Radio Health Journal
The latest in health, science, technology, and the intersection of medicine and public policy.
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.
A study shows that even a mild case of Covid produces antibodies that are still going strong 11 months later. Then, Could flickering lights help treat Alzheimer’s disease? And finally a new study shows that the flavor ban in San Francisco may have pushed high schoolers to start smoking cigarettes instead.
Thousands of parents take their children to doctors each year seeking synthetic growth hormone to cure their relatively short stature, even though most of these children are merely late bloomers. Plus, studies show that short stature generally does not create psychological damage. Experts weigh in.
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.
Many of us have the picture of a Covid pandemic winding down, but for cancer patients treatment can still be hard to get. Then, evidence of adverse health effects is mounting, but there’s been little research on prenatal exposure to Glyphosate. And finally… the home of the future may include a smart toilet to gauge your bowel health.
Each year, some 400 U.S. children over age one, most of them toddlers, die for no known reason. Families, longing for answers, often find that their families, friends, and even pediatricians are unfamiliar with this classification of death, or that they even occur. Family members who have lost a child, a medical examiner, and a research expert who has lost a child discuss SUDC.
Some people find that small “stones” are growing on their tonsils. They’re an accumulation of skin cells, food, and other debris. While they are not medically dangerous or painful, they often produce bad breath or sometimes pain. Two expert physicians discuss tonsil stones’ formation and treatment.
A new study finds that organic meats are much less likely to be contaminated with foodborne pathogens. Then, fracking has been linked to higher heart attack rates in nearby communities. Then, more people are working the graveyard shift… and that means more people suffering from what’s called “shift work sleep disorder.” Then, here’s another way to cut your cancer risk—eat more mushrooms. And …
Infants, toddlers, and grade school children use many cues to learn language. Some of them are visual, involving seeing the mouth move. Some depend on clearly hearing speech. Both have been impacted by mask wearing during the pandemic. Experts now studying how far behind children are as a result discuss how language develops in children and how it’s been affected in the pandemic.
A recent report shows that more than a dozen refineries around the US are emitting benzene pollution into the air at higher levels than allowed by the EPA. An activist discusses this newly labeled problem and what the agency can do to curb it.
Pregnant women face many medical risks, but a study suggests a case of symptomatic Covid-19 can make birth even riskier. Then, a new drug combination looks promising to treat Lou Gehrig's Disease. Then, doctors say you may want to reconsider using an over-the-counter antibiotic next time you scrape a knee. And finally… your chicken dinners aren’t saving any cows.
Hundreds of patients nationally have diseases that have confounded doctors and yielded no diagnosis and no reliable treatment. Today the Undiagnosed Diseases Network helps these patients, but its funding is uncertain beyond 2022. Patients and a physician leader of the UDN discuss the lonely plight of these patients and hopes for the future.
Many Americans believe that healthy food doesn’t taste good, and tasty food isn’t healthy. A chef who is also a cardiologist discusses how to find a balance by seeking out healthy ingredients rather than whole categories of foods.
Scientists have come up with a test that can tell in less than an hour whether you’re sick with a virus or bacteria. Then a study finds that there are changes in the blood that can predict a pregnant woman's due date more accurately than today's obstetricians. Then, more evidence that Covid symptoms can drag on and on for months. And finally, the impact of Covid-19 may be felt on the environment …
Since the Covid-19 pandemic began, public health experts have looked to vaccines with the goal of creating “herd immunity.” Now it is clear we will not reach that goal. One of the nation’s leading infectious disease experts discusses how we are missing the target and what it means.
Covid-19 is usually a respiratory disease, but it can affect virtually any organ in the body. The nation’s top kidney disease expert discusses how Covid can prompt life-threatening kidney effects in the previously healthy, and how those with kidney disease are more susceptible to severe Covid infection.
A large new study shows people are in more pain than ever before. Then, One of the hallmarks of diseases like Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s and ALS is a misfolding of proteins. now researchers say those folded proteins may be linked to gut bacteria. Then, here’s another way to cut your cancer risk—eat more mushrooms. And finally, a study showing that air pollution from farms contributes to nearly …
Since the 1980’s, almost all production of generic drugs has moved overseas, where FDA inspectors have a much tougher time making sure they’re following rules for safety. An investigative journalist describes the ways she’s found that many drugmakers cut corners, putting safety at risk, and details what consumers can do to protect themselves.
Covid-19 is usually a respiratory disease, but it can affect virtually any organ in the body. The nation’s top kidney disease expert discusses how Covid can prompt life-threatening kidney effects in the previously healthy, and how those with kidney disease are more susceptible to severe Covid infection.
The stress of the pandemic on healthcare workers has been enormous, but a new study shows critical care nurses were already burning out in large numbers even before it hit. Then, more than half of all cases of cervical cancer in the United States occur in women who’ve never had a pap smear or HPV test. Plus, a study finds cocoa powder may reduce liver disease. And finally, moms who’ve been working …
The US birth rate has been declining since the Crash of 2008, but it took an even larger decline during the pandemic to levels unseen since the Great Depression. Today fertility rates are below replacement levels, which could have big impacts on education, employment, and the tax base years down the road.
Colon cancer is striking much younger people than it used to, leading experts to lower the age on screening recommendations. A noted colon surgeon discusses screening and treatment options, and the way Covid-19 has changed patients’ approach to getting screened.
A study showing that even Covid survivors who were never sick enough to be hospitalized have a 60 percent higher risk of death from other diseases. Then Most people assume that smoke from wildfires affects mostly the heart and lungs, but a new study finds that it increases the odds of eczema as well. And finally… more than a year after the first reports of “zoom fatigue,” we’re getting more …
Many of those who’ve had Covid-19 have suffered from a temporary loss of their sense of smell, but some have had what seems to be an even worse symptom weeks or months later—a distorted sense of smell, where everything, from coffee to flowers, smells sickeningly awful. An expert and a former sufferer discuss how disruptive to life this can be and what people can do to make it through to recovery.
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