We’re back on the allergy train! Ben decided to actually do Mike a favor and look into allergy shots like he asked. What are allergy shots? How are they supposed to work? Do they actually work? Is Mike the ultimate allergen? All these questions will be answered in this week’s episode of the deli.

Today Mike wants to talk about influenza.  In particular, he wants to discuss a relatively new strain of influenza that has been circulating in the headlines that has been referred to as highly pathogenic avian influenza. He's joined by Mark, Ben, Producer Andrew, and audio engineer MJ.

Welcome to The Health Deli! On this episode, the topic is little-known body parts and what they do. Mark hosts this episode and turns it into a game...can Mike, Ben, and Producer Andrew figure it out based on the names alone? Listen to find out!

Mike says, "Today we will be talking about a topic near and dear to my heart – the appropriate use of antibiotics. The science and practice of making sure that antibiotics are used appropriately is also referred to as antimicrobial stewardship. The goal of antimicrobial stewardship is to measure and improve how antibiotics are prescribed by clinicians and used by patients."

Everyone’s feeling a bit stuffed up in this week’s episode of the Deli. Ben has been plagued by seasonal allergies for too long, and he can’t take it anymore! Join the gang as they try to get to the bottom of what allergies are and how to treat them.

Mike is finally ready to talk about those social determinants of health he kept talking about. Just to make sure he does the topic justice, he brought in special guest, Dr. Katie Axford, PharmD! Join Mike, Mark, Katie, and Andrew as they talk about how the environment we live in can have just as much of an impact on our health as the medications we take!

Mark wants everyone to live long and fulfilling lives. While looking into the secrets of longevity, he found people who have lived longer than even Mike! After getting over that shock, he took some notes and headed right over to the deli. Join Mike and Andrew as Mark recounts the tale of people who have lived to be over 110 years old. What do they have in common? What is the secret to living that long long life?

We have a special guest in the deli this week, Health Economist and Mike’s brother, Don Klepser! Will the deli be able to handle 2 Klepsers? Probably not. At the very least, we should get a few questions answered about why medications cost what they do and what PBMs are while the walls burn down around us.

Nobody enjoys a Cup of Joe more than Mark. This set him down the road to learn all about the relationship between humans and caffeine. Join Mike and Producer Andrew as Mark explains our history with caffeine, how it is used, and whether it is actually good or bad for us in this week’s episode of The Deli!

The gang is all together at the deli! Mark leads the discussion as Mike wonders why he's so tired, depressed, hopeless, and socially withdrawn this time of year; and Ben makes obscure song references. Andrew and Rylynn join in to mix the podcast and ask questions.