INDIANAPOLIS – The “Sound Medicine” program Dec. 8 features a conversation about new guidelines that could lead to healthy Americans taking cholesterol lowering medications, periodontal disease predicting diabetes, and how surgeons operate on brain tumors through the nose.
Should healthy people take cholesterol-lowering medications? The American College of Cardiology and the American Heart Association recently released new guidelines that could lead to many healthy Americans taking cholesterol-lowering statin medications. Statins not only lower LDL, or “bad” cholesterol, they also prevent the incidence of heart attacks and stroke. Eric Topol, M.D., discusses the new guidelines and the potential pitfalls of over-prescribing statins. Dr. Topol is a cardiologist and professor of genomics in the Department of Molecular and Experimental Medicine at The Scripps Research Institute.
How can surgeons remove brain tumors through the nose? Aaron Cohen-Gadol, M.D, visits “Sound Medicine” to discuss performing surgery through the nose. Surgeons across the country are now exploring doing surgeries through existing bodily openings to reduce risk, recovery time and scarring. Dr. Cohen-Gadol discusses accessing the brain through the nose, what type of procedures he is able to perform through natural openings, and the future of this type of procedure. He is an assistant professor of neurological surgery at the Indiana University School of Medicine and a neurosurgeon at Goodman Campbell Brain and Spine in Indianapolis.
Can periodontal disease predict diabetes? According to a study conducted at New York University, a large number of people with periodontal disease are at risk for diabetes. The authors of the study suggest that dentists should offer diabetes screenings. Paul Edwards, DDS, M.S., a professor of dentistry at the Indiana University School of Dentistry, joins host Jill Ditmire for a conversation about the correlation between periodontal disease and diabetes, as well as the link between oral and overall health.
What is your psychotherapist thinking? Drew E. Permut, Ph.D., psychotherapist and author of “Inside Your Therapist’s Mind: How a Psychotherapist Thinks, and How it Works,” joins “Sound Medicine” for a conversation about his book and what psychotherapists are thinking during therapy sessions. Dr. Permut discusses the goal of psychotherapy, how it works and why so many people are hesitant to seek help from a psychotherapist.
Paying homage to the father of epidemiology: The Journal of American Medicine and Howard Markel, M.D., Ph.D., paid tribute to the father of epidemiology, John Snow, on what would have been his 200th birthday. Dr. Snow was an innovative physician who was suspicious about how cholera was spread throughout England in the 1800s. Using maps and tracking outbreaks of the disease, Dr. Snow located the water pump that was spreading cholera and removed its handle. Once the pump was disabled, the cases of cholera immediately decreased. Dr. Snow’s disease tracking methods were the start of the field of epidemiology.
“Sound Medicine” covers controversial ethics topics, breakthrough research studies and the application of recent advancements in medicine. It’s available via podcast and Stitcher Radio for mobile phones and iPads and 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.), WCNY and WRVO-1 (Syracuse, N.Y.), 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.