Health Matters

In this episode, host Courtney Allison speaks with Dr. Jessica Hennessey, cardiologist at NewYork‑Presbyterian and Columbia, about the trend of cozy cardio and how accessible, home‑based movement can support cardiovascular health. Dr. Hennessey explains why moderate‑intensity exercise is both sustainable and effective, offering improvements in cardiovascular function, metabolism, and daily energy levels. 
The discussion explores the benefits of walking versus running, how heart rate zones help guide workout intensity, and the importance of rest and active recovery. Dr. Hennessey also highlights how movement helps regulate stress and why strength training—especially for women—is essential for long‑term metabolic and bone health. 
Chapters:
Chapter 1: Understanding Cozy Cardio – Convenience, Comfort, and Where it Fits in Heart Health
Understanding cozy cardio and how low‑impact movement supports heart health, and how it lowers barriers to exercise and makes movement feel inviting.
Chapter 2: Why Moderate Exercise Matters
Chapter 3: Cozy Doesn’t Mean Easy—Just Accessible
Chapter 4: Walking vs. Running: Which Is Better for the Heart?
Chapter 5: Using Heart Rate to Guide Your Workout
Chapter 6: The Importance of Rest Days and Recovery
Chapter 7: HIIT: Benefits, Risks, and When to Use It
Chapter 8: Strength Training & Heart Health, Especially for Women
Chapter 9: Building a Sustainable Exercise Routine
Chapter 10: Final Takeaway
 
Key Topics Covered
What cozy cardio is and examples
How cozy cardio focuses on convenience, comfort and lowering barriers to exercise.
Moderate vs. High-Intensity ExerciseHow it can improve VO2 max

Accessibility and sustainability in fitness
Walking vs. running
Using heart rate as a guide for exercise
The importance of rest days
Exercise as stress reduction
HIIT workouts: explanation, benefits and risk
Strength training and heart health
Building a sustainable routine by choosing activities you enjoy and making movement a natural part of the day
Takeaway Message
Meaningful improvements in cardiovascular health do not require high‑intensity workouts. Moderate, accessible forms of exercise—such as “cozy cardio”—can effectively enhance heart and metabolic function, support stress regulation, and promote long‑term adherence. By prioritizing comfort, sustainability, and consistency, individuals can integrate movement into their daily routines in ways that are both achievable and beneficial for overall health.
Expert Guest
Dr. Jessica Hennessey is an electrophysiologist who specializes in arrhythmia management with a special focus on catheter ablation, pacemakers/defibrillators, and atrial fibrillation at NewYork-Presbyterian/Columbia University Irving Medical Center. Dr. Hennessey is also the Esther Aboodi Assistant Professor of Cardiology (in medicine) at Columbia University Vagelos College of Physicians and Surgeons. She is board-certified in cardiovascular disease and cardiac electrophysiology.
For more health and wellness news, visit NewYork-Presbyterian’s Health Matters website.

What really happens in your brain when you drink alcohol — and what are the long-term effects over a lifetime? In this episode of Health Matters, host Courtney Allison sits down with Dr. Hugh Cahill, a neurologist at NewYork-Presbyterian the One and Columbia, to break down the science behind alcohol’s impact on brain health.
They explore how alcohol affects neurotransmitters to create feelings of relaxation and euphoria, why it can impair memory, coordination, and judgment, and how even moderate drinking is linked to increase risk of brain shrinkage, vascular damage, mood disorders, and dementia. Dr. Cahill also explains the cumulative nature of alcohol’s effects and shares practical, evidence-based ways to protect your brain as you age — highlighting the powerful role of exercise, cardiovascular health, nutrition, sleep, and reducing alcohol intake.
Whether you’re curious about Dry January, worried about memory and aging, or simply want to make informed choices about your health, this conversation offers clear, expert insight into how your habits today shape your brain tomorrow.
Key Topics Covered
How alcohol affects neurotransmitters (glutamate, GABA, dopamine, endorphins)
Why alcohol causes relaxation, lowered inhibition, and impaired coordination
Long-term effects: brain atrophy, neuron loss, memory impairment
Alcohol as a neurotoxin
Links between alcohol and:Cumulative, lifelong impact of drinking—even at low to moderate levels
Role of exercise in promoting neurogenesis and brain resilience
Importance of cardiovascular health, vitamins (B1, B12), and metabolic health
Limited evidence that puzzles or brain games prevent cognitive decline
Practical brain-health strategies

Takeaway Message
Brain health is shaped by long-term habits. Because alcohol’s effects are cumulative and even moderate use is linked to structural and vascular brain changes, reducing intake — along with exercising and managing cardiovascular risk factors—can meaningfully protect cognitive function and quality of life as we age.
Expert Guest
Dr. Hugh Cahill is an M.D./Ph.D.-trained general neurologist providing comprehensive care for patients with a broad range of neurological conditions at NewYork-Presbyterian and Columbia. Dr. Cahill sees individuals with headaches, seizures, strokes, numbness, weakness, memory changes, and other common neurological concerns. Dr. Cahill as both a clinician and scientist supports an evidence-based approach to diagnosis and treatment, with an emphasis on careful evaluation and clear communication.
 
For more health and wellness news, visit NewYork-Presbyterian’s Health Matters website.

In this episode of Health Matters, host Courtney Allison is joined by Dr. Rekha Kumar, endocrinologist and primary care physician at NewYork-Presbyterian and Weill Cornell Medicine, to unpack the science behind aging well. They discuss biohacking, longevity, and health span, separating evidence-based strategies from social media hype and exploring what truly helps us age well.
What You’ll Learn in This Episode
What “biohacking” really means
● How biohacking ranges from simple lifestyle optimization to high-tech, experimental interventions
● The difference between lifespan (how long you live) and health span (how long you live well)
The Longevity Pyramid
● Why the foundation of healthy aging is built on:
Sleep
Movement and strength training
Nutrition
Stress management
Social connection
● How advanced tools and supplements sit at the top—and why they should never replace the basics
Wearables and Tracking
● How devices like smartwatches, glucose monitors, and fitness trackers can support behavior change
● When tracking becomes counterproductive or stressful
Peptides and “Anti-Aging” Supplements
● What’s proven (e.g., metformin, GLP-1 receptor agonists)
● What’s still experimental or under-studied (BPC-157, sermorelin, NAD boosters)
Nootropics and Cognitive Enhancers
● Everyday nootropics like caffeine
● The role of L-theanine for “calm focus”
● Myths around perfectly timed caffeine and cortisol rhythms
Nutrigenomics and Personalized Nutrition
● How genes can influence responses to foods (e.g., lactose intolerance, APOE and saturated fat)
● Why many direct-to-consumer genetic tests may overpromise
The Gut Microbiome
● The role of Akkermansia muciniphila in metabolic health
● How medications like metformin and GLP-1s may positively shift gut bacteria
● What’s still unknown about probiotic supplementation
Genetic and Biomarker Testing
● The difference between actionable medical insights and “information overload”
● Why results of unknown significance can cause unnecessary anxietyThe Big Takeaways
● There are no true shortcuts to longevity
● Sustainable habits beat quick fixes
● Our biology is built for rhythms, not constant optimization
Featured Expert
About Rekha B. Kumar, M.D., M.S.
Dr. Rekha B. Kumar is an attending endocrinologist at NewYork-Presbyterian/Weill Cornell Medical Center and an associate professor of Clinical Medicine at Weill Cornell Medicine. She specializes in adult primary care and endocrinology and has academic expertise in the diagnosis and treatment of various endocrine disorders, including obesity/weight management, type 2 diabetes, polycystic ovarian syndrome (PCOS), thyroid disorders, as well as metabolic bone disease.
Dr. Kumar completed her undergraduate studies at Duke University and received her masters degree in Physiology from Georgetown University. She received her M.D. from New York Medical College and completed her residency training in Internal Medicine at NewYork-Presbyterian/Weill Cornell Medical Center. Dr. Kumar obtained her clinical fellowship in the combined Diabetes, Endocrinology, and Metabolism program at the NewYork-Presbyterian/Weill Cornell Medical Center and the Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center. Dr. Kumar is Board Certified in Internal Medicine, Endocrinology, Diabetes, & Metabolism, and Obesity Medicine.
Coming Up Next
In the next episode of Health Matters, we’ll explore brain health and the short- and long-term effects of alcohol on the brain with Dr. Hugh Cahill. Subscribe and follow Health Matters on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you listen to stay up to date with expert-driven conversations on living well at every stage of life.
About Health Matters
Health Matters is your bi-weekly dose of health and wellness information, from the leading experts. Join host Courtney Allison to get news you can use in your own life. New episodes drop each Wednesday.If you are looking for practical health tips and trustworthy information from world-class doctors and medical experts you will enjoy listening to Health Matters. Health Matters was created to share stories of science, care, and wellness that are happening every day at NewYork-Presbyterian, one of the nation’s most comprehensive, integrated academic healthcare systems. In keeping with NewYork-Presbyterian’s long legacy of medical breakthroughs and innovation, Health Matters features the latest news, insights, and health tips from our trusted experts; inspiring first-hand accounts from patients and caregivers; and updates on the latest research and innovations in patient care, all in collaboration with our renowned medical schools, Columbia and Weill Cornell Medicine.
To learn more visit: https://healthmatters.nyp.org

This week on Health Matters, we’re sharing an episode of NewYork-Presbyterian’s Advances in Care, a show for listeners who want to stay at the forefront of the latest medical innovations and research. 
On this episode of Advances in Care, host Erin Welsh first hears from Dr. Richard Friedman, a clinical psychiatrist at NewYork-Presbyterian and Director of the Psychopharmacology Clinic at Weill Cornell Medicine. Using his background in psychopharmacology, Dr. Friedman distinguishes between psychedelics and standard antidepressants like SSRIs and SNRIs, explaining the various mechanisms in the brain that respond uniquely to psychedelic compounds. Dr. Friedman also identifies that the challenge of proving efficacy of psychedelic therapy lies in the question of how to design a clinical trial that gives patients a convincing placebo. 
To learn more about the challenges of trial design, Erin also speaks to Dr. David Hellerstein, a research psychiatrist at NewYork-Presbyterian and Columbia. Dr. Hellerstein contributed to a 2022 trial of synthetic psilocybin in patients with treatment resistant depression. He and his colleagues took a unique approach to dosing patients so that they could better understand the response rates of patients who use psychedelic therapy. The results of that trial underscore an emerging pattern in the field of psychiatry – that while psychedelic therapy has its risks, it’s also a promising alternative treatment for countless psychiatric disorders. Dr. Hellerstein also shares more about the future of clinical research on psychedelic therapies to potentially treat a range of mental health disorders.
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Dr. Richard Friedman is a professor of clinical psychiatry and is actively involved in clinical research of mood disorders. In particular, he is involved in several ongoing randomized clinical trials of both approved and investigational drugs for the treatment of major depression, chronic depression, and dysthymia.
Dr. David J. Hellerstein directs the Depression Evaluation Service at Columbia University Department of Psychiatry, which conducts studies on the medication and psychotherapy treatment of conditions including major depression, chronic depression, and bipolar disorder.
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Health Matters is your weekly dose of health and wellness information, from the leading experts. Join host Courtney Allison to get news you can use in your own life. New episodes drop each Wednesday.
If you are looking for practical health tips and trustworthy information from world-class doctors and medical experts you will enjoy listening to Health Matters. Health Matters was created to share stories of science, care, and wellness that are happening every day at NewYork-Presbyterian, one of the nation’s most comprehensive, integrated academic healthcare systems. In keeping with NewYork-Presbyterian’s long legacy of medical breakthroughs and innovation, Health Matters features the latest news, insights, and health tips from our trusted experts; inspiring first-hand accounts from patients and caregivers; and updates on the latest research and innovations in patient care, all in collaboration with our renowned medical schools, Columbia and Weill Cornell Medicine.
To learn more visit: 
https://healthmatters.nyp.org

This week on Health Matters, Courtney is joined by Erin Welsh, host of NewYork-Presbyterian’s medical research podcast, Advances in Care, to recap an amazing year of health and wellness conversations. They share highlights and discuss the top takeaways from their dozens of conversations with clinicians, researchers – and even a former New York Mets All-Star. This conversation is a great rundown of important health reminders and tips for all of us concerned with staying healthy during the holidays and starting the new year off on the right foot. 
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Health Matters is your weekly dose of health and wellness information, from the leading experts. Join host Courtney Allison to get news you can use in your own life. New episodes drop each Wednesday.
If you are looking for practical health tips and trustworthy information from world-class doctors and medical experts you will enjoy listening to Health Matters. Health Matters was created to share stories of science, care, and wellness that are happening every day at NewYork-Presbyterian, one of the nation’s most comprehensive, integrated academic healthcare systems. In keeping with NewYork-Presbyterian’s long legacy of medical breakthroughs and innovation, Health Matters features the latest news, insights, and health tips from our trusted experts; inspiring first-hand accounts from patients and caregivers; and updates on the latest research and innovations in patient care, all in collaboration with our renowned medical schools, Columbia and Weill Cornell Medicine.
To learn more visit: https://healthmatters.nyp.org