Brain & Body Things Dr. Natasha Mehta

Board-certified neurosurgeon Ali H. Mesiwala, MD, FAANS, takes a solution-based approach to determine anatomic and functional abnormalities and then treats them with leading-edge technologies and integrative medicine.  At his three offices in Newport Beach, Marina del Rey, and Rancho Cucamonga, California, he focuses on helping all of their patients return to their normal lives, getting back into motion as quickly as possible. His team treats a vast array of neurological conditions. After intensive neurological exams and diagnostic testing, they recommend the best nonsurgical treatments for each person's unique health care needs. They recommend surgery when symptoms are severe or persist despite conservative care. 


Patients seek Dr. Mesiwala for his expertise in brain and spine surgery, as well as peripheral nerve surgery and artificial disc replacement surgery.  He's an expert in complex brain and skull base surgeries, and he has the most experience in artificial disc replacements on the West Coast, including multi-level operations and all types of spinal decompressions. 


After earning a Bachelor of Science in biomedical engineering and electrical engineering from Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore, Maryland, Dr. Mesiwala received his Doctor of Medicine from the University of California, San Francisco.  Then he finished his neurological surgery residency at the University of Washington in Seattle, Washington. He completed his skull base and cerebrovascular fellowships at the University of Washington, International Neuroscience Institute in Hannover, Germany, and the University of Pittsburgh in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. 


As a respected researcher specializing in the development of novel technologies and minimally invasive techniques for brain and spine surgery, Dr. Mesiwala holds multiple patents for medical devices used in spinal surgery.  In addition to his private practice, Dr. Mesiwala is the faculty surgeon for various artificial disc operations and spinal fusion operations with innovative techniques. He's a fellow of the American Association of Neurological Surgeons (FAANS).

In this episode, we discuss:
 Concerns and fears when considering back surgery.The spectrum of spine treatments from the conservative to the invasive.Decompressions, disc resections, disc replacements, and neuromodulation.The future potential for spine treatments and surgery.
The podcast episodes drop weekly on Mondays in seasonal chunks. Subscribe to stay up to date, and tune in when you can! Be sure to rate, review, and follow on your favorite podcast app and let me know what other brain & body things you'd like to hear about. 

For more information about me, check out my website.

Follow me on Instagram, Twitter, or Tik Tok @drnatashamehta. 

Follow Dr. Ali Mesiwala on Instagram. Here is his practice website.

This episode is not sponsored.

Arti Thangudu, MD, is a triple board-certified physician and endocrinology, diabetes, and thyroid specialist who provides high-level, well-rounded care at Complete Medicine in San Antonio, Texas. She takes an evidence-based approach to care, focusing on the whole patient, not their disease or symptoms. At her membership-based practice, Dr. Thangudu offers her patients direct access via phone, text and email, long and frequent visits, continuous glucose monitoring, access to diabetes technology and constant support to help her patients achieve their health goals. 


She received her Doctor of Medicine from the University of Texas Health Science Center in San Antonio, internship in internal medicine at Baylor College of Medicine, and residency at Tulane University.  She completed a fellowship in endocrinology, diabetes, and metabolism at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center, one of the busiest endocrinology training centers in the country. 


She has received nutritional training at Cornell University’s Center for Nutrition Studies as well as a 200-hour yoga training so she could coach her patients on using mindfulness to prevent, treat, and reverse chronic disease. 


Dr. Thangudu holds board certification in internal and lifestyle medicine, as well as endocrinology, diabetes, and metabolism. She’s also certified in plant-based nutrition.


In this episode, we discuss:
How a continuous glucose monitor (CGM) is used in medicine.How a CGM works.Pros and cons of CGMs.Glycemic index.Personal, daily, and lifestyle variations in blood sugars.The podcast episodes drop weekly on Monday over the summer. Subscribe to stay up to date, and tune in when you can! Be sure to rate, review, and follow on your favorite podcast app and let me know what other brain & body things you'd like to hear about. 

For more information about me, check out my website.

Follow me on Instagram, Twitter, or Tik Tok @drnatashamehta. 

Follow Dr. Arti Thangudu on Instagram @drartithangudu. Here is her practice website.

This episode is not sponsored.

Shanika Esparaz M.D. is a board-certified Ophthalmologist who is currently in private practice at Northeast Ohio Eye Surgeons. She provides comprehensive care as well and performs cataract surgery. She serves as a clinical associate professor of surgery at NEOMED. She enjoys connecting with her patients in clinic as well as teaching and connecting with young professionals on social media platforms. She is also board certified in Lifestyle Medicine as well as a certified health coach. She enjoy coaching other women in healthcare in terms of their health and wellbeing.

Dr. Esparaz has launched two digital courses- Mindful Nutrition and Master Your Mindset. They are geared towards women in healthcare, especially early career physicians and physician moms who want to take a crash course in nutrition science and/or learn how to become more intentional and mindful to uplevel their mental well being. Here is the website to check out more!

In this episode we discuss:


The path to ophthalmology.Ophthalmology versus other eye specialists.Eye anatomy.Red flag symptoms.Screen time.Healthy eye development in children.My silly questions: eye rubbing, cosmetics, and eye skincare.
The podcast episodes drop weekly on Mondays in seasonal chunks. 


Subscribe to stay up to date, and tune in when you can! Be sure to rate, review, and follow on your favorite podcast app and let me know what other brain & body things you'd like to hear about.


For more information about me, check out my website, www.natashamehtamd.com.


Follow me on Instagram, Twitter, or Tik Tok @drnatashamehta.

Follow Dr. Esparaz on Twitter and Instagram. Here is her private practice website.


This episode is not sponsored.

Dr. Andrew Hill is the founder of Peak Brain Institute and a leading neurofeedback practitioner and biohacking coach for clients worldwide. He has lectured on psychology, neuroscience, and gerontology at UCLA’s Department of Psychology where he received a PhD in Cognitive Neuroscience.


At Peak Brain, Dr. Hill provides individualized training programs to help you optimize your brain across goals of stress, sleep, attention, brain fog, creativity, and athletic performance. He is the host of the Head First podcast and continues to do research on attention and cognitive performance. 


In this episode we discuss:


Neurofeeback - what is it?Brain Mapping.QEEG.Specific disorders that neurofeedback may provide useful therapeutic potential.Limitations and considerations to pursuing neurofeedback.Opinions about the future of brain mapping with AI.
The podcast episodes drop weekly on Mondays in seasonal chunks. 


Subscribe to stay up to date, and tune in when you can! Be sure to rate, review, and follow on your favorite podcast app and let me know what other brain & body things you'd like to hear about.


For more information about me, check out my website, www.natashamehtamd.com.


Follow me on Instagram, Twitter, or Tik Tok @drnatashamehta.

Follow Dr. Hill on Twitter and Instagram. Here is the Peak Brain website.


This episode is not sponsored.

Just a quick thank you as I get my $tuff together.

Anum Saeed, MD is a Cardiologist & Lipidologist based in Pittsburgh. She is currently an Assistant Professor of Medicine at the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine and a staff cardiologist at UPMC. She completed a clinical and research fellowship in Atherosclerosis and Lipidology at Baylor College of Medicine followed by her clinical cardiology fellowship training at UPMC. She is a non-invasive cardiologist who is specialized in general cardiology, cardiovascular disease prevention strategies, echo reading and nuclear studies.


She has received numerous local and national awards for her research which currently is focused on investigating the longitudinal association of lipidomic and other novel metabolites with cardiovascular and neurodegenerative diseases (aka alterations in the Heart-Brain axis). Additionally, Dr. Saeed investigates large healthcare systems based utilization and clinical outcomes for cardiovascular disease prevention.


Dr. Saeed serves on the Cardiovascular Disease Prevention Leadership Council of the American College of Cardiology and the Genomic and Precision Medicine Committee of the American Heart Association. 


In this episode we discuss:


The impact of atherosclerotic disease on overall health.How lipids contribute to atherosclerotic disease.Definitions - what is a fat vs lipid vs cholesterol?The Lipid Profile.What you need to know about "good" cholesterol.Additional work up and laboratory values such as Lp(a) and apoB.Target reference ranges.How dietary fats influence the lipid profile.How dietary carbs influence the lipid profile.Lipids and the brain.
The podcast episodes drop weekly on Mondays in seasonal chunks. 


Subscribe to stay up to date, and tune in when you can! Be sure to rate, review, and follow on your favorite podcast app and let me know what other brain & body things you'd like to hear about.


For more information about me, check out my website, www.natashamehtamd.com.


Follow me on Instagram, Twitter, or Tik Tok @drnatashamehta.

Follow Dr. Saeed on Twitter.


This episode is not sponsored.