Radio Health Journal
The latest in health, science, technology, and the intersection of medicine and public policy.
Medicine in intensive care units has become so technically focused that many doctors believe they’ve lost their connection with the humanity of patients, and a high degree of patients are experiencing post intensive care syndrome.
The White House and many health officials have taken an aggressive approach to communicating the need for Covid-19 vaccines. Most people are prompted to get vaccinated by mandates and words that generate fear, but it’s clear that they backfire with a sizable minority of others. A communications expert discusses how certain words motivate some groups and repel others.
A National Book Award-winning author discusses his experience as a first-time dad at 56, and now as a 73-year old father with teenagers.
Many people are unfamiliar with arterial blockages away from the heart. Peripheral artery disease, or PAD, affects African Americans much more than other populations for unknown reasons. An expert physician discusses PAD, the possible consequences, warning signs, and a clinical trial of treatments.
Twins share a bond that can’t be understood by non-twins. When one twin suddenly dies, it can leave a huge hole and in the life of the other. A twinless twin who became a therapist specializing in twin loss discusses the issue.
Wild animals carry out “criminal acts” with amazing frequency, ranging from simple breaking and entering to theft to manslaughter. Wildlife managers spend much of their time trying to prevent these acts or clean up after them. Noted science writer Mary Roach discusses animal criminals and how human behavior is encroaching on wildlife habitat, forcing them into more criminal acts than ever.
Doctors have learned that childhood allergies and asthma may have their start in dry, dysfunctional skin in infancy, when allergens such as food particles enter the body through cracks in the skin. A noted pediatric allergist discusses this ”atopic march” and ways to combat it.
Headaches affect far more lives far more severely than most people realize. A sufferer and an expert physician discuss headaches and their treatment.
Addiction specialists are seeking to change the words we use to describe addictive behaviors, as they’ve learned the wrong language creates stigma and drives people away from treatment. Experts discuss the problem and solutions.
Music is more than a fun pastime. Studies show that especially in children, studying music rewires the brain in beneficial ways, giving them an advantage in other cognitive skills. The scientist who’s done much of this pioneering work discusses its ramifications and impact.
As much as 16 percent of the population suffers from trypophobia, which makes them uneasy at the sight of holes clustered together, as in a honeycomb. Two experts and a sufferer discuss this phobia, which can be remarkably debilitating.
Heart disease is often preventable, but how people look at it often keeps them from doing as much about it as they could. Often this is a result of myth and misinformation. An expert physician discusses some of the most harmful of these myths.
Nail biting is an extremely common habit, but some people bite their nails so badly and so often that they suffer damage to their hands. Experts discuss why so many of us are driven to bite our nails, what can be done to stop it, and the damage that can occur when we can’t stop.
Scientists are developing 3D printing technology using human cells to build human organs. The technique could be used to grow organs for transplant, relieving the long waitlist. Experts discuss.
Heart disease is the number one killer in the U.S., but a well known cardiologist says if everyone would follow a plant-based, oil-free diet, heart disease could be eradicated. Yet many cardiologists won’t prescribe such a diet, fearing it’s so difficult to follow that it’s a prescription for defeat.
Swinging small children around by their arms may be fun, but it can lead to a very common injury, “nursemaid’s elbow,” an elbow dislocation, and each instance makes the next more likely. Physicians who treat it—and have experienced it in their own children—discuss the injury, its treatment and prevention.
One of the most popular searches on Google is for symptoms and what they mean. It’s created a much more well informed patient population, but one that may panic at the least pain or discomfort.
Some people have an unusual merging of senses, where they routinely see colors in sounds or numbers, see time visually, or have other perception differences. Artists sometimes have synesthesia, and researchers are beginning to study it to see how it might be tapped to help the rest of us. Experts explain.
An expert who has studied dog bites discusses the reality of breed temperament, especially when children are around, how to prevent bites, and whether breeds with dangerous reputations deserve them.
A new study shows that people over age 70 are three times more likely than younger people to die when they fall. Older people also take more medications with a fall risk, and which pose a risk themselves when someone taking them falls. Experts discuss these complications and why it’s important to prevent falls and other injuries.
A study by Save the Children shows on a county-by-county basis that children in poor and rural counties, especially in the south, are much less likely to survive into adulthood, and when they do, they’re often forced to become adults too soon by poverty, pregnancy, and lack of education. A Save the Children expert discusses factors that hurt children and ways they might be alleviated.
Dementia has a much wider range than most people think, and people with dementia are usually functional for years. An expert discusses the course of the disease and how life can still be positive for years before it reaches the late, debilitating stage most people think of when they hear the word “dementia.”
Most people procrastinate at least now and then. But when we put something off, we’re usually facing not a time management problem, but an emotion management problem. Experts discuss what’s going on in our heads when we procrastinate.
Marfan syndrome produces obvious physical symptoms such as extreme height, but its hidden symptoms, especially in the heart and eyes, can be much more serious. Experts discuss its diagnosis and treatment.
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