Holiday Cheer with Vivica A. Fox, Fetal Surgery Breakthroughs with Dr. Scott Adzick, and Intermittent Fasting Insights with Dr. Robert E. Marx

In this engaging episode of The Neil Haley Show, host Neil Haley welcomes three remarkable guests who share their expertise across entertainment, medicine, and health. Actress and producer Vivica A. Fox kicks off the show by discussing her upcoming Christmas film, followed by pioneering fetal surgeon Dr. Scott Adzick who reveals groundbreaking work at Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, and finally Dr. Robert E. Marx explores the science behind intermittent fasting.Vivica A. Fox brings holiday spirit to the show as she promotes her new Christmas movie, "A Christmas Cruise," airing on the ION network. The celebrated actress shares her personal Christmas Day traditions, which include breakfast with her godson's family, a spa visit, and ending the day with a fish fry and Uno games at her best friend's house. Fox emphasizes the importance of giving back during the holiday season, revealing her role as a "Christmas cheer angel" in Los Angeles, where she provides packages to needy families. She reflects on the film's message about work-life balance, playing Pamela Stevenson, a workaholic writer who discovers love while on a Christmas cruise, reminding viewers to take time away from chasing promotions and accolades to appreciate family and spread joy.Dr. Scott Adzick, surgeon-in-chief at Children's Hospital of Philadelphia and founder of the Richard D. Wood Jr. Center for Fetal Diagnosis and Treatment, discusses the remarkable field of fetal surgery. He explains that one in every 33 babies is born with a birth defect, making these conditions common yet often underfunded in research. Over the past 30 years, his program has performed nearly 3,000 fetal surgeries, with referrals from all 50 states and more than 70 countries. Dr. Adzick describes two primary conditions they treat: spina bifida, where surgeons operate on babies at 23 to 25 weeks gestation to prevent nerve damage and mobility problems, and twin-twin transfusion syndrome, where identical twins share a placenta and develop life-threatening imbalances that can be corrected through minimally invasive fetoscopic laser surgery with over 90 percent success in saving both twins.The conversation with Dr. Adzick continues as he shares exciting future developments in fetal medicine. His colleague Dr. William Peranto is working on in-utero gene editing using CRISPR technology to correct single gene defects like cystic fibrosis, while Dr. Alan Flake is developing an artificial womb to help extremely premature babies born at 23 to 25 weeks gestation gain additional weeks of development with reduced complications. Dr. Adzick emphasizes that hope lives at Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, and families who discover their unborn child has a birth defect can find information and potential treatment options at fetalsurgery.chop.edu.The episode concludes with Dr. Robert E. Marx discussing intermittent fasting with host Neil Haley, who shares his personal weight loss experiences. Dr. Marx explains the biochemistry behind fat storage and the "golden rule" of 16-hour fasting periods, cautioning against extreme fasting regimens that extend for days. He describes how the body stores fat as triglycerides and how controlled fasting can promote fat breakdown when the liver depletes its sugar stores. While not entirely against intermittent fasting, Dr. Marx stresses the importance of consistency and sensible eating during non-fasting periods, highlighting that successful weight loss comes from understanding the balance between fat breakdown and reformation in the body.