Radio Health Journal
The latest in health, science, technology, and the intersection of medicine and public policy.
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.
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.
In the mid-1960’s, many Ivy League and Seven Sister colleges as well as prestigious prep schools allowed researchers to photograph incoming students naked as part of work on a now-discredited theory linking physical characteristics to leadership potential. A former student who went through it, now a physician and writer, discusses how research ethics have changed in the last 50 years.
The injection of nanoparticles deep into the brain can produce relief for those with chronic pain and depression. Then, diagnoses for the four most common cancers take a big jump when people hit age 65. And finally, a new study shows that narcissistic people pump themselves up only because deep down inside, they don’t believe they’re any good.
Bottled water sales have skyrocketed, in part because many people believe it is safer than tap water. Actually, bottled water faces few of the safety regulations that tap water does. The disconnect, according to a new study, comes from society’s pervasive distrust in all governmental institutions. The lead researcher discusses how restoring faith in water could begin to restore faith in all …
Doctors are preparing for the possibility of Covid-19 variants that vaccines don’t prevent. Then, a new drug that shows promise against pancreatic and triple-negative breast cancers. And finally… mindfulness and meditation apps are good for reducing stress and anxiety, but they can also make you selfish.
Millions of Americans cannot afford the medications they’ve been prescribed. Many skip doses, split pills or don’t fill prescriptions at all as a result, with sometimes even fatal consequences. Experts discuss the problem and what patients can do to save.
Brain aneurysms—bulging in a brain blood vessel, like an inflated balloon—affect 1 in 50 people and are generally without symptoms until they burst. This occurs in about 30,000 people per year in the US, accounting for 3-5 percent of all new strokes. Here is the story of one survivor in her own words.
New research shows that reopening schools can be safe. Then, The brain cancer glioblastoma has no cure… but that may be changing. And finally, as air pollution from cars declines, scientists in Los Angeles say another polluter is becoming more important—palm trees.
Scientists are testing hundreds of different kinds of animals as well as waste and storm water for Covid-19, looking for reservoirs for possible mutation. They’ve learned even pets can possibly harbor the virus but probably aren’t a threat. An expert discusses how the knowledge will combat Covid variants.
A new study finds Covid-19 was likely circulating undetected for nearly two months before late December 2019. Then, a study indicating weight loss surgery significantly cuts the risk of cancer in people with severe obesity and nonalcoholic fatty liver disease. And finally, a small study finds that early in the lockdown, a weight gain of two pounds a month was pretty typical.
A federal task force says far more smokers and former smokers should be eligible for free CT scans to screen for lung cancer. Then, a single head injury could result in dementia decades later. Then, Women with heart disease do a lot better when they’re treated by women doctors. And finally, if you want to cut your risk of diabetes… eat breakfast early.
The mental health wreckage of the last year will take longer to overcome than simply completely global vaccination. Experts discuss how it’s showing up and what people can do to get back on track.
One of the oldest drugs in the world, aspirin, may help prevent Covid-19 infections and make illnesses that do take place much less serious. Then, people with Crohn’s disease often have flare-ups. One reason those sores don’t heal—fungus in foods. And finally… bosses who demand that employees keep their noses to the grindstone may be hurting productivity.
During the pandemic, millions of people have adopted diets full of comfort food, and have wrecked their heart health in the process. Now as the world begins to return to a semblance of normal, they will face wildly conflicting dietary advice. An expert cardiologist discusses how people can cut through the confusion.
About 10 percent of people will have a kidney stone at some point in their lives. When it happens, doctors may want to check for Osteoporosis, too. Then, more evidence that a vitamin d deficiency may leave you more susceptible to Covid. And finally… a lot of people take a probiotic to improve their gut health, but a new study suggests… try avocados instead.
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