The Heart of Innovation with Kym McNicholas Kym McNicholas

Mike Pawlawski shares his journey and his process for creating mental resilience to overcome adversity, including health challenges, in order to inspire others. Pawlawski is American former professional football player who was a quarterback in the National Football League (NFL), Arena Football League (AFL), and XFL. He played college football for the California Golden Bears where he led them to a 10–2 record and a No. 8 national ranking in 1991. He is currently a sought-after inspiration speaker, the host of Gridiron Outdoors on Outdoor Channel, and is a radio color commentator for Cal football on KGO 810 and the Cal radio network.

Marcia is a retired XRay Tech who is fighting to save her legs and the legs of others. After a University vascular surgeon told her amputation was the next logical step in her care, she found the Global PAD Association (GPAD), who helped her obtain a second opinion from Interventional Radiologist Dr. Arthur Lee. Dr. Lee was able to offer her a different treatment option that has kept her legs in tact so far. She is committed to now helping to raise awareness for peripheral artery disease, blocked arteries in mainly the legs, through her new initiative, in partnership with GPAD, called #LightARedCandleDay where she's encouraging physicians, clinicians, patients, and industry to light a red candle of commitment on June 1, 2024. Participants are urged to share a video or picture of that candle lighting on social media along with a message which includes their summer walking goal to improve their circulation to prevent or stall progression of PAD. Those interested in helping to share the importance of walking as medicine, can learn more and get their candles at www.LightARedCandle.org. If that isn't enough, she's also working with GPAD to launch Moving Mondays with Marcia, where each week she and other exercise experts offer free online classes to help patients with PAD improve their circulation. The first session is Monday, May 13, 2024. Patients can learn more by joining our support group at www.padsupportgroup.com

A new study in Science Direct, shows a disturbing trend in a younger demographic of patients with an advanced stage of Peripheral Artery Disease, or poor circulation in their legs. It’s known as Critical Limb Ischemia (CLI). The study shows an increase in CLI patients age 18 to 40 from 2016 – 2020. One reason is an increase in adolescent diabetes T2. Another reason is doctors telling patients they’re too young to have poor circulation. It’s typically an ‘old person’s disease’. So, younger patients who experience leg pain and leg cramps are brushed off in early stages, leaving their disease to advance to a point where they’re a toe stub away from amputation with their arteries blocked extensively, restricting blood flow to their feet. The key is to educate primary care doctors and podiatrists about PAD and arm them with the ability to test for it so that patients can get diagnosed sooner when conservative treatment, which consists of medication, insulin control, and lifestyle modifications, is enough to stall disease progression. That’s why the Global PAD Association is partnering with PAD test maker Biomedix, to help patients find a primary care doctor or podiatrist who have additional experience with PAD and offer a test in their clinic. Biomedix CEO John Romans talks about the partnership which includes the launch of PADtest.org where patients can search for a doctor with their PADnet test in office in case it’s medically appropriate to conduct additional vascular assessment upon presentation of PAD symptoms, which may include neuropathy, leg cramps, leg pain, heaviness, or weakness. 

Dr. Michael Dansinger is leading our discussion during this episode about how to fix the Diabetes epidemic that the American Diabetes Association says impacts one in every two U.S. adults. He talks to hosts Kym McNicholas and Dr. John Phillips about his new Diabetes Reversal Program that's launched in Massachusettes, which he hopes to scale across America. One of his patients will join the discussion to talk about how the program has helped her and where she still struggles to remain compliant. Dr. Dansinger is a renowned expert in wellness, working with hit cable TV show, 'The Biggest Loser," as Medical Director for the Lifestyle Program at Boston Heart Diagnostics, author of the Tufts University Popular Diet Trial, which was published in the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) in January of 2005, and having served as an expert with Medscape and WebMD since 2005.