The Science of Health Podcast

When you’re pregnant, especially for the first time, it’s hard to make sense of all the advice out there. You want to do everything right for the health of your baby, but you also want to counterbalance friends and family members who may be quick with advice or guidance. Should you really avoid hot tubs when you’re pregnant? What about exercise or coloring your hair? Certified Nurse Midwife, Pamel...

Almost one in every three Americans takes a multivitamin. But why? In many cases, nutrients from multivitamins are covered by a healthy daily diet. For some, vitamins and supplements are beneficial. But how do you know if you really need vitamin B, C or D? Or if fish oil or turmeric are right for you? Naturopathic doctor with UH Connor Whole Health, Dr. Jacob Wolf has the answers and helps you do...

Babies dream more than adults. Waking up during sleep impacts whether a dream is remembered – and some people remember them while others don’t. Does that mean anything? Why are we ‘paralyzed’ while we dream? What does research say about the impact of supplements? Behavioral sleep medicine expert and licensed clinical psychologist, Dr. Carolyn Ievers-Landis, PhD has the answers and also examines ou...

Having pain in your knee or hip doesn’t mean that you need joint replacement surgery. Many issues are resolved with treatment like medication or therapy. The most common reason that knee or hip replacement is performed is due to osteoarthritis. Steven Fitzgerald, MD , Chief, Division of Adult Reconstruction at University Hospitals explains what goes into the decision to have surgery and why every...

Text messages, emails, news notifications and social media have us in a heightened state of stimulation. While some of that information is positive, turning off the stimuli, even temporarily, has tremendous upside. UH psychiatrist, Patrick Runnels, MD, Chief Medical Officer of Population/Behavioral Health, explains the science behind the benefits of boredom. Being in the moment decreases anxiety a...

Every minute, a person in the United States is diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease, a brain disease that slowly destroys memory and other mental functions. While some risk factors, such as a head injury or genes, may not be completely avoidable, other more controllable factors may impact whether you develop Alzheimer’s. Alan Lerner, MD , Director of the Brain Health and Memory Center at University...

We all experience worry and anxiety but for some, it can impact overall functioning in a negative way. What’s the difference between anxiety and an anxiety disorder? Productive and unproductive worry? UH psychologist, Dr. Robert Chester, a specialist in anxiety disorders, offers advice about recognizing cognitive distortions or errors in thinking. Overcoming anxiety may be challenging but there ar...

Connecting with your baby before and after birth can set the stage for your relationship with your child over the entire course of your lives together. But how much can a parent connect with a newborn, who seems to have almost no ability to communicate aside from crying? Lots, says UH Rainbow pediatrician Ganga Srinivas, MD. Babies often are trying to tell you something, whether turning their face...

Ninety-five percent of fad diets fail. Many people end up gaining back the weight they lost – and then put on even more pounds. If you’re tired of diets but still want to lose weight or eat more healthfully, you might consider intuitive eating. Sometimes called the mindfulness approach, intuitive eating doesn’t specifically focus on weight loss. It’s about developing a positive relationship with f...

When you think of someone having a heart attack, you probably picture a person in their 50s or 60s. And that is typically the case. But over the last 20 years, more and more people who are younger than age 40 are having heart attacks. From 2006 to 2016, heart attacks for people in this age group have increased by 2 percent every year. What is driving this trend? UH cardiologist Raju Modi, MD , exp...

Your gut microbiome is like an ecosystem in your body – a community of shared organisms living together. An altered gut microbiome has been potentially linked to medical conditions ranging from type 2 diabetes to cardiovascular disease, autoimmune conditions, inflammatory bowel disease, neurological disorders and even cancer. How do you know the state of your gut health and what can you do to keep...

Your skin is your body’s largest organ, and it’s fairly simple to take care of. But there are many different types of skin, and each need different kinds of care. Your skin might be oily or dry, tan or burn easily, be dotted with moles or creased with fine lines. It can be tough to know exactly what habits or products will keep your skin at its healthiest – and the signs of trouble to watch for. U...

Vaccines have worked in the same way since they were invented more than 200 years ago: they use a weakened version of the targeted virus to create an immune response that the body remembers. Since COVID-19 appeared, a new kind of vaccine has emerged -- the mRNA vaccine. The mRNA vaccine is a unique delivery system that focuses specifically on the cells that are the targets of an infection. And, as...

Immunotherapy is a new, groundbreaking approach to treating cancer that harnesses the body’s own natural defenses to fight tumors. Immunotherapy comes in many forms, including checkpoint inhibitors, which shut down a tumor’s ability to be invisible to the body’s immune system; antibodies that can stick to and attack a tumor; and genetically manipulated cells that become “natural killer cells.” Ted...

Many people choose plant-based alternatives to cow’s milk for themselves or their children because they want or need to avoid dairy. Others believe these non-dairy drinks are healthier than cow’s milk. But a close look at the nutrition profile of these beverages, which include milks made from almonds, soybeans or oats, shows that plant-based milks may not be as healthful as they seem. UH registere...

Studies show that some of the most common baby foods manufactured in the United States contain traces of arsenic, lead and mercury. Exposure to these heavy metals can interfere with a child’s brain development and affect  learning, cognition, behavior and attention. While your child’s exposure to heavy metals from baby food is likely small compared to other sources, it’s still important to minimiz...

For many people of all ages, the past year has been traumatic. Mental health problems have been reported among people hospitalized with COVID-19, while health care workers and others experienced high levels of stress on the job. Many people lost loved ones to the illness or were out of work. And children, who depend on social interaction for learning and development, were restricted to tight famil...

Pain relievers, cough suppressants, nasal sprays – these and other over-the-counter medicines are supposed to help us feel better when we have minor illnesses. But do these medicines really work? And what safety issues do we need to be aware of when taking these drugs or giving them to our kids? Charita Ray, DO , a family medicine physician at University Hospitals, outlines which medicines you sho...

If you’re the parent of a child who is serious about sports, you know these young athletes are looking for anything to give them an edge over the competition. Building skills, strength and endurance are all part of the picture. So is eating right. But is there a place in an athlete’s toolkit for special food and beverages specifically aimed at enhancing athletic performance and recovery? We talked...

Research has shown that statins are highly effective in reducing the risk of fatal heart attack and stroke. But some people are reluctant to take these life-saving drugs. They worry about taking medicine every day for the rest of their life or have heard that statins have undesirable side effects. What does science have to say about these concerns and others surrounding statins? We talked to UH in...

It’s not completely clear how, but scientists think a combination of factors, from genetics to the environment, play a role in children developing allergies to food such as peanuts, milk or shellfish. Many children will outgrow their food allergies. But for those who don’t, physicians have figured out a way to harness the body’s immune response to eliminate allergic reactions to food. Eli Silver,...

The simple human act of kindness has numerous health benefits. It can help you experience fewer aches and pain and lower your blood pressure. It can protect your overall health twice as much as aspirin protects against heart disease. It’s free, widely available and has no side effects. UH Rainbow psychiatrist Marcie Hall, MD , explains the research-backed benefits of kindness – and how you can dev...

X-rays, CT scans, MRIs, ultrasound …. for many people, using technology to see inside the body or treat disease might evoke fears of being exposed to harmful radiation. Donna Plecha, MD , chair of Radiology at University Hospitals Cleveland Medical Center, discusses improvements made in recent years to ease those fears, as well as how radiology plays a vital role in the overall treatment process.

Stem cell therapy is used to treat many different medical conditions, from heart repair to neurological disorders. One exciting new area under study in a clinical trial at University Hospitals is treating cartilage injuries or early arthritis with stem cells. UH orthopedic specialist James Voos, MD , describes the clinical trial -- and how some stem cell treatments outside a hospital setting may n...

Keeping up on the latest medical research can be a benefit, but the sheer amount of information – and the sometimes contradictory results – can be wearying. How do you know which data  to trust? Afshin Dowlati, MD , Director of UH's Phase I clinical trials program, describes how to separate good-quality, trustworthy information from data that is less reliable.