Medical Notes: Week of February 10, 2019
The life-long effects of trauma experienced at a young age, the need for an additional knee replacement surgery after the first, and finally if you're in a stressful situation, think of your Valentine.
Talking to Your Baby
Scientists have discovered that the way parents talk to their infants has a huge effect on their intellectual development and later success. Experts discuss why and how parents should hold "conversations" with their babies.
Superstitions in Sports (2019)
Professional athletes are among the most superstitious of all people. While we may be tempted to think these rituals have no effect on performance, psychologists say that if an athlete believes it helps, then it actually does. Experts explain how superstitions work in sports and in life.
Medical Notes: Week of February 3, 2019
Cancer deaths are on the decline, parents are dissatisfied with the systems school have in place to counteract gun violence. A study shows an increase in cardiovascular harm to patients taking basal insulin. Finally, more than half of those taking medical marijuana for chronic pain admit to driving while under the influence.
Rethinking Antibiotics
Since the introduction of antibiotics in World War II, doctors have prescribed courses of treatment that typically ran longer than necessary. Bacterial resistance is forcing a reevaluation, shortening courses sometimes to just a few days and even prompting doctors to advise not using all pills if patients feel better.
The Early Days of Hormones (2019)
Hormones were unknown until a little more than 100 years ago, and experts admit we still have a lot to learn. An expert author details the discovery of hormones and how our growing knowledge has shaped treatment of many diseases and conditions.
Medical Notes: Week of January 27, 2019
A drinkable cocktail of designer molecules that stops the development of dementia. Then, using sugar substitutes as part of a weight loss resolution and the evidence that suggests it's no better or worse than plain old sugar. Finally, shaming people for what they do isn't right even thought new research suggests that it can get people who engage in dangerous activities to quit.
When You Have No Primary Care Doctor
Experts discuss the ramifications of this trend both medically and economically, reasons behind it, and how primary care practitioners are changing the way they work to answer objections.
Dupuytren’s Disease: Crippler of Hands
Dupuytren's disease (pronounced DOO-pah-tren) is the most common disorder crippling hands that most people have never heard of. It is a genetic condition of the fascia beneath the skin of the palms, and it stubbornly resists treatment. An expert and a patient discuss the disorder.
Medical Notes: Week of January 20, 2019
Vitamin B9 is an essential nutrient, and now new research shows supplementation is more important than we thought. Then, If you ever fibbed to your doctor, you're not alone, and scientists have found a specific genetic mutation that causes frontotemporal Alzheimer's. Finally, forcing kids to apologize and recent studies that show how it usually backfires.
Autism in Girls (2019)
Experts have believed that autism affects four times as many boys as girls, but the ratio may not actually be quite that high. Doctors are learning that autism shows up differently in girls’ behavior as a result of brain differences. This leaves many girls with autism undiagnosed. Experts discuss how it appears in girls and the consequences of those differences.
Invisible Girls: Victims of Incest
Experts say incest is the most common of all sexual abuse, but the least discussed openly. A noted expert on sexual abuse discusses how incest makes girls feel particularly responsible and unable to come forward, and a non-profit organization that seeks to help them.
Medical Notes: Week of January 13, 2019
The number of people with dementia around the world has more than doubled since the 1990s. The effects of air pollution on city dwellers. And finally, studies proving that it doesn't take long to believe your own lies.
Personality and Drug Abuse
Drug and alcohol addiction and abuse is rising. Researchers have found that “fear mongering” educational efforts to combat it in adolescents doesn’t work. New science has discovered that certain personality types are predictably predisposed to addiction risk, and that educational efforts can be targeted to them effectively. Experts discuss.
The Addiction Spectrum
Does addiction affect all of us in some degree? A noted addiction specialist and author believes we are all somewhere on the addiction spectrum, from bad habits to full-blown addiction. He discusses how small triggers can push people to seek relief, producing deepening decline.
Medical Notes: Week of January 6, 2019
Death risks related to blood transfusion. Sleep studies indicating high anger responses in those who are sleep deprived. And finally, abused employees making great bosses.
Smart Roads (2018)
In the near future, cars will be able to provide data as well as receive it, and a variety of methods are being researched to tap into this. Experts explain how cars can communicate with roads, traffic signals and central computers, and how roads themselves may collect data on the cars they carry. In the future, autonomous cars may use these links to greatly speed travel and make it much safer. …
Medical Notes: Week of December 30, 2018
Death rates for most major health conditions are in decline except for chronic kidney disease. Children don't just grow up faster but also age faster if they had a tough childhood, and finally, if you're a night owl, recent studies your health may suffer for it.
Amnesia (2018)
It's a rare thing for people to lose their memory of past events. An expert discusses why doctors believe it may occur, and a woman to whom it happened recounts her experience.
Little People, Disability and the Prospect of a “Cure”
Many people with dwarfism also face skeletal abnormalities which can lead to disability. Experts, and little people themselves, discuss major causes of dwarfism, the hurdles they create, the struggle for respect, and the prospect of treatments that could one day make little people much more rare.
Medical Notes: Week of December 23, 2018
The reason for a decline of American lifespans, a study explaining why waiting a year between the birth of 1 child lowers complications, and finally if your desk is a mess, your co-workers probably make negative assumptions about you.
Avoiding Food Waste
During the holidays, leftovers from gatherings and parties may threaten to take over the refrigerator. An expert discusses consumer-friendly how-to’s, including how to read labels, that can lengthen food life and help avoid food waste.
The Good and Bad of Medical Crowdfunding (2018)
Medical campaigns account for a third of monies raised on crowdfunding sites like GoFundMe, and many people who’ve fallen through the holes of the safety net have been helped this way. But new studies show that fraud is rampant in crowdfunding, with fake patients and medical providers who all too eager to take money for worthless treatment. Experts discuss these issues and the need for regulation.
Medical Notes: Week of December 16, 2018
Studies showing neither aspirin, nor omega 3 fish oil supplements help during a heart attack. Then, health issues related to inflammation and grief and finally, people with ADHD being recognized as assets to their employers.
