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.
776
Protecting Your Eyes From Summer UV Rays
Summer is when people want to spend as much time outdoors as possible. Skin protection and sunscreen are something most of us consider, but overexposure to UV rays is extremely dangerous to the eyes as well. An expert discusses.
12 min
777
Protests Amid The Pandemic
With thousands of people demonstrating in the streets after the death of George Floyd, health experts are concerned that the crowds, shouting, and lack of masks may contribute to a spike in COVID-19 cases. However, with many locations also “opening...
17 min
778
Medical Notes: Week of June 21, 2020
A look at the top medical headlines for the week of June 21, 2020 including: A study finds a much lower death rate among coronavirus patients placed on a ventilator. Then, everyone’s wiping down surfaces with disinfectant these days… but they may...
1 min
779
Medical Notes: Week of June 14, 2020
A look at the top medical headlines for the week of June 14, 2020 including: People who recover from a coronavirus infection often still have a long way to go to recover their mental health. Then, a study that shows sick leave is a good way to slow...
2 min
780
Misunderstanding Stuttering
Stuttering is an extremely misunderstood disability. Many stutterers go to great lengths to avoid the words or phrases that trip them up, and are often successful in keeping their disability hidden. Yet then it may be mistaken for other problems....
12 min
781
Disease Risk And Inheritance
Scientists have learned that the habits and environments of our parents and grandparents can have a strong effect on our health and longevity as a result of imprinting on egg and sperm cells. An expert explains.
16 min
782
Genetic Testing And Life Insurance
It’s illegal for health insurers to use genetic testing to discriminate against policyholders. However, life insurers can and do discriminate on that basis if the test is in your medical file. Private testing lets patients know their risk for many...
14 min
783
What Every Parent Should Know: “It Doesn’t Look...
Seven hundred children under age 15 drown in the US each year, most within sight of a parent or other adult. Experts discuss one major reason: drowning doesn't look like most people picture it, and so are unaware the child is in trouble.
9 min
784
Medical Notes: Week of June 7, 2020
A look at the top medical headlines for the week of June 7, 2020 including: Researchers are working on an app with a sensor to test for COVID-19 using only a drop of saliva. Then, life was more stressful than it was 25 years ago… and for middle aged...
2 min
785
Why Women Are Genetically Stronger
Women may have been known through the centuries as the weaker sex, but researchers have learned that they are anything but weak. Their 2 X chromosomes are both active and cooperate with each other, especially in immune response. An expert discusses...
10 min
786
Covid And Choirs
Scientists have discovered that singing is an exceptionally effective way to spread viruses through the aerosolized particles it expels, which may travel much farther than the six foot safety zone many people follow. This means choruses and choirs may...
14 min
787
Medical Notes: Week of May 31, 2020
A look at the top medical headlines for the week of May 31, 2020, including: A newly developed smartphone app is remarkably effective at predicting if a person is infected with COVID-19. Then biomarkers for ALS or Lou Gehrig’s disease can be found...
2 min
788
Androgens and Covid-19
For people under about age 70, COVID-19 is much harder on men than on women, especially those with strong male characteristics like scalp balding and plentiful body hair. A group of researchers has a theory as to why—that male hormones provide the...
12 min
789
The Shrinking Human Jaw
Over the last 8,000 years, the human jaw has been getting smaller due to an increasingly soft diet and a lack of jaw exercise. The result is an epidemic of crooked teeth and serious health consequences, as two experts explain. Learn more at:
16 min
790
Medical Notes: Week of May 24, 2020
A look at the top medical headlines for the week of May 24, 2020 including: Scientists have come up with a blood test that screens for a panel of biomarkers for pancreatic cancer that's nearly 92 percent accurate. Then, a new study shows that heart...
1 min
791
The Loss Of Rituals
Spring is the season of rituals—prom, graduation, commencement and weddings. Social distancing has taken most of these rituals away. An expert discusses the importance of rituals in our mental health and why it’s OK to grieve their loss. She also...
11 min
792
Women, Alcohol, And Isolation
The COVID-19 lockdown has triggered increased alcohol use in many people, and an alcohol use disorder in some. Help can be difficult to access, as face-to-face counseling and group sessions have been halted. For women, it can be even more difficult,...
17 min
793
Medical Notes: Week of May 17, 2020
A look at the top medical headlines for the week of May 17, 2020 including: People with heart attacks and other health emergencies are avoiding the emergency room for fear of contracting COVID-19. Then, a study showing that artificial intelligence can...
1 min
794
The Economy After The Pandemic
The COVID-19 pandemic has caused a quicker economic crash than we’ve ever seen. Opening the nation too fast will likely trigger a “W” shaped recovery with wide swings of growth then decline. Either way, the effects will last for years. Experts...
16 min
795
Medical Notes: Week of May 10, 2020
A look at the top medical headlines for the week of May 10, 2020 including: A number of new treatments for COVID-19 are showing promise and could be fast-tracked if clinical trials continue to show good results. Then, another trial of 53 severely ill...
2 min
796
Telemedicine Finally Gets Its Chance
Doctor’s appointments via smartphone have been available for some time but were little used except in remote areas due to insurance reluctance. Now telemedicine has been forced on us and on insurers by COVID-19 restrictions, and many providers swear...
12 min
797
Maintaining Mental Health During The Lockdown
Mental health is difficult to maintain when people are required to stay inside at home. In fact, we’re asked to engage in activities that normally would indicate mental distress. A noted psychologist with the NIH discusses ways to stay mentally...
14 min
798
Nursing Homes Try To Fend Off Covid-19
Nursing homes have been a hotbed of fatal COVID-19 infections. The virus was loose in many of them before they could even know it. An industry expert discusses what nursing homes are doing now to keep the virus out and their patients safe.
10 min
799
Medical Notes: Week of May 3, 2020
A look at the top medical headlines for the week of May 3, 2020 including: By now, most of us are familiar with the main symptoms of a COVID-19 infection—fever, cough, and respiratory distress. But doctors are learning that the virus may also attack...
1 min
800
Rules For Who Lives, Who Dies In The Pandemic
A lack of ventilators potentially puts doctors in the position of deciding which of their COVID-19 patients get a ventilator and live, and which ones don’t get one and die. New rules for making such decisions have been released which are designed to...
10 min