Episode 300: Chronic Disease Trends, West Nile Surge, Insomnia Insights, and COVID Updates

In this milestone 300th episode, Dr. Chi-Ming Chow begins with a celebration of the podcast's journey. He then delves into the latest trends in chronic disease mortality in the United States, highlighting significant health disparities. The episode moves on to an urgent update on the surge of West Nile virus infections, stressing its public health implications. Dr. Chow explores the connection between chronic insomnia, cognitive impairment, and accelerated brain aging, providing insights into potential interventions. The episode concludes with COVID-19 updates, focusing on the recent case uptick in Alberta and the introduction of new vaccination policies to address the evolving situation. (0:00) Introduction and milestone celebration (0:27) Chronic disease mortality trends and health disparities in the United States (4:46) West Nile virus infections surge (7:05) Link between chronic insomnia, cognitive impairment, and brain aging (10:58) COVID-19 updates: Alberta's case uptick and new vaccination policies