Petrie Dish

Latest Episodes:

Petrie Dish: What's going on with the CDC's vaccine schedule? Jan 13, 2026

Show notes

Health and Human Services Secretary Robert Kennedy Jr. has ordered a dramatic reduction in the number of vaccines recommended by the Centers for Disease Control. Does this mean you should change the number of vaccines your child receives? A practicing pediatrician in Texas is among the large number of children's health experts who say no.

Science & Medicine: The link between sleep apnea and persistent pain Jan 11, 2026

Show notes

New research from UT Health San Antonio finds a link between obstructive sleep apnea and persistent pain, suggesting that the intermittant lack of oxygen caused by apnea decreases a person's ability to recover from painful stimuli.

Science & Medicine: Sleep disorders in the military are complex, common, and treatable Jan 04, 2026

Show notes

Research from an expert in sleep disorders at UT Health San Antonio has revealed that sleep disorders are common in the military, and the most common disorder impacts men and women in the military equally. It's COMISA, which is an acronym for comorbid insomnia and sleep apnea.

Petrie Dish: Dr. Peter Hotez looks back over a year of seismic shifts in U.S. health policy Dec 31, 2025

Show notes

From announcing then backtracking on a cause for autism to slashing federal public health funding to changing childhood vaccine recommendations, the appointment of Robert F. Kennedy Jr. as the Secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services triggered an earthquake of change in U.S. public health policy. Infectious diseases doctor Peter Hotez, MD, PhD, assesses the still rattling landscape with TPR's Bonnie Petrie.

Science & Medicine: Beneficial effects of a keto diet can be enhanced by intermittent breaks Dec 28, 2025

Show notes

People who eat a strict keto diet are at risk for an accumulation of aged cells in their organs, but taking intermittent breaks from the diet can prevent these detrimental effects.

Surviving epilepsy in the Medicaid coverage gap Dec 25, 2025

Show notes

In a Petrie Dish collaboration with Public Health Watch, we explore what happens if you have a chronic illness like epilepsy in a state that has rejected the Medicaid expansion.

Navigating the holiday season's mental health minefield Dec 24, 2025

Show notes

Heading into the holiday season this year, nearly half of U.S. adults said they expected the season to be more stressful than last year. San Antonio's Mental Health Officer offers advice on how to navigate this joyful but often fraught period.

Science & Medicine: Can acupressure provide a safer pain relief alternative for people with dementia? Dec 21, 2025

Show notes

Many people dismiss alternative therapies like auricular — which means ear — acupressure as unscientific, but a UT Health San Antonio researcher thinks it may be an effective way to reduce chronic pain for people with dementia that doesn't carry the risks associated with opioid medication.

Science & Medicine: A breakthrough for glioblastoma patients that may lengthen lives Dec 14, 2025

Show notes

A new technique for delivering radiation to glioblastoma brain tumors may allow doctors to use much higher doses while preserving healthy brain tissue. UT Health San Antonio's Andrew Brenner, MD, PhD, says this may give patients more time.

Science & Medicine: A discovery by San Antonio scientists could lead to a new kind of treatment for Alzheimer's disease Dec 07, 2025

Show notes

UT Health San Antonio researchers have teased out why some lipids spike in the brains of people with Alzheimer's disease and what that may mean for cognitive function, revealing a new target for potential treatments.

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