The Teaching Your Toddler Podcast

Atrial fibrillation, or AFib, is one of the most common heart rhythm disorders—and it's not just something to worry about "when you're older." In this episode, Dr. Arfaat Khan, a cardiac electrophysiologist, explains what AFib is, the symptoms you shouldn't ignore, who may be at risk, and why catching and treating it early can make a real difference. We also talk about catheter ablation, a minimally invasive treatment that can help restore a normal heart rhythm, and why more patients may benefit from knowing this option exists. For more information about what Dr. Khan discussed in this episode, go to GetSmartAboutAFib.com  Transcript: 06:14:16 --> 06:14:19 Dr. Arfaat Khan: Hi Marijo, thank you for having me on the show. 06:14:18 --> 06:14:23 Marijo Tinlin: Hey, thank you. Absolutely. Let me get started here. 06:14:27 --> 06:14:48 Marijo Tinlin: Hello, this is Marijo Tinlin from the Teaching Your Toddler show. Today we have a great episode. We are recording in September, which is the beginning of AFib Awareness Month, and we have a special guest, Dr. Arfaat Khan, is with us to talk to us about that. So, first of all, doctor, welcome to the show. Tell us a little bit. What is AFib? 06:14:48 --> 06:14:59 Dr. Arfaat Khan: So, thank you, Marijo, for having me on the show today. So, atrial fibrillation, also known as AFib, is a very common heart rhythm disorder in which the top chambers of the heart start to beat periodically. 06:14:59 --> 06:15:10 Dr. Arfaat Khan: It's a very common condition. Over 55 million people globally are affected by it, and if left untreated, it can lead to serious complications. 06:15:10 --> 06:15:14 Marijo Tinlin: Oh, wow. So how do you know that you have it? 06:15:14 --> 06:15:23 Dr. Arfaat Khan: So, patients can present with different types of symptoms. You can have anxiety, palpitations, feeling your heart skipping beats. 06:15:23 --> 06:15:31 Dr. Arfaat Khan: Uh, feeling tired, short of breath, basically having difficulty carrying on the normal routines that you're able to do without any problem. 06:15:31 --> 06:15:44 Dr. Arfaat Khan: You have to understand that AFib is a progressive condition. It starts out in the early stage and then can later progress down to the point where you can't get rid of it, so that's why it's very, very important to identify it and treat it early. 06:15:44 --> 06:15:58 Dr. Arfaat Khan: And it's also important that if you are diagnosed with atrial fibrillation, that you should be referred to a cardiac electrophysiologist, which is actually a specialized cardiologist who are specially trained to identify and manage the different aspects of atrial fibrillation. 06:16:00 --> 06:16:06 Marijo Tinlin: What? Can you explain what an electrophysiologist is? That's you. 06:16:05 --> 06:16:18 Dr. Arfaat Khan: Yeah, so I'm an electrophysiologist, so an electrophysiologist is basically a physician that's actually a cardiologist, but has advanced training in managing different heart rhythm disorders, and AFib is actually one of the most common heart rhythm disorders. 06:16:17 --> 06:16:26 Marijo Tinlin: Oh, wow. Okay, so how old do you tend to see your patients, or how early should a patient start to think about this? 06:16:26 --> 06:16:41 Dr. Arfaat Khan: So, recent studies show that the earlier you diagnose AFib and treat it, the better the outcomes, because AFib is a progressive condition. Um, so within, you know, a month to at least within a year of treatment of AFib actually leads to better patient outcomes. 06:16:42 --> 06:16:47 Marijo Tinlin: Are there any pre-existing conditions that you tend to see with patients? 06:16:47 --> 06:16:58 Dr. Arfaat Khan: So some patients can have, like, hypertension, diabetes, you know, history of heart failure, but generally, the older you get, these are the more common risk factors of development of AFib. 06:16:59 --> 06:17:04 Marijo Tinlin: And so, there are some new options for treatment that you're going to tell us about. 06:17:04 --> 06:17:19 Dr. Arfaat Khan: Yeah, although there are different, many treatment options available, catheter ablation is a very safe, minimally invasive procedure in which we go into the heart and help identify where the faulty electrical signals are, target them, and help restore normal rhythm. 06:17:19 --> 06:17:33 Dr. Arfaat Khan: It's an outpatient procedure. Um, as I said, it's minimally invasive. Most patients are able to go home that same day. They have little to no discomfort after the procedure, and typically they resume their normal activities within a few days after the procedure is done. 06:17:33 --> 06:17:48 Dr. Arfaat Khan: I personally use the Cardo 3D electroanatomical mapping system, and this mapping system helps me reconstruct the patient's heart's anatomy, and also helps me localize where the faulty electrical signals are, so that I can specifically tailor each therapy. 06:17:48 --> 06:17:54 Dr. Arfaat Khan: individual to the patient. And that actually leads to improved patient success and improved patient outcomes. 06:17:54 --> 06:18:05 Dr. Arfaat Khan: But it's important to understand that although 55 million people globally are affected by atrial fibrillation, only 5% of eligible patients are actually getting this catheter ablation procedure done. 06:18:05 --> 06:18:13 Marijo Tinlin: Is that just because they don't know or is it because doctors don't know to refer this or what's causing that? 06:18:12 --> 06:18:26 Dr. Arfaat Khan: I think it's a common, you know, it's a multitude of different things, right? With September being AFib Awareness Month, our goal is to help increase awareness about what AFib is, and what therapies are actually available to treat atrial fibrillation, such as catheter ablation. 06:18:26 --> 06:18:32 Marijo Tinlin: Excellent. So is it usually referred from a PCP then? Sorry, a primary care physician? 06:18:32 --> 06:18:49 Dr. Arfaat Khan: Yeah, primary care physician, ER physicians, cardiologists, anyone can actually refer to a cardiac electrophysiologist. But as a patient, there are multiple different resources available too. So if you think you have AFib, Johnson & Johnson actually has a website called GetSmartAboutAFib.com. 06:18:49 --> 06:18:57 Dr. Arfaat Khan: Which actually has a lot of educational videos, testimonials, and even a questionnaire to see if you qualify for a catheter ablation procedure. 06:18:57 --> 06:19:12 Marijo Tinlin: Oh, excellent. Well, thank you. Of course, I was going to ask you for more information, so we'll make sure that that link is available for the listeners. Thank you so much. This is a fascinating topic, and I'm glad that you brought it. And thank you so much for joining us today. 06:19:11 --> 06:19:14 Dr. Arfaat Khan: Thank you very much for having me. Appreciate it. 06:19:13 --> 06:19:15 Marijo Tinlin: Absolutely.   Dr. Arfaat Khan's biography:  Dr. Arfaat Khan is a board-certified cardiac electrophysiologist specializing in the diagnosis and treatment of heart rhythm disorders, including atrial fibrillation, supraventricular tachycardia, ventricular arrhythmias, cardiac device implantation, and complex catheter ablation procedures. He is also an Assistant Professor of Medicine at Wayne State University and Michigan State University, where he is actively involved in teaching the next generation of physicians.

Hi, this is Marijo Tinlin from the Teaching Your Toddler Show. Today we have a very special guest. Tanya Elliott is here to talk to us about something that is very surprising for a lot of people, I think. She has a new survey out that reveals some startling facts about women and muscle loss. Welcome to the show, Doctor Elliott. Tell us a little bit about this survey. Dr Elliott: Sure. Thanks for having me. So Viactiv, which is a leading women's supplement brand, commissioned a survey of 2,000 women to understand what their health priorities are. So first things first, the good news. Over 60% of women really are prioritizing their strength and mobility. They care about their health and they care about their strength and mobility. The concerning thing about this is very few women knew what the word sarcopenia is. Now, I wonder, do you, Marijo, know what the word sarcopenia is? Marijo Tinlin I do only because of my mother, but yes, tell the rest of us. Dr Elliott Okay. Okay. Everyone knows what osteoporosis is, right? That's the loss of bone. Sarcopenia comes first. That's loss of muscle mass. And we're not talking about it enough. And the survey revealed that only 6% of women knew what sarcopenia was and what to do about it. Right? So that's really concerning, and if you ask any, you know, friends or family members, they probably don't know what sarcopenia is either. So, as clinicians, we need to start talking about it more, and women need to be more aware of it, because preserving your muscle strength is incredibly important. Loss of muscle starts in our 30s, and we lose about 8% of muscle per decade, and then step on the accelerator in your 50s and 60s, because that accelerates even more, that muscle loss accelerates even more, and that's why we end up. with women with osteoporosis, and an increase in fall risk, and then having complications from hip fracture, right? So we need to start talking about the muscle first. Marijo Tinlin Yeah, and I understand, I've heard the saying, muscle doesn't age. So, like, you can just keep… if you lift weights and build your muscles, um, what are some of the ways that you can, uh, that you can prevent this? Dr Elliott I love that. I really love that phrase. That's really important. Like this is not a destiny, right? There are actually things that we can do about it. We can preserve and build muscle up until we die, right? And so one of the things that's important is coenzyme Q10. That's like the energy, the fuel for your muscles to be healthy and also for you to build new muscle. And we naturally produce it, but we produce less of it with age. The good news is you can get it from foods. The not so good news is it's mostly found in organ meat. So unless you love like liverwurst sandwiches, you may not be able to get it from your food. Bioactive actually has a chew that. tastes really good, so it's a nice alternative to pills for some people. But coenzyme Q10 is important for muscle strength and building, right? And then the second piece is eating enough protein, which often women don't do as much. You want to try, if you can, rule of thumb, around 30 grams of protein with each meal. And then the last piece, the trifecta, is the strength training piece. And understanding that muscle endurance is different from, like, true strength training and building power and building muscle. So, like, muscle endurance are activities kind of like Pilates or yoga, focusing on the core. I'm talking about really challenging your large muscle groups by lifting weights, and it's actually a much more efficient way to build and preserve your muscle. Marijo Tinlin And I think I heard you say that it can happen in women as early as 30 years old, so a lot of young moms listen to the show. What are some of those warning signs that they need to do something? Dr Elliott Yeah, and so it's really interesting, right, because in our 30s, maybe we have kids, we're a little bit more active, and so, like, lifting your kids and carrying your kids up and down the stairs, you're doing the strength training, that's great, maybe you don't have to do as much, but then as we get older and we're not lifting our kids anymore and we're sitting in front of a computer all day and we've got this sedentary lifestyle, right, that's when it shows. more and more. So, some warning signs are you're really sore after, like, a light workout, or you try to open up a jar, and you're like, I can't open this! That's another… that's another sign. Um, or you just start feeling, like, a little bit more fatigued and low energy, and a lot of times. people will say, oh, I'm just getting older. But the truth is, no, once you start actually doing the strength training regularly, you're like, oh my gosh, it's not that I was getting older, it's just that I wasn't working these large muscle groups. And, like, you'll see how amazingly transformative it is to, like, actually start paying attention to your muscles. taking the supplementation you need, and then doing the strength training, you're like, oh, I wasn't getting older, I just wasn't… my muscles were falling asleep, they weren't doing anything, they were starting to atrophy. Marijo Tinlin And before we talk a little bit more about the Vayactive, tell me if a woman has never, and I agree with you, when your babies are little, you're carrying them, you're really strong. I mean, I remember my upper body, I had two under two for a while, so I was wicked strong. But then what if you've never lifted? What do you do? to, um, you know, to… how can you find workouts? How can you find ways to lift if you've never started before? Dr Elliott We need to make it more accessible. I think a lot of women are like, oh, strength training means I need to go to the gym, and I need to be Arnold Schwarzenegger, and then I'm going to bulk up, and I don't want to look that way, I don't want to be bulky, but that's not what happens. Like, you're not going to be Ar. waking up and giving some attention to those large muscle groups. So how can you start? Sometimes I will tell my patients, just go in your pantry and take out, like, 2 jars, and hold those 2 jars and just do 10 squats, right? And then do 3 sets of that. So maybe each jar is about, like, 2 pounds or whatever, so now you're going, you know, 4 pounds. Plus your overall, like, body weight, right? Another thing you could try to do is resistance bands, which are really, like, um, easy. They're portable, you can take them on vacation with you, you can do them, like, keep them in your office. I'll sometimes tell patients, you know, get, uh, adjustable weights, so they start at, like, 10 pounds and then they adjust 20, 30, 40, 50, and you can keep them--literally, I keep them under my desk in my office, and then anytime I have a break, like once an hour, right, I'm just, like, I'm doing my bicep. And a squat, you know, or lunges, just holding those weights. So we have to make, like, strength training more accessible. Weighted vests, please don't waste your time. Unless you want to, like, wear a weighted vest and walk for, like, 4 hours, you're not going to… tire your muscles out enough for them to actually, like, build up strength. So a way more efficient thing to do is to lift heavier weights, and then do that until you feel tired, like, you feel like you can't do another set. Marijo Tinlin That's amazing. I love how you just can weave that into your day. Everybody has enough time to do a few of those in between or even during a meeting, right? If you're off camera or something, right? Dr Elliott I think it's way more efficient than getting in your car, driving to a class, being in the class for an hour, getting back in your car, having to take a shower. You know what? Just like keep the weights, get, you know, even if it's 15, 20 minutes of like, you know, fewer reps, higher weights is just a way more efficient way to wake up and activate those muscles. Marijo Tinlin Thank you so much. So the supplementation that you are recommending, tell us a little bit more about that. Dr Elliott So, Coenzyme Q10 is like the energy powerhouse for our muscle cells, and so we need it… think about it, like, as fuel to feed the mitochondria, which is the energy center in our muscles, and then help us build more muscle. like I said, we produce it, our body naturally, but then with age, we don't produce it as much. And then I always say, like, eat your vitamins and get things from your food supply, but like I said, it's typically found in organ meats and foods that people don't routinely have in their diet, so that's when I recommend supplementation. That kind of goes for, like, all supplementation. First, see if you can get it from your food. If you can't, then consider a supplement that you can tolerate. And a lot of people don't like to take pills, so these ones come in a chew, and they happen to be pretty tasty. So I'm like, oh, great! My chew! Amazing! Marijo Tinlin There you go. Excellent. Yeah, I've always thought of Viactiv as the calcium chews, but I love to hear that there's more. Dr Elliott And they're really good, right? Those calcium chews, I was like, can I have some more of these, maybe? Like, the caramel, or the chai, like, I used to look forward to it. Marijo Tinlin Yes. Like a snack. That's right. Thank you so much for speaking to us today. Where can we go for more information? Dr Elliott You can follow VIACTIV on social media or check out VIACTIV.com. Marijo Tinlin Dr. Elliott, thank you again. Dr Elliott Yeah, thanks for having me.

Transcript: Interviewer: Mother Day is often about pampering and relaxing. But the reality is most moms don't have the luxury of slowing down. Between work, family, and everything in between, Self care can easily fail to the bottom of the list. So that's why today and for Mother's day, we brought Dr. Leah Carwell here to talk to us about skincare.  She's a skin care expert and dermatologist. And we are so glad to have you with us today. Dr Carwell: Thank you so much for having me.  So why is it important for moms to make sure they incorporate little self care into their daily life?  Dr. Carwell: Yes. So moms are always taking care of everyone else, often at the expense of themselves. And that can often contribute to fatigue, stress and burnout. Self care doesn't have to be complicated. It can actually be pretty simple and straightforward. I find that my patients follow simple routines more consistently rather than those more aggressive routines. And I find that those simple routines tend to lead to better outcomes over those aggressive, complicated routines that are done inconsistently and intermittently. Absolutely. And you got me at simple. So what are some things moms can do to feel good and stay cool any day of the week? Dr Carwell: Right. You know, they're always busy, so it can be difficult to slow down even on Mother's Day. But I find that secrets new whole body cooling deodorant mist and relaxing Lavender is a great on the go, pick me up option that can just be sprayed on the skin. It's been demonstrated to cool the skin by 10 degrees. So it's a great on the go option. Just a nice pick me up. Very refreshing. You gotta have that now. Not everyone has time to get to the spa for a facial. So do you have tips for looking your best every day? Dr Carwell: Yeah. So like I said, simple is key. Simple routines done consistently is key. I love Olay Skin's microscoping cream with triple collagen peptides. It's specially formulated to activate cells to repair the signs of skin aging. You apply it to the skin in the morning after cleansing and can apply to the face and neck area. It's a simple, straightforward routine that really packs a punch. That's great, but what about the rest of the skin? What about taking care of your skin in general? Dr Carwell: Correct. Correct. So whether it's your facial skin or your body skin, it's all skin. Right. It needs the same thing. So you really want to prioritize hydration, barrier support and avoidance of irritants. I love Native's moisturizing body wash because it's available in a variety of different fun scents. It's free of parabens, sulfates, petrolatum, as well as dyes, which these ingredients can actually be irritating to the skin. This product is very hydrating, very nourishing. It really changes that daily shower into a 24 hour hydration treatment. That sounds so nice. So where can our viewers go for more information? Doctor, thank you. Dr Carwell: Absolutely. So you can go to bit.ly/MothersDayBeautybuys. Happy Mother's Day.   About Dr. Leah Cardwell Dr. Leah Cardwell is a board-certified dermatologist and dermatopathologist based in Georgia. She specializes in medical and cosmetic skin care and has over a decade of experience treating conditions like acne, eczema, an d psoriasis. Dr. Cardwell is committed to helping patients achieve healthy skin through personalized, evidence-based care.     These interviews are provided by Secret, Olay & NATIVE