Dr. Daisy Ayim; Naomi Achu; Malina Malkani; Dr. Kian Karimi; Jean Butler

Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00):
The following is opaid podcast. iHeartRadio's hosting of this podcast
constitutes neither an endorsement of the products offered or the
ideas expressed.

Speaker 2 (00:10):
Welcome to a Moment of Zen. Time to sit back
and relax. As model, actress, mentor and super mom, Zen
SAMs takes you on a sexy and wild ride covering
the latest in film, fashion, pop culture, cryptocurrency, fintech, cannabis,
and entertainment from the millennial mom's perspective. Here's your host,

(00:30):
Zen SAMs.

Speaker 3 (00:33):
Hello, my awesome Tri State area. Welcome to our one
hundred and eighty fifth episode. Such a milestone. It's always
such a pleasure to spend my time with you on
the airwaves. Thank you for listening and interacting with us
on social media. It truly does make it all worthwhile.
Please make sure to follow me at zen Sam's That's
Zen with an X X E N not a Z.

(00:55):
And also remember that all episodes of a Moment of
Zen are streaming twenty four on Kathy Ireland and your
home TV worldwide platform. And of course you can always
find us directly on our YouTube channel at zen Sam's.
In the Hydration with Heart segment brought to you by
Once Upon a Coconut. Today, we're diving into a subject

(01:15):
that affects millions of families across the country, food allergies.
With over thirty three million Americans facing serious food allergies,
well prevention is key, especially when it comes to our
youngest children. Today, our guest, Molina Mulcani, is a best
selling author, registered dietitian and an infant feeding expert. She
has a new book coming out this November titled Safe

(01:36):
and Simple Food Allergy Prevention. This guide is not only
exploring the importance of early introduction of allergenic foods, but
actually provides families with a roadmap to ensure their children
can avoid food allergies from the start. Very excited to
chat with her and our Going Deep segment brought to
you by Co two Lift and our expert on the
Microphone series, We're featuring doctor Kan Kaimi, a world renowned

(02:00):
double board certified facial plastic surgeon and head and next surgeon.
He maintains a thriving medical practice Rejuva Medical Aesthetics in LA.
He's going to join me to chat all about the
rising popularity of non invasive procedures women no longer want
to go under the knife and how CO two Lift
is improving treatment results and patient comfort. In the Polish

(02:21):
Beauty segment, we're joined by our newest contributor, Doctor Daisy Aim,
Triple Board certified cosmetic surgeon and a very highly respected
obstetrician and gynecologist. She's also the host and creator of
the Polish Beauty Podcast. I'm so excited to be featuring
the Queen of Bamanda herself alongside doctor Daisy. We're going
to be addressing mental wellness in a busy world with

(02:44):
Naomi and we're going to be chatting about how to
stay grounded in this chaotic time that we live in.
In the Express Hydration with Heart segment, brought to you
by one supawn a Coconut, we're featuring Gene Butler, founder
of the Encouraged Kids Foundation and friends of our sister
FM station KTU. A big thanks to Bartel. She joins
me today to chat about the mission behind the foundation,

(03:05):
their impact on medically challenged children and their families, and
what's in store next. A big thanks to MJ Pedone
at Indra pr Stay tuned for Naomi at Chu coming up.
In the Polished Beauty segment with Doctor Daisy Aim. You're
listening to a Moment of Zen right here on seven
ten WR, The Voice of New York iHeartRadio. We'll be
right back after this.

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Tune into a Moment of Zen Saturday nights from nine
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of New York.

Speaker 3 (04:14):
A Moment of Zen is brought to you by the
Polish Beauty podcast with doctor Daisy Aim. Hey, ambitious women
ready to shine on the inside and out. Tune into
the Polish Beauty Podcast, where we talk about business, beauty,
brains and body all in one spot. Meet doctor Daisy Aim,
Triple Board certified cosmetic surgeon, proaging advocate, fitness enthusiast, and

(04:36):
your go to for real talk on leveling up every
part of your life. The Polish Beauty Podcast is your
dose of ambition meets empowerment. For more information at the
Polished Beauty podcast dot com. Welcome back, beautiful tri State area.
You're listening to a moment of Zen right here on
seven ten WR, the voice of New York iHeartRadio. I'm
your host, Zenzam's up in just a few minutes. In

(04:58):
the Polished Beauty segment, we're joined by our newest contributor,
doctor Daisy Aim, Triple Board certified cosmetic surgeon and highly
respected obstetrician and gynecologist. She's also the host and creator
of the Polish Beauty Podcast. I'm so excited today to
be featuring the Queen of Bamenda herself, Naomi at two.
Naomi is a singer songwriter, a two time Afromo Award winner.

(05:21):
That's the Africa Music Awards, which is a rather large
annual award event. She's millions of followers and she originates
from a town called Bamenda in Cameron, Africa, hence her
popular moniker Queen of Bamenda. Now, in the Polished Beauty segment,
we're going to be addressing mental wellness in a busy
world with Naomi herself. We're going to chat about how

(05:43):
she stays grounded in a chaotic world. Welcoming now to
the show is the beautiful and talented Naomi at two.
Welcome superstar.

Speaker 4 (05:51):
Hello, Hello, Wow, what an infra. Thank you so excited
to have you on. Doctor Daisy, thank you so much
for joining us again. And of course Naomi, you are
a longtime dear friend. You are the Queen. Now let's chat.

Speaker 3 (06:05):
Mental wellness has been at the forefront of conversations across industries,
but it's especially relevant in high pressure fields like entertainment,
and according to the World Health Organization, over two hundred
and sixty four million people suffer from depression globally, and
artists are particularly vulnerable due to the immense pressure of

(06:26):
fame and creativity and mainly expectations. So Naomi, you have
experienced the intensity of the music industry firsthand. How do
you maintain your mental wellness while managing the pressures of
a demanding career in this industry.

Speaker 5 (06:41):
Well, number one, you have to know who you are.
You always have to go back. You know, my friend
well India re has this all called coming back to
the middle. You always have to remind yourself this is
who I am, This is who my mother is, this
is who my father is, where I'm from because you
can easily get carried away. So whenever you're in a
situation and where you have to make a decision, just

(07:01):
say who are you? Who are you? That's one. And
then another thing is you have to surround yourself with
people that help you grow. You have to surround yourself
with mentors, just a great support system because it's very,
very easy to lose your way as an entertainer. So
those two things are very important and entertainment, knowing yourself

(07:25):
and having a good surrounding.

Speaker 3 (07:26):
Women in the spotlight, I say all the time are
often expected to perform at their best all the time,
concealing any emotional or mental struggles. And it's interesting because
the study from Harvard Business review revealed that women, particularly
those in leadership or high visible roles, are more likely
to experience burnout, and Naomi, as someone who's consistently been

(07:49):
in the pipel i, I can only imagine that maintaining
the balance can be tough. But you've done an incredible
job and I followed you all through your career, so
I'm so proud to have you on And was a
great answer. I'm gonna havend it off to doctor Daisier.

Speaker 6 (08:02):
Yeah, I love that, Naomi. I mean, I think you're
fantastic and you have a lot of fans.

Speaker 3 (08:07):
And I think what they want to know.

Speaker 6 (08:08):
Is what strategies do you use to prevent burnout and
how do you protect your mental health when the demands
become overwhelming.

Speaker 5 (08:17):
Well, I would say, of course, exercise is good for everything.
Exercise good body, good for the mind. So exercise is
a good way to blow off some steam. Also, as
a creative we try to channel our energy towards creating,
so that's when you go into the studio and write
a song about what you're feeling. Some of the best

(08:40):
songs have come out of pain. So yeah, so you
have the good thing about being an entertainer is you
have a place to put that pain. You know, you
have a place to grieve, and that's in the studio
where you're creating. You put that pain in in a recording,
you get on stage, you perform it, and that is
how you get the stress off. You know, share your

(09:01):
pain with the world with something beautifuly. It's turning lemons
into lemonade pretty much.

Speaker 6 (09:06):
And you know what, as audience, we can always tell
when that music just takes a different note because you
can just feel that connection with it.

Speaker 3 (09:13):
Now, navigating the highs and loads of a music career
can take such a toll on one's emotional well being.
I don't know how you do, a girl, but success
often is obviously while rewarding, it brings isolation and with
that anxiety and that isolation. We have that research showing
more musicians are three times more likely to experience depression

(09:35):
than the general public. And your journey hasn't been easy,
but you've remained resilient. So how do you stay grounded
when dealing with the highs and loads of fame? And
what role does your support system play in helping you
stay centered?

Speaker 5 (09:48):
Well? I said I think about I said this about
two or three years ago, I said, if my feet
are hurting, I'm going to talk about it. I Am
not going to be in pain and silent, because what
causes depression is you're going through whatever you're going through
and you're keeping it locked up right, so you don't
know where to put that pain. So writing a song,

(10:11):
reaching out, reaching out to whoever is sometimes you can
reach out to a third party. I'm a strong believer
in therapy.

Speaker 3 (10:16):
And mental wellness goes hand in hand with physical well being.
The line body connection is so vital, especially when it
comes to managing stress. You have studies coming out American
Psychological Association. They said consistent physical activity can improve mood
and reduce symptoms and depression and anxiety. And Naomi, you've

(10:37):
been vocal about the importance of physical fitness in your life,
so I commend you about that. But now let's move on.
Let's talk about dealing with trauma, especially the loss of
a loved one, is one of the most challenging aspects
of life. National Institute of Health reports that grief can
have a significant impact on mental health, often leading to
prolonged emotional distress. And now I know, Naomi, you've faced

(10:59):
personal law you continue to show immense strength. How have
you dealt with the trauma and loss in your life
and what advice do you have for those going through
similar experiences.

Speaker 5 (11:09):
So, of course I did post on my page that
my father passed away last year. He passed away November
twenty ninth of twenty twenty three, and.

Speaker 3 (11:17):
That's my birthday. Well, okay, I told you there was
a connection when you came on. I don't know if
the day meant anything. When he passed was the first
thing I said to you. I had no idea he
passed on November twenty ninth.

Speaker 5 (11:35):
But I think it's tell me that, oh, you would
gift every November twenty ninth. I'll never get your birthday,
so I just take one day at a time, honestly. Yeah,
And it never really gets better because you're losing somebody
who brought you into this world. So I don't expect
it to get better, but I expect that I will

(11:56):
be able to manifest in the ways that my father
would have wanted me to, and you know, that's all
you can do. But I have a strong support system
because my dad had six children. I'm the last, so
I have my brothers and sisters who have been there
for me. I have cousins and my dad. You know

(12:17):
how we come from a big family, So we have cousins, aunts,
uncles who have been very supportive. And yeah, Doc knows.
Doc knows how we do in Cameroon and how we
how we grieve and how we support each other. So
it's really do you have one time I did write
a song. I did write a song for him, which
I performed at every serf service where he was being recognized.

(12:42):
That that was helpful too. With the song it's called
a Big Man.

Speaker 3 (12:47):
I love that. I mean, you know, I get it.

Speaker 6 (12:50):
We come from a community of village, right, so when
one thing happens, the entire community just pitchon and uplift you.
So that was really nice and I like that. You know,
your music seems really therapeutic in processing trauma.

Speaker 3 (13:04):
How do you channel that?

Speaker 6 (13:06):
You know, is this something that is happening at the
moment or later, how do you just put that.

Speaker 3 (13:10):
Into your creative juice?

Speaker 5 (13:12):
Well, so the way I write, sometimes it can just
be from immediate pain, like the Spiro for my dad,
and sometimes it can be somebody else's pain. Sometimes somebody
tells me a story that you know, a sad story,
it can be a happy story too, But I take
that story and I'm writing. So a lot of my

(13:32):
creativity comes naturally at the time. And of course if
I'm writing to a beat, then I'll just match that beat,
match the energy to the beat. So it's all about energies,
the energies that are flowing at the different times.

Speaker 3 (13:46):
And mental wellness is extremely important. Let's talk about that.
So mental wellness in the entertainment industry is often it
often requires a proactive approach to self care. And when
we look at the research and the data, it shows
that artists who actively practice mindfulness are more resilient in
the face of industry pressures. Now, Naomi, you've shared snippets

(14:10):
of your self care rituals with your fans, which helps
to destigmatize the conversation around mental health. Can you share
your daily self care or mindfulness practices that help you
stay mentally balanced in such chaotic world.

Speaker 5 (14:24):
Affirmations affirmations. Of course, I have a relationship with God,
so I talk to God every day. But then affirmations,
which is once again reminding yourself of who you are.
I am kind, I am loving, I am smart, I
am intelligent, I am beautiful in and out. That's how

(14:44):
you carry out your day with that energy?

Speaker 2 (14:48):
Amen?

Speaker 3 (14:49):
Yeah, man, I mean it doesn't get better than that.

Speaker 6 (14:52):
I just love your positive outlook despite all the challenges
that life is learned at you.

Speaker 3 (14:57):
What makes you have that autlot?

Speaker 2 (15:00):
What is the zen?

Speaker 3 (15:02):
Wow?

Speaker 5 (15:02):
What is my zen? Just love?

Speaker 7 (15:08):
You know?

Speaker 5 (15:09):
I just I just I think that I think that
life is isn't difficult. We make it difficult half of
the time, is what I think. So I try not
to sweat the small things. I always say this, you
can't win every battle. You have to let certain things
go because you're going to need energy for a big battle.
That's just life.

Speaker 3 (15:29):
I can't thank you enough for coming on and chatting
with us and being completely transparent. You are thank you
definitely the Queen.

Speaker 5 (15:37):
Yeah, yes, I tried. We all have our days.

Speaker 3 (15:41):
So to our listeners, remember that taking care of your
mental health is just as important as any other aspect
of your well beings. Stay tuned for more insightful conversations,
and as always, stay polished and stay beautiful. We'll be
right back after this. You're listening to a moment of
zen right here on seven ten w R the Voice
of New York iHeartRadio.

Speaker 8 (16:00):
A Moment of Zen is brought to you by Once
Upon a Coconut.

Speaker 3 (16:04):
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(16:25):
a Coconut or Nature's Gatorade dot Com. Welcome back, beautiful
Tri State Area. Welcome back to a Moment of Zen
on iHeartRadio seven to ten wor the Voice of New York,
where we cover the latest in wellness, culture and trending
topics with top experts. I'm your host Zen. Sam's in
the Hydration with Heart segment brought to you by Once
Upon a Coconut. Today, we're diving into a subject that

(16:46):
affects millions of families across the country, food allergies. With
over thirty three million Americans facing serious food allergies, Prevention
is key, especially when it comes to our youngest children
our guests today. MOLINAI is a best selling author, registered dietitian,
and infant feeding expert. She has a new book coming
out this November titled Safe and Simple Food Allergy Prevention.

(17:10):
This guy not only explores the importance of early introduction
of allergenic foods, but provides families with a roadmap to
ensure their children can avoid food allergies from the start.
It's so interesting because most of us grew up hearing
the opposite that delaying certain foods was the best way
to avoid allergies. But she's pointing out in her book,

(17:30):
research like the twenty to fifteen Leap study found that
introducing peanuts between four and six months of age could
actually reduce the risk of peanut allergy by eighty six percent.
Can't wait to get her thoughts on this. That's a
huge finding. Welcoming now to the show is the amazing
Malina Melcanni. Welcome superstar. Hey you so much then, so

(17:52):
good to be back. I always loved chatting with you.
It's so so fun to have you because you're filled
with knowledge, and moms we love information. Information is power, right,
So your new book emphasizes early introduction of allergenic foods
like peanuts and eggs. Can you tell us why this
approach is so crucial for preventing food allergies, especially during

(18:14):
infancy though.

Speaker 9 (18:15):
Offering foods like peanut and egg in baby safe forms,
and that's really key, early, often and consistently, starting at
around six months of age helps reduce the risk of
food allergies. There's about nine top allergens. We don't know
as much about the rest of those allergens. We know
the most about peanut and eggs, so those are the

(18:35):
most crucial to start with. I do want to just
say clear by one thing, which is unfortunately, as much
as I wish that it were, it's not a guarantee
that we can we can eradicate food allergies.

Speaker 5 (18:49):
We can reduce the risk.

Speaker 9 (18:50):
And you mentioned that unbelievable stat of eighty six percent
that offering peanut foods early and often can help reduce
the risk of We know a little bit less about
the rest of the allergens, but peanut. There was an
amazing study that came out in conjunction with the LEAP
study about twelve years later, and this just came out
in May, so super interesting. The researchers of the Leap

(19:15):
study followed those children, about five hundred of them who
were in the original Leap study, and took a look
to see, did that early introduction of peanut hold. Did
the peanut prevention of the allergy stay for the next
twelve years? And there was a seventy one percent reduction

(19:37):
in the risk of a peanut allergy even twelve years later.
So what we learned from that is early introduction works.

Speaker 3 (19:43):
Okay, it's great. Now, it's crazy to think that with
all of these advancements in medicine, outdated information still circulate
so widely. I mean, I read that nearly sixty percent
of parents in a recent study weren't following the latest
food allergy prevention guidelines. Now, this lack of awareness is
something we really need to change because if this is

(20:04):
where misinformation happens. Now, what misconceptions do you think most
parents have aboutant feeding and food allergy preventions? And why
are so many families still just unaware of the updated guidelines.

Speaker 9 (20:16):
The guidelines used to be completely different from what they
are now. That leads to a lot of the myths
and misconceptions about food allergy prevention. Because when I have
three girls. They're eleven, thirteen, and fifteen. When I had
my first baby, the recommendation was to delay the introduction
of allergens by one, two, and even until about three
years of age, depending on the allergen and the risk

(20:39):
the baby's risk of developing food allergies. So now, though,
when we have families now that are being told, oh,
we need to start offering these allergenic foods at around
six months, sometimes a little bit even earlier, it can
be really jarring because it's not what historically they've heard.
The recommendation was unfortunately based on more of a hunch

(21:03):
than on any sort of data or research. And it's
not pediatricians faults. We didn't have the research, We didn't
have the information that we have now they believe we do.
That's what I'm hoping this book's gonna be is not
only a one step resource for families to make this
process really practical and easy, but also for healthcare providers.

Speaker 3 (21:25):
You know, I'm going to go back now a little bit,
but I can imagine that for you parents, right, the
idea of introducing foods like peanuts to their infants could
be terrifying. But as your research suggests it's actually one
of the most effective ways to protect children from developing
these life threatening allergies later on. Now, your book combines
baby lead feeding with food allergy prevention, So let's talk

(21:46):
about advice. What advice would you give to parents who
are nervous about trying baby lead feeding, especially when it
comes to allergenic foods.

Speaker 9 (21:55):
Such a great question because that, in my experience, is
one of the biggest barriers to reducing allergenic foods is
the fear associated with it.

Speaker 3 (22:03):
So a few things.

Speaker 9 (22:03):
First of all, only about three percent of babies are
are going to develop a food allergy during the first
year of life, so if you flip that, ninety seven
percent will not react, so the odds are really good
when you're starting to introduce these foods. Second of all,
the likelihood of a severe reaction is so so, so

(22:25):
so extremely low. What we learned from the Leaf study
is that for the babies that are already sensitized and
who are going to develop an allergic reaction, it's going
to be really mild, very much more. Yes, amableaxis can
happen during infancy, but it's so uncommon and it's much
safer for you to discover if your baby has a
food allergy during infancy, when the immune system is much

(22:48):
more malleable and the reactions are so much likely more
likely to be mild than waiting until toddlerhood or even later,
when the likelihood of a severe reaction is much more likely.

Speaker 5 (22:59):
So that's really important.

Speaker 9 (23:00):
Also, there have been no recorded deaths on first introduction.

Speaker 3 (23:05):
I feel like a lot of parents are listening to
this and going, Okay, this makes sense. Introduce it earlier
on to mitigate the risk later. Now I want to
We have three minutes left, but I have a couple
more questions here. So getting kids to eat healthy is
already a challenge for so many parents, but when you
add the concern of food allergies, it becomes even more complicated.
So I'm really curious to hear your thoughts on how

(23:27):
you navigate this in the book. How does your book
tackle the challenge of making nutrient dense foods accessible and
appealing to children, especially those at risk of allergies.

Speaker 9 (23:37):
Absolutely, that was one of the biggest challenges of the book.
To take all of these two is then put them
into baby safe farms that were actually delicious, because it's
not going to help if that we're introducing these allergies
and they're not actually eating the food.

Speaker 5 (23:49):
The other piece it's family.

Speaker 9 (23:50):
Because you know as a mom, when you're developing more
than one meal at a time, it's a really quick
recipe for burnout. So I created eighty recipes and eight
meal plans that help keep those allergens in the diet frequently,
which is another piece of the food allergy prevention puzzle.
That's important is to keep offering those allergens once they've
been introduced, and each of the recipes can be offered

(24:11):
to the entire family, so you could draw baby into
the family meal and help encourage baby to try these
foods by role modeling, which is set key piece to
feeding kids and making nutrient dense foods delicious and something
with they're likely to eat.

Speaker 3 (24:28):
Now, let's pivot a little bit to hydration because we
have about two minutes left. So hydration plays such a
vital role in overall health, especially for growing children. Ensuring
that can stay hydrated is not just about avoiding thirst.
It's key to their cognitive function and food and even
digestive health. So coconut water is rich in electrolytes like potassium,

(24:49):
and magnesium and can be a great option to keep
kids hydrated in a natural way, Molina, how important is
proper hydration and electrolyte balance for young children to especially
when introducing solids. Could coconut water be a healthy option
for maintaining hydration and watrilte levels for children?

Speaker 5 (25:07):
Yes.

Speaker 9 (25:07):
For infants, we do want to protect their intake of
breast milky and or formula. So even water is you know, medium,
tiny little mouse, But really we don't want to be
offering water to bees. But as they move into todder
and childhood, hydration and keeping a proper electrolyte balance is crucial.
So yes, absolutely, And I you know, one of the
things as a mom of three, I think it's so

(25:29):
funny how these.

Speaker 3 (25:30):
Water bottle trends go in and out. That's one really
great way if you're hoping to.

Speaker 9 (25:36):
Keep your child hydrid, just get them a water bottle
that they really love at stick with it.

Speaker 3 (25:41):
I know those stanleies ain't cheap, but they do keep
them hydrated. We are officially out of time, my dear,
thank you so much for coming on. It was such
a pleasure having you. You're so full of information and
like I said, knowledge is power.

Speaker 9 (25:53):
Definitely, thank you for having me.

Speaker 3 (25:55):
Be sure to look out for her book, Safe and
Simple Food Allergy Prevention. It's coming up this November. Whether
you're a parent or simply someone interested in health and wellness,
this guide is a must read for preventing food allergies
right from the start, and you can follow Malina Mulcani
for more tips and updates on infant feeding and nutrition.
You could head directly to her website at malinamlcani dot

(26:16):
com or Food Allergyprevention Book dot com, and do check
her out on the Gram at healthy dot mom dot
Healthy dot Kids. That was our Hydation with Heart segment
brought to you by Once Upon a Coconut. You're listening
to a moment of Zen right here on seven to
ten wor the voice of New york iHeartRadio will vary
back after this.

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Welcome back, beautiful Tri State area. You're listening to a
moment of Zen right here on seven to ten wr
the voice of New york iHeartRadio. I'm your host, Zen.
Sam's up next in the Going Deep segment, brought to
you by Co two Lift. In our Expert on the

(27:21):
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all walks of life with the utmost care. Patients include
a list, celebrities, high profile executives and public figures, professionals, athletes,
trauma victims, any young adults. He's going to join me
now to chat all about the rising popularity of you

(28:05):
guessed at non invasive procedures. That's what I like to
talk about and how CO two lift is improving treatment
results and patient comfort. Welcoming now to the show is
the amazing doctor Kareemi. Welcome to the show, superstar.

Speaker 7 (28:18):
Thank you so much, Sain. I'm so happy to be here.
I'm a big fan of you and the show, and
I've seen some other segments and I'm really excited to
be here.

Speaker 3 (28:27):
I'm so excited to have you on. Let's dive deep.
So you have had quite an impressive career, my friend
already from graduating medical school at twenty three years old
with the Alpha Omega Alpha Award, Hello, recognizing the top
ten percent of students nationwide. That's impressive. To now founding
your own practice and being considered one of the nation's

(28:49):
top facial plastic surgeons. Now, I'd love to know what
inspired you to enter this field and specialize in both
facial plastic surgery and head and neck surgery, which is
not very common.

Speaker 7 (29:01):
You know, I've always been bored very easily, and so
when I was younger, I just wanted to take as
many classes as I could, learn as much as I could,
and I just always had this like drive to be
around brilliant people, be challenged, and I've always loved the challenge,
which is why after I finished all my training, I

(29:21):
moved to Los Angeles with no job. I had no connections,
no family, nothing, And so that's really where even though
I was a fully trained facial plastic surgeon, I had
to start my career in the minimally invasive and non
invasive And that's kind of like now we're back full circle.
Even though I have a thriving surgical practice, the demand
and awareness now and aesthetics compared to fourteen years ago

(29:44):
when I started my practice is absolutely incredible in terms
of what is different, what is new, and how much
the consumer now knows about esthetic treatments.

Speaker 3 (29:54):
It's incredible. And that's really the hardest part, right It's
not hard, but it's also it's very rewarding for you
to be able to speak to an educated patient, and
I know you're also recognized as a pioneer. Now we're
going to talk about specifically my favorite topic of these
non invasive procedures, and personally, you trained surgeons across the
nation on the best practices of PDO thread techniques, microcanula

(30:20):
filler injections and even utilizing onto logus blood plasma for
aesthetic and reconstructive purposes. I mean, what don't you do?
This is quite impressive. Recently, guys, I read you've actually
been seeing a shift. And this is funny because you
said it at the beginning towards patients preferences now that
were coming full circle to these non invasive procedures. So

(30:41):
you said this not me. So let's bring carboxy therapy
into this mix. Now, we all know that carboxy therapy
has actually been around since the nineteen thirties, but CO
two Lift was able to find a way to remodel
this into a new delivery system as a non invasive
topical gel, which makes it so much more eccess bal
and easy. Now, Doctor Kareemi, in your expert opinion, what

(31:04):
do you believe is that is driving this increase in
demand for non invasive procedures.

Speaker 7 (31:09):
Surgery is a micro fraction of the actual aesthetic environment
and over the market and most people, the vast majority
of people want to know what is the latest and
greatest in non invasive or mentally invasive therapy and my
and this is basically for my trainings and for my
own expo. That demand is there from the practitioners as well,

(31:29):
because our patients are asking what can I do to
improve my skin, to improve my skin health, improve my
aesthetics without undergoing the knife and without undergoing significant amounts
of downtime. Now that we're post COVID, we're all back
to work, we're all back to our lives, and then
we don't have a lot of downtime. And so when

(31:49):
I met Lana Kerr, who's the CEO of CO two left,
and I first heard about it, I was like, Okay,
that sounds interesting, but you know, you have to hear
something a few times for it to really register. But
then I finally took the time to sit down in
a scientific advisory board with my peers, class surgeons, dermatologists,

(32:11):
world experts, and aesthetics and I learned a little bit
more about the science of carboxy therapy and the COE
two lift. Now I have fully embraced the technology in
my surgical practice, in our nonsurgical practice and in our
patients who are looking to maintain their aesthetic or get
a really nice skin globe before an event in particular.

Speaker 3 (32:33):
Okay, perfect, now let's exactly let's talk about this. So
let's talk about a bit more about how CEO two
lift works. Can you describe the application process and how
Toeotwolft functions on a cellular level?

Speaker 7 (32:45):
Absolutely?

Speaker 3 (32:46):
So.

Speaker 7 (32:46):
CEO two lift is carboxy therapy, and as you mentioned, Zen,
this has been around. I believe it was discovered in Japan.
And what it does is that it infuses CO two
or carbon dioxide into the skin and the subcutaneous tissues.
This then the tissues think that there's a lack of
oxygen there. This is called the bore effect Bohr from

(33:07):
a very famous physicist who described this. And so then
the body, the skin says, oh my goodness, there's not
enough oxygen here, and it rushes oxygen to this area.
The vessels dilate, and that the actual the red blood
cells give their oxygen to this area that thinks it's
injured or it's lacking oxygen. So this is the kind
of basis behind carboxy therapy, which then hyperoxygenates the area.

(33:32):
This leads to improved blood flow, increased collagen repair of
the area, and an overall general improved health of that area.

Speaker 3 (33:41):
It's fascinating, truly. I mean zero two lift when you
talk about non invasive. Now we know that it's clinically proven,
it's medical great treatment rate to help us achieve these
medspot quality results in regard to hydration, elasticity, and essentially
reverse the aging process, not to mention can do it
all in the comfort of your own home. That's what

(34:02):
I love. But it's important to note that in addition
to CO two lift being used as a monotherapy, it
could also be used in combo therapies, both pre and
post procedure. That's what I want to hear more of.
So while we talk about combo therapies, doctor, we're talking
about CO two lift Pro, which is the strongest version
and can only be provided to patients by medical professionals

(34:23):
like yourself. So what procedures do you use CO two
lift pro in conjunction with and how have you first
had seen it improve a procedure's results in a patient's comfort.

Speaker 7 (34:33):
So we incorporate the CO two lift Pro now in
almost all of our procedures in the office, which include
micro needling, micro needling with radio frequency. People may have
heard of morpheus A treatments. We also incorporate it with
laser treatments. So we have a lot of the different
lasers that people have heard of, you know, Moxie, halo,

(34:55):
but really any any laser resurfacing treatment or anything that
CAUs injury to the skin. If you think about it,
then the body is undergoing injury. It's a controlled injury
because we're trying to get a result. And so if
you simulate increased oxygenations in this area with carboxy therapy,
it makes a lot of sense. And when I sat

(35:16):
on this advisory board that I talked about, there's actually
multiple published studies looking at half the face treated after
a laser with carboxy therapy and half of the face
not treated, and it is incredible how much faster the
side treated with carboxy therapy with the CO two lift heels.
So now I've really just I used to make it
like an add on, but now I've just built it

(35:37):
into the procedures because I believe that it is so
important and helpful for faster recovery and everybody wants to
recover fast after a treatment.

Speaker 3 (35:47):
Now, you also specialize in rhinoplasts, so let's pivot a
little bit, and you even have a whole Instagram page
dedicated to this. What new technologies or techniques have you
implemented in regard to rhinoplasts and what does the typical
recovery process look like? How do you help your patients
really manage that post surgical care.

Speaker 7 (36:05):
I love rhinoplasse. It's actually the procedure that inspired me
to become official plastic surgeon. It is the most complex procedure.
It's considered to be the most difficult procedure. Like I
told you, I like a challenge in all of plastic surgery.
And even though our noses are the centers of our face,
the best rhinoplasts are the noses, in my opinion, that

(36:26):
are not seen, that bring out the eyes. Rhytoplasty has
been around for a long time, but there have been
some important developments over the last several years which have
led to more precise rhinoplasty results, better control, and of course,
less recovery and less downtime. Now, after an ultrasonic rhinoplasty
or a nose tune procedures what I call my approach

(36:48):
to rhinoplasty. My patients can be back to work out
a week, cast comes off at six days. There's usually
very little bruising and swelling and these are because we
have better tools now. We have ultrasonic devices that make
precise carvings and bone rather than hammers and chisels, and
this has really led to much better results, faster healing. Now,

(37:11):
just getting back to the CO two lift, one of
the really incredible things that it can do is actually
reduced bruising big time. And so if I do have
a patient for whatever reason, one in twenty of my
patients one in thirty will have some bruising at the
one week mark, will actually apply CO two lift to
the area and it lifts the bruising incredibly. When I
do a face and netflix procedures, typically there's very little bruising,

(37:34):
but sometimes especially men, will get a fair amount of bruising.
So we immediately start applying CO two lift and it
is amazing on how it improves bruising.

Speaker 3 (37:43):
Game change now, education is also extremely important for you
and your colleagues, especially in an era of such rapid advancements.
I know you're a co founder of the Los Angeles
Multi Specialty Cosmetic Academy, and you have been a volunteer
faculty at the UCLA and us SEE Schools in Medicine,
So clearly you're no stranger to the importance of education.

(38:04):
But could you talk to me more about why being
well educated on the latest trends and technologies such as
co two lift is so crucial in the field of dermatology.

Speaker 7 (38:14):
Absolutely. I mean I travel almost every month to go
to some meeting, some conference because just like I share
with you about being around bright minds and being around innovators,
I our field is ever changing. I mean every month,
every quarter where there's something new out or there's a
new understanding of what we're doing. So that's why education

(38:35):
is so important, especially in aesthetics. People don't realize how
much we're learning every single month, basically in terms of
better understanding of what we're actually doing to patients, a
better understanding of the products that people have been getting
into their faces, whether it's subjectibles, reds, biostimulators, et cetera.

(38:56):
And seeing this kind of really cool new technology, the
COEO two lift. It was at a meetate that I
heard and learned about the CEO two lift, and of
course it took me a little while to kind of
come full circle and now actually that there could be
a CEO two lift is part of the LA MCA
meeting that you mentioned, because I only like to showcase

(39:16):
and highlight what I think is really relevant to our
patients and is true innovation in the world of aesthetics.

Speaker 11 (39:23):
I love the cheerleader in you, I really do, and
I more importantly, I love that you find these unique products,
trends and services to offer to your clients, and you're
clearly at the forefront of all the technological advancements in
your field.

Speaker 3 (39:37):
And I thank you so much for coming on educating us,
being transparent and really guiding our audience in the right
way when it comes to making these informed decisions for
any level of invasive or non invasive procedure.

Speaker 7 (39:49):
Thank you so much, Saen. It was wonderful being on
your show, and I really commend what you're doing in
terms of educating your audience in terms of what is
real and what is relevant in our in our world.
So thank you for doing that.

Speaker 3 (40:04):
That was our going Deep segment brought to you by
CO two Lift, and that was the incredible trailblazer Doctor
Ken kareemy world renowned and double board certified facial plastic
surgeon and headed next Surgeon. Definitely head to doctor Ken
dot com and Rejuva Medical dot Org to learn more
and of course check him out on the ground at
doctor Kean that's k I A N. And Rejuva Medical Esthetics.

(40:27):
You're listening to a Moment of Zen right here on
seven to ten w R the Voice of New York iHeartRadio.
We'll be right back after this.

Speaker 2 (40:34):
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Speaker 2 (41:01):
Tune into a Moment of Zen Saturday nights from nine
to ten pm on seven to ten WAR the Voice
of New York.

Speaker 3 (41:08):
Welcome back, beautiful Tri State area. You're listening to a
moment of Zen right here on seven to ten WR,
the voice of New York iHeartRadio. I'm your host, Zen.
Sam's up next in the Express Hydration with Heart segment,
brought to you by Once Upon a Coconut. Right here
at iHeart Headquarters, we're joined by Gen Butler, President and
CEO of Encourage Kids Foundation. It's a renowned nonprofit organization

(41:32):
that helps humanize healthcare for children and their families through
resourcing impact driven pediatric programs. The foundation is friends of
our sister FM station KTU. Big shout out to Bartel.
She joins me today to chat about the mission behind
the foundation, their impact on medically challenged children and their families,
and what's in store next. Of course, we have to

(41:53):
big shout out a big thanks to MJ Pdona of
Indra pr Welcoming now to the show is the amazing
Gen Butler. Welcome, superstar.

Speaker 8 (42:01):
Thank you, Sen. It's such a pleasure to be here, so.

Speaker 3 (42:04):
Excited to have you on. You're a trailblazer in the
nonprofit world. Let's dive right in. So the Encouraged Kids
Foundation has been around since nineteen eighty five to my understanding,
and impressively serves more than one million children annually. Gene,
please share with us more about the mission behind Encourage
Kids and what drew you to join it as the

(42:26):
president and CEU.

Speaker 7 (42:28):
Yeah.

Speaker 8 (42:28):
So, our mission here at Encouraged Kids Foundation is to
help humanize healthcare for children and hospitals around the country.
And what differentiates Encourage Kids from other children's foundations is
that we have direct relationships with these hospitals and there
are more than three hundred of them in our network,

(42:50):
so we hear directly from these hospitals what their needs are,
and more often than not, these areas that they're telling
us they need help with they're not covered by typical
hospital budgets, so we're here to step in and fill
those gaps.

Speaker 3 (43:07):
That's incredible. I mean, you really found one way to
do something incredibly different, and with approximately five point three
million pediatric hospitalizations annually in the United States, I feel
it's so important to have a foundation like this that
is focused on making hospitals a better place to get
better right, So for children's and families, this is extremely important. Now,

(43:29):
I know you currently support you just mentioned three hundred
and thirty pediatric facilities across the country, and you have
actually personally visited to minderstanding a few of your personal
partners in the past, your hospital partners were there, What
were these visits like and what are some of the
programs that encourage kids' funds?

Speaker 8 (43:49):
Yeah, so great questions. And I had a very busy
summer visiting a number of hospitals. Lori Children's Hospital out
in Chicago, ben Off Children's Hospital out in San Francisco,
the Bristol Meyer Squib in New Jersey, hassenfeld n YU
here in Manhattan, and several others. And what brought me

(44:13):
out there in addition to cultivating our relationships with those hospitals,
is we have a key program called the Pediatric Hospital
Support Program, and through that hospitals around the country can
apply for grant funding to help fund some of those
areas that do not get funded by the hospital. And

(44:36):
those areas include creative arts therapy, music therapy, pet therapy
which is really important and growing by the day here
in the country, playroom renovations, innovation, and technology. So this
Pediatric Hospital Support Program that encourage kids owns and operates.

Speaker 7 (45:00):
We distribute a little.

Speaker 8 (45:01):
Bit more than a quarter of a million dollars a
year to hospitals around the country. It's actually a competitive process,
and I wish we had half a million dollars to
fund this program because the need outweighs what we are
able to distribute in money, and it's kind of heartbreaking

(45:21):
to read all the proposals because there is tremendous need
out there.

Speaker 7 (45:26):
But encourage kids.

Speaker 8 (45:27):
We're doing our best, and trips like the ones I've
made this summer allow me to see firsthand the impact
of our work, and it allows me to report back
to our donors, who generously give to us the fruits
of those labors as well.

Speaker 3 (45:46):
Now I know there's also a new teddy Bear in town,
since you launched a partnership with Feo Sports to bring
comfort to medically challenge children in the form of all
the perfect huggable companion. Can you tell us more about
this particular partnership and how you see this teddy Bear
making a difference in the lives of these kids.

Speaker 8 (46:06):
Yeah, this is exciting for us. Zen I spent more
than fifteen years in the children's toy industry, so I'm
pretty familiar with the small, medium, and large toy companies
who occupy that space. And when I first got to
encourage kids, I looked at the current bear and I said, oh,
he's cute, but I think we can do better. So

(46:29):
I went to FAO Schwartz and I said, can you
help us remake this bear? We want to enhance it,
and they said absolutely, this is a wonderful mission. We'd
really like to get involved. So we rebuilt that bear,
if you will, and it's very high quality. He stands

(46:50):
on his own. It's a co branded bear. So you've
got FAO branding and you have Encouraged Kids branding. And
I think we all know, and especially you as a parent,
that toys are not just toys, right, They're a symbol
that someone cares about a child. And this bear is

(47:10):
that times ten. So not only is it a cuddly
companion for children who are really suffering and lonely in hospitals,
but more importantly, it's an intervention tool that the medical
professionals use. What do I mean by that, Well, they
take our bear and they demonstrate on this bear what

(47:32):
it's going to be like for the child to get
an IV to go through the MRI machine, and you know,
in several said cases, what it's like to get an amputation.
So they'll remove the bear's arm or leg. But this
bear becomes really a treasured companion for the child, and

(47:53):
we have kids who have held onto this bear for
decades and it's incredibly rewarding.

Speaker 3 (48:00):
I love it.

Speaker 8 (48:00):
I love that, and we're looking to expand the program
and we now have even more hospitals requesting the bear.
Encourage Kids provides these bears free of charge to hospitals
around the country. All you have to do is ask,
And now that we're coming up on holiday season, we're
seeing a lot more hospitals contact us asking us for

(48:22):
the bears.

Speaker 3 (48:22):
Now it's more important than ever to start giving. So
let's shift gears. In just over a week, on Monday,
October twenty eighth, Encourage Kids is hosting their annual Serving
Up Smiles food tasting event at Current located at Chelsea Piers,
now raising over two hundred thousand dollars. The event has
included signature plates, to my understanding, from the hottest chefs

(48:44):
and top name restaurants in New York City. I'd love
to know what exactly can attendees expect from this food
tasting extravaganza.

Speaker 8 (48:53):
Well, it's a really fun event and they can expect
a night of fantastic food, entertained, delicious cocktails. And we
have your comings and and.

Speaker 3 (49:05):
I will be there with bells on.

Speaker 8 (49:07):
Some of your colleagues here from iHeartRadio, some friends from
the Elvis Duran in the Morning Show will be there.
Steve Bartel will be there. And we've got some former
New York Giant football players and New York Jets, people
like Leonard Marshall, Marvin Washington, Tony Richardson.

Speaker 3 (49:28):
Now, who are some of the restaurants and beverage sponsors
that are going to be participating this year? And who
can I mean, the guests are looking forward to obviously
seeing some of these celebrities, but most importantly, what are
the brands that we can expect to taste.

Speaker 8 (49:43):
Yeah, so we're so grateful to these restaurants and beverage purveyors.
I'm just going to read from my list so that
I don't forget anybody. Are to Choke Pizza, Bryan Park, Grill,
Cardinally Bakery, Karmi Italian Restaurant, Gothamburger, Social Club, Happy Boards,

(50:06):
The Hunt and Fish Club, Ocean Prime, One, Rare Italian Steakhouse, Robertsfolia, Sushi, Yolo,
The Curry Blossom chef Vincent Tropepe Virgil's Real Barbecue, And
here are some of the beverages. Car Mines is donating

(50:28):
some cases from their private label wines Cooperstown Distillery, Doctor
Parcone Hydrogen Water, Fiji Water, Justin Vineyards and Winery, Landmark Vineyards,
Newburg Brewing Company, Owls Brew your sponsor. Once upon a Coconut.

Speaker 3 (50:50):
Big shout out to one spot a coconut.

Speaker 8 (50:52):
Zeir Vodka, and probably a couple more will sign on.

Speaker 3 (50:56):
This is an amazing event. Thank you so much Gene
for coming on. How can guests purchase tickets to attend?

Speaker 8 (51:03):
Yeah, by going to the Encouraged Kids website encourage dash
kids dot org and they can purchase tickets. They're two
hundred and fifty dollars. If you're under forty, they're one
hundred and fifty dollars.

Speaker 3 (51:17):
That's the steal. And you're giving back and doing something great.
Thank you so much for joining us. It's been an
absolute pleasure having you on. You are amazing. This is
an incredible organization. Thanks again to MJ from indrapr who
put all this together. We couldn't thank you enough.

Speaker 8 (51:32):
Thank you so much.

Speaker 3 (51:33):
Then that was our hydration with hard segment brought to
you by the one and only Once Upon a Coconut,
and that was the incredible Gen Butler, President and CEO
of Encouraged Kids Foundation. Definitely head to their website Encourage
dash Kids dot org and check them out on the
gram at Encourage Kids, and of course, get your ticket
to attend their annual Serving Up Smiles food tasting event

(51:53):
at Current located at Chelsea Pier's Monday, October twenty eighth.
You don't want to miss it. You're listening to a
Moment of zenz right here on seven ten wo R,
the voice of New York iHeartRadio. We'll be right back
after this.

Speaker 2 (52:04):
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Speaker 2 (52:28):
Tune into a Moment of Zen Saturday nights from nine
to ten pm on seven ten woor the Voice of
New York.

Speaker 3 (52:35):
Well that's a rap, My dear friends, we are at
the end of our date. Remember to join me right
here on seven ten wo r the Voice of New
York every Saturday night from nine to ten pm, or
you could head to seven ten wor dot iHeart dot
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(52:55):
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(53:17):
that continue to make the show possible. And remember that
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We'll be back next week.

Speaker 1 (53:25):
The proceeding was a paid podcast. iHeartRadio's hosting of this
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