Fight Back

Do you need a second COVID vaccine booster shot? Are the home rapid tests able to detect the newest variants? What's the latest data regarding long COVID? Dr. Pollock joins us for our monthly COVIDcast to answer these questions. He also talks about vaccine availability in third world countries, and how other countries are currently struggling with COVID outbreaks.

This minicast discusses whether it is possible to negotiate your medical bills with the hospital and what that means for you and your bottom line. (Hint: You have options.) Our special guest Allan Fox, a former hospital CFO, offers his unique insights on the topic.

Most people with COVID-19 don’t become severely ill and will often get better within weeks of falling sick. By staying up to date on your COVID-19 vaccine, including a booster dose, you can lower the odds of a severe illness and the risk of hospitalization. However, even a mild COVID infection can cause what doctors and researchers call “long COVID.”
 
 Long COVID is a wide range of new, returning, or ongoing health problems people may experience more than four weeks after being first infected. Researchers estimate that 10% to 30% of patients might experience long COVID after recovering—even if they experienced mild symptoms. This leaves many COVID long-haulers with questions about symptoms and what to do. In this Fight Back episode, our special guest, Dr. Aras Mattis, a research scientist at the University of California San Francisco, will discuss the ongoing research and understanding of long COVID.

Many states in recent years have legalized the use of cannabis as a treatment for various medical conditions. We welcome our special guest, Sally Brammell, Senior Corporate Counsel at PAX Labs, a cannabis vaporizer company. She is also a parent of a young adult son who is developmentally disabled by a rare pediatric epilepsy syndrome. Although his seizures are resistant to most medications, they have been well-controlled for the past seven years with medical cannabis. We discuss with Ms. Brammell the science behind medical marijuana, insurance and legal issues, different cannabis delivery methods, and more.

Do you need a fourth COVID vaccine booster shot? Will we need annual COVID vaccine shots, just like shots for the flu? Dr. Pollock joins us for our monthly COVID update to answer these questions. He also talks about the possibility of new variants, the importance of strengthening the global network of laboratory surveillance to detect such strains, and how wastewater monitoring has proven helpful in tracking COVID.

Debby Johnson, a third-generation pharmacist and former President of the California Pharmacist Association, gives us a peek into the world of a pharmacist.
 
 She explains the important role pharmacists play as they interact with patients, how computer technology has become an indispensable tool and offers advice when insurance companies deny coverage for prescription drugs.
 
 Click here to listen to the complete “Pharmacy 101” podcast.

Despite tremendous progress, smoking is still a leading cause of death from lung cancer and a significant contributor to heart disease. Our special guest, Erica Costa, discusses how to quit smoking. Erica is the Director of Advocacy for Tobacco Control in California for the American Lung Association.

In this special Minicast, Ms. Costa talks about how fast your body heals the moment you quit smoking, are vapes good for you, and the first steps to take to quit smoking.

For many years, service animals—especially canines—have helped those with various disabilities. But did you know that such service animals can do so much more? Amazingly they can:

• Keep track of your blood sugar level 
• Warn you of impending issues
• Pick up, move or retrieve household items
• Play a considerable role in treatment for veterans and others with Post-traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD)

In this Fight Back episode, Michelle Williams, Public Relations and Marketing Coordinator for Canine Companions, and Stefanie Lund, a volunteer breeder of service canines, explore why service animals are man’s best friends. From the breeding and training of canine companions to the laws governing their identification and purposes, we cover it and more.

Today, we talk with Michele Lew, Chief Executive Officer of the Health Trust. Michele explains how to use food to prevent and treat diseases such as diabetes.

In our March COVID Update episode, Dr. Pollack joins us to talk about the origins, definitions, and differences of an epidemic, pandemic, and endemic. We also discuss when the COVID pandemic could become endemic, the state of COVID variants, and the potential for more “variants of concern.” We even talk about the unseemly yet important (and interesting!) topic of how wastewater and sewage treatment plants are an essential tool in tracking COVID.

Each month, Dr. Brad Pollock from UC Davis joins us to discuss the latest COVID news and information.