Radio Health Journal
The latest in health, science, technology, and the intersection of medicine and public policy.
Just about anyone can report a parent to a child abuse hotline. It’s meant to protect children, but all too often, parents are reported when no abuse or neglect exists in order to retaliate for a divorce or some other grievance. And though the world is actually safer for children than it used to be, some parents are reported for merely letting children play outside or walk to school without an …
The connection between the appendix and Parkinson's Disease, plus asthma related issues due to obesity, third generation households, and finally, makers of smoke alarms may be thinking of changing what they sound like.
People suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder often can’t face their trauma, which is necessary for psychotherapy to work. It is a big reason PTSD is so difficult to treat. Scientists are leading clinical trials into the use of the banned drug MDMA in connection with therapy to help break this hurdle, and the results so far have been outstanding in curing PTSD.
Thanks in part to its Biblical past, the disfiguring disease leprosy carries more stigma than most diseases. We hear little about it today, but it still exists, and because it’s now treatable, often the stigma is worse than the disease. An expert discusses.
Doctors pinpointing the gene at fault for AML. Plus, obesity links tied to asthma, immaturity being mistaken for ADHD, and finally vitamin gum and it's benefits.
People who are adopted have more psychological problems than others, yet they also tend to have other psychological strengths. Experts, both themselves also adoptees, discuss the roots and outcomes of these issues as adopted children grow up.
Tickling is a unique application of the sense of touch that surprisingly has developmental and cultural importance. Experts discuss the science and sociology of tickling.
Post surgery opioid addiction in women. The Risks of drinking everyday. Intestinal bacteria tied to obesity in toddlers. Lung cancer death decreases in California. And finally, a reduction in the flu for some due to television watching habits.
About 40 percent of eligible people have been vaccinated against the flu in recent years, but many more might do so were it not for persistent myths about the disease and its vaccine. For example, a new survey shows that more than half of parents believe the flu shot can cause the flu. Experts explain why those myths aren’t true and set the record straight.
Sleep disorders can be difficult to diagnose and treat. A science journalist discusses his efforts to overcome narcolepsy, which produces extreme daytime sleepiness, and cataplexy, which produces instant sleep-like paralysis, as well as the science behind sleep disorders.
Hay fever vaccines, egg freezing becoming common for young women, and finally more evidence supporting the existence of junk food addiction.
Surveys show that hospital gowns are one of the things that most makes a hospital stay unpleasant. Finally hospitals may be moving to get rid of the old style gowns toward a less revealing, more dignified design that is still functional for healthcare workers. Experts discuss.
A new study suggest gum disease may kick start Alzheimer's disease. Nearly half of Americans spend most of the work day sitting, and some have now installed treadmill desks. Finally, scientists in India have uncovered a major public health threat...taking selfies.
About two-thirds of people with dementia in the United States are women, and researchers are discovering it’s not just because they live longer. Reproductive history also plays a role. Scientists are focusing on the role of estrogen as a potential protective factor against Alzheimer’s disease. Several who are involved in this research explain.
What we now call “homesickness” used to be a medical diagnosis called “nostalgia,” and it was considered life-threatening. Today many people consider homesickness to be a childish emotion, but an expert says it’s nothing to be ashamed of. We all suffer from it sometime and need to know how to cope.
A new antidepressant to help mothers experiencing postpartum depression. An asthma drug that may help reduce the damaging effects of multiple sclerosis. Plus, angry people may think they're smarter, but studies show this clearly isn't the case.
Medical bills have long been labeled the number one cause of bankruptcy in the US. A recent study has examined how medical crises produce personal financial disaster. Researchers say for the uninsured, medical bills are, indeed, a heavy burden. But for both insured and uninsured, illness or injury can cause disruption of employment that may linger for years, and from which family finances may …
Researchers have discovered a variety of components in foods that are essential to health but are low in quantity in most diets. One of these is a set of compounds called polyamines. Researchers explain what they are, how they work, and how people can replace those that are needed in the diet.
Identifying Alzheimer's at an early age, sleepless nights due to restless leg syndrome, and finally, wrinkles and an increased chance for heart disease.
For decades, the US has exported much of its recycled waste to China, an option no longer available to us by Chinese government policy. Now much of this waste may go to other Asian third world countries that are poorly equipped to take it. Experts say US consumers need to improve their recycling habits, but some advocates say we should aim for more—a “zero waste” lifestyle where a family of four …
Since the beginning of the “baby on back” movement to reduce sudden infant death syndrome, many more infants are developing misshapen heads with a flat spot in one place. An expert discusses whether this is serious, how it can be treated with a helmet-like device, and how it might be prevented.
A vaccine for acne, a "good cholesterol" correlation to heart attacks, solutions for "iPad neck," and finally, designating a driver for, "the morning after."
The second most common form of dementia is virtually unknown to most people. However, Lewy body dementia affects 1.4 million Americans, with symptoms commonly misdiagnosed as Alzheimer's disease. Additional symptoms such as hallucinations and uncontrollable shaking make diagnosis and caregiving more difficult, and treatments for Alzheimer's or psychosis can often be harmful. Experts discuss.
Gene research has made incredible leaps in the last decade. A physician/Pulitzer-prize winning author explains what our new knowledge means for our immediate medical future, given our struggles with genetic knowledge in the past.
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