Put on your favorite medieval tavern playlist, check yourself for signs of pestilence, and bring out your dead. This week on Health Wanted, we’re rounding out our month of Halloween horrors by talking about the original plague: THE PLAGUE. We’ll also be talking with medical entomologist Dr. Adelaide Miarinjara about battling plague in Madagascar.

Plus: Do you need to worry about chikungunya now? How much lead is too much for protein powders? What are the ethical issues of a full-body transplant? And, of course, the Sick of the Week.

For a full rundown on all the information shared in today's episode, take a look at the show notes.

Have a question for Laurel? Send it to [email protected] or leave a voicemail at 404-888-3630!

For more, visit wabe.org/healthwanted

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

You ever hear the one about the two headed dog that walked out of a soviet research center? Well, you’re about to! This week on Health Wanted we’re rounding out our Halloween series by talking about the closest we’ve come to a real-life Dr. Frankenstein through the weird history of transplants past, present, and future, and talking to author Mary Roach about her new book exploring all the modern ways we can replace our parts.

Plus—are Kegels actually good for you? How many beverages is too many for a morning routine? Should we be sanitizing our sponges? And what’s going on with the fertility rate?

For a full rundown on all the information shared in today's episode, take a look at the show notes.

Have a question for Laurel? Send it to [email protected] or leave a voicemail at 404-888-3630!

For more, visit wabe.org/healthwanted

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Quick! Here’s a round of Kiss, Marry, Kill: Nosferatu, Lestat, and Count Chocula. This week on Health Wanted, we’re accessorizing with our best garlic necklaces and inviting everyone in to get up close and personal with the medical explanations for vampires.

Plus, do COVID vaccines cause “turbo cancer?” What’s going on with the lawsuit saying some birth control causes brain tumors? And why would anyone claim there’s a connection between circumcision and autism?

For a full rundown on all the information shared in today's episode, take a look at the show notes.

Have a question for Laurel? Send it to [email protected] or leave a voicemail at 404-888-3630!

For more, visit wabe.org/healthwanted

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

A term for a mindless person. A tiki drink that will make you wish you were dead if you have too many. An iconic dance break in a Michael Jackson video. Laurel’s favorite Cranberries song. What do these have in common? This week on Health Wanted Laurel investigates the medical origins, and possible explanations, for zombies, and interviews Dr. Roger Byard about real-life cases of people consuming a zombie’s favorite treat: human flesh.

Plus, Laurel answers questions about if Tylenol depletes glutathione, if acupuncture is the new Botox, if a nasal spray can reduce the risk of COVID, and more!

For a full rundown on all the information shared in today's episode, take a look at the show notes.

Have a question for Laurel? Send it to [email protected] or leave a voicemail at 404-888-3630!

For more, visit wabe.org/healthwanted

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In this episode of Health Wanted, host Laurel Bristow takes on the often-taboo topic of death and the difficult discussion of what to do with our own bodies when we go. And she interviews filmmakers Barry Koch and Jason Zamer about their documentary “A Butterfly Has Been Released,” exploring how a lifetime spent near death can create a more peaceful view of dying.

Plus, Laurel answers questions about the safety of gel nail polish, whether it’s bad to hold in a sneeze, deceptive drug ads, food recalls, and more!

For a full rundown on all the information shared in today's episode, take a look at the show notes.

Have a question for Laurel? Send it to [email protected] or leave a voicemail at 404-888-3630!

For more, visit wabe.org/healthwanted

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In this episode of Health Wanted, host Laurel Bristow helps you gear up to avoid getting taken down by a winter virus—COVID, flu, and RSV—and chats with friend of the show Dr. Seema Lakdawala about the best ways to stop transmission.

Plus, Laurel recaps the recent Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices meeting and talks about why we should be wary of supplements claiming to be alternatives for a recently announced autism treatment.

For a full rundown on all the information shared in today's episode, take a look at the show notes.

Have a question for Laurel? Send it to [email protected] or leave a voicemail at 404-888-3630!

For more, visit wabe.org/healthwanted

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

If you’ve ever found yourself muttering the phrase “this job is killing me,” take a moment to be grateful you mean it metaphorically and not literally. In this episode of Health Wanted, host Laurel Bristow dives into forgotten occupational diseases—from jobs that turn you yellow to jobs that melt your face off.

She’s joined by guest Linda Forst, MD, to explore workplace safety today, in the United States and around the world.

In the Q&A, Bristow talks about the concept of herd immunity and how vaccines protect both the vaccinated and unvaccinated, confirms that coffee enemas aren’t the answer you’re looking for, and, just in case you had finally forgotten about the disturbing content of our “Neglected Tropical Diseases” episode, gives the "Sick of the Week" to whether or not people living in the U.S. need to be worried about Chagas disease.

For a full rundown on all the information shared in today's episode, take a look at the show notes.

Have a question for Laurel? Send it to [email protected] or leave a voicemail at 404-888-3630!

For more, visit wabe.org/healthwanted

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Walking into a gas station in the past handful of years, you might have noticed a new product on the shelves: pills, powders, gummies, or energy shots containing “pure kratom alkaloids.” But what is kratom? And what is the new substance (7-hydroxymitragynine) that the FDA is concerned about? This week on Health Wanted host Laurel Bristow dives into the rise of 7-OH, the substance being dubbed the “next opioid crisis.”

Then, she is joined by guest Oliver Grundmann, PhD, to explore whether these products are a harm-reduction tool or a danger to public health. 

In the Q&A, Bristow gives an update on COVID vaccine approvals, breaks down a recent report linking Tylenol and folate to autism, and yet another deep dive into COVID transmission takes the “Sick of the Week.”

For a full rundown on all the information shared in today's episode, take a look at the Show Notes.

Have a question for Laurel? Send it to [email protected] or leave a voicemail at 404-888-3630!

For more, visit wabe.org/healthwanted

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The ALA is back once again! With your help, we Ask Laurel Anything. Included in this episode are questions on topics ranging from Laurel's recent experience at the Public Media Content Conference to the proper pronunciation of "gif." She also dives into a Best Muppets rundown and takes a moment for Axolotl Rose in Pet Corner. We close things out with the always speedy Lightning Round.

We'll be back next week to break down more science, in the pursuit of better health.

Have a question for Laurel? Send it to [email protected] or leave a voicemail at 404-888-3630.

For more, visit wabe.org/healthwanted. To support Health Wanted and other public media programing, visit wabe.org/give

 

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

We’ve all been there: You’re on your couch watching TV, when suddenly a celebrity appears to try to sell you Ozempic. How does pharmaceutical marketing influence patient behavior, doctor-patient relationships, and public policy? Learn all that and more this week on Health Wanted, when host Laurel Bristow dissects the uniquely American phenomenon that is direct-to-consumer prescription drug advertising. Then, she is joined by Steve Woloshin, MD, for a doctor’s perspective.

Bristow addresses questions on topics ranging from rabbits with horns in Colorado to PFAS in contact lenses to a reported link between cancer and COVID, all before Sick of the Week gives a preview of respiratory virus season.

For a full rundown on all the information shared in today's episode, take a look at the Show Notes.

Have a question for Laurel? Send it to [email protected] or leave a voicemail at 404-888-3630!

For more, visit wabe.org/healthwanted

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.