Second Opinion LIVE!

Alzheimer's Disease and the Key to Finding Better Treatments

Host: Michael Greenberg, MD and Matthew Birnholz, MD Guest: Shellie Williams, MD Guest: Reed Tuckson, MD Currently more than 5.4 million Americans are living with Alzheimer's disease, a number that could triple by 2050 unless advances are made in early detection, treatments and prevention. Second Opinion Live hosts Dr. Michael Greenberg and Dr. Matt Birnholz discuss the many benefits for patients who receive an early diagnosis of Alzheimer's disease, one of which is the ability to participate in a clinical trial, with guest Dr. Shellie Williams from The University of Chicago Medical Center and the Alzheimer's Association. Our Second Opinion Live hosts also discuss the latest national survey on the state of American Health with Dr. Reed Tuckson from the United Health Foundation. Broadcast Funding for this program was provided in part by the Alzheimer's Association and its free nation-wide Alzheimer's clinical trials matching service - TrialMatchTM.

Gifts From the Poor: Practicing in the Poorest Parts of the World

Host: Michael Greenberg, MD and Matthew Birnholz, MD Guest: Glenn Geelhoed, MD Dr. Glenn Geelhoed is a marathoner, photographer, and big game hunter, who has been on over 200 international medical missions to developing countries, and helped broker peace between warring Sudanese tribes. He talks with Second Opinion Live hosts Dr. Michael Greenberg and Dr. Matthew Birnholz about what he has learned from his patients in the poorest parts of the world about doing more with fewer resources. Plus: medical oddities, and conflicting research on sodium.

View From the Other Side: The Doctor as Patient

Host: Michael Greenberg, MD and Matthew Birnholz, MD Guest: Alan Roberts, MD Guest: James Levine, MD, PhD Dr. Matt Birnholz hosts this program solo, as his co-host, Dr. Michael Greenberg, recovers from knee surgery. This week, Dr. Birnholz considers what the physician learns when he finds himself in the position of the patient. This week's program includes an interview with Dr. Alan Roberts, author of the memoir Hot Flashes in a Cold World: My Struggle to Be a Husband a Doctor and a Man in the Face of Prostate Cancer. Also: Dr. James Levine joins us to talk about his inactivity studies at the Mayo Clinic; plus, the Brain Observatory at UCSD, and more.

In the Pink? Examining Breast Cancer Awareness Campaigns

Host: Michael Greenberg, MD and Matthew Birnholz, MD Guest: Gayle Sulik, PhD Pink ribbon campaigns have been highly successful in rallying recognition and funding around breast cancer. But our guest thinks the cheerful image of such campaigns whitewashes realities of the disease, both in terms of statistics and patient experiences. Plus: Warnings about the drug cocktail known as “bath salts,” and a novel innovation for biomarking GI ailments with color.

Follow-Up on Japan: Assessing Radiation and Mental Health Threats

Host: Michael Greenberg, MD and Matthew Birnholz, MD Guest: Evelyn J. Bromet, PhD Guest: John D. Boice, ScD Guest: Tsuyoshi Akiyama, MD, PhD This rebroadcast of the March 30th program continues analysis of the health issues in Japan following that country’s magnitude 9.0 earthquake, tsunami, and subsequent nuclear crisis, with a focus on two key healthcare issues— radiation danger and mental health. Our guests include an American radiation epidemiolgist and psychiatric epidemiologist, and a psychiatrist working in Japan with the Japanese Society of Neurology and Psychiatry, the equivalent to the American Psychological Association.