In Good Health
Each week, In Good Health, from the creators of 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 ingoodhealthpodcast.org. Also, check out the latest on FB, IG, X, and YouTube @ingoodhealthpod.
1226
Medical Notes: Week of December 9, 2018
Medical Notes for the week of December 9, 2018 including: The increase in skin cancer deaths among men, a higher heart attack risk due to an immune molecule called IL-17, and finally, changes to diagnosing pain levels using EEG.
1 min
1227
Party Food Safety
During the holidays, party foods are a prime source of food-borne illness. Two food scientists discuss common ways foods become contaminated, some of the myths of food contamination, and ways to keep foods safe when you have guests to protect.
12 min
1228
ICU Inefficiency
With monitors surveying every part of patients’ bodies, hospital intensive care units appear to be a model of high tech. But systems engineers say ICU’s are actually models of inefficiency because few of those high tech devices talk to each other....
17 min
1229
Medical Notes: Week of December 2, 2018
Medical Notes for the week of December 2, 2018 including: A study indicating how ramping up exposure to peanuts can make it safer for kids with allergies. Then, the increase of multigenerational households, and why volunteering to help out co-workers...
1 min
1230
Implicit Biases in Science
Most people think of science as fact-based and not as subject to bias as the rest of the world. However, studies show that gender bias is rampant in science, and that women are not taken as seriously as men, even with identical qualifications. Experts...
12 min
1231
Fungal Sinusitis
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...
16 min
1232
Medical Notes: Week of November 25, 2018
Medical Notes for the week of November 25, 2018 including: the cost of non-fatal injuries annually, a possibly cause to scoliosis, why volunteering to help out a co-worker isn't always a good thing, and finally, what kind of person swears the most?
1 min
1233
Open Offices
Companies instituting open offices without walls often claim they improve collaboration and interaction. Studies now show that the opposite is true—that workers put on headphones and interact via email rather than in person in order to shut out...
12 min
1234
School Based Mental Health
Schools would be a good place for programs to screen for mental health issues in students, and to educate about mental health to lessen the pervasive stigma. Some states are making programs mandatory, but elsewhere schools and personnel may resist,...
16 min
1235
Medical Notes: Week of November 18, 2018
Medical Notes for the week of November 18, 2018 including the connection between the appendix and Parkinson's Disease, plus asthma related issues due to obesity, third generation households, and finally, makers of smoke alarms may be thinking of...
1 min
1236
Emotional Support Animals
A woman who suffered abuse as a child describes the mental health benefits of owning a dog, and an expert on the Americans with Disabilities Act discusses requirements for emotional support animals.
10 min
1237
Reporting "Bad Parents"
Just about anyone can report a parent to a child abuse hotline. It’s meant to protect children, but all too often, parents are reported when no abuse or neglect exists in order to retaliate for a divorce or some other grievance. And though the world...
16 min
1238
Medical Notes: Week of November 11, 2018
Medical Notes for the week of November 11, 2018 including doctors pinpointing the gene at fault for AML. Plus, obesity links tied to asthma, immaturity being mistaken for ADHD, and finally vitamin gum and it's benefits.
1 min
1239
Leprosy in the Modern Era
Thanks in part to its Biblical past, the disfiguring disease leprosy carries more stigma than most diseases. We hear little about it today, but it still exists, and because it’s now treatable, often the stigma is worse than the disease. An expert...
12 min
1240
MDMA for PTSD
People suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder often can’t face their trauma, which is necessary for psychotherapy to work. It is a big reason PTSD is so difficult to treat. Scientists are leading clinical trials into the use of the banned...
17 min
1241
The Surprising Importance of Tickling
Tickling is a unique application of the sense of touch that surprisingly has developmental and cultural importance. Experts discuss the science and sociology of tickling.
12 min
1242
The Psychology of Adopted People
People who are adopted have more psychological problems than others, yet they also tend to have other psychological strengths. Experts, both themselves also adoptees, discuss the roots and outcomes of these issues as adopted children grow up.
15 min
1243
Medical Notes: Week of October 28, 2018
Medical Notes for the week of October 28, 2018 including: hay fever vaccines, egg freezing becoming common for young women, and finally more evidence supporting the existence of junk food addiction.
0 min
1244
Narcolepsy And Cataplexy
Sleep disorders can be difficult to diagnose and treat. A science journalist discusses his efforts to overcome narcolepsy, which produces extreme daytime sleepiness, and cataplexy, which produces instant sleep-like paralysis, as well as the science...
12 min
1245
Exploding Myths About The Flu and Flu Vaccines
About 40 percent of eligible people have been vaccinated against the flu in recent years, but many more might do so were it not for persistent myths about the disease and its vaccine. For example, a new survey shows that more than half of parents...
17 min
1246
Getting Rid of Those Old Style Hospital Gowns
Surveys show that hospital gowns are one of the things that most makes a hospital stay unpleasant. Finally hospitals may be moving to get rid of the old style gowns toward a less revealing, more dignified design that is still functional for healthcare...
11 min
1247
Doctors Obesity Bias (2018)
Studies show that medical professionals are as biased as the rest of us against people who are overweight, resulting in lectures, misdiagnoses, and patients who start avoiding the doctor. Experts explain the problem, results, and what might be done...
17 min
1248
Medical Notes: Week of October 14, 2018
A look at the top medical headlines for the week of October 14, 2018 including: A new anti-depressant to help mothers experiencing postpartum depression, an asthma drug that may help reduce the damaging effects of multiple sclerosis, and finally,...
1 min
1249
Homesickness
What we now call “homesickness” used to be a medical diagnosis called “nostalgia,” and it was considered life-threatening. Today many people consider homesickness to be a childish emotion, but an expert says it’s nothing to be ashamed of. We...
12 min
1250
Dementia In Women
About two-thirds of people with dementia in the United States are women, and researchers are discovering it’s not just because they live longer. Reproductive history also plays a role. Scientists are focusing on the role of estrogen as a potential...
17 min