The problems with body mass index (BMI)
Often medicine gets hooked on using simple tools of measurement only to discover, after they have become entrenched, that they don’t measure what they are supposed to measure.
Oct 23, 2022•5 min
Second Opinion
An examination of medical ethics and the practitioners who define them. Sign up to receive the Second Opinion topics in newsletter form at kcrw.com/newsletters .
Episodes
Code Lavender
A unique way to focus on reducing stress in moments of great need.
Oct 16, 2022•5 min
Reproductive Coercion
Often reproductive autonomy is undermined by our partners.
Oct 09, 2022•5 min
Medical Waste
Big polluters are not just cars and power plants - they include the American health care system.
Oct 02, 2022•5 min
Recommendations to screen for anxiety in adults
When we screen for any disease, we need to make sure acceptable treatments are available.
Sep 25, 2022•5 min
The move toward remote home monitoring
Remote monitoring devices are now capable of tracking our health behaviors including the pills we consume, the food we eat, and the step we take. Is this an advance in health care?
Sep 18, 2022•5 min
Abortion: States vs the Federal government
Nationally, emergency departments have become the latest battle ground around issues related to abortion.
Sep 11, 2022•5 min
The health benefits of Camellia Sinensis (black tea)
A very large preliminary study suggests that there may be some health benefits to regularly drinking black tea.
Sep 04, 2022•4 min
The link between soil and health
Soil is something that often gets ignored as we think broadly about health.
Aug 28, 2022•5 min
Variations in the consumption of dairy products
It turns out that even what we chose for breakfast can have a biological origin.
Aug 21, 2022•5 min
Limitations of the Inflation Reduction Act of 2022
The new legislation offers some major successes, but with regard to drug pricing it is not close to what it could have been.
Aug 14, 2022•5 min
Informing relatives of genetic risks
We currently have no good communication systems to assure that those at risk for serious inherited diseases are informed of their risk.
Aug 07, 2022•5 min
Anti-depressants needs a major “rethink”
It turns out that much of what we’ve been told about antidepressants is wrong or misleading. The prevailing thinking has led to huge sales with little evidence of effectiveness.
Jul 31, 2022•5 min
Video recording surgical operations
Video recordings in the OR have a chance to improve quality but they also open a can of worms.
Jul 24, 2022•5 min
Wild and domestic pigs
With changes in domestic pig farming we may solve one problem of inhuman care, but risk another problem by exposing pigs to diseases that can impact our health.
Jul 17, 2022•5 min
Ignoring monkeypox at our own peril
Public trust in expert opinions on infectious diseases is low, but that’s no reason to ignore what is potentially a large public health problem.
Jul 10, 2022•5 min
The harms of too much and too little care
There are great disparities in health care and at both extremes – too much and too little – great harm can result.
Jul 03, 2022•5 min
Ageism and its impact on health
Ageism - the negative attitudes directed toward older persons simply because of their age – can impact an older person’s health.
Jun 26, 2022•5 min
Disappointment
If we are not careful, disappointment can have devastating long-term consequences.
Jun 19, 2022•5 min
A new kind of first responder
To reduce over utilization of emergency responders, fire departments are experimenting with a new, more comprehensive approach to home visits.
Jun 12, 2022•5 min
The Black Box Around Determining Physician Fees
Determining the fees physicians get paid is anything but transparent and only serves to drive up health care costs.
Jun 05, 2022•5 min
Sharing information against a family’s wish
Conflicts arise when a family does not wish to tell a sick person their diagnosis.
May 29, 2022•5 min
The heavy use of antidepressants in women
Women are the dominant users of antidepressants and there are many possible reasons why.
May 22, 2022•5 min
Friday the 13th
Superstitions impact many aspects of our lives, but they can have a profound effect in health care.
May 15, 2022•5 min
The importance of non-emergency transportation in health care
Not traditionally considered a part of health care, transportation plays an oversized role in the management of chronic disease.
May 08, 2022•5 min
A One Health approach to tick borne diseases
Veterinarians and Human health providers often deal similar diseases and that would stand a better chance of treatment with improved communication between the two professions.
May 01, 2022•5 min
Why do we still use the ineffective drug ivermectin for COVID-19?
Armed with good science that shows the drug is ineffective and dangerous people are still using it and often skipping their vaccines that are proven safe and effective. Go figure.
Apr 24, 2022•5 min
Messages to reach the heart and mind
Health messages are often ignored or easily forgotten. Enter a novel approach using Hip Hop Music.
Apr 17, 2022•5 min
What do hospital rankings really tell us?
Hospital rankings use metrics that just aren’t very relevant to most of us.
Apr 10, 2022•5 min
Challenging cholesterol statin use
Skeptics are a bit like the grains of sand in an oyster.
Apr 03, 2022•5 min