The Scope Radio

About 85 percent of U.S. women have hot flashes in menopause. They’re terrible and you just want them to stop, so you finally decided to take something for them and night sweats – but what do you take? Dr. Kirtly Jones talks about hot flashes, why they happen, and what types of treatments are available to make them go away.

Utah’s winter air inversion affects kids differently than it does adults, especially kids with breathing problems like asthma. So on a day with heavy inversion, is it safe for your child to be playing outside? Dr. Cindy Gellner tells you what inversions are and why children are more at risk during periods of bad air. She also discusses how to decide whether the air quality is good enough for your child to be out during recess at school and what to do if it’s not.

In many places in the world, using your hands to eat from a communal dish is part of the culture. For some Americans, that can seem a little gross - but is it unsanitary? In the case you ever find yourself in an ethnic restaurant that serves their food this way, should you skip the meal and just enjoy the conversation? We asked Dr. Tom Miller what he thought.

The latest numbers were released from The American Cancer Society on the battle against cancer. In this episode of The Scope, Dr. John Sweetenham from Huntsman Cancer Institute tells us what the numbers mean. He discusses where the most progress has been made, the opportunities for future victories and whether survival rates are the best metric for measuring success.

They are always surrounded by germs and viruses. So doesn’t it make you wonder why your doctors and nurses never seems to get sick? Emergency room physician Dr. Troy Madsen says he’s only had one sick day in the last 10 years and tells you some of the precautions he takes to avoid getting sick. He also discusses ways to keep healthy and boost your immunity system altogether.

They are always surrounded by germs and viruses. So doesn’t it make you wonder why your doctors and nurses never seems to get sick? Emergency room physician Dr. Troy Madsen says he’s only had one sick day in the last 10 years and tells you some of the precautions he takes to avoid getting sick. He also discusses ways to keep healthy and boost your immunity system altogether.

Human papillomavirus, better known as HPV, is the most common sexually transmitted infection, with 79 million Americans affected in 2013. The HPV vaccine can have a few different names, but the bottom line is that it protects against human papillomavirus. Dr. Cindy Gellner talks about the affects that HPV can have on the human body and how the vaccine can help fight against HPV. She also discusses the risk factors for getting HPV and who should be getting the vaccine.

There are large proportions of the world population who aren’t getting access to high quality surgical care. The mission of the University of Utah’s School of Medicine’s Center for Global Surgery is to change that. The chair of the Department of Surgery at the University of Utah School of Medicine, Dr. Samuel Finlayson, says sharing the medical knowledge we have in the United States with those low-resource countries will help provide higher quality, better surgical care for fewer dollars.

When is that fever too high to handle at home? Is an upset stomach a good enough reason to bring your child to the ER? Why hasn’t the rash on your child’s arm gone away? Pediatrician Dr. Cindy Gellner tells you when you should bring your child in to see the doctor and when it’s ok to just give them some TLC. She also talks about some home remedies to make your child feel better when they’re feeling horrible.

American women spend billions of dollars a year on unproven herbal supplements to treat everything from the common cold to tummy upsets, to depression. Do you know what’s really in them? A number of recent studies have suggested a lot of these products aren’t what they say they are. Dr. Kirtly Jones talks about herbal supplements, why they aren’t FDA approved, and why they might be dangerous.

Most people know that being an organ donor is a good thing - organ donors save lives. But for whatever reason, checking that “yes” box to become an organ donor can be scary when you’re getting your driver’s license or ID. Transplant surgeon Dr. Jeffery Campsen talks about the process and good that comes from organ donation. He also addresses the questions and concerns you may have about becoming an organ donor.

Should you go to the doctor for the cold? It’s a pretty common question. After all, colds can be miserable and who wouldn’t want to feel better. Find out if a trip to your physician's office is worh it. Dr. Tom Miller talks about things you can do to make a cold more bearable and if antibiotics can help make you feel better.

Our genetic code is made up of 3.3 billion base pairs of DNA, and one single base pair change can be enough to put someone at risk for developing disease. Dr. Nicki Camp, a professor of genetic epidemiology at the University of Utah, uses one of the world’s most extensive resources of it’s kind, the Utah Population Database, to hunt down the tiny changes that trigger inherited cancers, including multiple myeloma. She explains what she has found so far and how her work might one day help patients worldwide.

With the ski and snowboarding season here, Dr. Jeffrey Greenbaum from St. John’s Medical Center talks about the types of injuries that can occur on the slopes and what might cause them. He also discusses preparations for preventing skiing and snowboarding injuries.

As the weather gets colder, some people experience nosebleeds. When is a nosebleed serious enough to go the ER, and when can you take care of it yourself? Emergency room physician Dr. Troy Madsen talks about why the cold, dry air may cause nosebleeds and also tells you how to properly take care of a nosebleed at home.