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.
601
Synesthesia: The Color of Sounds and Other Stra...
Some people have an unusual merging of senses, where they routinely see colors in sounds or numbers, see time visually, or have other perception differences. Artists sometimes have synesthesia, and researchers are beginning to study it to see how it...
12 min
602
Medical Notes: Week of August 8, 2021
A look at the top medical headlines for the week of August 8, 2021 including: A new study shows that antibiotic exposure early in life could alter a child’s brain development. Then, the stress of the pandemic has led to a sharp increase in teenage...
1 min
603
Hospital Price Transparency
Hospitals are now required to post prices for many procedures on their websites, including cash prices and what insurers pay. The intent of the federal rule is to allow patients to shop around, putting pressure on hospitals to compete on price....
15 min
604
Sometimes Not Man’s Best Friend: 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...
11 min
605
Medical Notes: Week of August 1, 2021
A study confirms that just one night sleeping impacts your mental and physical well being. Then, some researchers are concerned that in-vitro fertilization may disturb the genetics of embryos. Then, if you’ve got allergies and suspect they’re...
1 min
606
Medical Notes: Week of July 25, 2021
A look at the top medical headlines for the week of July 25, 2021 including: A big majority of the US workforce wants to know if their co-workers are vaccinated against Covid… but they don’t want to reveal if they’ve gotten the vaccine...
1 min
607
Injuries In Senior Citizens
A new study shows that people over age 70 are three times more likely than younger people to die when they fall. Older people also take more medications with a fall risk, and which pose a risk themselves when someone taking them falls. Experts discuss...
10 min
608
We Are Not Ok
Where Covid-19 vaccination is high, it’s a getting-back-to-normal world after the pandemic. But even some vaccinated people won’t return to normal for months or years because of the psychological effects. Experts discuss why this occurs and how...
13 min
609
Advances Against Lung Cancer
More people die of lung cancer than breast, prostate, and colon cancer combined. A decade ago, a lung cancer diagnosis was often a death sentence. But now treatments are being developed that mean it can often be treated, especially if screening...
14 min
610
Medical Notes: Week of July 18, 2021
Everybody loves a home-cooked meal, but what if your stove was slowly poisoning you? Then, the average human life expectancy has increased dramatically. Plus, researchers have cured diabetes in mice by putting insulin-producing cells into a tiny...
3 min
611
Poor And Rural Kids In Crisis
A study by Save the Children shows on a county-by-county basis that children in poor and rural counties, especially in the south, are much less likely to survive into adulthood, and when they do, they’re often forced to become adults too soon by...
10 min
612
How To Speed Up Your Drive: Don’t Turn Left
Traffic engineers are learning that they can increase road efficiency and safety by eliminating left turns at many busy intersections, even those that have left turn arrows. This increases distance traveled for some people--some may have to make three...
16 min
613
Rethinking Dementia (2021 version)
Dementia has a much wider range than most people think, and people with dementia are usually functional for years. An expert discusses the course of the disease and how life can still be positive for years before it reaches the late, debilitating...
12 min
614
Medical Notes: Week of July 11, 2021
A look at the top medical headlines for the week of July 11, 2021 including: Officials are worried we may start seeing a spike in COVID cases soon and it could become serious by fall. Then, Have you lost your sense of smell? COVID may not be to...
1 min
615
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.
10 min
616
When Law Enforcement and Trauma Care Collide
Many patients arrive in the emergency room as a result of violence or car crashes—events in which police have an investigative interest. Experts discuss which priorities come first.
16 min
617
Medical Notes: Week of July 4, 2021
A look at the top medical headlines for the week of July 4, 2021 including: A study shows that even a mild case of COVID produces antibodies that are still going strong 11 months later. Then, Could flickering lights help treat Alzheimer’s disease?...
1 min
618
Medical Notes: Week of June 27, 2021
A look at the top medical headlines for the week of June 27, 2021 including: Many of us have the picture of a COVID pandemic winding down, but for cancer patients… treatment can still be hard to get. Then implanting the device back the mouse’s...
1 min
619
Marfan Syndrome
Marfan syndrome produces obvious physical symptoms such as extreme height, but its hidden symptoms, especially in the heart and eyes, can be much more serious. Experts discuss its diagnosis and treatment. Learn more at:
13 min
620
Growth Hormone For Short Kids
Thousands of parents take their children to doctors each year seeking synthetic growth hormone to cure their relatively short stature, even though most of these children are merely late bloomers and have nothing wrong with them. Growth hormone also...
17 min
621
Medical Notes: Week of June 20, 2021
A look at the top medical headlines for the week of June 20, 2021 including: A new study finds that organic meats are much less likely to be contaminated with foodborne pathogens. Then, fracking has been linked to higher heart attack rates in nearby...
2 min
622
SUDC — Sudden Unexplained Death Of A Child
Each year, some 400 US children over age 1, most of them toddlers, die overnight for no known reason. Families, longing for answers, often find that their families, friends, and even pediatricians are unfamiliar with this classification of death, or...
18 min
623
Tonsil Stones
Some people find that small “stones” are growing on their tonsils. They’re an accumulation of skin cells, food, and other debris. While they are not medically dangerous or painful, they often produce bad breath or sometimes pain. Two expert...
12 min
624
Refineries And Their Neighbors: How Safe Is The...
A recent report shows that more than a dozen refineries around the US are emitting benzene pollution into the air at higher levels than allowed by the EPA. An activist discusses this newly labeled problem and what the agency can do to curb it.
12 min
625
Medical Notes: Week of June 13, 2021
A look at the top medical headlines for the week of June 13, 2021 including: Pregnant women face many medical risks, but a study suggests a case of symptomatic COVID-19 can make birth even riskier. Then, a new drug combination looks promising to treat...
2 min