MedStar Health DocTalk (series)

Send us Fan Mail Sports medicine orthopedic surgeon Dr. Richard Hinton, and athletic trainer and DPT McKenzie Bane talk about the wrap-around care necessary for not only a successful return to play, but to return to performance. It's never soon enough for an athlete. Topics covered include commotio cordis, preparation for catastrophic events on the athletic field and the evolution of sports m...

Send us Fan Mail From a test that lasts an average of 40-minutes, patients with nerve injuries or neuro-muscular conditions can learn a lot about the health of the nerves signaling messages to muscles. The test is called an electromyography, or EMG.  Neurologist Dr. Derrick Fox of MedStar Health explains why the test is useful, who should be tested, what information is gleaned from it, how it is c...

Send us Fan Mail Night sweats, hot flushes, female discomfort and dryness, anxiety, and weight gain are just a few symptoms of menopause. How does a woman get there? What are the facts and myths about this change that can make a woman feel less feminine and outdated?  On MedStar Health’s podcast DocTalk, Christina Enzmann, MD, a gynecologist and menopause specialist at MedStar Good Samaritan Hospi...

Send us Fan Mail Comprehensive, relevant and insightful conversations about health and medicine happen here… on MedStar Health Doc Talk . By the time we reach our 40’s, about 10-million Americans have some degree of plaque build-up in the arteries, called atherosclerosis. Deposits of that plaque in the arteries can impede or block the blood flow to the legs. It’s called peripheral artery disease,...

Send us Fan Mail The thyroid gland is a small butterfly shaped organ that secretes hormones that help regulate metabolism, heart rate, blood pressure, and body temperature. Though uncommon, when cancer grows in the thyroid, it's not often aggressive, and very treatable when found early.  Dr. Vinay Gupta, a surgical oncologist at MedStar Health, talks with host Debra Schindler about diagnosing...

Send us Fan Mail Lung nodules are found in up to half of adults who get a chest x-ray or CT scan. Often called a spot on the lung or a shadow, they usually don’t cause any noticeable problems. However, in some cases, they can be an early sign of cancer. That’s why it’s important to seek follow-up care to accurately diagnose and monitor lung nodules. During this podcast, Dr. Ziv Gamliel, chief of T...

Send us Fan Mail Comprehensive, relevant and insightful conversations about health and medicine happen here… on MedStar Health Doc Talk.  CyberKnife®, also known as stereotactic body radiation therapy (SBRT), is non-surgical, highly precise, targeted radiation, with minimal damage to surrounding healthy tissue. Unlike conventional prostate radiation therapy that can take up to 40 sessions, CyberKn...

Send us Fan Mail The color of your skin, the community you belong to, and the place you call home are the largest predictors of health and longevity, according to a recent research article. These, and other non-medical factors are called social determinants of health. Learn more from Drs. Luke Carlson and Andrea Gaspar from Care Transformation about how MedStar Health is helping their communities...

Send us Fan Mail Comprehensive, relevant and insightful conversations about health and medicine happen here… on MedStar Health Doc Talk.  Veterans across the country who are in need of a life-saving liver or kidney transplant now can receive these procedures at one of the top transplant centers in the nation, MedStar Georgetown Transplant Institute, thanks to the recent inclusion of the MedStar He...

Send us Fan Mail Though rare, there are more than 100 different types of brain and spine tumors, making them complex to diagnose and treat. Because of this, a multi-disciplinary approach to treatment that brings together specialists that include neurosurgeons, radiation oncologists, medical oncologists, neuro-oncologists, and other experts is essential for the best outcomes. During this podcast, D...

Send us Fan Mail Over 6 million adults in the United States are living with heart failure. Simply put, heart failure means that the heart isn’t pumping as well as it should be. While this is a serious condition, many people with heart failure can lead a full life when it is managed properly. It’s important to recognize the symptoms and understand the various treatment options –from medical managem...

Send us Fan Mail Comprehensive, relevant and insightful conversations about health and medicine happen here… on MedStar Health Doc Talk. What are some of the most recent advancements in targeted treatments for patients with GI cancers? Have there been any recent advancements in how we use immunotherapy to treat GI cancers? And how do patients with localized GI cancers like rectal and pancreatic ca...

Send us Fan Mail Approximately one million pacemakers, cardiac defibrillators, and resynchronization devices are implanted worldwide each year, including more than 300,000 in the United States alone. Today’s cardiac implantable electronic devices (CIEDs) are reliable and effective. However, what happens when a pacemaker or a cardiac defibrillator needs to be removed? And why would it need to be re...

Send us Fan Mail Due, in large part, to advances in treatment, more men are surviving prostate cancer than ever before. Through the use of state-of-the-art technologies, such as CyberKnife, which makes it possible to deliver targeted radiation directly to the tumor—painlessly and without an incision—many patients are experiencing better outcomes with fewer side effects than other treatment options...

Send us Fan Mail Comprehensive, relevant and insightful conversations about health and medicine happen here… on MedStar Health Doc Talk. What are some of the most exciting innovations in the treatment of non-small cell lung cancer? What role do lung cancer screenings play in catching lung cancer at an earlier stage? And how does our multidisciplinary team determine the best course of treatment for...

Send us Fan Mail Though it’s a rare type of cancer, pancreatic cancer is the third leading cause of cancer deaths in the United States. That's because pancreatic cancer symptoms aren't obvious in early stages and there is no official screening for it yet. So, most people don't know they have it until it has advanced to a stage when it is challenging to treat. During this podcast, Dr...

Send us Fan Mail Comprehensive, relevant and insightful conversations about health and medicine happen here… on MedStar Health Doc Talk. While some post-surgical patients like to be cared for in the hospital, other patients want to return home as soon as possible. Now for joint replacement, outpatient surgery is becoming the norm. But how does the hospital safely take care of its patients when the...

Send us Fan Mail Comprehensive, relevant and insightful conversations about health and medicine happen here… on MedStar Health Doc Talk.  One of the medical legacies of World War II is combining the expertise of orthopedic, neurology and plastic surgery into one medical specialty: Hand Surgery. It was in 1947 when Dr. Ray Curtis was discharged from the Army and brought his expertise in hand surger...

Send us Fan Mail Comprehensive, relevant and insightful conversations about health and medicine happen here… on MedStar Health Doc Talk. Who is eligible to be a living donor? What are kidney swaps and exchanges? And can someone be a living donor even if they don't have a specific recipient in mind? Dr. Jennifer Verbesey specializes in kidney/pancreas transplantation for adults and children, a...

Send us Fan Mail Comprehensive, relevant and insightful conversations about health and medicine happen here… on MedStar Health Doc Talk. Hyperbaric oxygen therapy (HBOT) is used to treat some chronic, non-healing wounds. Initially utilized to treat decompression sickness in divers, HBOT is now used for a number of medical problems, both chronic and acute. It is a simple yet effective treatment pro...

Send us Fan Mail Comprehensive, relevant and insightful conversations about health and medicine happen here… on MedStar Health Doc Talk. What are the most common types of breast cancer? How do doctors decide how we treat each type? Have there been advances that allow one to be more individualized in the treatment of women with early stage breast cancer? Dr. Claudine Isaacs, Medical Oncologist, Med...

Send us Fan Mail Comprehensive, relevant and insightful conversations about health and medicine happen here… on MedStar Health Doc Talk.  Meet Dr. George Hennawi, physician executive director of Geriatrics and Senior Services for MedStar Health. Caring for an elderly adult can be rewarding but can come with many challenges. Caregiver burnout is common. So, who is taking care of the caregiver? Lear...

Send us Fan Mail Comprehensive, relevant and insightful conversations about health and medicine happen here… on MedStar Health Doc Talk. Lung cancer has historically been the nation’s deadliest cancer, claiming the lives of more than 135,000 annually. But with advances in screening for lung cancer in recent years, along with new screening guidelines, the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force is hopi...

Send us Fan Mail Comprehensive, relevant and insightful conversations about health and medicine happen here… on MedStar Health Doc Talk. Who needs Breast Surgery? What types of surgery do patients often get for breast cancer? And what are some of the new, exciting surgical innovations in the field of breast surgery? Dr. Lucy Maria De La Cruz is Chief, Breast Surgery and Director of the  Betty Lou...

Send us Fan Mail Comprehensive, relevant and insightful conversations about health and medicine happen here… on MedStar Health Doc Talk.  The pituitary gland is the size of a pea, yet it releases many of the hormones that allow us to live our lives. From its location at the base of the skull, it controls temperature sensations, stress levels, menstrual cycles, and more. Given the gland’s small siz...