The Science of Health Podcast

Achieving Gut Health -- and How It Supports Your Overall Well-Being

Your gut microbiome is like an ecosystem in your body – a community of shared organisms living together. An altered gut microbiome has been potentially linked to medical conditions ranging from type 2 diabetes to cardiovascular disease, autoimmune conditions, inflammatory bowel disease, neurological disorders and even cancer. How do you know the state of your gut health and what can you do to keep it in good shape? Lizzy Traxler, outpatient clinical dietician with the Digestive Health Institute at University Hospitals, explains.

How to Get -- and Keep -- Healthy Skin

Your skin is your body’s largest organ, and it’s fairly simple to take care of. But there are many different types of skin, and each need different kinds of care. Your skin might be oily or dry, tan or burn easily, be dotted with moles or creased with fine lines. It can be tough to know exactly what habits or products will keep your skin at its healthiest – and the signs of trouble to watch for. UH certified nurse practitioner Susan Mayne, CNP, who specializes in dermatology, leads us through the maze of skin health and gives practical tips on how to get your skin to look and feel its best.

mRNA Technology: A New Era for Vaccines?

Vaccines have worked in the same way since they were invented more than 200 years ago: they use a weakened version of the targeted virus to create an immune response that the body remembers. Since COVID-19 appeared, a new kind of vaccine has emerged -- the mRNA vaccine. The mRNA vaccine is a unique delivery system that focuses specifically on the cells that are the targets of an infection. And, as Robert Salata, MD, UH infectious disease specialist and Program Director, Roe Green Center for Travel Medicine and Global Health, explains, researchers are now studying how to use this revolutionary technology to fight other diseases such as HIV, rabies and influenza.

Using the Body’s Immune System To Fight Cancer

Immunotherapy is a new, groundbreaking approach to treating cancer that harnesses the body’s own natural defenses to fight tumors. Immunotherapy comes in many forms, including checkpoint inhibitors, which shut down a tumor’s ability to be invisible to the body’s immune system; antibodies that can stick to and attack a tumor; and genetically manipulated cells that become “natural killer cells.” Ted Teknos, MD, President and Scientific Director of UH Seidman Cancer Center, explains how these medical wonders work and which cancers immunotherapies are most effective at treating.

Cow’s Milk vs. Plant-Based Milk: Which is Better?

Many people choose plant-based alternatives to cow’s milk for themselves or their children because they want or need to avoid dairy. Others believe these non-dairy drinks are healthier than cow’s milk. But a close look at the nutrition profile of these beverages, which include milks made from almonds, soybeans or oats, shows that plant-based milks may not be as healthful as they seem. UH registered dietitian Meghann Featherstun, MS, RD, CSSD, LD, walks us through the most popular non-dairy milks, how they stack up against cow’s milk -- and the potential impact on children’s nutrition.

What’s In the Baby Food You Give Your Child?

Studies show that some of the most common baby foods manufactured in the United States contain traces of arsenic, lead and mercury. Exposure to these heavy metals can interfere with a child’s brain development and affect  learning, cognition, behavior and attention. While your child’s exposure to heavy metals from baby food is likely small compared to other sources, it’s still important to minimize exposure from all sources -- and that includes food. UH Rainbow pediatrician Aparna Bole, MD, tells us how.

Recovering From COVID-19 Stress and Loss

For many people of all ages, the past year has been traumatic. Mental health problems have been reported among people hospitalized with COVID-19, while health care workers and others experienced high levels of stress on the job. Many people lost loved ones to the illness or were out of work. And children, who depend on social interaction for learning and development, were restricted to tight family pods. What has been the emotional and mental toll on all of us and how do we begin to heal? Kathy Clegg, MD, Director of Ambulatory and Community Psychiatry at UH Cleveland Medical Center and Erum Ahmad, MD, Medical Director of the Child and Adolescent Psychiatry Unit at UH Rainbow Babies and Children’s Hospital, offer their advice on finding your way back.

Getting the Most Out of Over-the-Counter Medicines

Pain relievers, cough suppressants, nasal sprays – these and other over-the-counter medicines are supposed to help us feel better when we have minor illnesses. But do these medicines really work? And what safety issues do we need to be aware of when taking these drugs or giving them to our kids? Charita Ray, DO, a family medicine physician at University Hospitals, outlines which medicines you should take and when -- as well as special safety considerations when giving over-the-counter drugs to children.  

Do Sports Drinks and Foods Improve Athletic Performance for Kids?

If you’re the parent of a child who is serious about sports, you know these young athletes are looking for anything to give them an edge over the competition. Building skills, strength and endurance are all part of the picture. So is eating right. But is there a place in an athlete’s toolkit for special food and beverages specifically aimed at enhancing athletic performance and recovery? We talked with UH pediatric sports medicine specialist Laura Goldberg, MD, to find out.

Are Statins Really Worth Taking for High Cholesterol?

Research has shown that statins are highly effective in reducing the risk of fatal heart attack and stroke. But some people are reluctant to take these life-saving drugs. They worry about taking medicine every day for the rest of their life or have heard that statins have undesirable side effects. What does science have to say about these concerns and others surrounding statins? We talked to UH interventional cardiologist Ian Neeland, MD, Director of the Center of Cardiovascular Prevention at University Hospitals, to learn more.