Curetalks

Currently, very little is known about the impact of COVID-19 on reproduction and pregnancy. But as the COVID 19 pandemic began to affect lives around the world, out of an abundance of caution, the ASRM task force released a mandate on March 17th, 2020 recommending fertility clinics to suspend all new infertility treatments, cancel embryo transfers, and suspend all elective surgeries. Almost a month later, in an update#2 released on April 13, the ASRM recommends “While it is not yet prudent to resume non-emergency infertility procedures, the Task Force recognizes it is also time to begin to consider strategies and best practices for resuming time-sensitive fertility treatments in the face of COVID-19.”  We are talking to reproductive endocrinologist and virologist Dr Cindy Duke and infertility specialist Dr Aimee Eyvazzadeh to learn about the rapidly changing recommendations in this field, how the patients are getting affected and the future landscape of infertility treatments.   

Is the new practice of social distancing or reducing close physical proximity with others contributing to another deadly epidemic, that of social isolation and loneliness? As the world grapples with COVID-19, the population worldwide is escalating into negative psychological reactions like stress, adjustment disorder and depression. Feeling under pressure is quite normal in the current situation. We understand that managing mental health and psychological well-being during this time is as important as managing physical health. We are talking to Dr. Dianne Shumay on psychosocial support for cancer patients, caregivers, family members and how you can protect yourself and be supportive of others too. RSVP Here.

COVID 19 is now a global pandemic.The cases of coronavirus are increasing rapidly across the world with the count crossing 246,005 globally and increasing every day. The virus, which originated from China, has rapidly spread to about 160 countries.This is a critical time for information, support and reassurance that science and evidence can offer. We are talking to infectious disease expert Dr. Steven Pergam on where we stand and what to expect in terms of safety for immunocompromised patients, effectiveness of social distancing, preparing and responding to the pandemic in our daily lives. RSVP here!

Immunotherapy is a type of cancer treatment that helps your immune system fight cancer. Several types of immunotherapy are used to treat cancer. These treatments either re-engineer the immune cells or empower them to launch an attack on the cancer directly. Immunotherapy has led to remarkable results for some cancers, eradicating difficult-to-treat tumors and, in some cases, causing complete remission of disease. We are talking to Dr. Lawrence Fong who leads the Cancer Immunotherapy Program at UCSF Helen Diller Family Comprehensive Cancer Center about the latest in the field in terms of research, clinical trials and treatments currently available. RSVP here! 

Eating disorders (ED) are serious and sometimes fatal illnesses that cause the sufferers to become obsessed with food, body weight and shape, and severely disturb their eating behaviour. Common eating disorders include binge eating disorder, bulimia nervosa, and anorexia nervosa. Recent research around the neurobiology of eating disorders has changed the way we address nourishing ED patients during treatment. Where we once thought of food as a symptom, and only important to prevent death by starvation, we now understand the critical importance of early intervention and full weight restoration. These recommendations challenge old paradigms about the cause and meaning of ED symptoms. This talk with Dr Angela Guarda of Johns Hopkins Hospital, Dr Jennifer Gaudiani and nutritionist Therese Waterhous will draw out the role of nourishment from the perspectives of someone with lived experience as well as leading clinicians in the medical and nutritional treatment of these dangerous brain disorders. Laura Collins Lys

A mother’s immune system is altered during pregnancy so that the fetus is not rejected by her body and is allowed to grow. When this balance goes awry, the immune system may become the cause of a miscarriage or multiple miscarriages. We are talking to Dr. Jeffrey Braverman, a world leader in reproductive immunology, about the role of immune system in recurrent miscarriages. Dr. Braverman will talk about various immunity related conditions or issues that may be the cause of recurrent miscarriages, and also highlight the advances in the diagnosis and management of immune related pregnancy complications.  

FDA approval of the breakthrough CAR-T cell therapy for cancer brings the first approved gene therapy treatment to the United States. It reprograms the body's own immune system to recognize and kill cancer cells. The therapy initially called CAR-T cell immunotherapy and now named Kymriah by Novartis, is approved to treat children and young adults with a recurrent form of the the blood cancer called acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL). Dr. Carl June of University of Pennsylvania, is one of the pioneers of CAR-T cell research and leads the team responsible for the historic FDA approval. We are discussing Dr. June's CAR-T cell journey to understand nuances of the new therapy. The discussion will also bring to focus the opportunity that these engineered immune cells present to cancer treatment and possible use in treatment of other cancers. RSVP HERE!

At all stages of and levels of prostate cancer, whether you have low, intermediate, or high risk disease, whether you are newly diagnosed, have recurrent disease or your prostate cancer has advanced and metastasized, the same questions arise. What is the right treatment for me? Do I need this treatment? Do the benefits of treatment outweigh the risks? Will this control my cancer? How do I know if my doctor is right?  Do I accept my doctor's advice - if he offers one or do I seek a second opinion? So, what does define 'value' for patients in the management of prostate cancer? CureTalk's prostate cancer panel of Mike Scott, Tony Crispino, Joel Nowak, Richard Davis, Paul Carpenter and Jan Manarite will be sharing their experiences and thoughts on this. RSVP HERE!

FDA recently approved daratumumab (Darzalex) to treat patients with multiple myeloma who have received atleast three prior treatments. Daratumumab is the first monoclonal antibody approved for treating myeloma and provides another treatment option for patients who have become resistant to other therapies. Our myeloma panel is talking to the father of daratumumab, Dr. Torben Plesner, on the use of this drug in treating multiple myeloma.   Dr. Torben Plesner is Hematologist in the Department of Hematology at Vejle Hospital in Denmark and Professor at the University of Southern Denmark.He has published many peer reviewed articles in high impact journals and his recent research focuses on bone markers and effects of statins on bone markers in multiple myeloma.

We are what we eat. But what do we eat? Should we be eating meat? Or is a plant based diet a healthier way of eating? To provide some clarity on the subject we have Dr. Colin Campbell, the author of The China Study again with us on CureTalks. Dr. Campbell is going to present his views and studies linking cancer and nutrition, plant based diet, and the China Study. Join us as we discuss principles of nutrition that everyone should follow. Trained at Cornell University (M.S., Ph.D.) and MIT (Research Associate) in nutrition, biochemistry and toxicology, T. Colin Campbell spent 10 years on the faculty of Virginia Tech’s Department of Biochemistry and Nutrition before returning to Cornell in 1975 where he presently holds his Endowed Chair (now Emeritus), as the Jacob Gould Schurman Professor Emeritus of Nutritional Biochemistry in the Division of Nutritional Sciences. Dr. Campbell’s principal scientific interests have been on the effects of nutritional status on long term health, particularly on the causation of

We are what we eat. But what do we eat? Should we be eating meat? Or is a plant-based diet a healthier way of eating? Searching for answers on the World Wide Web inevitably leads to more questions, making us even more confused. Are supplements beneficial, or a waste of money? Are there certain principles of nutrition that everyone should followor does "optimal" vary from person to person? To provide some clarity on the subject we have Dr. Colin Campbell the author of The China Study and Dr. Kaayla T Daniel of The Weston A. Price Foundation as our guests. Although they come from opposite schools of thought, our goal will be to find areas of convergence and demystify one of the biggest dilemmas of our time: nutrition.

In the absence of a proven cure for EBOLA, researchers across the country are in a frenzy to get the one vaccine which can prevent the spread of this deadly disease and also provide people offering medical care to the infected, protection from contracting the infection themselves. When are we getting this vaccine and why is there a greater buzz on prevention than CURE! Join us as we discuss EBOLA, its prevention and probable cure. Guests : Dr. Matthias Johannes Schnell, Thomas Jefferson University              Dr. Leonard Ruiz, CEO, Exxell BIO, Inc. 

We are beginning our series on Cancer and Exercise this June with a discussion on how exercise can help cancer patients/survivors. The discussion will be co-hosted by prostate cancer survivor and advocate Richard Davis. We have an amazing panel of experts - Dr. Donald Abrams and Dr. June Chan from UCSF, Dr. Lee Jones from MSKCC, and cancer fitness trainer Carol Michaels. The discussion will touch upon various aspects of exercising while being treated with cancer and try to answer questions like, Why and how does exercise work to help fight cancer?, What should you know about resuming exercise after surgery?Should you continue exercise during chemotherapy? and even provide practical advice on how and where to exercise, and how to find cancer specialized trainers.

  Dr. Donald Abrams is back on Cure Panel and we are discussing 'Cannabis for Cancer' Dr. Donald I. Abrams is a cancer and integrative medicine specialist at the UCSF Osher Center for Integrative Medicine at Mount Zion. Abrams provides integrative medicine consultations for cancer patients and has completed research in complementary and alternative therapies including mind-body treatments, botanical therapies, medical use of marijuana and traditional Chinese medicine herbal therapies. In addition to his role at the Osher center, he is chief of Hematology and Oncology at San Francisco General Hospital. Abrams, who has been in the forefront of HIV/AIDS research and treatment, stepped down from the HIV Clinic at San Francisco General Hospital in August 2006 to devote more time to integrative medicine and oncology. He is an executive committee member of the UCSF Helen Diller Family Comprehensive Cancer Center and is co-chair of of the center's program in Symptom Management, Palliative Care and Survivorship. In 2

Our talk series on YOGA is discussing Meditation with Dr. Richard Miller, Founder of iREST (http://www.irest.us/). Dr.Miller, is a clinical psychologist, author, researcher, yogic scholar and spiritual teacher. Richard is the founding president and CEO of the Integrative Restoration Institute, co-founder of The International Association of Yoga Therapy and founding editor of the professional Journal of IAYT.  Dr. Carol Horton, is the author of Yoga Ph.D.: Integrating the Life of the Mind and the Wisdom of the Body.  Jennifer Myers has been practicing Nichiren Daishonin's Buddhism with the SGI (Soka Gakkai International) for the past 25 years.  Morgan Dix is an intensive student of meditation and yoga. Morgan is also Co-Founder of the media platform About Meditation.  Catherine Ker is a neuro-scientist. She has used Tai Chi and mindfulness meditation to support her immune system and deal with side-effects related to myeloma treatment.   REGISTER HERE! (or) mail priya@trialx.com

We are excited to feature Dr. Vincent Rajkumar of Mayo Clinic on The Cure Panel Talk Show. Dr. Rajkumar will be addressing the topic, Myeloma Control vs. Cure with our panel of patient experts.  Dr. S. Vincent Rajkumar is a professor of medicine at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota. His research focuses on clinical, epidemiological, and laboratory research for myeloma and related disorders. Panelists: Gary Petersen, Pat Killingsworth, Nick van Dyk, Cynthia Chmielewski, Lizzy Smith Register here: http://curepanel.carefeed.net/event/rsvp/19/  (or) mail Priya@trialx.com  

The Cure Panel Talk Show is excited to host Myeloma Survivor and Baseball Coach Don Baylor (Arizona Diamondbacks) and eminent myeloma specialist Dr. James R. Berenson from IMBCR on June 20 along with noted myeloma author and survivor Pat Killingsworth.  The show will be co-hosted by myeloma survivor Matt Goldman and the topic of discussion is IMPACT of STRESS and MANAGING STRESS while LIVING with MYELOMA.    Please CLICK to send a feedback.

Cure Panel Talk Show will host David Emerson from Justice Resource Institute on 13 June @ 6pm EST for a discussion on  YOGA for TRAUMA with yoga teachers and experts, Dashama, Micheline Toussaint, and Marcela Clavijo.

Dr. Anil Patri, Deputy Director, Nanotechnolgy Characterization Laboratory, NCI is the featured speaker on June 11 on The Cure Panel Talk Show. Dr. Patri will be addressing the interesting topic of Nanotechnology in Oncology.

Cure Panel Talk Show is honored to host Dr. Mark A. Rubin of Weill Cornell Medical College.  The show will be co-hosted by Dan Zenka VP (Communications), Prostate Cancer Foundation and on the panel are Dan Hennessey, Paul Henshall, and Jim Wickstrom. Cure Panel Talk Shows on Prostate Cancer are coordinated by Priya Menon of CureTalk, Blog of TrialX, in association with the Prostate Cancer Foundation and Prostate Cancer International.