Host: Darryl S. Chutka, M.D.

Guest: Terry D. Schneekloth, M.D.

According to the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism, there’s a significant increase in alcohol consumption during holidays. Christmas and New Years are times of celebration and alcohol use is often part of that celebration. Binge drinking is common, and this can result in impaired judgment, motor vehicle accidents, and risky behaviors. Who’s at greatest risk for alcohol-related behaviors? How can we as health care clinicians detect those at risk for a problem with alcohol during the holidays and what advice can we give our patients recovering from an alcohol addiction to get through the holidays and maintain their sobriety? The topic for this podcast is “Alcohol Use and the Holidays” and these are some of the questions I’ll be asking my guest, Terry Schneekloth, M.D., from the Department of Psychiatry and Psychology at the Mayo Clinic.

Connect with the Mayo Clinic’s School of Continuous Professional Development online at https://ce.mayo.edu/ or on Twitter @MayoMedEd. 

Host: Darryl S. Chutka, M.D.

Guest: Mark A. Frye, M.D.

For many, the holidays are a time for happiness and connecting with family and friends. It’s often a time of celebration. But for some, it can be a time of increased stress, anxiety and sadness. In some cases, our good health habits such as eating healthy, regular exercise and getting adequate sleep are replaced by overeating, consuming excess alcohol and taking on too many responsibilities. A recent study by the American Psychological Society found that 89% of those surveyed felt stressed during the holiday season. What are the most common reasons for this stress? Can we avoid it? If not, what are the best ways to manage it? I’ll be discussing these topics with my guest, Mark Frye, M.D., a psychiatrist from the Mayo Clinic. The topic for this podcast is “Holiday Stress and Mental Health”.

Connect with the Mayo Clinic’s School of Continuous Professional Development online at https://ce.mayo.edu/ or on Twitter @MayoMedEd. 

Host: Darryl S. Chutka, M.D.

Guest: Amanda R. Bonikowske, Ph.D.

There are many benefits of exercise, from improving our mental health to reducing the risk of chronic disease. It can improve our sleep, increase our energy and can help establish relationships with others. It’s an activity that almost anyone can do, and it doesn’t have to cost a thing, other than an individual’s time. The holiday season will soon be upon us as well as its associated stress and in many cases, weight gain. Can exercise help with some of these problems associated with the holidays? How much exercise is optimal? What kind of exercise should we recommend for those who are unable to participate in vigorous exercise? Does it matter if we do one type of exercise or is a variety of exercise better? These are questions I’ll be asking my guest, Amanda Bonikowske, Ph.D., an exercise physiologist from the Department of Cardiovascular Diseases at the Mayo Clinic as we discuss “Exercise and the Holidays”.

Connect with the Mayo Clinic’s School of Continuous Professional Development online at https://ce.mayo.edu/ or on Twitter @MayoMedEd. 

Host: Darryl S. Chutka, M.D.

Guests: Bruce Sutor, M.D. & Megan R. Leloux, Pharm.D., R.Ph., BCPP

Depression is very common both in the U.S. and worldwide. It’s estimated that major depression affects over 8% of American adults, representing over 20 million individuals. Fortunately, we now have a variety of pharmacologic options for the management of depression and they’re much safer than what we had available in the past. However, we now have so many choices, how do we know which medication is best for our patient? What’s the difference between an SSRI and an SNRI? Is there an anti-depressant that’s also effective in treating anxiety? Are some medications better for our elderly patients? I’ll be asking these questions and more to my guests, psychiatrist Bruce Sutor, M.D., and pharmacist Megan R. Leloux, Pharm.D., R.Ph., BCPP, from the Mayo Clinic as we discuss “Pharmacologic Management of Depression” as part of our “Holiday Stress and Wellness” podcast series.

Connect with the Mayo Clinic’s School of Continuous Professional Development online at https://ce.mayo.edu/ or on Twitter @MayoMedEd. 

Host: Darryl S. Chutka, M.D.

Guest: Craig N. Sawchuk, Ph.D., L.P.

It’s relatively common for individuals to feel somewhat sad or have the “winter blues” when the days get shorter and then feel better when we get our daylight back in the spring. However, for some, mood changes can be more serious, and they may be experiencing seasonal affective disorder, a type of depression characterized by recurrent mood changes related to a change in the season. It’s estimated that up to 10 million Americans are affected by this disorder. What’s the natural history of seasonal affective disorder? Is it the same as depression which tends to occur around the holidays? Is seasonal affective disorder related to the time of year or the amount of sunlight and does it ever occur during the summer months? I’ll be asking these questions and more of my guest as we discuss “Seasonal Depression” as part of our “Holiday Stress and Wellness” podcast series. My guest for today’s podcast is psychologist Craig N. Sawchuk, Ph.D., L.P., from the Mayo Clinic.

Connect with the Mayo Clinic’s School of Continuous Professional Development online at https://ce.mayo.edu/ or on Twitter @MayoMedEd. 

Host: Darryl S. Chutka, M.D.

Guest: Tara Schmidt, RDN, LD

It’s not uncommon to gain a pound or two each year as we get older. For many, most of our annual weight gain occurs during the holidays.  It’s a time of celebration and is filled with parties and events, often with high calorie foods and drinks. Holidays can also be stressful, and many find some relief of stress by eating. Weight gain during the holidays occurs so easily and quickly, yet losing this weight can be quite challenging and can take months. In fact, some studies have shown that weight put on during the holidays never comes off. How do we deal with the abundance of food we’re exposed to over the holidays? How should we approach holiday parties? How can we avoid contributing to the problem when we bring food to holiday events? With the holidays approaching, today’s podcast is directed at our own personal health in our “Holiday Stress and Wellness Series” as we discuss “How to Avoid Gaining Weight During the Holidays.” My guest for this podcast is registered dietician and nutritionist Tara Schmidt, RDN, LD, from the Mayo Clinic.

Check out our guest’s podcast, “Mayo Clinic on Nutrition” Here https://mcpress.mayoclinic.org/podcasts/on-nutrition/

Connect with the Mayo Clinic’s School of Continuous Professional Development online at https://ce.mayo.edu/ or on Twitter @MayoMedEd. 

Host: Darryl S. Chutka, M.D.  

Guest: Jon O. Ebbert, M.D.

According to the CDC, in 2020 nearly 20% of high school students reported using a vaping product, and nearly a quarter of them indicated they used the product daily. It’s now known that vaping has potential health risks and is just as addictive as combustible tobacco products with some vaping cartridges having a higher concentration of nicotine than cigarettes. In this podcast, we’ll discuss nicotine dependence with an update on vaping. My guest is Jon O. Ebbert, M.D., an internist and nicotine dependence specialist at the Mayo Clinic. I’ll be asking Dr. Ebbert about the health risks of vaping, including second-hand exposure, the likelihood of “vapers” to switch to traditional tobacco products and whether vaping has any potential to help individuals discontinue use of tobacco products.

Connect with the Mayo Clinic’s School of Continuous Professional Development online at https://ce.mayo.edu/ or on Twitter @MayoMedEd. 

Host: Darryl S. Chutka, M.D.  

Guest: Aleksandra Kukla, M.D.

In 2023, an estimated 14% of all adults in the U.S. or just over 35 million individuals had chronic kidney disease and it’s even more common in the elderly population affecting over 1/3 of those over the age of 65. It represents the 8th leading cause of death in the U.S. It’s now known that chronic kidney disease is associated with systemic inflammation, which is responsible for a variety of complications including atherosclerosis and subsequent cardiovascular disease. Does kidney disease result in inflammation or does inflammation produce renal dysfunction? Are there inflammatory markers we could measure to assess this inflammation? Can we do anything to reduce the inflammation and if so, does it improve patient outcome? These are just some of the questions I’ll be asking my guest, Aleksandra Kukla, M.D., from the Division of Nephrology at the Mayo Clinic as we discuss “Chronic Kidney Disease as a Systemic Inflammatory Syndrome”.

These talks on Inflammation and Cardiometabolic Disease are sponsored by Novo Nordisk

Learn more about this series HERE

Connect with the Mayo Clinic’s School of Continuous Professional Development online at https://ce.mayo.edu/ or on Twitter @MayoMedEd. 

Host: Darryl S. Chutka, M.D.

Guest: Maria L. Collazo-Clavell, M.D.

Its common knowledge that those who are obese are at greater risk for developing metabolic syndrome, diabetes and cardiovascular disease. However, the reason for this association has not always been clear. It does appear that systemic inflammation plays a major role and obesity triggers this inflammation. But what specifically initiates the inflammation? How can we measure it? Most importantly, can we reduce or eliminate this inflammation and prevent the progression to these cardiometabolic states? My guest for this podcast is Maria L. Collazo-Clavell, M.D., from the Division of Endocrinology and Metabolism at the Mayo Clinic and we’ll discuss “Inflammation and Cardiometabolic Disease: Obesity- The Linking Pathology”.

These talks on Inflammation and Cardiometabolic Disease are sponsored by Novo Nordisk

Learn more about this series HERE

Connect with the Mayo Clinic’s School of Continuous Professional Development online at https://ce.mayo.edu/ or on Twitter @MayoMedEd. 

Host: Darryl S. Chutka, M.D. [@chutkaMD]

Guest: Alina M. Allen, M.D., M.S.

Fat deposits in the liver are quite common and many individuals have no idea they have the condition. A minority of those individuals will develop an associated hepatic inflammation. It’s not entirely clear why some progress to this state, although there are some known risk factors. Steatohepatitis is a potentially serious health problem and can lead to end-stage liver disease. It’s also associated with cardiovascular disease and all of its complications. The topic for today’s podcast is Hepatic Inflammation and Metabolic Dysfunction-Associated Steatohepatitis. My guest is Alina M. Allen, M.D., M.S., from the Division of Gastroenterology and Hepatology at the Mayo Clinic. What are the risk factors for this health problem? Should we be screening patients for its presence and how should it be managed. These are just some of the topics we’ll discuss in this podcast.

These talks on Inflammation and Cardiometabolic Disease are sponsored by Novo Nordisk

Learn more about this series HERE

Connect with the Mayo Clinic’s School of Continuous Professional Development online at https://ce.mayo.edu/ or on Twitter @MayoMedEd. 

Host: Darryl S. Chutka, M.D. [@chutkaMD]

Guest: Regis I. Fernandes, M.D.

Inflammation commonly occurs as a response to injury or infection but can lead to damage when it develops in healthy tissue. It’s now known that inflammation plays a key role in the development of cardiovascular disease. It produces damage to the endovascular arterial cells allowing plaque to form within the artery leading to stenosis, thereby reducing coronary blood flow. What initiates the inflammatory response as it develops in otherwise healthy arteries? How should we use the hs-CRP in measuring inflammation in cardiovascular disease? Does our management of cardiovascular disease result in a decrease in hs-CRP? These are some of the questions I’ll be asking my guest, Regis I. Fernandes, M.D., a preventive cardiologist from the Mayo Clinic as we discuss “hs-CRP and Cardiovascular Disease”.

These talks on Inflammation and Cardiometabolic Disease are sponsored by Novo Nordisk

Learn more about this series HERE

Connect with the Mayo Clinic’s School of Continuous Professional Development online at https://ce.mayo.edu/ or on Twitter @MayoMedEd.