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Our topic this week is Lupus and how doctors are frequently considered to be gaslighting the patients in their care.  

Our guest knows from first-hand experience that when you’re relatively healthy, you tend not to think much about ‘wellness.’ But when this slips away and lupus comes barreling in… your world gets rocked.
That’s why she wrote the book, The Girlfriend’s Guide to Lupus, to help other women struggling with this chronic disease feel less alone and more empowered to take control of their health and manage their lupus.
Amanda holds an Master’s degree in counseling and owns Wonderment, a stress reduction and mindfulness training company. Oh, and Amanda and her oldest daughter both have lupus, which drives her absolutely crazy. When she’s not planning her next travel adventure, she’s drinking hot tea, walking her sweet dog in Raleigh, NC, and giving book suggestions to anyone willing to listen.
 
 

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, the kidney was the first human organ to be transplanted successfully. 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 and organ procurement organizations managed all aspects of organ recovery and transplantation. If an organ couldn’t be used at hospitals local to the donor, there was no system to find matching candidates elsewhere. Many organs couldn’t be used simply because transplant teams couldn’t locate a compatible recipient in time. 
​Since that time UNOS was created in order to provide guidance to patients and physicians in the US with a goal of providing a more equitable base for individuals in need of transplanted organ(s).
​The United Network for Organ Sharing (UNOS) is a non-profit scientific and educational organization that administers the only Organ Procurement and Transplantation Network (OPTN) in the United States, established (42 U.S.C. § 274) by the U.S. Congress in 1984 by Gene A. Pierce, founder of United Network for Organ Sharing. Located in Richmond, Virginia, the organization's headquarters are situated near the intersection of Interstate 95 and Interstate 64 in the Virginia BioTechnology Research Park.
​United Network for Organ Sharing is involved in many aspects of the organ transplant and donation process: Managing the national transplant waiting list, matching donors to recipients.
Maintaining the database that contains all organ transplant data for every transplant event that occurs in the U.S.
Bringing together members to develop policies that make the best use of the limited supply of organs and give all patients a fair chance at receiving the organ they need, regardless of age, sex, ethnicity, religion, lifestyle, or financial/social status.
Monitoring every organ match to ensure organ allocation policies are followed.
Providing assistance to patients, family members and friends.
Educating transplant professionals about their important role in the donation and transplant processes. (CREDITS: Wiki)
Educating the public about the importance of organ donation.

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 pathogens that in turn cause tremendous morbidity and mortality from the diseases they cause.
 

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 potential pathogens. Pathogenic microbes have a lower heat tolerance than most other bacteria. Recognizing that many individuals, from the highly educated to the peasantry, were aware of the effect, it took someone like Pasteur to formalize this knowledge into specific time-temperature standards to assure consistency. 

Unpasteurized foods are sold even though they have not been treated with high temperatures. Foods that haven’t been pasteurized include: 
raw milk some artisanal cheeses some unpasteurized versions of juices and meats Many food safety concerns and a high risk of foodborne illness are associated with eating unpasteurized foods, although there may be a few benefits.
Still, evidence indicates that the health risks appear to outweigh any potential benefits in most cases.
Here are the benefits and downsides of unpasteurized food products.
Benefits of eating unpasteurized foods Unpasteurized food is more likely to retain its organoleptic properties and may sometimes have greater nutritional value. The term “organoleptic properties” refers to the food’s taste, appearance, and smell.
Exposure to high temperatures during pasteurization not only kills harmful bacteria and viruses in foods. It may also negatively affect the nutritional quality, appearance, and flavor of the food.
For instance, some research demonstrated that pasteurization reduced the protective antibodies and immune-supportive vitamin C and zinc in donor human milk. 
However, other research shows that these nutrient losses in human milk are minor and that the benefits of pasteurization are greater than the risks. 
Downsides of eating unpasteurized foods Unpasteurized foods are associated with the occurrence of foodborne illnesses from bacteria, such as Brucella, Cryptosporidium, Listeria monocytogenes, and antibiotic-resistant Staphylococcus aureus.
In particular, scientific literature frequently mentions that unpasteurized milk and dairy products are particularly high risk foods and common causes of these foodborne illnesses. 
These bacterial infections may last from days to weeks. Effects range from mild symptoms — like fever, diarrhea, vomiting, muscle aches, abdominal pain, and poor appetite — to severe outcomes like miscarriage and even death. 
Unpasteurized foods present even greater health risks and are more dangerous to people with compromised immune systems, such as older adults, pregnant people, young children, and those with health conditions like cancer.
Summary Unpasteurized foods are slightly more likely to retain natural tastes, appearances, flavors, and nutrients, but they are strongly associated with foodborne illnesses. Evidence indicates that the risks of consuming unpasteurized foods greatly outweigh the benefits, especially for immune-compromised people.  (CREDITS)

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 everyone since he was a healthy 20 year old with no risk factors except.... you'll have to listen to this week's episode to find out what it is and whether you or a loved one could be at risk!

This week we will continue our coverage of Bile acid malabsorption (BAM),  a gastrointestinal disease. It’s a common cause of chronic diarrhea. When bile acids aren’t properly absorbed in your intestines, they build up, upsetting the chemical balance inside. Excess bile acids trigger your colon to secrete extra water, leading to watery stools.
This week we will continue our coverage of Bile acid malabsorption (BAM),  a gastrointestinal disease. It’s a common cause of chronic diarrhea. When bile acids aren’t properly absorbed in your intestines, they build up, upsetting the chemical balance inside. Excess bile acids trigger your colon to secrete extra water, leading to watery stools.
Bile acid malabsorption (BAM) is often misdiagnosed as Irritable Bowel Syndrome or is overlooked in individuals with Crohn’s disease.
Bile Acid Malabsorption happens when the small intestine is unable to direct bile acid back to the liver. This means that the body doesn’t absorb water properly and affects digestion. The condition results in what is known as Bile Acid Diarrhoea.
How will a new test for Bile Acid Malabsorption be developed?
Currently, the only test for bile acid malabsorption is the SeHCAT test which is expensive, time consuming and uses radiation.
The team have developed a test which they believe will diagnose the condition more rapidly and cost effectively than the current test. For its initial testing phase, it will be used on stool (poo) samples, and in its second phase the research team will assess whether it can also guide treatment decisions on what dose should be given to individual patients.
The aim of the study is to establish a better test for BAM, do the groundwork for a future study of the role of faecal bile acid measurements within the NHS, and use the data collected from this trial to prepare other studies to assist with the diagnosis and treatment of individuals with BAM.
Why diagnose bile acid malabsorption? Chronic diarrhea is one of the most common reasons why people get referred to specialist gastroenterology clinics, and can account for as many as 1 in 20 referrals. Bile acid malabsorption is a major cause of chronic diarrhoea and is thought to affect up to 1 million people in the UK.
As well as individuals with Crohn’s disease, as many as one in three people diagnosed with IBS with diarrhoea (IBS-D) may actually be experiencing BAM but the current gold standard SeCHAT test is only available in certain UK centres. It is also time consuming and costly.
In 2012 the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence’s Diagnostic Advisory Group concluded that a new test for the diagnosis of BAM was needed. (credits: Diagnosing bile acid malabsorption - Bowel Research UK :Bowel Research UK )