Health Newsfeed – Johns Hopkins Medicine Podcasts

Anchor lead: Can an industry conducted trial on a purified fish oil product be trusted? Elizabeth Tracey reports Vascepa is the name of a prescription fish oil product its makers touted in a press release, with full disclosure of trial results at the recent American Heart Association meeting. Michael Blaha, a preventive cardiologist at Johns […]

Anchor lead: In people with type 2 diabetes, bariatric surgery can help people avoid heart attacks and strokes, Elizabeth Tracey reports Type 2 diabetes is associated with an increased risk for heart attacks and strokes, as well as other complications like kidney or eye problems. Now a new study shows that for those people with […]

Anchor lead: Is fasting a good strategy for people with type 2 diabetes? Elizabeth Tracey reports It’s a good bet that people with diabetes would rather not take insulin, and now a new report may give them hope. In this very small study of three patients with longstanding type 2 diabetes, a regimen of intermittent […]

Anchor lead: Can fasting help people with type 2 diabetes get off insulin? Elizabeth Tracey reports Three people with type 2 diabetes who were taking insulin to manage their condition were able to eliminate it with a regimen of fasting, a recent study reported. Rita Kalyani, a diabetes expert at Johns Hopkins, describes the intervention. […]

Anchor lead: Can a community peer help people avoid hospitalization? Elizabeth Tracey reports Do you know what a community health worker is? This is someone from the neighborhood who helps a person with chronic illness manage their social issues, such as coordinating their medical care, with a recent study showing their intervention reduced hospitalizations by […]

Anchor lead: A new series puts the social aspects of health front and center, Elizabeth Tracey reports What are social determinants of health? A new series in the New England Journal of Medicine examines how things like education, neighborhoods, income and other factors influence someone’s health outcomes. Jeremy Greene, a physician at Johns Hopkins and […]

Anchor lead: How can we help people addicted to drugs without adequate numbers of providers? Elizabeth Tracey reports The journal Science has just reported that our problem with drug overdose deaths actually began in 1979, and has been rising steadily since. Eric Strain, a drug abuse expert at Johns Hopkins, says this puts the onus […]

Anchor lead: Opioids are just the latest in a long trend of escalating drug overdoses, Elizabeth Tracey reports Everyone knows opioids, including prescription drugs, heroin and fentanyl are the culprits when it comes to drug overdoses, right? Not so fast, a recent paper in the journal Science points out. Turns out drug overdoses have been […]

Anchor lead: Would you consider a clinical trial for your cancer care? Elizabeth Tracey reports Only about 3% of people with cancer enroll in a clinical trial for care, with a recent large study attempting to assess people’s attitudes and beliefs regarding such trials. William Nelson, director of the Kimmel Cancer Center at Johns Hopkins, […]

Anchor lead: Using several strategies helps people reduce the likelihood they will develop delirium while in the ICU, Elizabeth Tracey reports Pain must be managed in those who are critically ill, a bundle of strategies called A-F for patient care in the ICU acknowledges. Dale Needham, a critical care expert and pioneer in early mobilization […]