Baptist HealthTalk

Noticing your hands shaking when you try to write, eat, or hold a glass? It can be unsettling—and for many people, the first thought is Parkinson’s disease. But in many cases, it may be something more common: essential tremor . In this episode of Baptist HealthTalk , Dr. Jonathan Fialkow and neurosurgeon Dr. Justin Sporrer explain why hands shake, how essential tremor differs from Parkinson’s dise...

What's the difference between diagnostic tests and screening tests? How do doctors decide which ones you need?  Why are some conditions under-screened or over-screened for?  And where do you turn for answers? Host Jonathan Fialkow, M.D. sorts out the facts with guest Douglas Inciarte, M.D., chief of family medicine at West Kendall Baptist Hospital.

We've all forgotten where we left our car keys, or the name of an old acquaintance.  It's not uncommon to develop some memory issues as a part of the aging process.  At what point should be we concerned that these "senior moments" are a symptom of something serious, like dementia? Host Jonathan Fialkow, M.D. , chief population health officer for Baptist Health, welcomed Patrici...

If any of your New Year’s resolutions involve getting healthier in 2021, a great place to start is with a visit to your primary care doctor.  They not only treat illnesses, they provide preventative care services and manage the kinds of chronic health conditions associated with greater vulnerability to COVID-19. Host Jonathan Fialkow, M.D. welcomes Baptist Health Primary Care physicians Kamaljit K...

2020 is coming to a close with the death toll from the COVID-19 pandemic surpassing 1.5 million lives worldwide.  There is some good news, however, in the form of new vaccines and treatments available to fight the disease and help us take the first steps back toward normal. Join host, Jonathan Fialkow, M.D. ,  chief population health officer at Baptist Health, and his guests Madeline Camejo, Pharm...

 The holiday season is known for celebrations and cheer. It’s also recognized as a peak time of year for strokes and heart attacks -- and not just for older people. What’s behind this potentially deadly phenomenon and how can we reduce our risk?    Host, Jonathan Fialkow, M,D. , chief population health office at Baptist Health looks into this “holiday phenomenon” with guest experts Felipe De Los R...

Type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular disease are directly linked -- but not because of blood sugar.  Metabolic disorders play the major role in increasing heart disease risk in diabetic patients.  Miami Cardiac & Vascular Institute's cardiometabolic and prevention center is taking a comprehensive approach to these patients, aimed at controlling blood pressure, cholesterol, triglycerides, ob...

The development of antibiotics in the 20th century was a major medical advancement. Hailed as wonder drugs, medications like penicillin have saved millions of lives.  But 60 years of misuse and overuse has allowed mutated strains of bacteria to become resistant to the same drugs that once wiped them out.  Every year, more than 2.8 million infections from bacteria that are resistant to antibiotics...

The simple act of breathing is something we take for granted -- until it’s hard to do.  As we mark Lung Cancer Awareness Month and COPD Awareness Month in November, and in the face of an expected surge in COVID-19 cases, we focused on smoking and lung diseases in an episode of Baptist Health's Resource Live program on Facebook. Host, Jonathan Fialkow, M.D. welcomed Mark Dylewski, M.D. , chief...

As if the COVID-19 pandemic, social unrest and natural disasters weren't making 2020 stressful enough,  the majority of U.S. adults are also suffering with election stress disorder. The stakes are high. People are divided. And there is much uncertainty surrounding the outcome of the Presidential election. Host, Jonathan Fialkow, M.D. and his guest, psychiatrist Rachel Rohaidy, M.D. , explain...

It seems obvious: the medicine your doctor prescribes can't help you if you don't take it, or don't take it the way you're supposed to.  So it may surprise you that according to the Centers for Disease Control, prescription medications are not taken as prescribed an astounding 50% of the time -- and up to 30% of new prescriptions are never filled at the pharmacy at all. Host, J...

Bladder issues -- ranging from minor annoyances to major life disruptions -- are common. Talking about them is not.  Don't let an unwarranted stigma attached to these issues stop you from getting the information and treatment you need to improve your quality of life. In this episode, host, Jonathan Fialkow, M.D. welcomes Baptist Health urologist Lunan Ji, M.D. to talk about the symptoms, caus...

What have we learned about COVID-19's effects on kids and teens since the start of the pandemic?  What do parents need to know about multi-system inflammatory syndrome in children (MIS-C)?  Do kids need to get the flu shot this year? And how do we keep them safe as they go back to in-person education? Five months after our initial podcast on kids, adolescents and COVID-19, host Dr. Jonathan F...

 As we recognize Breast Cancer Awareness month in October, host  Dr. Jonathan Fialkow welcomes Jane Mendez, M.D., chief of breast surgery at Miami Cancer Institute to talk about early detection and a unique new approach to prevention. Miami Cancer Institute's Breast Prevention Clinic is aimed at identifying women with an increased predisposition to breast cancer and providing them with specia...

Why is protecting yourself against the flu this season more important than ever before? How will the combination of influenza and COVID-19 cases strain our healthcare system? Can you get the flu and COVID at the same time? Get answers to these and other questions as Dr. Jonathan Fialkow hosts Dr. Maria Ordonez, primary care physician with Baptist Health, Dr. Ladan Pourmasiha, medical director of B...

Men are more likely than women to delay or avoid seeking medical care. That's a big problem when it comes to catching and treating serious medical conditions including prostate cancer.  One in 9 men in the U.S. will be diagnosed with prostate cancer in his lifetime, and most will not have any symptoms. Regular medical check-ups and the appropriate screenings are crucial in diagnosing the dise...

From the pros to weekend warriors, we tend to admire athletes as examples of superior health and physical fitness. But, just like the rest of us, athletes can suffer from heart disease and cardiac complications. And when athletes do have heart issues, diagnosis and treatments are not necessarily straightforward. Now, the connection between the novel Coronavirus and myocarditis (heart inflammation)...

Six weeks after we first heard from Baptist Health South Florida physicians and leaders on the front lines of the Coronavirus pandemic, we checked in with them again for an update. In the wake of this summer’s surge in cases, find out where we stand now, what has been learned and what’s next for our patients, our healthcare system and the communities we serve.  The panel discussion, moderated by D...

Common foot problems -- from the itch of fungus to the pain of a strain -- can stop us in our tracks.  Some foot issues may even point toward more serious conditions that shouldn’t be ignored. What might your aching feet be telling you? And how can you keep putting your best foot forward? Thomas San Giovanni, M.D. , an orthopedic surgeon with Miami Orthopedics and Sports Medicine Institute shares...

It’s the most common heart valve condition in the U.S., affecting around 8 million people: mitral valve prolapse.  It’s also known as click-murmur syndrome or floppy valve syndrome. What are the symptoms? How serious is it? And how is it diagnosed? In this episode, Dr. Jonathan Fialkow explores this condition with cardiologist Socrates Kakoulides, M.D., medical director of the ambulatory diagnosti...

Did you know it's a myth that high blood pressure mostly affects people over the age of 60? Nearly half of American adults may have high blood pressure, or hypertension, but many of them don’t realize it. Not only can high blood pressure affect people of all ages, if left untreated, it can cause harm to many organs in the body. It’s a leading cause of strokes as well as heart failure, kidney...

Each year at this time, public health officials and healthcare providers remind parents to make sure their children’s immunizations are up to date before school starts. Even though COVID-19 has turned our lives upside down this year, the need to vaccinate kids and teens has not changed. In fact, it’s more important than ever.    Host Dr. Jonathan Fialkow examines why now is not the time to let you...

Migraine is a neurological disorder affecting one out of ten Americans of all ages. This debilitating condition is responsible for an estimated 157-million lost workdays each year. What is migraine and how is it different from other kinds of headaches? On this episode of Baptist Healthtalk, host Dr. Jonathan Fialkow welcomes neurologist Brad Herskowitz, M.D. , of Miami Neuroscience Institute to di...

In this special edition of the podcast, we share emotional stories from healthcare workers on the front line of the pandemic. These dedicated men and women, under enormous pressure as COVID-19 cases surge, are asking for the public to take this health crisis seriously and do what is necessary to slow the spread of the disease. Listen to their heartfelt pleas on this episode of Baptist HealthTalk. ...

The most common cancer in the United States is skin cancer and the number one cause is the sun, something hard to avoid here in Florida. Dermatologist, Jill Waibel , M.D., medical director of the Multidisciplinary Skin Cancer Clinic at Miami Cancer Institute, joins host, Dr. Jonathan Fialkow to shed some light on the latest news in skin cancer diagnosis, treatment and prevention -- including the r...