Multi-Organ Transplant
PodcastDX
This week we will discuss Multi-Organ transplants with Zachary Colton. Zach is 35 years old and recently underwent a successful 5 organ multivisceral intestinal transplant surgery at the Toronto General Hospital in his home country of Canada. The organs he received were: stomach, small intestine, colon, liver, and pancreas. In 1954, . Liver, heart and pancreas transplants were successfully performed by the late 1960s, while lung and intestinal organ transplant procedures were begun in the 1980s. From the mid-1950s through the early 1970s, individual transplant hospitals...
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Ectoparasites
PodcastDX
This week we will discuss Ectoparasites. The CDC says: "Although the term ectoparasites can broadly include blood-sucking arthropods such as mosquitoes (because they are dependent on a blood meal from a human host for their survival), this term is generally used more narrowly to refer to organisms such as ticks, fleas, lice, and mites that attach or burrow into the skin and remain there for relatively long periods of time (e.g., weeks to months). Arthropods are important in causing diseases in their own right, but are even more important as vectors, or transmitters, of many different...
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Pasteurization For Your Health
PodcastDX
Over 200 years ago Louis Pasteur was born in Dole, France. Among Pasteur's major contributions and their benefit to society, the most important is the heat treatment of foods and beverages to reduce spoilage and eliminate pathogens for consumers. Probably the greatest achievement of Pasteur was the process that bears the name of this famous scientist who perfected the technique: pasteurization. For liquids, this process does not involve boiling the product to sterility but simply applying just enough heat (ie, par-boiling) to 50–60°C for a specified period to reduce spoilage microbes and...
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Spontaneous Pneumothorax with Jack
PodcastDX
In this episode we are talking again with our audio editor Jack Scaro. The topic again is: spontaneous pneumothorax, or collapsed lung. Spontaneous pneumothorax is an abnormal condition of the lung characterized by the collection of gas in the pleural space between the lungs and the chest wall. This condition occurs without an obvious etiology and can be classified as either primary or secondary. Patients may present with symptoms such as tachycardia and dyspnea. The diagnosis is based on clinical suspicion and can be confirmed with imaging. Jack had this condition which surprised...
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Bile acid malabsorption (BAM) part 2
PodcastDX
This week we will continue our coverage of Bile acid malabsorption (BAM), a . It’s a common cause of . When bile acids aren’t properly absorbed in your intestines, they build up, upsetting the chemical balance inside. Excess bile acids trigger your to secrete extra water, leading to watery stools. This week we will continue our coverage of Bile acid malabsorption (BAM), a . It’s a common cause of . When bile acids aren’t properly absorbed in your intestines, they build up, upsetting the chemical balance inside. Excess bile acids trigger...
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Bile Acid Malabsorption
PodcastDX
This week we will discuss Bile acid malabsorption (BAM), a . It’s a common cause of . When bile acids aren’t properly absorbed in your intestines, they build up, upsetting the chemical balance inside. Excess bile acids trigger your to secrete extra water, leading to watery stools. What are bile acids? Bile is a substance your makes while filtering your blood. Your liver sorts waste products, such as toxins, dead blood cells and excess cholesterol into bile. Bile acids come from synthesizing these products together. The different acids in bile help...
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Veteran's Hesitancy to Healthcare
PodcastDX
This week we will discuss a Veteran's hesitancy to receive healthcare at the government hospital system known as Veterans Administration or "VA". Although many veterans may share the concern over receiving care through a government agency due to the medical care they got while in training or active duty; i.e. sucrettes and tylenol being the standard of care when Jean Marie and I were in training. Our guest, Mark Frerichs, has different reasons to question the quality of care. Mark, a Navy veteran who continued working as a contractor post-war in Afghanistan. It was during his work...
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Adrenal Insufficiency
PodcastDX
In this episode we discuss adrenal insufficiency You can have either primary, secondary, or tertiary adrenal insufficiency. Primary adrenal insufficiency is also called Addison’s disease. When you have this type, your adrenal glands are damaged and can’t make the cortisol you need. They also might not make enough aldosterone. Secondary adrenal insufficiency is more common than Addison’s disease. The condition happens because of a problem with your pituitary gland, a pea-sized bulge at the base of your . It makes a hormone called adrenocorticotropin (ACTH). This is the...
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Heart Attack on a Train
PodcastDX
Have you ever wondered "what would happen if you or a family member had a medical emergency while using public transportation" Today we feature Bill H. who had a cardiac event after boarding a Chicago Metra train and the two bystanders that weren't about to let these be his LAST train ride! can help save lives during sudden cardiac arrest. However, even after training, remembering the steps to use an AED the right way can be difficult. In order to help keep your skills sharp, we've created a quick step-by-step guide that you can print up and place on your refrigerator, in...
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EDS and Gastroparesis
PodcastDX
This week we are speaking with Dani, AKA, Stoned Zebra. It took almost 7 years of her health declining after giving birth, until she finally received her EDS diagnosis. She was initially misdiagnosed with Lupus, Fibromyalgia, Neuropathy, or chronic pain syndrome. Her gastroparesis, symptoms (bloating, nausea, early satiety, severe constipation, weight loss, dehydration, belching, belly pain) began July 2022, and after a ton of aggressive testing, she was diagnosed in May 2023. EDS just tacks on chronic pain, joint instability and other comorbidities like POTS, MCAS, and OH that...
info_outlineHepatitis means inflammation of the liver. The liver is a vital organ that processes nutrients, filters the blood, and fights infections. When the liver is inflamed or damaged, its function can be affected. Heavy alcohol use, toxins, some medications, and certain medical conditions can cause hepatitis. However, hepatitis is often caused by a virus. In the United States, the most common types of viral hepatitis are hepatitis A, hepatitis B, and hepatitis C.
Hepatitis D, also known as “delta hepatitis,” is a liver infection caused by the hepatitis D virus (HDV). Hepatitis D only occurs in people who are also infected with the hepatitis B virus. Hepatitis D is spread when blood or other body fluids from a person infected with the virus enters the body of someone who is not infected. Hepatitis D can be an acute, short-term infection or become a long-term, chronic infection. Hepatitis D can cause severe symptoms and serious illness that can lead to life-long liver damage and even death. People can become infected with both hepatitis B and hepatitis D viruses at the same time (known as “coinfection”) or get hepatitis D after first being infected with the hepatitis B virus (known as “superinfection”). There is no vaccine to prevent hepatitis D. However, prevention of hepatitis B with hepatitis B vaccine also protects against future hepatitis D infection.
Hepatitis E is a liver infection caused by the hepatitis E virus (HEV). HEV is found in the stool of an infected person. It is spread when someone unknowingly ingests the virus – even in microscopic amounts. In developing countries, people most often get hepatitis E from drinking water contaminated by feces from people who are infected with the virus. In the United States and other developed countries where hepatitis E is not common, people have gotten sick with hepatitis E after eating raw or undercooked pork, venison, wild boar meat, or shellfish. In the past, most cases in developed countries involved people who have recently traveled to countries where hepatitis E is common. Symptoms of hepatitis E can include fatigue, poor appetite, stomach pain, nausea, and jaundice. However, many people with hepatitis E, especially young children, have no symptoms. Except for the rare occurrence of chronic hepatitis E in people with compromised immune systems, most people recover fully from the disease without any complications. No vaccine for hepatitis E is currently available in the United States. (credits CDC)