Science and Nature

Vitals

Vitals goes behind the headlines to get the definitive answers to the health questions everyone is asking.

How Canada is transforming assisted death safeguards

13m 35s

Dozens of countries allow patients to seek a doctor’s help in ending their lives. Canada has been a leader in the movement, but is now set to loosen safeguards that are meant to protect people with mental illness. It’s controversial - we’ll hear from both sides, and look at how medically-assisted death has evolved since the days of Dr. Jack Kevorkian.

Episodes

  • Why A.I. Won’t Replace Doctors: asset-mezzanine-16x9

    Why A.I. Won’t Replace Doctors

    S1 E25 - 11m 21s

    Some studies have found that supercomputers can diagnose illnesses more accurately than human doctors - from heart disease to cancer to asthma to early detection of sepsis (infection spreading through the blood). The use of AI is growing, but patients are leery – are they right to be? Alok and Sheena will look at the pros and cons of AI in medicine – where it can be most effective, and where the h

  • When Antibiotics Fail, What's Next?: asset-mezzanine-16x9

    When Antibiotics Fail, What's Next?

    S1 E24 - 14m 4s

    Antibiotic overuse and misuse is driving resistance in bacteria. Without new therapeutic tools, we could by 2050 see 10 million deaths annually from “superbug” infections. Co-hosts Alok and Sheena explore how phage therapy and other scientific advancements might help humanity win the battle against our microbial foes.

  • Are We in a Loneliness Epidemic?: asset-mezzanine-16x9

    Are We in a Loneliness Epidemic?

    S1 E23 - 11m 48s

    Studies indicate that 1 in 5 Americans always or often feel lonely or socially isolated. The overall impact of loneliness on mental wellness is still being determined, however researchers suggest the risk effects of loneliness, isolation and weak social networks is the same as smoking 15 cigarettes a day. We discuss the effects of prolonged loneliness on your health and what to do about it.

  • How Abortions Bans are Changing Medical Care: asset-mezzanine-16x9

    How Abortions Bans are Changing Medical Care

    S1 E22 - 15m 35s

    U.S. abortion bans have had an intense ripple effect for patients, providers, and medicine at large. We talk with OB-GYN @DrJenniferLincoln about everything from emergency care being denied, to medical residents forced to leave their home institutions for abortion training. Our Vitals hosts are also joined by Amanda and Josh Zurawski, a coupled denied a medically necessary abortion in Texas.

  • Why Is Everyone I Know Getting Sick?: asset-mezzanine-16x9

    Why Is Everyone I Know Getting Sick?

    S1 E21 - 13m 41s

    Masks and social distancing made the common cold nearly disappear, but now these viruses are back with a vengeance. RSV is filling up emergency rooms, and flu season is off to a roaring start, too. It’s the worst season of respiratory illness in recent memory. Why is this happening? Alok and Sheena explain the leading theory behind the “tripledemic.”

  • What is "Baby Botox" and Why Are Younger People Doing It?: asset-mezzanine-16x9

    What is "Baby Botox" and Why Are Younger People Doing It?

    S1 E20 - 15m 7s

    Botox is the top non-surgical beauty procedure in the country, and now even being used non-cosmetically. But is it really something to consider in your 20s and 30s? We’re joined by Board-Certified dermatologists Dr. Alexis Stephens and Dr. Angelo Landriscina to answer these questions and more.

  • 5 Supplements That Might Not Be Worth the Hype: asset-mezzanine-16x9

    5 Supplements That Might Not Be Worth the Hype

    S1 E19 - 14m 31s

    Dietary supplements have become a staple of the American diet, with half of all American adults taking a multivitamin or other dietary supplement regularly. But how much of the supplements craze is backed by research? With a panel of experts, co-hosts Alok and Sheena talk through five top-selling supplements, grade these supplements and some of their answers may surprise you.

  • Why Don't We Have an HIV Vaccine?: asset-mezzanine-16x9

    Why Don't We Have an HIV Vaccine?

    S1 E18 - 14m 7s

    After 40 years of trying, why don’t we have an HIV vaccine? Did you know that even without a vaccine, we have antiviral medication that is 99 percent effective at preventing HIV? So why isn’t that good enough? The U.S. and the world have a goal of ending HIV as a major health threat by the year 2030, but is that realistic? Lots of questions, and we’ve got some answers.

  • What to Know About the Monkeypox Outbreak: asset-mezzanine-16x9

    What to Know About the Monkeypox Outbreak

    S1 E17 - 14m 21s

    Thousands of cases of monkeypox have been reported in countries where, historically, the virus is not endemic. But this virus isn’t new. In fact, Monkeypox is currently endemic in parts of West and Central Africa and scientists have known about the virus infecting humans since as early as 1970. So what changed? The Vitals team, along with epidemiologist, Dr. Anne Rimoin, are here to demystify it.

  • Why Endometriosis Patients Keep Getting Gaslit: asset-mezzanine-16x9

    Why Endometriosis Patients Keep Getting Gaslit

    S1 E16 - 11m 23s

    It’s not “just cramps”, pregnancy will not cure the disease, and yes (sigh)...even teens can get it. People with endometriosis keep getting gaslit. Why is their pain being dismissed? Alok and Sheena talk about how the healthcare system has fallen short, and how social media is stepping in to help. Karen Chang MD joins us to bust some endo myths that even some doctors believe.

  • What Most People Get Wrong About Abortion: asset-mezzanine-16x9

    What Most People Get Wrong About Abortion

    S1 E15 - 14m 34s

    On June 24, 2022 the US Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade and we are SHOOK. The abortion debate is divided along party lines, and steeped in a cloud of myths. What’s science and what’s science fiction? We’ve got the truth about current abortions procedures, how safe they are, who it affects, and abortion’s role in reproductive health.

  • Pros and Cons of Traveling Abroad for Surgery: asset-mezzanine-16x9

    Pros and Cons of Traveling Abroad for Surgery

    S1 E14 - 11m 5s

    What exactly is medical tourism? How safe is it to travel to another country for a medical procedure? And what about mixing a little vacation with some dental work? As of 2020, approximately 1 in 10 people in the US under the age of 65 are medically uninsured. So why is health care so expensive in the US? Alok and Sheena share some of the risks associated with medical tourism.

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