Health

Health Headlines

• Infections From Contaminated Injections Can Lurk Undetected Steroid injections contaminated by fungus have now been found to cause spinal infections.
• Vaccine Against HPV Has Cut Infections In Teenage Girls Vaccination against a virus causing cervical cancer appears to be working, despite slow acceptance.
• House Passes Bill That Would Ban Abortions After 20 Weeks Banning nearly all abortions 20 weeks after fertilization, the bill is unlikely to ever become law.
• Patients Lead The Way As Medicine Grapples With Apps Patients love medical apps, but there's no way now to be sure that they're safe and effective.
• How To Make Museums More Inviting For Kids With Autism A seemingly simple museum exhibit may be too overwhelming for kids with autism to enjoy.

Be Well Programs

• About Blood Blood is our life support and with just a small drop, a large window can be opened into how our body is working... and not working.
• Addiction ideastream will delve into the mysterious and often misunderstood world of addiction.
• Attacking Allergies We'll look at why are allergies on the rise, and what you need to know about one of our nation’s most chronic health problems.
• Body in Pain We examine the mysterious problem of chronic pain, a condition that affects millions.
• Confronting Colon Cancer Audiences will learn about symptoms, risk factors, and local researchers who are studying DNA to find more effective ways to detect, treat and prevent colon cancer.
• Diabetes: The Constant Shadow The stories of Northeast Ohioans who cope daily with the "constant shadow" of diabetes will be revealed.
• Facing Depression We'll learn about the stigma that still plagues this disease, and how both patients and families cope with it.
• Fighting Fat We'll follow the story of a local man, William Baker of Avon, who has battled obesity his entire life.
• Heart Stories: Confronting the #1 Killer We share the stories of three Northeast Ohioans and their family members who have confronted heart disease, the nation's number one cause of natural death.
• LifeGiving Transplant Stories In organ donation, one family’s miracle comes from another one's loss. See the power of second chances, and how surgery is just the beginning.
• MiddleAging: Aches & Pains Aging is natural and normal - but what exactly is happening in our bodies? We’ll explore what’s happening in our eyes, ears, bladders, bones, skin, sexuality, hair, hormones, memory, muscles, and moods.
• Obesity Our health team examines the causes and effects of the obesity epidemic.
• Prostate Chronicles ideastream's David C. Barnett tells the story of his journey with prostate cancer.
• Sleep: A Wake-Up Call The United States is facing a national sleep deficit - and it’s getting worse. What can be done? We'll explore sleep, and why many of us don’t get enough of it.
• Surviving Stroke Every four minutes someone dies from stroke and it stands as the leading cause of disability in the United States. What exactly is a stroke and why do people have them?
• Watch Your Mouth! We highlight the mounting evidence that connects gum disease to debilitating and costly problems including diabetes and heart disease.

Podcasts

Tuesday Checkup
90.3 WCPN is collaborating with the Plain Dealer to bring listeners the latest health-related news from across our region.

Download Be Well Specials
Download the Be Well health specials to your Apple iPod, iPad or iPhone using iTunes.

ideastream Community Health Forums

The need for information about health has never been greater. ideastream is responding to this need by undertaking an ongoing health programming initiative. To inform this effort, ideastream invited health professionals in the region to participate in a series of discussions between June 9-18, 2009, about the local health assets and challenges.

Read the report about these meetings.

ideastream Health Funding

Funding for the coverage of health topics comes from the Dr. Donald J. Goodman and Ruth Weber Goodman Philanthropic Fund of The Cleveland Foundation; The Community Foundation of Lorain County; The Margaret Clark Morgan Foundation; The McGregor Foundation; and The Woodruff Foundation.