Mayo Clinic Health Matters

Latest Episodes:

COVID-19 pandemic's mental health toll Jan 27, 2021

Show notes

Fear and worry are normal responses when people perceive and experience threats. The COVID-19 pandemic has brought daily stressors over the past year, leaving many people with a sustained feeling of anxiety.

While social distancing has been necessary to reduce the spread of COVID-19, the separation from others can exacerbate anxiety by leaving people feeling isolated and lonely. Learning to recognize and cope with stress in healthy ways can improve resilience.

On the Mayo Clinic Q&A podcast, we discuss healthy strategies for coping with the COVID-19 pandemic. Dr. Halena Gazelka is joined by Dr. Gregory Poland, an infectious diseases expert and head of Mayo Clinic's Vaccine Research Group, and his daughter, Caroline Poland, a licensed mental health counselor.
Research disclosures for Dr. Gregory Poland.

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Learn about leukemia, advancing care for leukemia patients Jan 25, 2021

Show notes

Approximately 1.5 % of adults will be diagnosed with leukemia at some point during their lives, according to the National Cancer Institute data.

Leukemia is cancer of the body's blood-forming tissues, including the bone marrow and the lymphatic system, and it usually involves the white blood cells. Your white blood cells are potent infection fighters. They normally grow and divide in an orderly way, as your body needs them.

But in people with leukemia, the bone marrow produces an excessive amount of abnormal white blood cells, which don't function properly. Some forms of leukemia are more common in children. Other forms of leukemia occur mostly in adults.

In this Mayo Clinic Q&A podcast, Dr.  James Foran, chair of the Acute Leukemia and Myeloid Neoplasms Disease Group at Mayo Clinic Cancer Center, discusses the different types of leukemia, signs and symptoms, treatment strategies, future research, and Mayo Clinic efforts to address health care disparities for some patients battling leukemia.

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Reaching patients where they are with Mayo Clinic Platform Jan 22, 2021

Show notes

Transforming health care and health care delivery are priorities for the Mayo Clinic Platform, according to Dr. John Halamka, president of the Mayo Clinic Platform.

"If we are going to deliver advice, let's make sure it's customized to the person, their geography, the time of year, all those other variables," says Dr. Halamka. He adds that the COVID-19 pandemic has revealed how well that can work.

"COVID-19 has taught us, culturally, that it's actually OK to do things at a distance," says Dr. Halamka. "We've been able to do remote infusions of things like remdesivir. We've been able to enhance the patient's experience of getting COVID-19 treatment without them having to leave their homes."

In this Mayo Clinic Q&A podcast, Dr. Halamka explains artificial intelligence, talks about new devices generating new kinds of data, and how to make sure those data are used ethically. He also offers predictions about what health care will look like in the future.

For more information, visit the Mayo Clinic News Network.

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Picking up the pace with rollout of COVID-19 vaccines Jan 20, 2021

Show notes

The distribution kinks for COVID-19 vaccines are getting ironed out, says Dr. Gregory Poland, an infectious diseases expert and head of Mayo Clinic's Vaccine Research Group.

"It's a logistics nightmare, but now you're seeing a plan to administer 1 million doses a day and I think that's very achievable," says Dr. Poland. "And the production of the vaccine is just going to accelerate."

Dr. Poland also repeats the reminders about preventing transmission of COVID-19:

Wear a mask.
Wash your hands.
Keep your social distance.

"The current estimates are that in the next four weeks, we'll probably have about another 100,000 deaths," adds Dr. Poland. "It's stunning when you think about 1 out of every 860 Americans has now died of this."

In this Mayo Clinic Q&A podcast, Dr. Poland talks more about the rollout, transmission and herd immunity, as well as fertility issues related to COVID-19, survivor brain fog and more.

Research disclosures for Dr. Gregory Poland.

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Opioid overdoses and saving lives with naloxone Jan 18, 2021

Show notes

Naloxone is a potentially lifesaving medication that can temporarily reverse the effects of an opioid medicine. It can be easily administered to those who overdose. Many who are battling the opioid epidemic would like to see naloxone made more readily available.

Dr. Halena Gazelka, host of the Mayo Clinic Q&A podcast, is also chair of Mayo Clinic's Opioid Stewardship Program Subcommittee. She is a strong advocate for breaking the stigma of opioid use disorder.

In this Mayo Clinic Q&A podcast, Dr. Gazelka talks with Dr. Bonnie Milas, an anesthesiologist and critical care physician from the University of Pennsylvania. They discuss naloxone, the opioid epidemic and the tragic loss of Dr. Milas' two sons to opioid overdoses.

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Innovation is transforming patient care in Florida, beyond Jan 15, 2021

Show notes

The COVID-19 pandemic has pushed medical research and patient care to new levels. High-volume testing for COVID-19, researching convalescent plasma and monitoring patients at home are just a few of the challenges met by Mayo Clinic in Florida in 2020.

Dr. Kent Thielen, CEO of Mayo Clinic in Florida, says they also are looking ahead as the campus continues to grow. He highlights the Lung Restoration Center, the Discovery and Innovation Center, the BioBusiness Incubator and the integrated oncology facility as examples of accelerated programs.

In the this Mayo Clinic Q&A podcast, Dr. Thielen expands on the culture of innovation on the Florida campus and what the future holds for the practice.

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Expert updates on COVID-19 vaccines Jan 13, 2021

Show notes

The U.S. rollout of COVID-19 vaccines is reportedly ramping up with news that nearly all available doses will soon be released to the American public.

"The new COVID-19 variants are traveling quickly, and this is a warning that we need to take precautions," says Dr. Gregory Poland, an infectious diseases expert and head of Mayo Clinic's Vaccine Research Group.

Dr. Poland says these new variants are a consequence of an RNA virus being transmitted from human to human. "Even after we get our vaccines, we still need to wear masks out in public. We still need to maintain physical distancing. And we still need to wash our hands until about 80% of people get their COVID-19 vaccines," Dr. Poland emphasizes.

In this Mayo Clinic Q&A podcast, Dr. Poland goes into detail about the COVID-19 vaccines, including "sterilizing immunity," testing for antibodies after receiving the vaccine, the possibility of booster doses in the future and much more.

Research disclosures for Dr. Gregory Poland.

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Screening can catch cervical cancer early Jan 11, 2021

Show notes

HPV is the most common cause of cervical cancer. And during January, Cervical Health Awareness Month, women are encouraged to receive the HPV vaccine. They also are encouraged to schedule a screening that can find precancerous conditions of the cervix.

HPV infection and early cervical cancer don't cause noticeable symptoms, so regular screenings can detect changes in the cervix that might lead to cancer.

In this Mayo Clinic Q&A podcast, Dr. Kristina Butler, a gynecologic oncologist and co-chair of the Gynecologic Disease Group at Mayo Clinic Cancer Center, talks about good cervical health and the importance of the HPV vaccine for protection.

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COVID-19, vaccines and children Jan 08, 2021

Show notes

Around the world, COVID-19 vaccinations are underway, but only in adults. Pfizer's vaccine has been authorized for ages 16 and up, while Moderna's vaccine is currently authorized for ages 18 and up. Vaccines are generally tested in adults first to ensure they are safe for pediatric trials. Both Pfizer and Moderna now have clinical trials underway to study the safety and effectiveness of COVID-19 vaccines in children.

This edition of the Mayo Clinic Q&A podcast features an #AskMayoMom episode hosted by Dr. Angela Mattke, a pediatrician at Mayo Clinic Children's Center. Joining Dr. Mattke to discuss COVID-19, vaccines and children are Dr. Nipunie Rajapakse, a Mayo Clinic pediatric infectious diseases physician, and Dr. Emily Levy, a Mayo Clinic pediatric critical care and infectious diseases expert. Dr. Levy also discusses multisystem inflammatory syndrome in children, also known as MIS-C.

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Looking back and moving forward with patient care during COVID-19 Jan 06, 2021

Show notes

Battling the COVID-19 pandemic continues to be challenging, especially for health care workers across all levels of patient care.

"People came together in adversity, responded and synergized to create a situation where we not only survived, but thrived within this challenging environment," says Dr. Conor Loftus, chair of Mayo Clinic outpatient practice.

In this Mayo Clinic Q&A podcast, Dr. Loftus talks more about that synergy, how health care teams were innovative and how telemedicine is meeting the needs of patients.

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