Over 700,000 Americans are living with a brain tumor today and more than 84,000 people will be diagnosed with a primary brain tumor in 2021. All brain tumors are not alike - there are more than 120 different types of brain tumors. 

Only about 1/3 of brain tumors are cancerous. But whether they are cancerous or not, brain tumors can impair brain function and potentially be deadly if they grow large enough to press on surrounding nerves, blood vessels and tissue. 

Glioblastoma, the most prevalent primary malignant brain tumor, is the most aggressive form of brain cancer. Despite aggressive treatment strategies combining radiation and chemotherapy with surgery, prognosis for GBM patients remains poor. The average person lives just 15 months after diagnosis.
Meningiomas are typically benign tumors arising from the coverings of the brain and spinal cord. They represent about 1/3 of all primary brain tumors and occur most frequently in middle-aged women. 
Meningiomas usually grow inward, causing pressure on the brain or spinal cord. They also can grow outward toward the skull, causing it to thicken. Most meningiomas are noncancerous, slow-growing tumors. Some contain sacs of fluid (cysts), mineral deposits (calcifications), or tightly packed bunches of blood vessels.
Meningiomas account for about 36% of all primary brain tumors. They are most likely to be found in adults older than 60; the incidence appears to increase with age. They occur about twice as often in women as in men.
Monica Robins is a brain tumor survivor, and this episode is dedicated to brain tumor education. Cleveland Clinic neurosurgeon, Pablo Recinos, M.D. will discuss the latest in treatments and what future research hopes to bring us.  Dr. Recinos is also the surgeon who operated on Monica’s tumor.   

WEBSITE: American Brain Tumor Association www.abta.org

Health Yeah! What you need to know about brain tumors

In this episode,  an Israeli virologist discusses how her country handled the pandemic and what the world could learn from their response.

This interview was conducted on March 23, 2021.  Dr. Dana Wolf is Director of the Clinical Virology Unit at Hadassah University Medical Center in Israel.  She’s also done research on giving vaccine to pregnant women and discusses her findings.

Israel managed to get nearly 70 percent of citizens vaccinated, she explains how they managed to do that and how transparency with the public and media was critical as well as a unified message.

WEBSITES: State of Israel Ministry of Health https://www.health.gov.il/English/Pages/HomePage.aspx

Israeli Virologist discusses how her country handled the pandemic

Today’s episode is about an issue that is affecting more than six million Americans today and will likely affect millions more in the next decade.  And due to COVID, even more may suffer from this debilitating disease.  We’re talking about Alzheimer’s disease.  Rebecca Hall, Program director for the Alzheimer’s association Cleveland Chapter, joins me to discuss what families and caregivers need to keep in mind and explains a new funding opportunity that can provide free in home care to those who need a break.  For those who want to support the local Alzheimer's Association, its mission, resources and research there is an event on Thursday August 12, 2021.    

Sprenger Health Care is presenting this charity event, Light it Up Purple, to benefit the Cleveland Area Chapter Alzheimer's Association

Date: Thursday, August 12, 5:30-9pm

Location: Lorain Palace Theatre in downtown Lorain

Tickets available for purchase for $25 ahead of time and at door. Must be 18+ to attend, 21+ to receive the signature cocktail

Tickets: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/light-it-up-purple-tickets-163063899513

Event entertainment is Monica Robins and The Ninja Cowboys

The event features local restaurants and tastings.  It supports the Walk to End Alzheimer’s, in which money raised pays for care and support for local families and funds research.

 

WEBSITES: 

Alzheimer's Association  Alz.org

Cleveland Chapter:  https://www.alz.org/cleveland?set=1

Caregiver Relief Program: https://www.alz.org/cleveland/helping_you/the-jan-josephine-castora-family-caregiver-relief

Health Yeah! Expert advice for caregivers of dementia/Alzheimer's patients

On August 23, 2021 the FDA granted the Pfizer BioNtech COVID-19 vaccine full approval.  The Delta variant continues to rage across the U.S. and those on the front lines, in hospital Intensive Care Units, are seeing younger, unvaccinated patients needing the use of ventilators.  The nurses and doctors who work on the front lines thought they saw the light at the end of the pandemic tunnel, until the Delta variant surged.  This episode gives insight into their lives.  Dr. Joseph Khabbaza, a pulmonologist with Cleveland Clinic shares his experiences fighting the coronavirus pandemic and what he thinks and hopes FDA approval of a vaccine will accomplish.

Health Yeah! Pfizer vax approved and insight from the ICU

There is a critical need for more diverse populations to get involved in clinical trials.  Too often drug trials skew white and male, but many times once the drug hits the market, we learn later that it doesn't work the same in women and/or people of color.  There's no doubt the historic abuses of African Americans decades ago still linger in the minds of many, but that shouldn't stop doctors from asking their patients if they'd be willing to participate.  

This episode features Gelise Littlejohn-Thomas, a member of the Research Integration and Education core at University Hospitals Cleveland Medical Center.  Also, Rochelle Long, who has been involved in nearly half a dozen clinical trials relating to Alzheimer's disease after several family members were diagnosed with the devastating illness.  Rochelle wants to know why African Americans are disproportationately affected by Alzheimer's and she wants to be on the discovery end of cutting edge treatments that may help her and future generations. 

WEBSITES:  UH Clinical Trials https://www.uhhospitals.org/uh-research/find-clinical-trials-and-studies

1.833.78 TRIAL

Clinicaltrials.gov

The serious danger of not having more diverse clinical trials

Earlier this week, Ohio Governor Mike DeWine joined with the Ohio Children's Hospitals Association in a direct appeal to school superintendents to require masks for staff and students during the current surge of the coronavirus. 

Data that support this appeal include: 

Since August 15, 2021, there have been 29,823 Ohio school-aged kids ages 5 to 17 with confirmed and probable cases of COVID-19.
Cases among this age group increased 198 percent from the week of August 15th as compared to the week ending September 4.
American Academy of Pediatrics says COVID-19 cases among children have increased 240 percent nationally since early July when the Delta variant began to surge. During that same period in Ohio, there has been a 2000 percent increase in cases among Ohio children.
COVID-19 cases are increasing at nearly twice the rate among school-aged kids as compared to the rest of the population. This past week Ohio saw a 44 percent increase among school-aged children and only a 17 percent increase among the rest of the population.
Over the two-week period ending September 4, 2021, there was an average of 909 cases per 100,000 school-aged Ohio kids versus 561 cases per 100,000 people comprising the rest of the population. 
The 16 days with the highest number of cases per day throughout the entire pandemic for kids aged 5 to 17 in Ohio have all been in the last 19 days. This includes every day except the three days of the Labor Day weekend.
In Ohio school districts where masks are optional, among school-aged kids, there are both higher case rates per 100,000 at 945.7 and a greater week-over-week increase in cases. School districts where masks are optional have seen a 54 percent week-over-week increase compared to a 34 percent increase in school districts where masks are either required for all or required for some (usually K-8th grade).

The Governor says about 50% of Ohio schools do have some type of mask requirement.  From the medical perspective, the issue is more about overloading Children's Hospitals.  Rainbow Babies and Children's Hospital had longer wait times and more visits than they had in the last five years.  Akron Children's Hospital was seeing a steady influx of COVID patients when all Children's Hospitals are already dealing with an earlier than usual RSV season that's filling necessary beds.  Doctors are very concerned about what will happen when cold and flu season hits.

To discuss these issues and give parents a better understanding of what's happening is Akron Children's Hospital Chief Medical Officer, Dr. Robert McGregor.  

WEBSITE: https://www.akronchildrens.org/pages/2019-Novel-Coronavirus-Frequently-Asked-Questions.html

It's not the same old COVID, why parents need to take new variants seriously

When was the last time you checked your “legal” wellness?  We typically think of health and wellbeing in the physical sense.  But there are other areas of your life that need to be healthy too and one of them is your legal health.  
There may be obvious times you need to get a lawyer, but there are also many day-to-day events when you need some legal advice, and you may not even know it.  Are you always clicking agree when you update your computer or phone?  Are you tossing those postcards that say something about a lawsuit, but the print is too fine and complicated to read?  Dan Karon is a legal expert and consumer advocate and in this episode, he’s going to explain some legal issues you likely didn’t even know you needed to know.  

WEBSITE: www.yourloveablelawyer.com

The legal wellness advice you didn't know you needed

This episode is about the opioid epidemic and how the pandemic is impacting those battling addiction.  A new CDC report just released finds the number of overdose deaths reached one hundred thousand.  That’s the largest single year toll ever recorded.  The study looked at deaths from April 2020, the beginning of the pandemic, until April 21.

Ohio is no stranger to the opioid epidemic and in past years has been one of the leading states for drug overdose deaths in the nation.  Experts say the current overdose deaths are largely from fentanyl in meth and cocaine.  Ohio saw a near 27 percent increase overdose deaths.

The state recently started a "Beat the Stigma" education marketing campaign and Ohio received $24 million from the recent opioid settlement from one drug company earlier this year.  But what will it take to get control of a problem that seems to be once again spiraling out of control.  To help sort through it, I gathered a panel of experts in the field.

Jason Joyce is the Executive Director of Hitchcock Center for Women he’s also a Licensed Clinical Counselor and Independent Chemical Dependency Counselor.

Thomas Stuber is the President and Chief Legislative Officer of The LCADA Way and an Adjunct Professor of Addiction Counseling at LCCC.  He recently retired as CEO of The LCADA Way after leading the organization for the past 21 years.

Pam Bouyer is Clinical Director at the Women's Recovery Center and John Lisy is the Executive Director of the Shaker Heights Youth Center.  

WEBSITES and Resources: 

https://www.womensctr.org/

https://thelcadaway.org/

https://www.hcfw.org/

https://www.shakerheightsyouthcenter.org/

https://www.adamhscc.org/

http://opiatecollaborative.cuyahogacounty.us/en-US/Treatment-Providers.aspx

https://www.emeraldjennyfoundation.org/

https://namigreatercleveland.org/resources/community-resources/

https://mha.ohio.gov/wps/portal/gov/mha/

https://www.getsmartaboutdrugs.gov/cleveland/resources/local-state-and-national-resources

How to fix the pandemic/opioid epidemic disaster

Mental Health is taking center stage in discussion after two mass shootings within two weeks. The most recent, the May 24th shooting at an elementary school in Uvalde, Texas has once again devastated the country. The pandemic has shined a very bright light into mental health concerns regarding young people and many experts believe that could be the next pandemic we face. So what can we do about it when there's already a provider shortage and a lingering stigma? I spoke with pediatric psychologist, Carolyn Landis, Ph.D. of Rainbow Babies and Children's Hospital about the issue.

How to talk to kids after mass shootings

Anyone who is owned by a pet knows the positive impact they have on our lives. 
You may have noticed that your pet wastes no time noticing and springing into action when you are upset or sad. Their intuition is what makes them great companions.  Then there’s the practical work that comes with caring for a pet. This means making sure their individual needs are met. Developing a daily routine of walks and feeding times can help pet parents with mental health conditions feel a sense of purpose that affects other areas of their lives.
Physical benefits too, from daily walks, to reducing high blood pressure and heart rate and alleviating stress.  But if you lack the financial resources to care for your pet, that stress can be overwhelming.  One Health Organization may be able to help.  Dr. Anna van Heeckeren is the founder, CEO and President of One Health Organization and joins me on Health Yeah to discuss how we can help both our pets and people together. 
Their mission is to keep the dogs and cats of Northeast Ohio healthy with their humans at home.
Their programs help struggling pet parents with vet bills. This financial assistance means the pets get quality care — and the animals get to stay healthy at home with their families.
One Health Organization Giving Day is November 10th. This is an opportunity for people to make all the difference in the lives of people living with dogs and cats who love and need them most. When you donate to help people keep their pets healthy, you’re helping to address a range of problems affecting low-income people.
Visit onehealth.org to learn more or head to the One Health Giving Day Page to make a direct positive impact.

Health Yeah! How we can help pets and people

Today we are talking about something that impacts every single one of us - our mental health. If the pandemic taught us anything - it’s that we all need to be more mindful, take time to reach out to those struggling, and be a little kinder to ourselves and each other.

If you are experiencing your own mental health issues - you’re not alone. In fact, one in five adults in this country experience mental illness each year. And it’s not just us grown ups - one in six kids also experience mental illness.

Sometimes it’s situational. Sometimes it’s genetic. Sometimes it’s a short-term struggle and sometimes it’s a struggle you’ll deal with for the rest of your life.

We unpack it all today - and get some advice from our expert on how to manage anxiety, stress and depression - and when to know when it’s time for medical intervention.

Your Rx for better mental health

Welcome to Recovery Roads and Health Yeah! with Monica Robins.  These podcasts are for anyone trying to overcome a life obstacle or learn  more about their health and wellness.  Health Yeah covers the medical issues of the day and Recovery Roads is that mental stimulation you might need to get you out of rabbit hole.  Monica is surviving a spheno orbital meningioma in her brain.  She's undergone two brain surgeries but the tumor could not be entirely removed.  It's threatening her vision and her life.   This raw and real podcast focuses on life lessons and coping skills learned from facing the challenges life throws at us. 
Expect straight talk, colorful curse words and and a variety of people and topics, not always health related.  Healing can come from anywhere and hopefully some of the insight here, can help you find your own Recovery Roads, because there's never one straight path.
Monica is also the Senior Health Correspondent for WKYC-TV in Cleveland, OH and shares podcasts on a variety of health and wellness related topics.

Your Rx for better mental health

Monica Robins Podcasts

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