Mayo Clinic Health Matters

While the number of people being vaccinated for COVID-19 is dropping, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and other medical experts continue to strongly encourage people to get vaccinated for COVID-19. And that means that those who are being vaccinated with the Moderna and Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine should get their first and second doses on schedule.“About 8% of people who got their first dose have not returned for the second dose and this is concerning when you're getting close to 1 in 10," says Dr. Gregory Poland, an infectious diseases expert and head of Mayo Clinic's Vaccine Research Group. "When you measure in the short term, one dose in a healthy person offers about 80% protection. But that's not 95% protection, like you get after two doses."In this Mayo Clinic Q&A podcast, Dr. Poland expands on why people need that second COVID-19 vaccine dose and he talks about whether people should mix and match the different COVID-19 vaccines for their second dose. He also speaks about the status of COVID-19 vaccines for young people, and he addresses listener questions about traveling, being together after vaccination, and the latest rise of additional COVID-19 variants.Research disclosures for Dr. Gregory Poland. Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

For heart-liver transplants, the liver and heart must come from the same donor, and some patients wait years to receive both organs. Also, antibodies from the donor can increase chances of the receiving patient rejecting the heart. But Dr. Sudhir Kushwaha, a Mayo Clinic cardiovascular transplant surgeon, says when a liver transplant is also involved, it sort of gives the heart protection. Now, he says, Mayo is introducing an innovative approach by transplanting the liver before the heart. "When we looked back, at our experience with our combined heart-liver patients, we made the observation that those patients really have zero rejection," says Dr. Kushwaha. "Wiith that in mind, we thought, well, what's going on here? There must be some biological process." “The antibodies seem to bind in the liver in a way that doesn't harm it — the same as it does in other organs — and it really does sort of sponge up the antibodies against that specific donor,” says Dr. Richard Daly, a Mayo Clinic cardiovascular transplant surgeon. In this Mayo Clinic Q&A podcast, Drs. Kushwaha and Daly discuss in detail this reverse transplant protocol and the research learning process of the past decade. They also discuss why some patients need this double organ transplant and they describe how the surgeries are closely choreographed with Mayo Clinic's liver transplant teams. Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

Has your eyesight become blurry? Do you have glaucoma, but you haven't been in for an exam or treatment? Amid the COVID-19 pandemic, many people may have delayed eye appointments. Dr. Cheryl Khanna, a Mayo Clinic ophthalmologist, says it's important to catch eye diseases early. "I think the main take-home message is that if you have decreased vision, if you have an ocular disease, it is safe to come to Mayo Clinic and receive care," says Dr. Khanna. "And if you postpone treatment, there may be irreversible vision loss." In this Mayo Clinic Q&A podcast, Dr. Khanna expands on the importance of eye care and how artificial intelligence is helping develop individual treatments for patients. She also talks about minimally invasive glaucoma procedures and newly emerging cataract technologies. And she describes several clinical trials that are underway — such as gene therapy trials for macular degeneration and retinal dystrophies. Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

Chronic pain is experienced by about one-quarter to one-third of children, with about 1 in 20 experiencing debilitating pain, according to the World Health Organization. Chronic pain is defined as recurrent or continuous pain lasting more than three months. For children and adolescents, adjusting to and living with pain can be overwhelming. On the Mayo Clinic Q&A podcast, a special edition of "Ask the Mayo Mom" focuses on managing chronic pain in children. Dr. Angela Mattke, a Mayo Clinic pediatrician, is joined by Mayo Clinic Children’s Center experts  Dr. Tracy Harrison, medical director of the Mayo Pediatric Pain Rehabilitation Center, and Dr. Cynthia Harbeck-Weber, a Mayo Clinic child and adolescent psychologist. Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

Dr. Gregory Poland, an infectious diseases expert and head of Mayo Clinic's Vaccine Research Group says COVID-19 mutations and the virus spread are happening because of people who don't wear masks, who don't get vaccinated and who don't adhere to safety recommendations."I believe that we should be radically transparent and honest," says Dr. Poland. "The more time this virus passes through one person after another, the more likely it continues to mutate. As a result of those mutations, two things are happening. Some of the mutations are making vaccines and plasma monoclonal antibodies less effective. The other thing is that the virus will likely become something that we have to live with for the rest of our lives."Dr. Poland reminds people that vaccine protection is not 100%. Breakthrough infections can occur."Remember that in the clinical trials, 95% means that compared to unvaccinated people, your risk is reduced by 95% — not 100%," he says. "You might have a mild case of COVID-19,but you can still spread it to others, including those who are immune compromised, such as cancer patients. That's why we continue to wear masks until we get very widespread immunization."In this Mayo Clinic Q&A podcast, Dr. Poland talks more about breakthrough infections and the Johnson & Johnson COVID-19 vaccine pause, and he answers listeners questions.Research disclosures for Dr. Gregory Poland. Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

Mayo Clinic Laboratories has performed over 3 million COVID-19 tests. "In December 2019, there was a disease, and three months later, everyone in the country — and around the globe — wanted a test to see if they had the disease," says Dr. William Morice II, president of Mayo Clinic Laboratories. "With COVID-19, we've learned the importance of laboratory testing and diagnostic medicine in health care, both in the U.S. and globally." Dr. Morice says professionals are needed in laboratory medicine, who understand the technology and the science but also who understand the human need. "One of the strong memories for me was being in the lab late at night, and getting an email from a Native American tribal leader saying, 'We need help,'" says Dr. Morice. In this Mayo Clinic Q&A podcast, Dr. Morice speaks about the commitment, agility and resiliency of laboratory staff during COVID-19, the collaborations and partnerships with academic and private labs, and the future of testing as more COVID-19 variants emerge. Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

There are many causes of head and neck cancers, and treatment is complicated. And one of the fastest growing demographic of cancers in the U.S. is human papillomavirus (HPV) in younger people, says Dr. Daniel Ma, a Mayo Clinic radiation oncologist. "This is a treatable disease," says Dr. Ma. "It's a disease that's very responsive to radiation, chemotherapy and surgery. And it's one of those diseases, because the patients are young, that there's a good cure rate." Dr. Ma says treatment for the numerous head and neck cancers requires medical coordination. "It's where tight collaboration between an ENT (ear, nose and throat) surgeon medical oncologist who gives chemotherapy, and a radiation oncologist, like myself, who gives radiation or X-ray treatments, is crucial for the success of the treatment." In this Mayo Clinic Q&A podcast, Dr. Ma describes the various symptoms and getting a diagnosis, and he talks about Mayo Clinic's Oropharynx Cancer Clinic, which he says is the first such multidisciplinary clinic in the country. Dr. Ma also explains advances in treatment like newer radiation techniques, including proton therapy, and more minimally invasive surgical techniques. Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

For many people, the COVID-19 pandemic has provided an opportunity to reassess priorities in their lives, spend more time with loved ones, and take care of some projects or personal issues that they’ve been avoiding. But some people may have been avoiding their heart health. Dr. Christopher DeSimone, a Mayo Clinic cardiologist, says he's concerned some patients may have been ignoring symptoms, waiting six or nine months, or even a year, before going to in for a medical exam. "What's really heartbreaking is there are things we could have offered patients — medicines and interventions — things that we could have caught in an earlier time frame," says Dr. DeSimone. "We could have really impacted their quality of life and lessened their risk from dying of heart disease." In this Mayo Clinic Q&A podcast, Dr. DeSimone talks more about the concerns of delayed heart health care and describes heart disease symptoms. And he emphasizes how safe it is to go to the hospital for a heart check during the COVID-19 pandemic.   Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

As spring break travelers return home and the highly transmissible U.K. COVID-19 variant is discovered in all 50 U.S. states, the country is on the verge of a fourth COVID-19 pandemic surge. That's according to a number of health experts, including Dr. Gregory Poland, an infectious diseases expert and head of Mayo Clinic's Vaccine Research Group.However, Dr. Poland says there is some good news related to the transmission of COVID-19 on surfaces."Wisdom resides in changing your mind and your recommendations as new data and science becomes available," says Dr. Poland. "What the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is doing is modifying those guidelines, saying that the risk of touching a contaminated surface and then getting infected is very low."In this Mayo Clinic Q&A podcast Dr. Poland explains more about the CDC guidelines and he addresses other COVID-19 topics in the news, including recent data that says men are more vaccine-hesitant than women.Research disclosures for Dr. Gregory Poland. Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

In the midst of the COVID-19 global health crisis, Mayo Clinic is changing the way patient care is provided. "I think, as an organization, we've made close to a decade of progress over the course of one year," says Mayo Clinic President and CEO Dr. Gianrico Farrugia. "The COVID-19 pandemic pushed us faster and further than we could have imagined. We're now tangibly stronger than we were pre-COVID — in our practice, in education, in research and in operation and business agility." One example, says Dr. Farrugia, has been with virtual and digital care. "We all want to see our patients in person," explains Dr. Farrugia. "But the other side of the coin is that it's important to meet patients where they are, to make health care easier for their daily lives. What we're seeing now is that we can do both physical and virtual care really well and do it seamlessly." "The pandemic served to reinforce our 2030 'Bold.Forward.' strategy, which is to cure more patients, to connect people and data, to create new scalable knowledge, and to transform health care through our unique Mayo Clinic platform," says Farrugia. In this Mayo Clinic Q&A podcast, Dr. Farrugia says, "Amidst all the grief and the loss that we all experienced, there's a lot we have gained and now it's incumbent on us to make sure we use it to transform health care." Listen as Dr. Farrugia describes how that transformation is happening at Mayo Clinic. Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy