In Good Health

A look at the top medical headlines for the week of June 6, 2021 including: Scientists have come up with a test that can tell in less than an hour whether you’re sick with a virus or bacteria. Then a study finds that there are changes in the blood that can predict a pregnant woman's due date more accurately than today's obstetricians. Then, more evidence that Covid symptoms can drag on and on for...

Many Americans believe that healthy food doesn’t taste good, and tasty food isn’t healthy. A chef who is also a cardiologist discusses how to find a balance by seeking out healthy ingredients rather than whole categories of foods. Facebook: ingoodhealthpod X: @ ingoodhealthpod IG: @ingoodhealthpod YouTube: @ingoodhealthpod Spotify  Apple Podcast  In Good Health Podcast Subscribed to the...

Since the Covid-19 pandemic began, public health experts have looked to vaccines with the goal of creating “herd immunity,” where so many people are vaccinated that the virus stalls out. Now it is clear we will not reach that goal, meaning the threat of the pandemic may drag on for years. One of the nation’s leading infectious disease experts discusses how we are missing the target and what it mea...

Since the Covid-19 pandemic began, public health experts have looked to vaccines with the goal of creating “herd immunity,” where so many people are vaccinated that the virus stalls out. Now it is clear we will not reach that goal, meaning the threat of the pandemic may drag on for years. One of the nation’s leading infectious disease experts discusses how we are missing the target and what it mea...

A look at the top medical headlines for the week of May 30, 2021 including: A large new study shows people are in more pain than ever before. Then, one of the hallmarks of diseases like Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s and ALS is a mis-folding of proteins. now researchers say those folded proteins may be linked to gut bacteria. And finally, a study showing that air pollution from farms contributes to near...

Covid-19 is usually a respiratory disease, but it can affect virtually any organ in the body. The nation’s top kidney disease expert discusses how Covid can prompt life-threatening kidney effects in the previously healthy, and how those with kidney disease are more susceptible to severe Covid infection. Facebook: ingoodhealthpod X: @ ingoodhealthpod IG: @ingoodhealthpod YouTube: @ingoodhealthpod S...

Since the 1980’s, almost all production of generic drugs has moved overseas, where FDA inspectors have a much tougher time making sure they’re following rules for safety. An investigative journalist describes the ways she’s found that many drugmakers cut corners, putting safety at risk, and details what consumers can do to protect themselves. Facebook: ingoodhealthpod X: @ ingoodhealthpod IG: @ing...

A look at the top medical headlines for the week of May 23, 2021 including: The stress of the pandemic on healthcare workers has been enormous, but a new study shows critical care nurses were already burning out in large numbers even before it hit. Then, more than half of all cases of cervical cancer in the United States occur in women who’ve never had a pap smear or HPV test. Then, a study finds...

The US birth rate has been declining since the Crash of 2008, but it took an even larger decline during the pandemic to levels unseen since the Great Depression. Today fertility rates are below replacement levels, which could have big impacts on education, employment, and the tax base years down the road. Experts discuss how people make fertility decisions and the impacts they can have on the nati...

Colon cancer is striking much younger people than it used to, leading experts to lower the age on screening recommendations. A noted colon surgeon discusses screening and treatment options, and the way COVID-19 has changed patients’ approach to getting Facebook: ingoodhealthpod X: @ ingoodhealthpod IG: @ingoodhealthpod YouTube: @ingoodhealthpod Spotify  Apple Podcast  In Good Health Podc...

A look at the top medical headlines for the week of May 16, 2021 including: A study showing that even Covid survivors who were never sick enough to be hospitalized have a 60 percent higher risk of death from other diseases. Then Most people assume that smoke from wildfires affects mostly the heart and lungs, but a new study finds that it increases the odds of eczema as well. And finally… more than...

Many of those who’ve had COVID-19 have suffered from a temporary loss of their sense of smell, but some have had what seems to be an even worse symptom weeks or months later—a distorted sense of smell, where everything, from coffee to flowers, smells sickeningly awful. An expert and a former sufferer discuss how disruptive to life this can be and what people can do to make it through to recovery....

In the mid-1960’s, many Ivy League and Seven Sister colleges as well as prestigious prep schools allowed researchers to photograph incoming students naked as part of work on a now-discredited theory linking physical characteristics to leadership potential. A former student who went through it, now a physician and writer, discusses how research ethics have changed in the last 50 years. Facebook: in...

A look at the top medical headlines for the week of May 9, 2021 including: The injection of nanoparticles deep into the brain can produce relief for those with chronic pain and depression.  Then, diagnoses for the four most common cancers take a big jump when people hit age 65. And finally, a new study shows that narcissistic people pump themselves up only because deep down inside, they don’t beli...

A look at the top medical headlines for the week of May 2, 2021 including: Doctors are preparing for the possibility of COVID-19 variants that vaccines don’t prevent. Then, a new drug that shows promise against pancreatic and triple-negative breast cancers. And finally… mindfulness and meditation apps are good for reducing stress and anxiety, but they can also make you selfish. Facebook: ingoodhea...

Studies show that as many as a third of people who were very ill with COVID-19 later develop PTSD. Caregivers and health care workers may be afflicted as well. An expert discusses how this develops and what people can do to get better. Facebook: ingoodhealthpod X: @ ingoodhealthpod IG: @ingoodhealthpod YouTube: @ingoodhealthpod Spotify  Apple Podcast  In Good Health Podcast Subscribed to...

Bottled water sales have skyrocketed, in part because many people believe it is safer than tap water. Actually, bottled water faces few of the safety regulations that tap water does. The disconnect, according to a new study, comes from society’s pervasive distrust in all governmental institutions. The lead researcher discusses how restoring faith in water could begin to restore faith in all Americ...

Brain aneurysms—bulging in a brain blood vessel, like an inflated balloon—affect 1 in 50 people and are generally without symptoms until they burst. This occurs in about 30,000 people per year in the US, accounting for 3-5 percent of all new strokes. Here is the story of one survivor in her own words. Facebook: ingoodhealthpod X: @ ingoodhealthpod IG: @ingoodhealthpod YouTube: @ingoodhealthpod Spo...

Millions of Americans cannot afford the medications they’ve been prescribed. Many skip doses, split pills or don’t fill prescriptions at all as a result, with sometimes even fatal consequences. But doctors are often unable to consider cost very well in prescribing, as the same drug often costs patients vastly different amounts due to insurance differences. Experts discuss the problem and what pati...

A look at the top medical headlines for the week of April 25, 2021 including: New research shows that reopening schools can be safe. Then, The brain cancer glioblastoma has no cure… but that may be changing. And finally, as air pollution from cars declines, scientists in Los Angeles say another polluter is becoming more important—palm trees. Facebook: ingoodhealthpod X: @ ingoodhealthpod IG: @ingo...

Scientists are testing hundreds of different kinds of animals as well as waste and stormwater for Covid-19, looking for reservoirs for possible mutation. They’ve learned even pets can possibly harbor the virus but probably aren’t a threat. An expert discusses how the knowledge will combat Covid variants. Facebook: ingoodhealthpod X: @ ingoodhealthpod IG: @ingoodhealthpod YouTube: @ingoodhealthpod...

Homelessness continues to be a stubborn problem despite many well-intentioned programs. A new experimental study finds that giving homeless people thousands of dollars in cash helps get many of them off the streets for good, calling into question many assumptions about the homeless and how they got that way. Experts discuss the new program and its implications for ending homelessness. Facebook: in...

A look at the top medical headlines for the week of April 18, 2021 including: A new study finds COVID-19 was likely circulating undetected for nearly two months before late December 2019. Then, a study indicating weight loss surgery significantly cuts the risk of cancer in people with severe obesity and nonalcoholic fatty liver disease. And finally, a small study finds that early in the lockdown,...

Plagues such as COVID-19 are nothing new, and this pandemic is far from the worst the world has ever faced. A physician and historian examines COVID in comparison to other pandemics and discusses the lessons that will serve us well in the future. Facebook: ingoodhealthpod X: @ ingoodhealthpod IG: @ingoodhealthpod YouTube: @ingoodhealthpod Spotify  Apple Podcast  In Good Health Podcast Su...

A look at the top medical headlines for the week of April 11, 2021 including: A federal task force says far more smokers and former smokers should be eligible for free CT scans to screen for lung cancer. Then, a single head injury could result in dementia decades later. Then, Women with heart disease do a lot better when they’re treated by women doctors. And finally, if you want to cut your risk o...