s meditative, but because it helps to keep you in the best posture.

And probably once a run, I remember that. And just being mindful of that. I actually feel my body go into a better position for running. And I ended up. passing people without like, I don’t even feel like I put on the, , the fuel rockets. I just make my feet hit the ground more rapidly.

And it’s like a superpower. So that’s something that affects me at least every other day.

That’s so interesting. I need to try that. And I’m curious because working on the fiber story, it also got me thinking about fiber. So I’ll try to add like chia seeds to oatmeal in the morning. Do you have any tricks for getting more fiber in each day? Asking for a friend.

My trick is that I make sure I eat lots of vegetables in front of my children, because I just, I don’t usually even think I, here’s my confession. I don’t usually think to eat breakfast. So I’m listening to you talk about chia seeds on your oatmeal. And I’m like, I have a lot of catching up to do. I need to pick up my cadence on healthy breakfast.

You know, I also want to say that, what I love about our show is that there are, there’s a good mix between conversations about things that have to do with our body and things that have to do with our mind, which of course are always connected.

And I, I particularly loved the conversations I was lucky enough to have about, having difficult conversations. There were some really good actionable takeaways in that, and a really meaningful conversation about end of life conversations  in which we can all find beauty.

Courtney: Those episodes really stood out to me too. And the difficult conversations, one in particular, like you said, there are just so many actionable tips that I’m really trying to keep in mind and put into practice. you know, I think they make difficult conversations a little bit less scary.

Faith: Every doctor I, I’ve had an opportunity to speak with cares so much about what he or she does. And the messages are always hopeful. Even when we were talking to, you know, Dr.  Kathryn Beal about. metastatic brain cancer. She was relentlessly hopeful. And, there’s, there’s just so much hopefulness coming out of each of the doctors.

Courtney: Absolutely. That’s something I love about it too.

Faith: So this is the last episode of the year. And Courtney, do you want to talk about what listeners can look forward to next year?

Courtney: Yeah, so we’re planning some really exciting New Year’s episodes. We’re going to talk to a doctor on cold plunges. We are actually going to do a cold plunge this year, so I’m excited to hear why that might be helpful. We are going to talk about, kind of, how to improve some fitness routines. And something I’m particularly excited about, something I’m always trying to work on, is how to be a better listener.

Faith: Well that is a wrap for 2024. So I am grateful for all the wonderful conversations I’ve gotten to be a part of and thank you to our listeners and our wonderful doctors and happy holidays, Courtney!

Courtney: Thank you so much, Faith. It was so wonderful doing this with you. Happy holidays!

Faith: Health Matters is a production of New York Presbyterian.

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