Radio Health Journal
Each week, Radio Health Journal breaks down important news in medicine, science and technology with the help of world-renowned experts. Our three weekly segments will help guide you to a happier, healthier life – with some fun facts to share at dinner parties. Can magic mushrooms cure your depression? Have we outrun natural selection?
Hosted by Elizabeth Westfield, Greg Johnson and Maayan Voss de Bettancourt and produced by Kristen Farrah and Amirah Zaveri. New shows posted each Sunday by 5 a.m. EST. Subscribe, listen, and rate. If you’re looking for older episodes, you can find our entire segment catalog on our website radiohealthjournal.org. Also, check out the latest on Facebook and Instagram @radiohealthjournal and on X @RadioHealthJrnl.
501
Who’s Responsible For a Mass Shooting?
Even as many students switched to virtual learning, school shootings didn’t stop. One recent school shooter used his parents’ gun, and now they are facing charges for their role in the incident. Experts discuss how the accountability of mass...
14 min
502
The Problem With a New Road Phenomenon Called ‘...
Less congested roads during the pandemic gave room for drivers to increase their speed, creating a whole new type of driving called ‘super speeding’. The issue is that there’s also been the largest number of car crash deaths since 2006. Experts...
9 min
503
Medical Notes: Week of March 27, 2022
AI outperforms expert humans in brain surgery instruction. A new study finds brain measurements in children with ADHD not that much different than peers. And finally, the right education could decrease teen birth rates. Learn more at:
1 min
504
A Look at the Blood Diamonds Helping Fund Russi...
Russia produces one-third of the world’s rough diamonds. The Russian government owns 33% of Alrosa, a Russian company that owns 90% of Russia’s diamonds. An expert discusses how a global embargo of Russian diamonds would send a strong economic...
12 min
505
Why ASPD is Still a Mystery: The Disorder Forme...
ASPD is a disorder where those affected don’t feel empathy. Many serial killers and rapists have ASPD, so why haven’t we been looking for a cure? An expert talks about the challenges facing ASPD research. Learn more at:
11 min
506
Medical Notes: Week of March 20, 2022
Climate change is causing more harm than we can keep up with, according to the IPCC's Sixth Assessment Report. Then, wastewater can help predict future Covid-19 outbreaks in communities. And finally, where are you looking during zoom meetings? Learn...
1 min
507
How Fitness Apps Contribute to Eating Disorders
Fitness apps can be helpful, but for some people, obsessive meal tracking helped them develop an eating disorder. Experts talk about the slippery slope of the fitness industry, and discuss proper recovery methods. Learn more at
14 min
508
Why You Should Flush Your Goldfish Down the Toilet
Spring is a popular time for fish owners to get rid of their goldfish. Most people think that letting them loose in a pond is the best option, but you may want to rethink that. Experts discuss why goldfish should be flushed down the toilet instead of...
9 min
509
Medical Notes: Week of March 13, 2022
A new paper found psilocybin-assisted therapy could help relieve depression for up to a year. Then, scientists have identified a new chemical inside of us that promotes obesity. Plus, Earth’s natural coasts are disappearing. And finally, do...
1 min
510
Pig Organs Could Solve the Organ Shortage Crisis
Thousands of people die each year due to the organ shortage crisis. Recently, doctors successfully transplanted pig kidneys into a brain-dead human for the first time in history. An expert discusses how pigs could be the future of human organ...
15 min
511
Can We Trust Computers to Drive Our Cars?
Self-driving cars seem to be our future, but how safe are they? Researchers have identified 32 major impacts automated cars could have on public health, and 17 of them are negative. Experts discuss what a possible future of self-driving cars will...
9 min
512
Medical Notes: Week of March 6, 2022
Water from private wells could be harming your children. Then, what doesn’t kill you makes you stronger, except … maybe not for people who’ve experienced multiple major disasters. And finally, scientists are one step closer in their search for...
1 min
513
Why Omicron Could End the Pandemic
Although the Omicron variant accounts for 99 percent of Covid cases in the U.S., it’s far less lethal. Experts say this is the perfect combination that could bring us back to normalcy. It’s likely that life with Covid will start to resemble how we...
16 min
514
How Later School Start Times Affect Both Studen...
Sleep deprivation affects about three out of four teenagers in America. Inadequate sleep has been linked to depression, anxiety, weight gain, and worsened heart functioning. An expert shows through a case study how implementing later school start...
8 min
515
Medical Notes: Week of February 27, 2022
Why should we trust our gut? Because it knows the difference between real and fake sugar, even when we don't. Then, a mouse study investigating a new cancer drug has found that the drug also improves metabolism. And finally, stop forcing food onto...
1 min
516
Child Development in Pandemic
New research suggests the pandemic negatively affects child development. Many children born after the start of the pandemic score lower in child development than children born before. Researchers explain possible theories for these children’s slower...
14 min
517
Seasonal Affective Disorder
Seasonal affective disorder can occur any time of year but is most prevalent during the winter months. SAD can develop into non-seasonal major depression if left untreated. An expert gives advice on how to combat SAD and reduce the risk of getting it...
10 min
518
Medical Notes: Week of February 20, 2022
A study published in the American Journal of Epidemiology has found no association between the vaccine and the likelihood of conception. Then, what doesn’t kill you makes you stronger, except maybe not for people who’ve experienced multiple major...
1 min
519
Climate Change and National Security
The future of climate change impacts a lot more than our crops. Natural disasters and mass migrations of people threaten the health and safety of populations and governments around the world. Experts discuss how climate change creates economic,...
15 min
520
The Vegan Future
Some experts believe that the future of food is vegan. With the increasing effects of global warming, changes to farms are inevitable. Experts talk about why eating animals is inefficient, and why our planet won’t be able to support it in the future.
8 min
521
Medical Notes: Week of February 13, 2022
An FDA-approved drug could help prevent memory loss in Alzheimer’s patients. Scientists discover why people with asthma are less likely to develop brain tumors. More than a third of Gulf War troops still suffer from Gulf War Illness, now a study...
1 min
522
Punishing Covid-Lying Doctors
There’s a growing number of complaints to state medical boards regarding doctors lying about Covid-19 and vaccines. The doctors spreading misinformation are not always reprimanded by state medical boards and are allowed to continue voicing the...
15 min
523
Needle Phobia (2022)
Some people who have not yet gotten the Covid vaccine are simply afraid of the needle. Bad childhood experience can keep people from receiving necessary medical treatments. A needle-phobic and a physician explain how parents should discuss injections...
9 min
524
Medical Notes: Week of February 6, 2022
When it comes to illnesses that cause the most deaths, we tend to think of things like heart disease and cancer. But a new study finds that one hidden killer is a lot bigger than most people think: antibiotic-resistant infections. Then, the use of...
1 min
525
Kids Who’ve Lost Parents to Covid
New estimates show that more than 167,000 children under 18 (a number growing rapidly) have lost a parent or major caregiver to Covid-19. Psychologists say deaths under such circumstances are also much more difficult for survivors to adjust to and...
13 min