Episode Details

Host/Producer: Rhonda Feiman Co-Producer: Petra Hall Technical Assistance: Joel Mann Healthy Options: For Well-being & Being Well This month: The serious implications of the loss of funding for medical/health research & the curtailment of health data available for the public. The importance of “doing good science” as a research scientist, & the scientific method as it pertains to medical research. Current & historical perspectives on vaccination vs. herd immunity. Is herd immunity relevant/effective for any/all infestious diseases? The role of bioethics & vaccines, & risk-benefit analysis. The importance of the “Yuck Factor.” Are there songs that can help us understand & appreciate science? Guest(s):  Dr. Miryam Wahrman, biomedical researcher, bioethicist, biochemist, and director of a research laboratory in microbiology at William Patterson University, where she is a professor of biology. Dr. Wahrman discusses the importance of scientific process in medical research & our health, the impacts of curtailing studies on infectious disease and other serious illness, and the current challenges we face as important health information becomes restricted- and misinformation & disinformation is rampant. She is the author of the book, The Hand Book: Surviving in a Germ-Filled World, which explores hand-washing & hygiene, cross infections, and simple ways to stay healthy & reduce/prevent the spread of disease. Previous interviews with Dr. Wahrman: archives.weru.org/healthy-options/2020/11/healthy-options-11-4-20-current-scientific-thinking-about-covid-19-health-strategies/ archives.weru.org/healthy-options/2020/03/healthy-options-3-4-20-interview-with-dr-miryam-wahrman-author-of-the-hand-book-surviving-in-the-germ-filled-world/ archives.weru.org/healthy-options/2019/02/healthy-options-2-6-19/ FMI: DNA testing information on YouTube: Inadequate advice can mislead and harm the public onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1002/jgc4.1375 Escherichia coli on the internet: The power of YouTube to educate and influence consumer behavior regarding pathogenic bacteria www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S246804511930001X Glove Changing When Handling Money: Observational and Microbiological Analysis www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/26463082 About the host: Rhonda Feiman is a nationally-certified, licensed acupuncturist practicing in Belfast, Maine since 1993. She primarily practices Toyohari Japanese acupuncture, using gentle and powerful non-insertion needle techniques, and also utilizes Chinese acupuncture and herbology. In addition, Rhonda is a practitioner of Qi Gong and an instructor of Tai Chi Chuan in the Yang Family tradition.

The post Healthy Options 3/5/25: “It’s a Scientific Fact”: The Imperative of Medical Info & Research first appeared on WERU 89.9 FM Blue Hill, Maine Local News and Public Affairs Archives.