What's Health Got to Do with It? podcast artwork

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What's Health Got to Do with It?

What's Health Got to Do with It? is a weekly talk program that examines where healthcare intersects with daily life, and will help guide the listeners through an increasingly convoluted medical bureaucracy. These days, health is a lot more than Googling the latest medical breakthrough or seeing your doctor. Staying healthy when you are well and getting healthy when you are sick means knowing how to interact and navigate an incredibly complex healthcare system.

  1. 20

    Food as medicine; Klotho gene

    What if food was treated like medicine — prescribed, personalized and reimbursed as part of healthcare? Then, the science behind the Klotho gene. Why researchers call it a possible “anti-aging” switch for the brain.

  2. 19

    Living on borrowed time

    Actress Annabelle Gurwitch shares how a Stage 4 lung cancer diagnosis during the COVID-19 pandemic reshaped her life. Then, many people hear “palliative care” and think the worst. Why that misunderstanding can prevent patients from getting the support they need most.

  3. 18

    Protection medicine; tick bites; covert consciousness

    From psychedelic depression treatments to an uptick in tick bites, our health experts unpack the month’s biggest medical headlines.

  4. 17

    Care beyond the battlefield

    For a special Memorial Day program, we examine how veterans navigate the complexities of the healthcare system, and we highlight the critical need for specialized care for service members after service ends.

  5. 16

    The heart and brain connection

    We explore the connection between the heart and brain — how an irregular cardiac rhythm can increase the risk of stroke and how even simple movement like walking can protect the brain.

  6. 15

    Motherhood unscripted

    Adoption is often framed as a selfless and courageous act, but is it truly a choice made by birth mothers or a result of policy and inequality? Then, she’s known for her on-screen work like "Jurassic Park" and "Big Little Lies," but off camera Laura Dern’s most epic role was caregiving for her mother, though it was not without a plot twist.

  7. 14

    Fertility rates drop; 'smart' contact lenses; menopause awareness

    Our medical experts discuss the month’s biggest health headlines, from falling fertility rates to violence against health care workers.

  8. 13

    Surviving a stroke

    Nearly 2 million brain cells die each minute a stroke remains untreated. We break down the biggest advances in stroke care and what survivors can teach us about resilience.

  9. 12

    Invisible patients

    How race, identity and weight shape patient care — and what happens when medical professionals get it wrong.

  10. 11

    Donating life

    Most Americans have never donated plasma — but for some, it’s the difference between life and death. Then, a stranger’s final act became her new beginning. The human side of organ donation, told by someone living it.

  11. 10

    Fine air pollution; rectal cancer; synthetic peptides

    From fine air pollution to an outbreak of sexually transmitted ringworm, our health experts unpack the month’s biggest medical headlines.

  12. 9

    The art of caregiving

    Caregivers turn their experience into art. An author illuminates the realities many child caretakers face, and a filmmaker revisits his past through the lens of his family’s decade-long caregiving journey.

  13. 8

    Humanizing health care

    The U.S. spends more on health care than any nation, so why do so many American patients feel lost in the system? Then, could ALS finally become a treatable disease?

  14. 7

    Foreign physicians, American medicine

    Immigrant physicians are the backbone of the U.S. health system. What happens if that pipeline weakens? Then, a retired oncologist traces his path from a small village in Bangladesh to the front lines of American medicine.

  15. 6

    Protecting children

    How simple, early conversations about boundaries, secrets and trust can help prevent childhood sexual abuse. Then, a rare brain disorder sparks a parent-led global research movement.

  16. 5

    Heart disease in women; vitamin B6 toxicity; Nipah virus

    Medical experts discuss the month’s biggest health headlines — from heart disease risk in women to a new genetics study sure to affect how mental health is treated in the future.

  17. 4

    Medicine 3.0

    Medicine redesigned. Can a new kind of medical training fix health care? Then, from reactive medicine to proactive health, how disease prevention transforms lives.

  18. 3

    Loving and protecting the human heart

    Give your heart the love it deserves — what sleep habits and stress levels reveal about your heart’s health. Then, after living with heart failure and surviving two heart transplants, a songwriter uses music to inspire hope in others.

  19. 2

    The stories drugs can tell

    On this week’s program, how prescription drugs can be used as a window into much larger questions about medicine, culture and uncertainty. Then, from daily pills to long-acting injections, a doctor explains why HIV prevention isn’t one-size-fits-all.

  20. 1

    Vaccine rollbacks; inverted food pyramid; DIY HPV tests

    Our panel of medical experts discusses the month’s biggest health headlines — from a shrinking childhood vaccine schedule to a reimagined food pyramid.

  21. 0

    The games we play with our health

    What if the greatest threat to vaccines isn’t science but human psychology? We discuss how fear and misinformation are reshaping global health. Then, an app that works to sharpen focus instead of stealing it.

  22. -1

    Doubt in the diagnosis

    The hidden realities of living with inflammatory bowel disease, from navigating doubt and misdiagnoses to overcoming daily symptoms and setbacks. Then, how a personal misdiagnosis led an emergency room physician to help others advocate for themselves.

  23. -2

    Movement as medicine

    How physical therapy can help you stay strong, steady and independent as you age. Then, after suffering from heart failure and told he had only a few months to live, a man now known as “the walking guy” made movement his mission.

  24. -3

    Lifelong diagnoses

    Vaccines, Tylenol and stem cells. We cut through the headlines and myths, delving into what scientific evidence actually says about autism. Then, a biotech innovator explains how personalized medicine is reshaping breast cancer care.

  25. -4

    The state of American health care

    As 2025 comes to a close, we reflect on the state of American health care and how decisions made in congressional chambers trickle down to exam rooms.

  26. -5

    Hepatitis B vaccines; GLP-1 2.0; cold vs. COVID symptoms

    Our panel of medical experts discuss the biggest health headlines of the month from federal changes in vaccine guidance to the effect of sleep on longevity to the reinvention of weight loss drugs.

  27. -6

    Delivering hope: An advent of healing

    In a season that inspires hope, we unwrap stories of devotion — from a trailblazing children’s hospital to a patient encounter that shaped the career of a transplant nurse and inspired her advocacy work.

  28. -7

    Beating the odds: Patients, perspective and possibility

    On this week’s program, an Alzheimer’s diagnosis met with courage, curiosity and determination to change the “D” word. Then, after competing in multiple marathons and ironmans, a Navy veteran faces his toughest challenger yet — and every second counts.

  29. -8

    Infant botulism; listeria outbreak; hormone therapy warnings

    Dr. Joe Sirven and his panel of medical experts discuss this month's biggest health headlines, from a deadly listeria outbreak to the FDA’s removal of "black box" warnings on hormone replacement therapies.

  30. -9

    Gratitude for the mind: Celebrating what makes us human

    How music can reshape the brain in ways words cannot, and how art helped a Parkinson's patient steady her hands and connect to healing.

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ABOUT THIS SHOW

What's Health Got to Do with It? is a weekly talk program that examines where healthcare intersects with daily life, and will help guide the listeners through an increasingly convoluted medical bureaucracy. These days, health is a lot more than Googling the latest medical breakthrough or seeing your doctor. Staying healthy when you are well and getting healthy when you are sick means knowing how to interact and navigate an incredibly complex healthcare system.

HOSTED BY

WJCT Public Media

Frequently Asked Questions

How many episodes does What's Health Got to Do with It? have?

What's Health Got to Do with It? currently has 30 episodes available on PodParley. New episodes are automatically indexed when they're published to the podcast feed.

What is What's Health Got to Do with It? about?

What's Health Got to Do with It? is a weekly talk program that examines where healthcare intersects with daily life, and will help guide the listeners through an increasingly convoluted medical bureaucracy. These days, health is a lot more than Googling the latest medical breakthrough or seeing...

How often does What's Health Got to Do with It? release new episodes?

What's Health Got to Do with It? has 30 episodes. Check the episode list to see recent publication dates and frequency.

Where can I listen to What's Health Got to Do with It??

You can listen to What's Health Got to Do with It? on PodParley by clicking any episode. We provide an embedded audio player for direct listening, and you can also subscribe via your preferred podcast app using the RSS feed.

Who hosts What's Health Got to Do with It??

What's Health Got to Do with It? is created and hosted by WJCT Public Media.
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