The Scope Radio

Stressed out and need some motivation? Dr. Leana Wen, attending physician at George Washington University, talks about how to manage stress in such a stressful time of your life. She also discusses the importance of involvement outside of medical school and reverting back to your core motivation as a way of maintaining balance and avoiding burnout.

Northern Utah suffers from terrible air pollution in the winter months, but improving the air quality is a more complicated issue than most people realize. Kerry Kelly is an air quality researcher at the University of Utah who has just created an educational game for teenagers about Utah’s air pollution. The game is completely based on real-world science so teachers can use it in the classroom and form lesson plans around the game. The game was jointly created by students of the University of Utah’s Entertainment Arts & Engineering program, Breathe Utah, the Utah Education Network, the Utah Health Department and the Utah Division of Air Quality. Download it at BadAirDay.org.

Anyone who has attempted to create an educational game has probably learned just how difficult it can sometimes be. Kerry Kelly, a chemical engineer at the University of Utah, recently created a game for teens about Utah’s poor air quality. In this podcast, she talks about the challenges she faced in developing her game and gives advice for other researchers or academic medical centers that want to create games to educate or encourage a change in behavior.

When you say allergies most people think of springtime: flowers, grasses, trees, pollens. But winter allergies can also be a problem. From St. John's Medical Center in Jackson, Wyoming, Dr. Martin Trott talks about why allergies happen year-round, and you'll be surprised to find out some of the things that can cause allergies in the wintertime.

People claim vegetarian status for a multitude of reasons. Registered Dietitian Kary Woodruff speaks about being on the fence and some of the reasons why people choose this option. She cautions against assuming that just because you’re a vegetarian you’re healthier.

One in every four women will be a victim of domestic violence in her lifetime. Do the abusers want to stop hurting their partners? Social worker Wendy James talks about the cycle of guilt often felt by abusers and why they stick to their abusive patterns. She discusses options for couples who want to make their relationship happy and healthy.

Did you know glass fireplaces can reach up to 1,300 degrees Fahrenheit? Dr. Amalia Cochran is a surgeon at the Utah Burn Center who has taken care of many patients who have burned their hands on glass fireplaces. Most of her patients are young children. Dr. Cochran discusses just how dangerous and life-changing glass fireplaces can be for kids. She goes over some very important safety tips you should implement if you have a glass fireplace in your home.

Is the resurgence of measles and mumps really a reason to be concerned for your child? We asked Dr. Susan Terry about the recent outbreaks. Listen to find out about the serious life-altering complications from getting it, the scientific evidence regarding autism, and what she thinks will finally change the minds of parents that currently refuse to vaccinate their child.

Has your child got a cough so bad that it almost sounds like a seal? Hearing a child with croup is concerning to any parent. Dr. Cindy Gellner breaks down the physiology of what is actually occurring. She suggests some at-home treatments and discusses how a pediatrician can help and when it is time to go to the ER.

Glaucoma is something we hear about, but you probably don’t know just how serious it is. If left untreated for long enough, glaucoma can damage your eyes to the point of blindness – and nothing can reverse it. Glaucoma expert Dr. Norm Zabriskie talks about how this eye condition works and how to prevent glaucoma damage before it starts.

As health care evolves, nurses will continue to play important roles in patient treatment. Pamela Cipriano, president of the American Nurses Association, speaks about nurses of the future and the growing influence they have. She discusses how education, teamwork, lobbying for reform and assisting baby boomers to lead healthy active lives are just a few of the responsibilities nurses can undertake.

A recent study published in Drug and Alcohol Dependence shows that methamphetamine users are more likely to get Parkinson’s disease than the general population. Senior author Glen Hanson, D.D.S., Ph.D., interim dean of the School of Dentistry and Dean of the Utah Addiction Center at the University of Utah, explains the reason behind the findings, and the implications for long-term use of other drugs, including prescription drugs.

Do you ever lie there late at night and wonder why it's so hard for you to fall asleep? Dr. Kirtly Jones says most people experience difficulty falling asleep every now and then, but chronic insomnia isn't normal. She talks about what you might be doing to make the problem worse, and how sleep aids and therapy can help.

If you’re one of those people who get irritated, sore, dry, itching throats in the wintertime - don’t worry, it’s a common problem. From St. John's Medical Center in Jackson, Wyoming, Dr. Martin Trott talks about the three general causes of throat issues, and tells you how to avoid them this winter season.

Aggressive new treatments for cancer may no longer include losing your hair. The effectiveness of chemotherapy is being rapidly overtaken by new targeted therapies that attack specific lung cancer cells yet leave the rest of the body untouched. Find out how using genetic information allows doctors to hone in more exactly on specific cancers. Dr. Wallace Akerly, a lung cancer specialist from Huntsman Cancer Institute, talks about this alternative treatment method that will likely replace chemotherapy.