Health Wanted

2025 was a year of big questions: from our government, from our public health institutions, and, of course, from you, our lovely listeners.

For this final episode of the year, we’re bringing you your best questions and Laurel’s best answers from 2025, including: Are indoor waterparks just a close cousin of cruises? Are there any real world applications of the finding that axolotl mucus attacks breast cancer and MRSA? What’s the danger in leaving flowers in a hospital room? And our sick of the year: Are pesticides in tampons poisoning us?

We'll be back on the first Friday of 2026 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 healthwanted.org. To support Health Wanted and other public media programming, visit wabe.org/give.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

We are smack dab in the middle of the holiday season, which usually comes with enough liquid cheer to kill a horse…or at least get some people to consider wringing themselves out in the new year. This week on Health Wanted, it’s a not-so-happy hour as we take a big old swig of the truth about the health risks of alcohol. Host Laurel Bristow also interviews with Dr. Marissa Esser, former head of the CDC’s Alcohol Program.

Plus: What happened to the man with the pig kidney? Do people with a MTHFR gene mutation need to avoid folic acid? More concerns about the recent ACIP meeting, and 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.

In the mid 2010s “designer jeans” became a topic of conversation not just in the fashion world, but in the world of medical intervention as well. This week on Health Wanted: CRISPR was supposed to be the gene-editing tool to end all disease, so where has it gone? Host Laurel Bristow also talks to Dr. Ben Hurlbut about the ethics of curing disease through CRISPR.

Plus: how do you address inaccurate health information at a party without starting a fight? Do vibration plates actually work? Are adjuvants the reason we saw an increase in peanut allergies? And the ACIP changes the birth dose Hep B vaccine recommendation.

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.

Health insurance: seems like a straightforward concept. Every month you put money into an account so that, when you need to pay health care costs, that account will cover it. If you’re laughing at the idea of using THAT description for THIS country, that’s probably because it’s a ridiculous oversimplification to the point that it’s closer to a lie. 

This week on Health Wanted, host Laurel Bristow gives you an abridged explanation of health insurance in the U.S. She also talks to Rachel Nuzum of The Commonwealth Fund about what we could do to fix our health insurance system.

Plus: can COVID vaccines impact the menstrual cycle? Does taking melatonin lead to heart failure? Will drinking instant coffee cause you to go blind? What’s going on with measles elimination in the country? And 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.

Did you know Laurel has never had a pumpkin spice latte? Well, you do now! We're back with another ALA! With your help, we Ask Laurel Anything.

Health Wanted host Laurel shares her Halloween recap and Christmas preview and explains why she is only just getting into Vanderpump Rules. Plus, we close things out with the ever-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 programming, visit wabe.org/give.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In 1968, biologist Paul Ehrlich cautioned that by the 1980s we’d see hundreds of millions of people starving to death due to overpopulation. Turns out… he was a bit off. This week on Health Wanted, the so-called “fertility crisis” is creating a panic about the fate of society and inspiring a movement for more babies. But what’s really driving our low birth rate, and what can we do to reverse it? Host Laurel Bristow also sits down with Dr. Karen Guzzo to discuss whether it’s truly necessary to lose our minds over the low fertility rate.

Plus: Updates on the impending flu season. What’s causing an increase in opportunistic infections? Should people over age 65 get another COVID vaccine two months apart? How long can pathogens live on surfaces? Does microdosing weight-loss drugs work?

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.

Formula recall. What to do if you need to buy health insurance on the ACA market place? What’s the status of Long COVID research? Do COVID infections in pregnancy cause autism? Are we getting enough protein?

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.

After a month of Halloween-themed shows, everyone is probably a little tired of talking about dying. Finally, it’s time to start LIVING. Maybe FOREVER. This week on Health Wanted, host Laurel Bristow is looking at the field of longevity science to see how close we are to cheating death, and what’s still in the realm of fantasy. Laurel also sits down with Dr. Tom Frieden to discuss his new book “The Formula for Better Health,” to talk about what practical changes everyone can make to live a longer, healthier life.

Plus: what does new research about estrogen therapy say about reducing the risk of heart disease? Are boric acid-based flame retardants harmful to pregnancies? And did COVID vaccines really improve a cancer patient’s chance of survival?

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.

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.