Radio Health Journal
The latest in health, science, technology, and the intersection of medicine and public policy.
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 to prevent and treat it.
The Scientific reports the rotavirus could give children some protection against diabetes. Then, studies showing a rough childhood can have an affect on development. Skin biopsies are costly and invasive but a new virtual biopsy device could change all of that. Finally, are you a dog person? A study in Sweden says it's genetic.
Could a poor sense of smell be a sign of a downturn in health? Then, hospital guidelines regarding eating food and drinking liquids before surgery, and finally, teamwork is great, but studies show that's only the case when team members take time to step away to solve problems on their own.
A blood test that proves Chronic Fatigue Syndrome is real. Then, new studies to indicate an hour of walking can help you stave off "mobility disability" later in age. And finally, your doctor's white coat could be teeming with bacteria according to a study from the University of Maryland.
DNA mutations happen all the time in the body, but the immune system usually detects and deals with them. When the system fails, cancer results. Yet some animals, such as elephants, almost never get cancer, and scientists have learned that the elephant DNA repair system is 20 times more powerful than the human system. Experts explain how they hope to tap …
Many people having a mental health crisis go to the emergency room. However, ER’s are not well equipped to handle them, and many patients are boarded there for hours or even days without treatment. Experts discuss the reasons for the failure, the outcomes it produces, and solutions that have been successful in limited trials.
Heart disease is often preventable, but how people look at it often keeps them from doing as much about it as they could. Often this is a result of myth and misinformation. An expert physician discusses some of the most harmful of these myths.
Patients used to accept doctors’ orders without question. Today, more are asking questions and challenging their doctors’ opinions. However, even those who do it politely are likely to be labeled “difficult.” A doctor whose late wife nearly made a career of being a difficult patient discusses how patients can do it respectfully and fruitfully.
Heart attacks that produce few if any symptoms may be mistaken for indigestion or simple malaise, but they can be more serious than heart attacks that bring crushing pain because they often don't bring a victim to the hospital for lifesaving help. Experts discuss.
Many patients arrive in the emergency room as a result of violence or car crashes—events in which police have an investigative interest. Sometimes, police needs clash with trauma care, and priorities are hashed out case by case. Experts discuss which priorities come first and when, and the procedures needed to smooth out sometimes contentious interaction.
A cancer diagnosis can create stress that goes beyond the breaking point. Electric scooters are a rapidly rising cause of injury, and a new study shows 1 in 3 will need treatment in the E.R., and finally, people who are good navigators are almost always good at identifying smells as well.
With monitors surveying every part of patients’ bodies, hospital intensive care units appear to be a model of high tech. But systems engineers say ICU’s are actually models of inefficiency because few of those high tech devices talk to each other. Experts discuss how ICU’s could be improved to save lives.
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