INDIANAPOLIS — The award-winning “Sound Medicine” announces its program for July 21, including a poignant discussion with a professor of medicine about using his terminal disease to teach medical students.
Are two doses of the HPV vaccine as effective as three? The human papillomavirus vaccine was introduced in 2006 as a three-step vaccine series that significantly lowers the risk of contracting HPV and developing cervical cancer in women. Since the introduction of the vaccine, 100 million doses have been administered, with a 50 percent drop in the HPV infection rate among teenage girls. According to Jessica Kahn, M.D., MPH, the vaccine has been proven to be safe and the side effects minor. A recent Canadian study shows that receiving two doses of the vaccine may be just as effective as getting three doses in the short term; however, the long-term effects are not known. According to Dr. Kahn, it’s too early to recommend a two-dose vaccine. HPV is the most commonly sexually transmitted disease and a leading cause of cervical and other cancers. Dr. Kahn is a professor of pediatrics in the division of adolescent medicine at Cincinnati Children’s Hospital and College of Medicine.
How can osteoarthritis in the knees be prevented? In the United States, 600,000 knee replacements are performed each year, and nearly half of all adults will have osteoarthritis in at least one knee by age 85. A recent study showed that athletes who participate in long-distance running, wrestling, soccer or football are more likely to develop osteoarthritis in the knee later in life. Ethel Frese, PT, DPT, told “Sound Medicine” host Barbara Lewis that knees are vulnerable when there’s misalignment in either the hip or ankle, but athletes develop osteoarthritis because of injuries, not exercise. She talks about what kinds of braces do and don’t help the wearer. She also talks about the impact of obesity: One pound of weight puts 4 pounds of stress on the knee. Frese is an associate professor of physical medicine at the Doisy College of Health Sciences.
Is functional fitness here to stay? A new trend called functional fitness is promoting natural movements that can aid in an overall healthy lifestyle. According to Richard Cotton, M.A., national director of certification at the American College of Sports Medicine, “Functional fitness is exercise that we would likely do in daily life, like pushing, pulling and using the whole body.” Functional fitness exercises use gym apparatuses like suspension trainers that use your body weight, pushing boxes, lifting and rolling tires, and pushing heavy ropes. Traditional gym machines focus on muscle isolation and strengthen only one muscle at a time. Functional fitness allows muscles to work together and create an overall body workout. But Cotton warns that functional fitness is easy to over-do and can be very intense. He recommends starting at home with functional fitness activities such as push-ups and squats.
“Patient Listening”: a professor takes his terminal illness into the classroom: Vincent Gattone is a professor of pathology and instructor of gross anatomy at the Indiana University School of Medicine. He is a renowned professor and a father of five children; he is also dying from an incurable form of cancer. Dr. Gattone sits down with “Patient Listening” host Rich Frankel to discuss the progression of his disease, his career and personal life, and his decision to use his illness as a learning experience for his students. Rich Frankel, Ph.D., is director of the Mary Margaret Walther Palliative Care Research and Education Program at the Indiana University Melvin and Bren Simon Cancer Center.
“Sound Medicine” covers controversial ethics topics, breakthrough research studies and the day-to-day application of recent advancements in medicine. It’s also available via podcast and Stitcher Radio for mobile phones and iPads and posts updates on Facebook and Twitter.
Co-produced by the IU School of Medicine and WFYI Public Radio (90.1 FM) and underwritten in part by Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis, Sound Medicine airs on the following Indiana public radio stations: WBSB (Anderson, 89.5 FM), WFIU (Bloomington, 103.7 FM; Columbus, 100.7 FM; Kokomo, 106.1 FM; Terre Haute, 95.1 FM), WNDY (Crawfordsville, 91.3 FM), WVPE (Elkhart/South Bend, 88.1 FM), WNIN (Evansville, 88.3 FM), WBOI (Fort Wayne, 89.1 FM), WFCI (Franklin, 89.5 FM), WBSH (Hagerstown/New Castle, 91.1 FM), WFYI (Indianapolis), WBSW (Marion, 90.9 FM), WBST (Muncie, 92.1 FM), WBSJ (Portland, 91.7 FM), WLPR (Lake County, 89.1 FM) and WBAA (West Lafayette, 101.3 FM).
“Sound Medicine” is also broadcast on these public radio stations across the country: KSKA (Anchorage, Alaska), KTNA (Talkeetna, Alaska), KUHB (Pribilof Islands, Alaska), KUAF (Fayetteville and Fort Smith, Ark.), KIDE (Hoopa Valley, Calif.), KRCC (Colorado Springs, Colo.), KEDM (Monroe, La.), WCMU (Mount Pleasant, Mich.), KMHA (Four Bears, N.D.), WYSU (Youngstown, Ohio), KPOV (Bend, Ore.) and KEOS (College Station, Texas).
Please check local listings for broadcast dates and times.