Radio Health Journal
The latest in health, science, technology, and the intersection of medicine & public policy.
Covid-19 vaccines are now approved for children as young as 5, but while people are afraid of getting the vaccine themselves, they’re even more nervous about getting it for their children. Misinformation is accelerating against use of the vaccine in kids. Experts discuss and correct the most prevalent myths.
The White House and many health officials have taken an aggressive approach to communicating the need for Covid-19 vaccines. Most people are prompted to get vaccinated by mandates and words that generate fear, but it’s clear that they backfire with a sizable minority of others. A communications expert discusses how certain words motivate some groups and …
Around a half million people are homeless in the US on any given night, but the street homeless who are most visible often incorrectly influence our assumptions about the homeless. A noted researcher discusses myths and truths about their addictions, employment, residences, and more, and why people often become homeless.
Rural hospitals have long struggled to maintain staffing levels of nurses and other professionals that are adequate for good care. The pandemic has made it much worse, as staffers have quit and patient loads have increased. Experts discuss the roots of the staff shortage, the effects on care safety, the extreme cost of efforts to attract and retain staff, …
Many experts believe we have missed our chance to eliminate Covid-19, and that now it is very likely to become an endemic disease--one that persists, though at lower levels, and never goes away. Two noted infectious disease experts discuss what that means for precautions and lifestyles in perpetuity.
Doctors have learned that childhood allergies and asthma may have their start in dry, dysfunctional skin in infancy, when allergens such as food particles enter the body through cracks in the skin. A noted pediatric allergist discusses this ”atopic march” and ways to combat it.
Patients have to make medical choices today that they never did before. But do they have enough information to make those choices? Are normal people able to understand the flood of information and the medical terms to make good choices? An expert discusses how patients can work through these issues.
Research shows Covid vaccines have no effect on fertility and vaccinated mothers can pass along immunity to babies in the womb. A study shows the rules restricting how many passengers teen drivers can carry are working. Then, a new study says it's not just about how many steps you take per day, it matters how fast you walk. And finally, if the pandemic’s got …
Children as young as five may soon be part of the tug of war over vaccine mandates. Then, several important studies on Covid and vaccination are released by CDC. And finally, a study finds that people with a history of trauma get more of a high from morphine than people who’ve been trauma-free.
Loneliness has been increasing across all ages even before the pandemic. It’s especially noteworthy among seniors, and it can dramatically affect health. An expert geriatrician who has studied the effects of loneliness and the leader of an organization that provides friendly visitors to the isolated elderly discuss.
With the Delta variant of Covid-19 spreading, far more Americans are worried about getting infected. American children and adolescents now get two-thirds of their calories from ultra processed foods. And finally... it’s good to be productive but if you think leisure is a waste of time, you’re likely to be unhappy overall.
Schools that just a couple of months ago imagined opening free of great pandemic worry are now facing a Delta variant that’s even more contagious than the original. Yet last year’s experience is telling experts and administrators that school can be held safely if masking and other protocols are followed. Two pediatricians who are experts in how infectious …
