The Health Show on WAMC

In the wake of the mass shootings last month in a movie theater in Colorado, a lot of important questions are being asked.  Many are about guns and gun laws...valid questions that we will not address here.  No, we’re going to talk about another obvious topic in the discussion: mental health.  On today’s Health Show, is there are way to spot a psychopath?

We’ll also talk about the state of children’s hospitals in the US...and find out what vegetarians, who also eat meat, are being asked to try.

Just about every day you are faced with questions about what you eat.  Questions like: Is honey better for you than sugar? Is milk necessary for strong bones?  Are eggs bad for your heart?  And those are just the ones you ask before breakfast!  Now there’s a book that takes your food questions and does some research to find answers.  On today’s Health Show, we’ll talk to the author of “Coffee Is Good For You”.

We’ll also hear the story of an uninsured accident victim’s journey through the health care system...and how she turned it into a one woman show.

Surprising reports have been coming in over the past six months or so about people contracting disease from dirty or reused needles.  The surprising part is that these are not IV drug users...these people are medical and dental patients and the injections were from health care professionals.  On today’s Health Show, we’ll talk about the state of injection safety in the US.

We’ll also hear about a new HIV/AIDS drug that’s being touted as a way to prevent infection with the virus.  And we’ll find out which California city is becoming the Golden State’s pot capital.

Stop me if you’ve heard about one: Tuberous Sclerosis.  Yup, I don’t see too many people holding up stop signs.  Only a few thousand people in the US are living with this condition, and they know all too well the complications and endless medical procedures it brings along.  On today’s Health Show, we’ll learn about Tuberous Sclerosis.

Unintended consequences. That’s what seems to be happening to a number of morbidly obese patients who get bariatric surgery...and end up developing problems with alcohol abuse.  On today’s Health Show, we’ll talk to the lead author of a study on the topic and find out if there is any real relationship between weight loss surgery and alcohol use disorders.

We’ll also learn about a company called “A Place For Mom”...who help care givers around the country find the right place for an elder relative in need of special care.

Think about what a family would have to go through if one of their children needed a heart transplant.  The doctor visits, the waiting for a donor, the surgery and recovery.  Now, multiply that by two.  On today’s Health Show we’ll hear about a pair of brothers in Northern New York who are both living with other people’s hearts...and how they are spreading the word about organ donation.

We’ll also hear from a heart transplant surgeon about what it’s like on the other side of the operating table.  And we’ll learn about an effort by 4-H to keep kids around the country healthy.

The court challenges are over, the decision has been handed down and now the arguing about the Affordable Care Act is finally over.  Ah, if wishing made it so.  On today’s Health Show we’ll take another look at the Supreme Court’s decision and look ahead to what another 30 or 40 million people with insurance means for the health care system.

Plus we’ll talk to a health provider in Massachusetts about that state’s experience with health reform...and we’ll find out if the country’s farm policy is making us fat.

Medical errors is a pretty general headline on a lot of different problems.  From lost documents and test reports to hospital acquired infections and amputation errors...the problem goes from bad to extremely bad.  And some of the efforts made to solve the problems haven’t really helped.  On today’s Health Show, we’ll talk to an editor of the new book “First Do Less Harm “First, Do Less Harm - Confronting the Inconvenient Problems of Patient Safety”.

We’ll also explore the concept of shared living...and how it’s helping seniors remain independent by relying on each other.

Nothing like opening up the show with a barrage of numbers...but these are some seriously eye opening numbers.  The Alzheimer’s Association has estimated that by the year 2050, more than 16 million Americans will be living with Alzheimer’s Disease at a cost to the economy of over a trillion dollars...a year.  On today’s Health Show we’ll talk about Alzheimer’s Disease from a scientist’s point of view...and with some people from the association.

Remember last year when everyone was talking about vitamin D and the great things it can do for you?  Well there are other vitamins...and every one of them is important to living a healthy life.  Let’s take Vitamin B-12, for example. You can take all the vitamin B-12 you want...if your body can’t absorb it, it’s not doing you a bit of good.  And B-12 is a vitamin that does a lot of good.  On today’s Health Show we’ll talk about vitamin B-12, and the consequences to your body to not getting the amount you need.