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July 19, 2023

Preventing Stroke and Getting the Best Treatment if One Occurs | Dr. Sandra Narayanan

by Anthony Effinger

In this episode of the Think Neuro Podcast, Dr. Sandra Narayan, a stroke specialist, discusses how a healthy lifestyle can help prevent strokes, the importance of recognizing stroke symptoms, and the role of artificial intelligence in stroke care.

June 21, 2023

Magic Mushrooms: Pushing Frontiers in Mental Health Dr. Keith Heinzerling & Dr. Daniel Kelly On “Your Daily Dose with Kym Douglas”

by Anthony Effinger

This episode comes from the Saint John’s Health Center Foundation’s podcast, Your Daily Dose with Kym Douglas. Pacific Neuroscience Institute experts, Dr. Keith Heinzerling and Dr. Daniel Kelly discuss the Treatment & Research in Psychedelics (TRIP) program at PNI. Dr. Heinzerling, an addiction medicine specialist and TRIP director, and Dr. Kelly, director and one of the four founders of PNI describe how psychedelic-assisted therapy with compounds such as psilocybin from “magic mushrooms” in clinical trials can help treat conditions such as alcohol use disorder, anxiety, and depression. Listen to this episode to learn how these doctors envision psychedelic-assisted therapy transforming the current model of mental health care.

Treating Brain Tumors | Dr. Daniel F. Kelly
May 31, 2023

42. Treating Brain Tumors – Guest Podcast | Dr. Daniel F. Kelly

by Anthony Effinger

Brain tumors don't get the same amount of attention as the other types of cancers. But they are still very important to talk about. Dr. Daniel F. Kelly is a neurosurgeon and founder of Pacific Neuroscience Institute. Listen in to learn about Daniel's non-linear path to becoming a neurosurgeon. You'll also hear how the Pacific Neuroscience Institute uses keyhole surgery to reduce the amount of time patients need to stay in the hospital.

41. What’s the Best Way to Help Someone With Brain Cancer? | A Patient Panel Discussion
May 17, 2023

What’s the Best Way to Help Someone With Cancer? | A Panel Discussion

by Anthony Effinger

Tatiana Sarkisian lives with a brain tumor that causes pain like the very worst migraine. Van Nessa Manlunas had a sarcoma in her cheekbone and has had eight surgeries. Ben Stein-Lobovits suffered an inoperable brainstem glioma that is kept in check with a new drug. Do you have someone in your life who is coping with cancer?

Cancer Care Partners | Elaine Lipworth, Ari Nowain and Emmaline Mauritson
May 10, 2023

Cancer Care Partners | Elaine Lipworth, Ari Nowain and Emmaline Mauritson

by Anthony Effinger

When it comes to cancer, the focus is most often on the patient. But the best treatment happens when their care partners are cared for, too. The first step is knowing what it’s like to be the partner, son, daughter or friend of a cancer sufferer.

39. A Life-Changing Clinical Trial with Psychedelics | Vikki's Grateful Patient Story
April 19, 2023

A Life-Changing Clinical Trial with Psychedelics | Vikki’s Grateful Patient Story

by Anthony Effinger

Vikki was walking her dog and listening to NPR in Santa Monica one day, when she heard an advertisement for an unusual medical trial. Pacific Neuroscience Institute was studying whether psilocybin, the active compound in magic mushrooms, could help alcoholics kick their habit.

38. Mapping, and Fixing, the Nerves in the Face | Dr. Amit Kochhar
March 15, 2023

Mapping, and Fixing, the Nerves in the Face | Dr. Amit Kochhar

by Anthony Effinger

Dr. Amit Kochhar is an otolaryngologist. That means he specializes in surgery in the head and neck. Among the conditions that he treats is something called synkinesis: unintentional contractions of the face muscles. A patient’s eye may close when smiling.

37. Treating Essential Tremor, a Little-Known but Prevalent Disease
February 15, 2023

Treating Essential Tremor, a Little-Known but Prevalent Disease | Dr. Melita Petrossian

by Anthony Effinger

Dr. Melita Petrossian is a neurologist who specializes in movement disorders. When most people hear that term, they think of Parkinson’s disease. But Dr. Petrossian sees a number of patients with what’s known as essential tremor, a condition that’s often mistaken for Parkinson’s.

Tapping Mindfulness to Treat Memory Loss | Claudia Wong, FNP-BC
January 18, 2023

Tapping Mindfulness to Treat Memory Loss | Claudia Wong, FNP-BC

by Anthony Effinger

Claudia Wong is a family nurse practitioner specializing in memory loss, Alzheimer’s disease and other forms of dementia. A few years ago, she trained to teach restorative yoga. After that, she went traveling, and the trip turned into a two-year journey into the contemplative arts. She did more yoga training in Bali, learned about healing with Tibetan singing bowls in India, and practiced meditation in Thailand. When she returned, she brought all those things back to use in her practice.

35. The Practice of Neurosurgery - Guest Podcast | Dr. Daniel Kelly
December 21, 2022

The Practice of Neurosurgery – Guest Podcast | Dr. Daniel Kelly

by Anthony Effinger

In this episode of the High-Tech And Neuro Disorders (HAND) podcast from undergrad students at UCLA, hosts Jacob and Hugo interview world-renowned neurosurgeon Dr. Daniel Kelly, director and one of the founders of Pacific Neuroscience Institute.
They run the gamut of topics from tips and tricks of being a doctor and neurosurgeon, to brain and pituitary surgery, to the expansion of PNI into the study of psychedelic-assisted clinical trials for many kinds of mental health and behavioral disorders.

Last updated: December 21st, 2022