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.
1601
Refuse Workers, The Dangers of Trash
Most people don't think much about what happens to their trash after they set it at the curb. But day in and day out, refuse workers have the most dangerous municipal job, with more injuries than police or firefighters.
12 min
1602
Doctor's Emotions
Many doctors believe emotion is detrimental to medical practice, and many patients think doctors are cold and emotionless. But one influential physician explains why emotion is important to doctors.
7 min
1603
Bell's Palsy
Bell's palsy is a frightening malfunction in the nerve controlling half of the face that occurs for unknown reasons. Sufferers often think they're having a stroke. Experts and two people who've had the disorder discuss.
15 min
1604
Multiple Births in IVF
More than 5 million children have been born as a result of in-vitro fertilization, but many are born as twins, triplets and even quadruplets. Experts discuss new technology that promises to reduce the number of multiples in IVF.
13 min
1605
Social Anxiety in Children
Social anxiety disorder is more than just shyness. It can be crippling and keep people completely inside the house. An expert whose daughter was afflicted discusses social anxiety warning signs in children and how the disorder can be treated. Learn...
7 min
1606
Digitizing Medicine
Digital technology has revolutionized many industries, but medicine has lagged behind. One of the nation's most influential doctors discusses what the consequences are and what it will take to bring health care technology to its full potential.
13 min
1607
Photographic Memory
Some people who remember things extremely well may claim they have a "photographic memory," but some experts say such a thing doesn't really exist. Experts discuss how memory works. Learn more at:
9 min
1608
HIV From the Beginning
When AIDS first became widespread in the 1980's, it was a death sentence. A doctor who has spent her career on the front lines of HIV recounts the desperation of the early days and the transition of HIV into a treatable chronic disease.
9 min
1609
The Science of Smell
The sense of smell evokes powerful memories and makes food taste good, but it also has important functions in interpersonal relations and personal safety. Experts discuss the science behind it.
9 min
1610
Cheaper Breast Cancer Gene Testing
Testing for breast cancer genes BRCA-1 and 2 has been inaccessible to many women due to extremely high cost. Now a new 249 dollar breast cancer gene test is available. Experts discuss whether this changes who should be tested.
13 min
1611
Drowning: It Doesn’t Looks Like You Think
Seven hundred children under age 15 drown in the US each year, most within sight of a parent or other adult. One major reason is because drowning doesn't look like most people picture it, and so are unaware the child is in trouble.
8 min
1612
The Health Effects of Loneliness
Studies are now showing that loneliness and social isolation not only affect our mental health but also have profound effects on our physical health, and increase the risk of death substantially. Learn more at:
13 min
1613
Dietary Gene Therapy
Many diseases have a genetic trigger, but a noted researcher concludes that alteration of the diet can override that programming. He discusses how disease doesn't have to be preordained.
8 min
1614
Weight, Culture and Science
The cultural bias against obesity is often justified on health grounds. But recent studies show that people classified in the "overweight" BMI category actually have less mortality than normal weight people.
13 min
1615
Baseball Pitchers: Injuries Waiting to Happen
Jeff Passan of Yahoo Sports explains the science of pitching injuries.
11 min
1616
Lung cancer, no smoking
Lung cancer is the world's #1 cancer killer, but its association with smoking has created a stigma that often stuns patients who never smoked and results in much less research money for lung cancer than for other less lethal diseases.
13 min
1617
Preparing for Disaster
Many people will have to deal with a natural disaster at some point in their lives. Two civil defense experts discuss how to be ready before it comes. Learn more at:
7 min
1618
Distracted Teen Drivers
Graduated driver's license programs have improved teen driving records, but a new study finds they are often distracted before crashes. Experts discuss distracted driving and ways to get teens to pay attention on the road. Learn more at:
14 min
1619
Training Doctors How To Communicate
Doctors too often use language that's indecipherable to normal people. Efforts are underway at medical schools to teach doctors to speak in plain language. An expert at one such school and a participant in these classes discuss.
10 min
1620
Heart Attacks in Young Women (2015)
Surveys show young women are often unaware of their risk of a heart attack and are much less likely to go to the ER when a heart attack occurs. Experts discuss reasons and possible remedies.
12 min
1621
Neuroplasticity
Since the dawn of medicine, doctors have believed that, once injured, the brain could not heal. Now they've learned that the brain can heal, and are beginning to tap ways to make it heal better and faster.
7 min
1622
Too Many Vitamins?
Vitamins are essential to our health, and we can get most through our diets. Standards for dietary minimums help prevent deficiency diseases, but little is known about whether it's possible to consume too many vitamins.
12 min
1623
The Nature of Addiction
Many people have misconceptions about what addiction is and is not. A noted British journalist explains how these myths fuel the war on drugs, and alternatives that might curb addiction and drug trafficking.
8 min
1624
Food Trends
A longtime food market researcher discusses why we choose the foods we eat.
10 min
1625
Moderate Exercise (2015)
Studies are showing that people who train hard and long at running have death rates similar to couch potatoes. Experts discuss how much exercise is enough and how to make the most of light exercise.
9 min