Radio Health Journal
The latest in health, science, technology, and the intersection of medicine and public policy.
A study showing a growing number of young adults have substance use disorders. Then, a specific diet could help alleviate crushing fatigue for people with multiple sclerosis. And finally, a new study suggests men should stop drinking before conception to reduce the risk of heart disease in their offspring.
Epilepsy can show itself in many ways, including as episodes of giggling and laughing. An expert discusses the case of a then-nine-year old boy with such seizures, the danger they posed, and the novel way he was treated.
A kid's picky eating could be a sign of autism. Then, medication dispensing limits are supposed to save money, but that may not be the case for birth control pills. Finally, shrinking screens could be distorting your view of the news.
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 follow that it’s a prescription for defeat. Experts discuss.
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 are ways to help. One of the nation’s top experts discusses.
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 targeted treatments—is giving thousands of people hope of survival they’ve never had before. Experts …
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.
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.
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.
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.
Many people who have chronic recurrent sinusitis may have an allergic reaction to fungi rather than a bacterial infection. Treatments for the two are completely different, and in some cases, fungal sinusitis can be life threatening. Two experts and a patient explain.
Electroconvulsive therapy still has a stigma, with the reputation of being a painful, disturbing procedure that wipes out memories and, if movies are to be believed, even creates zombies. Experts explain the reality—that ECT is a quiet procedure that provokes a short brain seizure, releasing huge amounts of neurotransmitters to reset the brain in what is the …
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