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Dr. Mona Jhaveri Explains The Future of Telemedicine: Benefits, Challenges, and Growth Potential

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The scourge of cancer continues to affect people in the United States, with an estimated 19 million new diagnoses in 2022 alone. Over the past century, countless people have believed that medical research would help drive the search for new treatments and the hope for an eventual cure for cancer. And while this belief does hold some truth, there has been a renewed focus on the role of health technology in discovering treatments and eventual cures. 

One of the most significant tech moves in the healthcare space — particularly in the last few years — has been telemedicine. Its efficacy and popularity ballooned during the pandemic, with telehealth encounters growing over 700% in the first three months. 

Now, there is growing support for the benefits of telemedicine for those experiencing a cancer diagnosis as well. Dr. Mona Jhaveri, founder and director of Music Beats Cancer, a non-profit cancer research funding organization, believes the current labyrinthian process that patients must undergo to receive a referral, see a doctor, and have their prescriptions filled is one that is long overdue for change. 

“With telemedicine, it’s easier than ever to get access to help and medications,” Dr. Jhaveri explains. “Telemedicine has made the entire process faster and more affordable for millions of people.”

The benefits of telemedicine 

When one receives a new cancer diagnosis, time is often of the essence. Depending on what stage they may be experiencing — and if the cancer has spread — patients may only have a matter of days or weeks to arrange comprehensive care and prescription delivery, but the referral and scheduling process can be frustratingly complex and time-consuming. In addition, waiting weeks to see a specialist is something most cancer patients cannot afford. 

With telemedicine, patients can gain faster and more efficient access to the referrals and specialists they need, especially those living in rural or remote areas. Through teleconferencing, patients do not need to leave their homes in order to speak to doctors, attend appointments, or receive referrals. Instead, the patient’s team of specialists can often be one click away, saving precious time and upwards of thousands of dollars over the course of one’s cancer treatment. 

In a recent study, it was shown that the average telemedicine visit saves patients between $147 to $186 per incident. Telemedicine also provides patients with significant savings in regard to travel costs, medical visit expenses, and lost income from having to miss work. 

According to Dr. Jhaveri, telemedicine is also remarkably beneficial for pharmaceutical services. “While prescription deliveries have been a standard in cancer care for some time,” she says, “advances in telemedicine have allowed physicians to better virtually monitor progress and quickly change prescriptions that may not be effective for a patient.” She adds that, with telemedicine, pharmacists can also take a larger role on a patient’s cancer care team, gaining virtual access to patients in order to answer questions and monitor their use of medications. 

Dr. Jhaveri and Music Beats Cancer recently joined forces with TeleMedicX to raise funds for their HIPPA-compliant telemedicine platform VirtualCliniX, with the aim to provide faster access referrals for cancer patients on the islands of Hawaii. Because many areas of Hawaii are remote, the capabilities of telemedicine are especially welcomed. With Music Beats Cancer, Dr. Jhaveri has been able to find potential solutions to funding issues for telemedicine technologies like what TeleMedicX is offering to the islands’ residents. 

“For cancer patients living far from state-of-the-art medical hubs, locating and transferring medical records to healthcare specialists is daunting, so half of all patients simply discontinue the care they need,” Dr. Jhaveri stated in a recent press release about Music Beats Cancer’s partnership.  

For patients with cancer, healing cannot possibly come without access. This is the cause Music Beats Cancer is hoping to shed light on. 

Breaking through the funding bottleneck

Though telemedicine lends itself to cost savings in the long run, there is an upfront cost for providers who wish to implement the technology for their patients — one of the major hurdles that telemedicine implementation must overcome. Because the widespread use of telemedicine is still in its relative infancy, insurance companies have been slow to adapt their coverage policies, while some have even rolled back coverage after the COVID-19 pandemic. 

Dr. Jhaveri is no stranger to having run into funding bottlenecks, herself. In fact, those bottlenecks are the entire reason why she first founded Music Beats Cancer. 

As Dr. Jhaveri told Entrepreneur’s Break, “Before I started a crowdfunding charity, I launched a biotech to produce a cure for ovarian cancer. A funding bottleneck stood between academic research and real-world innovation, and I experienced it first-hand,” she says. “I knew we faced a systemic problem in funding the war on cancer, and everyone in the industry knew it as well. I had a gut feeling things would change if the public became aware.

The public became acutely aware of the life-saving impact telemedicine had during the pandemic. Now that its benefits have been so heavily publicized, Dr. Jhaveri is hopeful that funding efforts will be well-received — especially for cancer patients who stand to most benefit from the time and money savings that telemedicine provides. 

Growth potential

Even though the pandemic has waned, those in the cancer treatment space have continued to recognize and champion the benefits of continued telemedicine use. Dr. Jhaveri began Music Beats Cancer as a way to increase cancer treatment accessibility and transform funding, and the incredible growth potential of telemedicine for cancer care is a core focus of hers going into 2024. 

“It’s going to be a field that expands and will have its place in medicine,” Dr. Jhaveri explains. “It has been especially fruitful in areas where people are underserved or for people at or below the poverty line.” 

Indeed, poverty has been shown to be a risk factor for certain cancers, making accessible and affordable access to one’s medical team and prescriptions even more important. 

Music Beats Cancer has made tremendous strides in platforming innovation, revolutionizing cancer screening, and raising awareness. Those who are fighting cancer, be they patients or providers, cannot afford to weather the funding gaps that stand in the way of innovation. Through strategic partnerships and continued support from independent music artists, Dr. Jhaveri and Music Beats Cancer will continue to champion and fund technology that can truly enhance access to treatment and the betterment of the quality of life for cancer patients.

Rosario is from New York and has worked with leading companies like Microsoft as a copy-writer in the past. Now he spends his time writing for readers of BigtimeDaily.com

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Lifestyle

The Missing Piece in Self-Help? Why This Book is Changing the Wellness Game

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Self-help shelves are full of advice — some of it helpful, some of it recycled, and most of it focused on “mindset.” But Rebecca Kase, LCSW and founder of the Trauma Therapist Institute, is offering something different: a science-backed, body-first approach that explains why so many people feel struck, overwhelmed, or burned out — and what they can actually do about it.

A seasoned therapist and business leader, Kase has spent nearly two decades teaching others how to navigate life through the lens of the nervous system. Her newest book, “The Polyvagal Solution,” set to release in May 2025, aims to shake up the wellness space by shifting the focus away from willpower and onto biology. If success has felt out of reach — or if healing has always seemed like a vague concept — this book may be the missing link.

A new way to understand stress and healing

At the heart of Kase’s approach is polyvagal theory, a neuroscience-based framework that helps explain how our bodies respond to safety and threat. Developed by Dr. Stephen Porges, polyvagal theory has transformed the way many therapists understand trauma, but Kase is bringing this knowledge to a much wider audience.

“The body always tells the truth,” Kase says. “If you’re anxious, exhausted, or always in overdrive, your nervous system is asking for support, not more discipline.”

“The Polyvagal Solution” makes this complex theory digestible and actionable. Instead of promising quick fixes, Kase offers strategies for regulating the nervous system over time, including breathwork, movement, boundaries, and daily practices that better align with how the human body functions. It’s less about pushing through discomfort and more about learning to tune in to what the body needs.

From clinical expertise to business insight

What sets Kase apart isn’t just her deep understanding of trauma but how she blends that knowledge with real-world experience as a business owner and leader. As the founder of the Trauma Therapist Institute, she scaled her work into a thriving company, all while staying rooted in the values she teaches.

Kase has coached therapists, executives, and entrepreneurs who struggle with burnout, anxiety, or feeling disconnected from their work. Regardless of who she works with, though, her message remains consistent: the problem isn’t always mindset — it’s often regulation.

“Success that drains you isn’t success. It’s survival mode in disguise,” Kase explains. Her coaching programs go beyond traditional leadership training by teaching high achievers how to calm their nervous systems, enabling them to lead from a grounded place, not just grit.

Making the science personal

For all her clinical knowledge, Kase keeps things human. Her work doesn’t sound like a lecture but rather like a conversation with someone who gets it. That’s because she’s been through it herself: the long hours as a therapist, the emotional toll of supporting others, the realities of building a business while managing her own well-being.

That lived experience informs everything she does. Whether she’s speaking on stage, running a retreat, or sharing an anecdote on her podcast, Kase has a way of weaving humor and honesty into even the heaviest topics. Her ability to balance evidence-based practice with practical advice is part of what makes her voice so compelling.

Kase’s previous book, “Polyvagal-Informed EMDR,” earned respect from clinicians across the country. But “The Polyvagal Solution” reaches beyond the therapy community to anyone ready to understand how their body is shaping their behavior and how to create real, sustainable change.

Why this message matters

We’re in a moment where burnout is common and overwhelm feels normal. People are looking for answers, but many of the tools out there don’t address the deeper cause of those feelings.

That’s where Kase’s work lands differently. Instead of telling people to “think positive” or “try harder,” she teaches them how to regulate their own biology. And in doing so, she opens the door for deeper connection, better decision-making, and more energy for the things that matter.

As more workplaces begin to embrace trauma-informed leadership, more individuals are seeking solutions that go beyond talk therapy and motivational content. Kase meets that need with clarity, compassion, and a toolkit rooted in both science and humanity.

A grounded approach to lasting change

What makes “The Polyvagal Solution” stand out is its realism. It doesn’t ask readers to overhaul their lives but instead asks them to listen — to pay attention to how their bodies feel, how their stress patterns manifest, and how even small shifts in awareness can lead to significant results over time. Whether you’re a therapist, a team leader, or someone trying to feel more at ease in your own skin, this book offers a way forward that feels both grounded and achievable.

Rebecca Kase isn’t just adding another title to the self-help genre. She’s redefining it by reminding us that we don’t have to muscle our way through life. We just have to learn how to work with, not against, ourselves.

And maybe that’s the real game-changer we’ve been waiting for.

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