Welcome to the Get Healthy Tampa Bay Podcast with Dr. Kerry Reller! In this episode, I’m joined by Sarah Lakadawala, DNP, one of our own at Clearwater Family Medicine & Allergy. Sarah shares what it means to earn a Doctor of Nursing Practice degree and breaks down her doctoral quality improvement project exploring GLP-1 therapy (semaglutide) in patients with autoimmune disease—not primarily for weight loss, but for quality of life.

We discuss what autoimmune disease is, why inflammation and fatigue are so common, and why Sarah chose to evaluate low-dose and “microdose” semaglutide in this population. She walks through her study design, baseline labs, and the two evidence-based questionnaires she used (Fatigue Severity Scale and PROMIS-29)—plus what improved, what didn’t, and what she’d do differently next time (including narrowing to one autoimmune condition and adding body composition/visceral fat data). We also talk about real-world clinical nuance: steroids, biologics, CRP limitations, and the importance of consistent anti-inflammatory habits.

Sarah Lakadawala is a nurse practitioner at CFMA. She earned her Doctor of Nursing Practice degree from the University of South Florida, where her work focused on GLP-1 therapy and autoimmune conditions.

0:28 – Welcome + Sarah’s background (DNP, ICU → urgent care → family medicine)
1:31 – What a DNP is and why nurses pursue it
3:31 – Her project: GLP-1s in autoimmune patients (beyond weight loss)
4:44 – Study type overview: QI vs RCT vs meta-analysis
5:47 – Autoimmune disease explained + inflammation/obesity connection
7:40 – Study design: baseline labs, CRP, and quality-of-life surveys
9:10 – Microdosing semaglutide: starting at 0.125 mg
10:45 – PROMIS-29 + Fatigue Severity Scale: what improved
11:50 – Why CRP wasn’t statistically significant + meds confounders
14:17 – Dose changes (0.125 vs 0.25), fatigue nuance, and switching to tirzepatide
19:11 – Med reductions, fewer flares, and what she’d improve next time

Connect with Dr. Reller
Podcast website: https://gethealthytbpodcast.buzzsprou...
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kerryrellermd/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ClearwaterFamilyMedicine
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/clearwaterfamilymedicine/
Tiktok: https://www.tiktok.com/@kerryrellermd
Clearwater Family Medicine and Allergy website: https://sites.google.com/view/clearwa...
Podcast: https://gethealthytbpodcast.buzzsprou...

Subscribe to the Get Healthy Tampa Bay Podcast on Apple podcasts, Spotify, Amazon music, Stitcher, Google Podcasts, Pandora.

Welcome to the Get Healthy Tampa Bay Podcast with Dr. Kerry Reller! This week, I’m sharing a special episode from my appearance on Love & Science Fertility with reproductive endocrinologist Dr. Erica Bove. We break down what’s truly safe (and what’s not) for allergies and asthma while trying to conceive and during pregnancy—covering inhalers, antihistamines like loratadine and cetirizine, nasal steroids (including budesonide), decongestants to avoid, HEPA filters and dust-mite strategies, travel tips, allergy shots (when to continue vs. when not to start), and biologics like Xolair and Dupixent. The key takeaway: well-controlled asthma is safer than poorly controlled asthma in pregnancy—oxygen matters for mom and baby. Tune in for clear, evidence-based reassurance.

Erica Bove, MD, is a double board certified OB-GYN and Reproductive Endocrinologist (REI) physician at the University of Vermont, She is also the CEO and founder of Love and Science: Thriving Through Infertility. She has a keen interest in marrying an evidence-based approach with intuitive knowing in the context of a trusting relationship. She empowers women physicians to build their families with confidence, self compassion and community. Her mission is to heal and support the healers and to create a legacy she is proud of.

0:29 — Why this episode matters: TTC, pregnancy, and allergy/asthma fears
1:59 — Dr. Erica Bove intro + “Go Irish!”
3:10 — Dr. Reller’s path: engineering → family medicine → allergy/asthma
6:20 — The big message: control asthma; don’t stop inhalers
9:10 — Safe meds: loratadine, cetirizine, and nasal steroids (budesonide)
12:05 — Home strategies: HEPA filters, pets, and triggers
14:30 — Dust mites 101: bedding, humidity, and morning symptoms
17:10 — Travel tips: hotels, feather pillows, and what to avoid
19:30 — Allergy shots in pregnancy: continue vs. don’t start
23:45 — IVF/fertility meds + progesterone reactions + biologics (Xolair/Dupixent)

Connect with Dr. Bove
Website: loveandsciencefertility.com
Linked In: www.linkedin.com/in/erica-bove-0701a0173
IG: https://www.instagram.com/loveandsciencefertility/
FB: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61553692167183
Podcast: loveandsciencefertility.com/podcast

Connect with Dr. Reller
Podcast website: https://gethealthytbpodcast.buzzsprou...
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kerryrellermd/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ClearwaterFamilyMedicine
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/clearwaterfamilymedicine/
Tiktok: https://www.tiktok.com/@kerryrellermd
Clearwater Family Medicine and Allergy website: https://sites.google.com/view/clearwa...
Podcast: https://gethealthytbpodcast.buzzsprou...

Subscribe to the Get Healthy Tampa Bay Podcast on Apple podcasts, Spotify, Amazon music, Stitcher, Google Podcasts, Pandora.

Welcome back to the Get Healthy Tampa Bay Podcast with Dr. Kerry Reller! This week, I’m joined by Dr. Alex Reyes, a board-certified OBGYN and one of Tampa Bay’s most sought-after menopause providers.

In this episode, we unpack why menopause care has historically been misunderstood—from limited medical training to the long-lasting impact of the Women’s Health Initiative (WHI) headlines. Dr. Reyes breaks down what the WHI did (and didn’t) show, why the study population matters, and how today’s body-identical hormone therapy differs from older synthetic formulations.

We also cover the recent change that has many women talking: the FDA removal of the estrogen “black box warning” and why that matters for access, fear, and real-world adherence—especially for vaginal estrogen.

Dr. Alexandria Reyes is the private practice owner and founder of Magnolia Gynecology in Tampa, Florida, and also the owner of a virtual menopause care practice, serving the entire state of Florida. She has dedicated her practice to midlife and menopause care, offering compassionate virtual care and comprehensive education on all menopause and hormone therapy options. Dr. Reyes empowers all going through the menopause transition —including survivors of hormone-sensitive and gynecologic cancers—to confidently navigate midlife and make informed, personalized choices for their health, longevity, and well-being.

Dr. Reyes completed her undergraduate education at Kansas State University, earning honors in Food Science. She earned her medical degree, with honors, at Kansas City University of Medicine and Biosciences and completed her residency in Obstetrics and Gynecology at the University of Kansas School of Medicine – Wichita.

Dr. Reyes is Board Certified in Obstetrics and Gynecology and a Menopause Society Certified Practitioner.

00:28 – Introduction to Episode #161 and welcome to Dr. Alex Reyes
01:26 – Why menopause care has historically fallen short in medicine
03:55 – The Women’s Health Initiative (WHI): what really happened vs media headlines
06:10 – Breast cancer risk, hormone therapy, and putting risk in proper context
09:42 – Myths about how long women can stay on hormone therapy
12:36 – The estrogen “black box warning” and why its removal matters
15:22 – How fear led to under-treatment and overuse of non-hormonal meds
18:10 – Perimenopause symptoms beyond hot flashes (mental health, joints, sleep)
23:30 – Rebuilding trust in menopause care and why women seek care elsewhere
29:40 – How to know when to seek another opinion for menopause symptoms

Connect with Dr. Reyes
Facebook and Instagram: @dr.alexandria.reyes
Website: http://www.dralexreyes.com/

Connect with Dr. Reller
Podcast website: https://gethealthytbpodcast.buzzsprou...
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kerryrellermd/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ClearwaterFamilyMedicine
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/clearwaterfamilymedicine/
Tiktok: https://www.tiktok.com/@kerryrellermd
Clearwater Family Medicine and Allergy website: https://sites.google.com/view/clearwa...
Podcast: https://gethealthytbpodcast.buzzsprou...

Subscribe to the Get Healthy Tampa Bay Podcast on Apple podcasts, Spotify, Amazon music, Stitcher, Google Podcasts, Pandora.