UW Medicine Pulse

Seattle musician Camille Bloom has Celiac Disease. She and over 3 million other Americans can't eat anything that contains even a trace of gluten; (no donuts, no bread, no crackers, no pizza) without suffering from severe intestinal problems. But thanks to a tenacious researcher at UW Medicine, help is on the way! In this episode, learn how the research team lead by UW Medicine's Dr. Ingrid Swanson Pultz discovered a way to break down gluten in the stomach, and allow people like Camille to tolerate a less restrictive diet.

Living with Celiac - Meet Camille Bloom, local musician and music educator, who describes life with Celiac disease.

Big Discovery - Ingrid Swanson Pultz discusses how she helped make an amazing discovery that may help patients with Celiac.

IGEM - UW becomes the first US team to ever win the International Genetically Engineered Machines competition with the creation of the gluten eating enzyme, KumaMax.

Testing the Discovery - When might the enzyme be available for human consumption?

From preventive care to early detection, a primary care doctor is an essential part of any health care plan. Find out more about what they do and why you should establish a relationship with a primary care provider in this episode of UW Medicine Pulse.

UW Medical Center is now one of a very few hospitals in the world approved to do face transplants. And sometime this year will perform the first of these amazing operations in the Northwest.

It’s a delicate, complex and long operation that requires a combination of strong patients, brave and willing donor families, and talented surgical teams.

In this episode Dr. Peter Neligan, director of Reconstructive Surgery at UW Medical Center, discusses the many facets of these surgeries – physical and psychological - that he says are not so much “life saving” as they are “life giving."

Ethics of Face Transplant - Dr. Neligan discusses the ethical questions surrounding face transplant.

Face Transplant Planning - Preparing a patient for face transplant takes a large team of experts.

Life Giving Surgery - Face transplantation offers new beginnings for those suffering from facial deformities.

While the NFL continues to make strides towards protecting players from concussions, UW Medicine doctors and researchers are playing a pivotal role in legislation, research and prevention. On this episode of UW Medicine Pulse, meet the very doctors and researchers on the forefront of change in this area and the young man who inspired new concussion protocols on the field - for the entire nation.

What are Concussions - Why are concussions so prevalent in sports today?

Lystedt Law - The story of Zackery Lystedt, the young man responsible for changing the rules of the game.

Multiple Concussions - Do head injuries sustained during youth lead to further trouble later in life?

Sports Concussion Program - UW Medicine's Sports Concussion Program not only helps treat head injuries, but looks for new ways to prevent them from happening.

When Fall turns into Winter, some people experience a dramatic shift in mood and energy known as Seasonal Affective Disorder or Winter Depression. In this episode of the podcast, we take a look at this mysterious disorder and meet the UW Medicine Researchers who discovered its most effective treatments.

SAD Defined - What is SAD and what are the symptoms of this disorder?

SAD Stats -How common is SAD around the country and do geographical differences matter?

Circadian Rhythms - SAD is in part caused by a disruption to our bodies natural rhythms.

Light Therapy - Learn how two different light therapies are making a difference for SAD patients.