Radio Health Journal
The latest in health, science, technology, and the intersection of medicine and public policy.
Researchers are working on an app with a sensor to test for Covid-19 using only a drop of saliva. Then, life was more stressful than it was 25 years ago… and for middle aged people, it’s much more stressful. Plus, a study shows that emergency room visits for children for mental health disorders has increased 60 percent of the last 10 years. And finally, a study shows that homeschooled adolescents …
Scientists have discovered that singing is an exceptionally effective way to spread viruses through the aerosolized particles it expels, which may travel much farther than the six foot safety zone many people follow. This means choruses and choirs may not get back to “normal” after the Covid-19 pandemic until much later than most activities, and only with rapid, effective testing or a vaccine. …
Women may have been known through the centuries as the weaker sex, but researchers have learned that they are anything but weak. Their 2 X chromosomes are both active and cooperate with each other, especially in immune response. An expert discusses new findings on their genetic superiority.
A newly developed smartphone app is remarkably effective at predicting if a person is infected with Covid-19. Then biomarkers for ALS or Lou Gehrig’s disease can be found in a person’s teeth in the first decade of life. Then, a study shows that changing the way physical therapy is done can improve strength by an additional 30 percent. And finally, The labels on drinks for kids don’t help adults …
Over the last 8,000 years, the human jaw has been getting smaller due to an increasingly soft diet and a lack of jaw exercise. The result is an epidemic of crooked teeth and serious health consequences, as two experts explain.
For people under about age 70, Covid-19 is much harder on men than on women, especially those with strong male characteristics like scalp balding and plentiful body hair. A group of researchers has a theory as to why—that male hormones provide the virus with an entry into the cell. One of the researchers discusses what that could mean in terms of treatment.
Scientists have come up with a blood test that screens for a panel of biomarkers for pancreatic cancer that's nearly 92 percent accurate. Then, a new study shows that heart valve blockages in men and women may be caused by completely different factors. Plus, a report is out indicating Americans are feeling depressed right now. And finally, doctors and nurses can’t go back and forth like they used …
The Covid-19 lockdown has triggered increased alcohol use in many people, and an alcohol use disorder in some. Help can be difficult to access, as face-to-face counseling and group sessions have been halted. For women, it can be even more difficult, as they are much more comfortable in more rare single-sex sharing situations. Two experts discuss today’s dangerous alcohol triggers and how to seek …
Spring is the season of rituals—prom, graduation, commencement and weddings. Social distancing has taken most of these rituals away. An expert discusses the importance of rituals in our mental health and why it’s OK to grieve their loss.
People with heart attacks and other health emergencies are avoiding the emergency room for fear of contracting Covid-19. Then, a study showing that artificial intelligence can predict with about 80 percent accuracy which moderately-infected Covid-19 patients will get worse and which ones won’t. Next, a study saying that having your first child by C-section may lead to impaired fertility. And …
The Covid-19 pandemic has caused a quicker economic crash than we’ve ever seen. Opening the nation too fast will likely trigger a “W” shaped recovery with wide swings of growth then decline. Either way, the effects will last for years. Experts discuss likely scenarios.
Now telemedicine has been forced on us and on insurers by Covid-19 restrictions, and many providers swear by them. Three experts discuss.
A number of new treatments for Covid-19 are showing promise and could be fast-tracked if clinical trials continue to show good results. Then, another trial of 53 severely ill patients reported in the New England Journal of Medicine found that 68 percent showed clinical improvement with Remdesivir. Then, viruses like Covid-19 that jump from animals to people are going to become more common. Then, …
Mental health is difficult to maintain when people are required to stay inside at home. In fact, we’re asked to engage in activities that normally would indicate mental distress. A noted psychologist with the NIH discusses ways to stay mentally healthy during the pandemic lockdown.
Nursing homes have been a hotbed of fatal Covid-19 infections. The virus was loose in many of them before they could even know it. An industry expert discusses what nursing homes are doing now to keep the virus out and their patients safe.
By now, most of us are familiar with the main symptoms of a Covid-19 infection—fever, cough, and respiratory distress. But doctors are learning that the virus may also attack the heart and brain. And finally, last year we told you about a “smart toilet seat” that could diagnose congestive heart failure. Now scientists at Stanford University have put diagnostic tools in the toilet itself.
Many Americans are impatient with social distancing as a result of Covid-19 despite the success of the tactic. However, reopening the country too quickly could allow the virus to come roaring back, resulting in thousands more deaths and even more economic damage. Two experts explain how the rollout should happen to get us back to work safely.
A lack of ventilators potentially puts doctors in the position of deciding which of their Covid-19 patients get a ventilator and live, and which ones don’t get one and die. New rules for making such decisions have been released which are designed to be fair and independent. The designer of the rules explains.
A blood test for many types of cancer has been a long-sought goal of researchers, and now they’re much closer. Then, a team of faculty and students at Rice University has developed an automated bag valve mask ventilator using $300 worth of parts off the shelf. And finally, a study from the University of Michigan finds that if you talk to yourself in the third person by name, you’ll be less likely …
Hospitals are scrambling to get extra equipment and outfit more beds and ICU units for Covid-19 patients. Their treatment is time-consuming and expensive. At the same time, hospitals’ lucrative elective procedure business has largely been eliminated. Will the combination bankrupt hospitals? Two experts who have studied the crisis discuss.
The national effort to shelter in place has closed gyms and led many people to complain of weight gain. Two exercise experts discuss how people can maintain fitness at home with no equipment.
If you’ve been taking the drug Ranitidine for reflux or ulcer prevention, the FDA says stop. Then, a new study shows that parents are yelling at their children more since most of us have been ordered to stay home. And finally, with Covid-19 testing in such short supply… why not let a dog do it?
With hundreds of millions of Americans sheltering at home due to the Covid-19 pandemic, the odds and fear of domestic abuse are rising. The leader of a noted shelter and counseling program discusses the increase.
People who suddenly speak with what sounds like a foreign accent often have a brain injury due to a stroke or other trauma. Experts discuss the syndrome and chances of recovery.
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