Okay, this is fairly simple. Morehead State Public Radio needs money. You got money. How about we make a deal? We give you classical music, jazz music, bluegrass music, folk music, national news, state news, regional news, local news, weather, sports, interesting historical tidbits on The Readers Notebook, storytelling-- even the traffic report from Isonville (mostly clear with a chance of tractors). You give us money. Then we buy a new soundboard, and we do it all again.

This show gives us a chance to expound on the things that vex us – teenage children, werewolves, optimism, women’s health, vaccinations – while paying our respects to the ill-fated Vikram Lander. Just as it crashed on the moon's surface, we show you that radio shows can crash as well. The Vaccination League reminds you it is time to get your flu shot. But wait until after the show.

It is September, it is still hot, there are still chiggers and ticks, and the Health Matters crew is still discussing the definition of middle-age. We can only hope that the season and the show will change. This show talks about the epidemic of pulmonary disease and death due to vaping that, at time of recording, still baffles the CDC. We talk about moving more and sitting less, suicides, mental health days for high school and college students, and Robo docs to improve access to healthcare.

Due to uncertainty among some of our co-medical hosts (Rick) about when middle age begins, we developed this show to provide clarity. We revisit the question of middle aged men smelling worse than any other age group, talk about germ suits, discuss seven foods to avoid at all costs, and discuss why the US healthcare system is so darned expensive.

Scientists believe our universe has been expanding since the Big Bang. The Hubble constant is a number expressing the speed of expansion of the universe. There are several methods of measuring the Hubble constant, and each one leads to a substantially different value. Scientists don’t blame each other when the numbers don’t add up, they simply agree that they need to understand the universe better. We need to understand each other better, which is why we talk about vertigo, lying about your age,

Brought to you by skin safety (“blame it on the melanoma”), we have our top 10 true false questions about melanomas, advice on healthcare policy and a look at the Affordable Care Act from Ezekiel Emmanuel, a discussion of life and the value of life after age 75, and some information about CBD oil. As Morehead State University goes back to school, freshman year is all around us.

45 years ago this weekend, Gerald Ford took office as ex-president Richard Nixon left the White House in disgrace. After taking the oath of office, Pres. Ford declared, “ My fellow Americans, our long national nightmare is over. Our Constitution works; our great Republic is a government of laws and not of men. Here the people rule.” We felt these words still have meaning in modern times. Leaving words of wisdom behind, we explore digital pills, 10,000 steps, and the perils of fried food.

This show salutes Hahnemann University Hospital, a safety net hospital in Philadelphia, caring for uninsured and poor people in the city, which will be ceasing operations in September. Hahnemann has changed hands between various corporations, and caring for these poor people is simply not profitable. For us at Health Matters, its loss is symbolic of our lack of vision and inability to attend to the most basic needs of civilized society. We try to ease your depression with good news about

Between therapy cows, emotional support ducks, and forest bathing, we rural Kentuckians have a cornucopia of mental health treatment options available to us, and they are free. Unfortunately, none of them involve human beings, and they are not working well so far. This show discusses these options, as well as the definition of high blood pressure, lack of benefit of marijuana, and cosmetics injuries in children. Know your blood pressure, and enjoy the show.

Back at it after a one-month layoff, the rust clearly shows. This show is a compilation of rants and irritations that we have stored during our summer hiatus, including liquor stores in an earthquake, our deteriorating healthcare system, ticks, mosquitoes, and melanoma incidence. Remember to use DEET on your skin and permethrin on your clothing to repel biting insects. It doesn’t get much better than this (unfortunately).

We celebrate the Return of Rick with this tech-infused mess, including chat bots, smartphone apps, and Trauma Care in a Rucksack. We make fun of the latest American College of Cardiology tool for remembering primary prevention, which starts to look a lot like “My Plate” We also discuss our astonishing fall in life expectancy since the 1960s, when the USA had the highest life expectancy in the world.

If we sound more intelligent this week, you should send a cash donation to Station Manager and All-around Good Guy (SMAAAGG) Paul Hitchcock, who took time out of his busy schedule to help record our show during the students’ summer break. We talk about the health effects of skipping, the contribution of healthcare to longevity (it’s not as significant as you might think) avoiding sugar, and how to use an ER waiting room.

Japanese Emperor Akihito, son of Emperor Hirohito, has abdicated the throne. Was it love? Was it some type of scandal? No, he simply wanted to retire. We salute those who are ready to move on, including our shows late, great producer Bryan Courtney with this discussion of vampire facials, measles outbreaks, soda taxes, and the latest guidelines on screening for breast cancer.

Unfortunately, we had so much health stuff to discuss, we never got to the climate change material (Thanks a lot, Rick). We do talk about Ebola, Measles, and Kentucky’s delayed response to our massive and deadly Hepatitis A outbreak. Learn about the singular problems of healthcare in Indiana, new warnings on sleeping pills, and how about that life-saving giant pothole?

Every day, 750 senior citizens are hospitalized due to serious side effects from one or more medications. Nearly 20 percent of seniors take ten drugs or more daily. Health Matters thinks we take too many pills, and they cost too much. We also discuss new recommendations on aspirin, and how to manage spring allergies.

Duluth Minnesota, population 84,380, sits at the westernmost tip of Lake superior. It is built into a steep rocky cliff side and is rated by Money magazine as one of the top four midwestern small cities based on livability. Duluth also has been featured in the New York Times as one of the cities with the infrastructure and location necessary to survive climate change. By mid century, the climate in Duluth will begin to approximate that of Toledo Ohio. Health Matters talks about climate change,

Our show is named after the title of a Time magazine article summarizing recent research on vitamins and supplements. 30,000 adults recorded their use of supplements and details of their diets. Researchers could find no benefit from supplements. Some supplements were actually harmful. According to the authors, “Over half of Americans use supplements and the reason is to improve or maintain health. That mindset needs to be changed, given the evidence.” We agree.

A local law firm refers to “Kentucky Courage” when people sue for personal injury. But there is a different kind of Kentucky courage. Every day, Kentuckians face unnecessary cancers and unnecessary diseases because of our life choices. This show salutes those bad decisions, and gives practical suggestions on how to make better ones.

“Be nice to your children. After all, they are going to choose your nursing home.”-- Comedian Steven Wright. This show explores some of the problems we have with managing Alzheimer disease. The condition appears to be significantly worse in the winter, the over-the-counter treatments are foisted on desperate families, and the prescription Alzheimer drugs have been poorly studied, and probably don’t work. Protect your brain with regular exercise and mental activity, and listen to this show.

Recently, executives from large pharmaceutical companies testified in front of a congressional subcommittee on the outrageous price increases for prescription drugs. The New York Times hoped for a “tobacco moment”, when the execs would be held accountable for the misery they have caused, but instead, they received a “stern talking to”, and virtually nothing was accomplished. Our Tobacco Moment show memorializes yet another lost chance to improve America’s healthcare. We also talk about measles,

Dedicated to the Mars rover Opportunity, we discuss buying insulin abroad, and fun facts about people who live to be greater than 100 years old. The rover was designed for a 90 day mission, but continued to send scientific information for more than 15 years. It traveled almost 50 times as far as planned, and sent over 200,000 images back to earth. If our healthcare system performed as well as Opportunity, there would be no need for Health Matters. Of course, there is no need for Health Matters

Dedicated to the Mars rover Opportunity, we discuss buying insulin abroad, and fun facts about people who live to be greater than 100 years old. The rover was designed for a 90 day mission, but continued to send scientific information for more than 15 years. It traveled almost 50 times as far as planned, and sent over 200,000 images back to earth. If our healthcare system performed as well as Opportunity, there would be no need for Health Matters. Of course, there is no need for Health Matters

From measles outbreaks in Washington state to swallowing toothpicks, this show discusses the things you need to know to get through February. Brought to you by the symptoms of heart attack (only half of US adults know these symptoms), we also talk about a safe insulin needle that you swallow and myths about the importance of breakfast in your diet.