On Health with Houston Methodist

Hot dogs are a classic summer cuisine. In fact, Americans will eat 150 million of them on the Fourth of July alone. But hot dogs, as well as other types of processed meat, have a dark side — they’re classified by the World Health Organization as a Group 1 carcinogen and linked to stomach and colorectal cancers, heart disease and more. If this is news to you, you're not alone. In this episode, we discuss everything from how processed meat affects the body to how much we can eat without taking on health risks. 

Hosts: Zach Moore, Katie McCallum (interviewer)
 

Expert: Dr. Valentine Millien, Gastroenterologist 

Notable topics covered: 

• What counts as processed meat 
• Why processed meat is classified as a Group 1 carcinogen 
• What's in processed meat that makes it so bad for us? 
• It's more than digestive issues — processed meat leads to inflammation throughout the body 
• It's not a bad idea to let your doctor know if you've eaten a lot of it in your lifetime 
• Deli meat, charcuterie, beef jerky: Are some types of processed meat less harmful? 
• The truth about "nitrate-free" deli meat 
• You don't have to stop eating processed meat, but how much is too much? 
• Whether the deli meat sliced behind the counter is better than pre-packaged options 
• Dr. Millien's recommendations for healthy swaps 
• The importance of following colorectal cancer screening guidelines 

If you enjoy these kinds of conversations, be sure to subscribe. And for more topics like this, visit our blog at houstonmethodist.org/blog. 

We all have go-to workout songs — ones you can always count on to help you get the darn thing done, no matter how unmotivated you are to exercise or how hard your workout gets. What is it about the connection between music and exercise? Is it just a way to distract us from the task at hand and make working out more bearable? Or does a song's tempo have a way of improving our physical performance? In this episode, we explore the effect music has on the brain and whether what we listen to can make for a more effective workout.

Hosts: Zach Moore (interviewer), Katie McCallum

Expert: Maegan Morrow, Senior Music Therapist

Notable topics covered:

•  How the brain senses and responds to music 
• Beats per minute: How both heart rate and musical tempo are measured 
• Why synchronizing your heart rate to a song's tempo makes for effective exercise 
• How Maegan uses these principles to help rehabilitate brain injury patients in the ICU 
• Whether the volume of what you listen to matters during a workout 
• Tips for building the perfect workout playlist 
• Ways to determine the beats per minute of your favorite songs 
• Running vs. weightlifting vs. HIIT: Do you need different playlists for different types of exercise? 
• Why your workout playlists need more than high tempo songs 
• TV shows, audiobooks, podcasts: Does it matter if you don't listen to music?

Links:

• On Health with Houston Methodist Workout Playlist

If you enjoy these kinds of conversations, be sure to subscribe. And for more topics like this, visit our blog at houstonmethodist.org/blog. 

Dementia is older Americans' most feared diagnosis, according to surveys. This is understandable given that, by 2050, such diseases are projected to rob nearly 14 million people — more than twice the current number — of their memories, personalities, ability to function. Is it just fate or can you do anything to prevent dementia? In this episode, we explore the risk factors for dementia, lifestyle strategies and interventions to keep your brain healthy and whether cognitive impairment is inevitable if you live long enough.

Hosts: Zach Moore, Todd Ackerman (interviewer)

Expert: Dr. Gustavo Román, Neurologist

Notable topics covered: 

• Alzheimer's and other types of dementia: The differences 
• How much age related mental decline is to be expected? 
• Blood flow: Its role in the development of dementia 
• How much of dementia is determined by genetics 
• When's a good age to implement prevention strategies? 
• Should you get tested to see if you're at risk? 
• The connection between hearing loss and dementia 
• Can vitamins prevent or delay dementia symptoms? 
• The best brain exercises aren't crosswords or word puzzles 
• Research to develop statin-like drugs for the brain

If you enjoy these kinds of conversations, be sure to subscribe. And for more topics like this, visit our blog at houstonmethodist.org/blog. 

Ice cream is one of America's favorite desserts, but all those calories and sugars and fats have lots of people considering alternatives — keto ice cream, plant-based ice cream, frozen yogurt, gelato, sorbet, sherbet, their own homemade ice cream. But are any really healthier? And what's the taste trade-off? In this episode, we talk with a dietitian about how we're biologically wired to like ice cream, the secret ingredients in the alternatives and what's a healthy framework for enjoying dessert.

Hosts: Zach Moore (interviewer), Katie McCallum

Expert: Amanda Beaver, MS, RDN, LD, Wellness Dietitian

Notable topics covered:

• The feel-good neurotransmitters that ice cream triggers in the brain 
• Is there such a thing as a "healthy" amount of ice cream? 
• Ice cream parlors vs. store-bought ice cream: Yes, there's a difference 
• Sugar-free, keto, vegan: The new wave of "healthier" ice creams 
• Ingredients substituted for sugar and fat and their potential downsides 
• DIY: How to make healthier ice cream at home 
• Gelato, froyo, soft serve, sorbet: Better choices than traditional ice cream? 
• Ever heard of banana nice cream? Frozen chocolate-covered bananas? 
• How to build a well-balanced smoothie 
• Beaver's tips for getting satisfaction out of dessert without overdoing it 

If you enjoy these kinds of conversations, be sure to subscribe. And for more topics like this, visit our blog at houstonmethodist.org/blog. 

Rainy day doldrums, sunny dispositions, winter blues — plenty of phrases suggest a link between weather and a person's mood. But how real is the connection? Can unpleasant conditions put you in a bad mood, a beautiful day in a good one? Why are some people more sensitive to the elements? And can past experiences with severe weather cause a kind of PTSD? We've got a jam-packed episode this week, covering everything from a psychologist's viewpoint on weather and mood to a high-profile weather expert's tips for preparing for hurricanes, flash-flooding and more.

Hosts: Zach Moore, Katie McCallum (interviewer)

Experts:

• Dr. William Orme, Psychologist
• Eric Berger, Founder of Space City Weather

Notable topics covered:

• What research says about weather’s effect on a person’s disposition 
• The complexities of mood and why it’s rarely as simple as one thing 
• Berger’s take on the worst weather month in Houston  
• Seasonal affective disorder: When mood is definitely affected by the weather 
• Can seasonal affective disorder happen in the summer? 
• Dr. Orme’s tips for handling months of humidity and heat or cold and darkness 
• The impact severe weather can have on mental health 
• Tips for handling the stress and anxiety of severe weather 
• Hurricane, flash-flooding, tornado, freeze: How to prepare in advance for a severe weather event 

Links:

• Space City Weather: https://spacecityweather.com/

If you enjoy these kinds of conversations, be sure to subscribe. And for more topics like this, visit our blog at houstonmethodist.org/blog. 

Few diets have generated as much buzz as intermittent fasting, a way of eating that involves abstaining from food consumption on a regular schedule. Touted as about when you eat rather than what, it's gained great popularity as a means of weight loss. But its value beyond losing weight may be its promise of a host of other benefits — better heart health, improved cognitive function, blood sugar control, reduced inflammation, to name a few. Can not eating over fixed blocks of time really effect such wholesale improvements? In today's episode, we learn about the metabolic science of intermittent fasting and what it means for your body.

Hosts: Zach Moore, Todd Ackerman (interviewer)

Expert: Dr. Philip Horner, Neuroscientist

Notable topics covered:

• Intermittent fasting: Is it really just a form of caloric restriction?
• The benefits of burning ketones (fats) instead of glucose (sugars)
• The changes that occur in your brain and throughout your body when you fast
• Spinal cord regeneration: The intermittent fasting research that got neuroscientists interested
• The evidence that intermittent fasting improves growth and repair states in multiple tissue types
• 16/8, eat-stop-eat, 5/2: The primary types of intermittent fasting
• Contrary to the hype, the quality of what you eat when fasting matters
• Tips for making intermittent fasting successful
• Who shouldn't take on intermittent fasting
• How intermittent fasting appears to improve gut bacteria

If you enjoy these kinds of conversations, be sure to subscribe. And for more topics like this, visit our blog at houstonmethodist.org/blog. 

How do you know if you have sleep apnea? It’s common, with estimates suggesting that more than 20% of adults suffer from this sleep-related breathing disorder. Snoring is often assumed to be the primary sleep apnea symptom. But if you don’t snore, does that mean you’re in the clear? In today’s episode, we cover the most common signs of sleep apnea, why it leads to more than just bad sleep and how sleep apnea is diagnosed and treated.

Hosts: Zach Moore (interviewer), Katie McCallum

Expert: Dr. Philip Pirtle, Pulmonologist and Sleep Medicine Specialist

Notable topics covered:

• There’s more to sleep apnea than just snoring 
• The other (potentially more common) sleep apnea symptoms 
• How sleep apnea strains the heart, lungs and more 
• Whether there’s a hereditary component to sleep apnea 
• Sleep studies: What to expect and how they aid in sleep apnea diagnosis 
• How the severity of sleep apnea is determined  
• High blood pressure, heart attack, stroke: The consequences of not treating sleep apnea 
• All about CPAP machines, the best way to treat sleep apnea 
• Dr. Pirtle’s other tips for alleviating the symptoms of sleep apnea 

If you enjoy these kinds of conversations, be sure to subscribe. And for more topics like this, visit our blog at houstonmethodist.org/blog. 

Is it just us or has the bread aisle gotten complicated? Really complicated? White bread, multigrain, honey wheat, whole wheat — to name only a few. How do you know what’s actually healthy and what’s not? In this episode, we take one of the most confusing aisles in the grocery store and break it down into its simplest parts: the nutritious grains you can trust and the refined ones you can’t.

Hosts: Zach Moore, Katie McCallum (interviewer)

Expert: Kylie Arrindell, Registered Dietitian

Notable topics covered:

• Carbs don’t have to be the enemy
• The benefits of whole grains and downsides of refined ones
• Why you can’t judge a bread’s healthfulness just by its color
• One simple trick for identifying if bread is whole grain or not
• What “multigrain” really means
• Bakery vs. bread aisle: Is scratch-made more nutritious than packaged?
• Whether the crust is really the healthiest part of sliced bread
• Tortillas: Is corn better for you than flour?
• More of Kylie’s tips for navigating the bread aisle

If you enjoy these kinds of conversations, be sure to subscribe. And for more topics like this, visit our blog at houstonmethodist.org/blog. 

We all know that the first crack of dawn is the prime time for some folks, an ungodly hour for others. But what do we really know about early birds and night owls, like who’s more productive or creative -- or healthier? It turns out, people’s chronotype, their natural inclination to sleep and wake at certain times, has a bigger impact on them than previously thought. In this week’s episode, we talk with a neurological expert about the prevalence of the two archetypes, the generalizations that can be made about them and why it’s not a good idea to fight your natural tendency.

Hosts: Zach Moore, Todd Ackerman (interview)

Expert: Dr. Randall Wright, Neurologist

Notable topics covered:

• The biological implications of sleep being tied to the sun
• Are you either a night owl or early bird or is there a continuum? 
• Whether a night owl can become a morning bird
• The ages at which sleep patterns naturally change
• Is being a night owl a bad thing or do early birds just have great PR?
• What happens when an early bird works a night shift, a night owl a morning one?
• Are there health risks associated with either archetype?
• Is remote working making society more tolerant of night owls?
• Should schools rethink their early start times?

If you enjoy these kinds of conversations, be sure to subscribe. And for more topics like this, visit our blog at houstonmethodist.org/blog. 

Hosts Zach Moore, Katie McCallum and Todd Ackerman kick off the third season of On Health with Houston Methodist, sharing what listeners can expect each Tuesday morning for the next ten weeks.

Stay tuned for topics ranging from whether it's bad to be a night owl and how weather affects our mood to what you should know about sleep apnea and tips for keeping your brain young.

If you enjoy these kinds of conversations, be sure to subscribe. And for more topics like this, visit our blog at houstonmethodist.org/blog.