Welcome to the Palm Beach County Medical Society
Podcast Series

Note:  The content of the following interviews is not necessarily the opinion of the hosts or of the hosting organizations.  

New Releases

Nitty-Gritty Reflections on Effective Pain Management  --   Jay Kuchera, M.D., pain management, speaks to barriers to proper pain management, the ethical, clinical, political and regulatory domains, medication and treatment costs, CDC and other guidelines, the need for proper clinical management, how cultural acceptances of suffering differ and set expectations, that improper treatment evokes the disease of desperation, differences in pain management now versus 25 years ago, that better patient quality of life is possible, etc. A very crux-of-the-matter discussion. Click here to listen. Aug 2023

Drug Abuse – Issues Within The Black Community – Tommy McGee, psychotherapist, addiction counselor, clergy, and black, takes us on a revealing tour of life in the black communities, how many black patients view the medical system, the barriers this produces in even approaching the system for prevention and treatment, insurance barricades, the role of the churches with this and other mental health problems, the need to ‘translate’ their culture, and to morph their tangible needs into real action and policy, etc.  Honest and unrestrained comments from his personal and professional lives. Click here to listen. Aug 2023   

Linda Reihs speaks to her approaches to offsetting the drift of children into later substance abuse. She is an author, educator and addiction counselor. She presents many excellent and thought provoking ideas from an educational perspective, which is quite different than most. This has also been called medical literacy training. Click here to listen. June 2023

Aldo Morales, M.D. practices psychiatry and addiction medicine, speaks with honesty and openness about his concerns with the use of marijuana, particularly in adolescents because of their developing brain and the need to learn social skills. He outlines the criteria for addiction, treatment modalities, the potential overlaps of comorbid psychiatric problems with marijuana use, the absolute need for research, of the need to separate discussions on marijuana that are based on opinion versus solid data. A blunt and grounding yet lively discussion. Click here to listen.

When it comes to predicting the future direction of the opioid epidemic it largely comes down to government policy. Jeffrey Singer MD, senior fellow at the libertarian leaning CATO Institute shares his well researched position on this serious issue. Click here to listen.

Addiction psychiatrist Daryl Shorter, M.D., offers functional and pragmatic contexts of addiction, of what leads to successful remission, the key essentials of biological versus psychological origins, and discusses why all substance use is not always abuse. Click here to listen. June 2023

Adolescents suffering with substance use disorder present with a number of unique needs.  With a background in religion, philosophy and psychology, Dr. John Dyben speaks to the critical issues clinicians need to understand when dealing with these young patients. Click here to listen. May 2023

Heather Howard., PhD, MSW, speaks to her study of how to address stigma, from those who express it to those who receive it. She talks of how this can effect readiness to ask for help. Leaves the listener with insightful thoughts and ways to reduce it. Much of her work as been with shame, past traumas, and /or substance abuse in women during pregnancy. Click here to listen. February 2023 

Sarah Kawasaki, MD details mixing buprenorphine and fentanyl. The mere number of fentanyl overdoses, be it knowing or not knowing fentanyl was consumed, requires preparing for possible clinical dangers of too rapidly using buprenorphine. Definite protocols are used and are being studied. Important information. Click here to listen. February 2023

Psychotherapy – How To Frame It, How To Use It – Stefan Pasternak, MD, on how the therapist-patient relationship is the cornerstone of psychotherapy, and about the challenges of developing a goal for the therapy, the physiologic and medication aspects of therapy, of coming to an accurate diagnosis, cognitive versus psychodynamic techniques, psychological mindedness, when a change of therapist may be needed, etc. January 2023  Listen here.

Although overdose deaths are up in most communities, experts agree that a great deal of progress has actually been made in the substance use disorder arena. Drug czar, John Hulick discusses the specifics as they pertain to Palm Beach County. Click here to listen. October 2022 

Might Addiction Not Be A Disease? – Carl Fisher, M.D, psychiatrist at Columbia University, argues that ‘disease’ is the wrong concept as he outlines the urge leading to addictive behaviors, that it oversimplifies, and what is the place of free will, three broad reasons fostering addictions, social mitigators, long term outcomes, and his own recovery from alcoholism. Click here to listen. July 2022

Is it OK to give patients larger quantities of suboxone and methadone without close monitoring? Tara Gomes, epidemiologist in Ontario, Canada, speaks to enlightening research that says this is good clinical practice in stabilized patients suffering from opioid use disorder. The project was partially in response to COVID caused travel restrictions. Her research showed that this strategy reduced barriers and the fears of increased overdoses were unfounded. Click here to listen to the podcast. May 2022

Click here for the newest PBCMS podcast as Emergency Medicine specialist Steven Keehn, DO speaks about the Addiction Stabilization Unit, a 24/7 local emergency room designed specifically to deal with patients suffering from all aspects of substance use disorder. May 2022

One of the bravest, smartest writers anywhere, Maia Szalavitz, speaks about the untold story of harm reduction, a simple idea with enormous power.  Maia's latest book is Undoing Drugs: The Untold Story of Harm Reduction and the Future of Addiction April 2022

Click here to listen as Elizabeth Evans, PhD is speaking about the reduction of incarceration recidivism following administration of buprenorphine for opioid use disorder in the prison setting. March 2022

Lynn Webster MD, past president of the American Academy of Pain Medicine, speaks about "Balanced Pain Management Approaches". Click here to listen. February 2022

Lori Ann Post PhD speaks with us about a new JAMA study she authored which reveals that older Americans are the ignored victims of the opioid crisis. Click here to listen. Feb 2022

Luke Elms, MD a general surgeon from Orlando Health, speaking about ERAS which is Enhanced Recovery Around Surgery and the responsible use of opioids and other pain control methods in the perioperative setting. Jan 2022

Hiring Recovering Physicians with Steve Chambers, MD Dec 2021

Buprenorphine in the Perioperative Period with Lynn Kohan MD Nov 2021

The Strategy of High Dose Buprenorphine in the Emergency Room Setting with Andrew Herring, MD Nov 2021

Hospice in the COVID World October 2021

Local physician tells his story about his road to recovery. October 2021

Larry Bush, MD Infectious Disease Specialist in Palm Beach County, COVID-19 Vaccine Update August 2021

Dr. Brent Schillinger and Dr. Abbey Strauss interviewing Dr. Richard Morgan speaking about his personal experiences suffering from opioid use disorder and his subsequent recovery journey.  Dr. R Morgan, My Addiction and Recovery July 2021

Opioid Use Disorder and Pregnancy, Special Dilemmas with Kay Roussos Ross, MD June 2021

Physical Therapist Jeffrey Frankart New Opioid Minimizing Approaches to Pain Management. April 2021

Peter Grinspoon, MD His Addiction and Recovery March 2021

A Physician Speaks About His Own Addiction and His On-Going Recovery  Sean Fogler, M.D., discusses his history and recovery. He addresses key mental health needs for physicians, professional attributes that can impede recovery, stigma, personal connections, how he maintains recovery, addiction as a disease, etc., all done with sincerity, candor and hope. Jan 2021 

Larry Bush, MD, Infectious Disease Specialist, on COVID-19 vaccines, the real details, history, strengths and concerns. December 2020

Drug Use Screening SBIRT with Bertha Madras, MD, Brent Schillinger, MD and Abby Strauss, MD Nov 2020 

David Shulan, MD and Abbey Strauss, MD on Becoming a Retired Physician. Click here for audio. June 2020

Robert Stutman "Opioid use Disorder and COVID-19" June 2020

Anthony Miller, MD “Health Effects of Cell Phone and Other EMF Signals”. 

Larry Bush, MD “Nature and Role of Vaccines”. 

James Goldenberg, MD “Models of Medical Payment”. 

Bruce Saltz, MD “Physician Fatigue and Burnout”. 

Complete Library of Podcasts:

Free Podcasts about Mental and General Health

Topics:

The Aging Process – Attitudinal and Other Aspects – Deirdre Robertson, Ph.D., describes her research into cognitive and physical decline, fragility, and how perceptions of aging mitigate the aging process, etc.  From The Irish Longitudinal Study of Aging (www.tilda.tcd.ie). She is now at Columbia University, NY.  April 2016. Listen

Physician Burnout – Penelope Ziegler, M.D., outlines the process, common causes, nature, and needed interventions related to physician burnout. These patterns apply to other professions as well. Dr. Ziegler is the medical director of the Professionals Resource Network (Florida). December 2015. Listen

All About Group Therapy – Holly Katz, Ph.D., explains the reasons, approaches, roles, and great value of group therapy. She addresses the unique dynamics occurring in groups, core differences support versus counseling groups, between individual and group interactions, and doing so in an easy to understand and engaging manner. She is the training director at the Faulk Center for Group Therapy in Boca Raton, Fl.  November 2015. Listen

Sustainability Challenges – Cultural, Economic, and  Environmental – Natalie Schneider, Climate Change and Sustainability Coordinator for Palm Beach County (Florida), outlines the necessary concepts and challenges to maintain sustainability, how to grow in a manner that allows future generations to have available resources, how people adapt to these demands, etc. October 2015 Listen

Chronic Pain in Kids, Teenagers, and the Elderly – Kern Olson, Ph.D., a pain psychologist, discusses the common pain types in these groups, and the importance of behavioral interventions, the ability to articulate pain, family involvements, sleep issues, medications’ role, and marijuana use, etc. October 2015. Listen

Pesticides and Our Health – Jeannie Economos explains the serious health concerns regarding pesticide exposure, including effects on human development, fertility, and disease, the need for medical attention to occupational exposure, endocrine disruption, informational links, and the Lake Apopka story. (Co-posted with Palm Beach County Medical Society) August 2015 Listen

Three Psychiatrists’ Concerns About Marijuana – Three psychiatrists, Aldo Morales, DeanRotondo and Abbey Strauss, share their concerns and experiences with the clinical aspects of marijuana use. From a forum of April 29, 2015 in Palm Beach County, Fl. Opening comments by Donna Hearn, Ph.D. (July 2015) Listen 

The Mental Health Court– Judge Ginger Lerner-Wren presides over the 18 year old award winning mental health court in Broward County, Florida. Hear her intriguing comments to its history, philosophy, challenges, and style. (June 2015)  Listen

The Common Language of Science– In September 1941, Albert Einstein wrote and read on London’s Science Conference this 8 minute piece on language, science, and mental health. This is that essay in Einstein’s own voice. Listen

Descriminalization of the Mentally Ill– Judge Steven Leifman (May 2015) Listen

Flakka, Another Designer Drug– Krithika Iyer, MD (April 2015) Listen

Why Speak About ADD – Elias Sarkis (April 2015) Listen

Dementia Update – Neil Buckholtz, Ph.D. (March 2015)  Listen

The Medical Marijuana Module: Podcasts from the Florida Psychiatric Society and the Palm Beach County Medical Society:

The content of the following interviews is not necessarily the opinion of the hosts or of the hosting organizations. These interviews are provided to foster thoughts from all camps about marijuana use in all its forms and purposes of use, and the listener is strongly advised to carefully consider the standing of the guests’ opinions and positions. Legally using marijuana depends on varying local, federal, and state rules and procedures, and its consumption has physiological and psychological effects that need to be understood before use is initiated.

Opinions and approach to medical marijuana – Ray McKnight, M.D., (2014) Listen

Opinions on why and how to use medical marijuana – Jeffrey Kamlit, M.D., (2014) Listen

Why she is in favor of medical marijuana – Anne Morgan, M.D., (2014) Listen

Big Marijuana: a repeat of tobacco health issues? – Kimber Richter, Ph.D., and Sharon Levy, M.D. Listen

Concerns with medical marijuana – David Gross, M.D., (2014)Listen

Concerns with medical marijuana – Bernd Wollschlaeger, M.D., (2014) Listen

Concerns regarding the legal aspects of medical marijuana – Jeff Cohen, Esq., (2014) Listen

Common medical community concerns – Bernd Wollschlaeger, M.D. (May 2014) Listen

Other Medical Topics:

Inflammation and Psychiatry – A New World – Charles Raison, M.D. (September 2014) Listen

Ebola – Larry Bush, M.D. (August 2014) Listen

Understanding Menopause – Maureen Whelihan, M.D. (August 2014) Listen

Ketamine and Depression – Charles Nemeroff, M.D. (July 2014)Listen

Psychiatry and Space Travel – Ronald Moomaw, D.O. (July 2014)Listen

An overview of Infectious Disease – Larry Bush, M.D. (June 2014) Listen

Cellular Receptors and Psychiatric Medications – Youssef Hausson, M.D. (June 2014) Listen

Blending Neuroscience and Psychoanalysis – Mark Solms, Ph.D. (June 2014) Listen

Our Sun, Your Skin – On Skin Tanning – Brent Schillinger, M.D., a dermatologist, outlines the tanning process, its safety roles, sun blockers, its relationship to cancer, sun burns, tanning beds, etc. (May 2014)  Listen