History’s Worst Plagues
Plagues can wipe out entire populations and create fear and great mystery in how they spread. An author who has explored plagues and dangerous diseases explains.
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The Economics of Later School Start Times
Thirty years of research has shown that teenagers’ biology prevents them from getting to sleep much before 11pm, and with most high schools starting classes around 8 am, they are chronically sleep deprived. Experts discuss how students and even the economy …
Dog Breeds and Dog Bites
Nearly 40 percent of American homes have a dog, and while dogs may be “man’s best friend,” sometimes they bite, and sometimes with serious consequences. An expert who has studied dog bites discusses the reality of breed temperament, especially when children …
School Crossing Safety
A safety expert and a veteran school crossing guard—the nation’s “favorite crossing guard”-- discuss.
A Radical Diet to Prevent Heart Disease
Heart disease is the number one killer in the US, but a well known cardiologist says if everyone would follow a plant-based, oil-free diet, heart disease could be eradicated. Yet many cardiologists won’t prescribe such a diet, fearing it’s so difficult to …
The Pros and Cons of Mobile Health Apps
Mobile health apps are becoming very popular, though some are being shown to have little benefit. Few barriers exist to almost anyone entering the field whether they have health expertise or not. Privacy is also a concern. Experts discuss how people can …
Fatty Liver Disease: Silently Growing
Most people associate cirrhosis of the liver with heavy alcohol use. But nonalcoholic fatty liver disease, which also leads to cirrhosis, is growing rapidly, and may affect a quarter of the population. Experts discuss this silent disease and what people can do …
Cancer Treatment and Sex
Cancer treatment has always focused on survival. Now doctors are increasingly focusing on side effects, including the effect of treatment on sexual function and satisfaction. However, many patients are shy about bringing up their difficulties, unaware there …
PANDAS–The Mysterious Childhood Disorder After a Strep Throat (2019)
Strep infection may prompt a severe reaction in some children, causing their own immune system to attack cells in the brain. What appear to be extreme psychological symptoms result from what is really a physical disorder. The disorder, known as PANDAS, is …
The Psychology of Procrastination
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.
CBD––The Truth About the Latest Health Craze
Suddenly, cannabis-related, hemp-derived CBD is almost everywhere. CBD’s FDA status is murky, and we know very little about its benefits, thanks in part to its former place on DEA Schedule 1. How much has been proven about its supposed health qualities? What …
Genetic and Genomic Testing
When most of us think of genetic testing for health, we imagine tests to detect whether we’ve inherited genes that predispose us for cancer or other serious disease. But another kind of gene testing—genomic testing of tumor cells for their susceptibility to …
