Mayo Clinic Health Matters

With wildfires burning in the western U.S., smoke is affecting air quality for hundreds of miles. Wildfire smoke can irritate the eyes and respiratory system, and also can be dangerous for the elderly and people with heart and lung conditions. On the Mayo Clinic Q&A podcast, Dr. Clayton Cowl, chair of the Division of Preventive, Occupational and Aerospace Medicine at Mayo Clinic, discusses the health risks of breathing in wildfire smoke and what you can do to protect yourself. Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

The COVID-19 pandemic continues to create challenges, including returning to school with hybrid learning modules for children. There are also anxieties and uncertainties to navigate, while trying to follow COVID-19 guidelines. In this "Mayo Clinic Q&A" podcast, Dr. Angela Mattke, a Mayo Clinic pediatrician and host of #AskTheMayoMom, talks about the concerns her patients have, and what important things parents and caregivers should take into consideration when helping children stay healthy. Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

Once a vaccine to prevent COVID-19 is approved, there will be logistics to consider. For example, who will receive the vaccine first, and how can the supply chain safely deliver the vaccine to 330 million Americans and potentially more than 7 billion people worldwide? In addition, multiple vaccines may be brought to market within weeks to months of each other, confusing consumers.On the Mayo Clinic Q&A podcast, Dr. Gregory Poland, an infectious diseases expert and head of Mayo Clinic's Vaccine Research Group, explains the challenges of rolling out a COVID-19 vaccine.Research disclosures for Dr. Gregory Poland. Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

Using a new technology platform, Mayo Clinic recently began a new care model called Advanced Care at Home. Some patients with conditions that were previously managed in the hospital will now have the option to be treated and monitored from the comfort of their own home. On the Mayo Clinic Q&A podcast, Dr. Michael Maniaci, chair of the Division Hospital Internal Medicine at Mayo Clinic in Florida, discusses the benefits of the new Advanced Care at Home platform. Dr. Maniaci leads the Advanced Care at Home program in Florida. Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

Dr. Deepi Goyal, a Mayo Clinic emergency physician and regional chair of practice for Southeastern Minnesota, was infected with COVID-19 after his daughter was exposed at work and brought the virus home. Despite his best efforts to isolate and avoid contact, Dr. Goyal started experiencing COVID-19 symptoms on day nine of the recommended 10-day isolation period. On today's Mayo Clinic Q&A podcast, Dr. Goyal shares his experience battling COVID-19 and offers tips for being prepared to quarantine at home when necessary. Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

Cancer diagnoses have decreased since the COVID-19 pandemic began, according to a recent study in JAMA. "We can speculate that putting off routine screening tests means early cancers are not being detected," says Dr. Nabil Wasif, a Mayo Clinic surgical oncologist. He says this suggests that patients will eventually show up but with more advanced cancer. Routine screenings are recommended for breast, cervical and colon cancer, as well as lung cancer if the patient is a smoker. On the Mayo Clinic Q&A podcast, Dr. Wasif, says patients are taking a risk by delaying screening. Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

Children can become ill with COVID-19, and sometimes they develop a rare but serious reaction called multisystem inflammatory syndrome (MIS-C). When this reaction happens, different body parts become inflamed, including the heart, lungs, intestinal tract and brain. More than 600 cases of MIS-C have been reported in the U.S. as of Aug. 20, most in minority populations. On the Mayo Clinic Q&A podcast, Dr. Emily Levy, a pediatric critical care and infectious diseases expert, gives an overview of MIS-C, including its similarities with Kawasaki disease. Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

Vaccines are at the forefront of daily news about COVID-19. Vaccines help prevent diseases that can be dangerous or even deadly by working with the body’s immune system. But how exactly do vaccines work?On the Mayo Clinic Q&A podcast, Dr. Gregory Poland, an infectious diseases expert and head of Mayo Clinic's Vaccine Research Group, gives an overview of vaccines, including the different types of vaccines and how you can make sure you are up to date with all recommended vaccinations.Research disclosures for Dr. Gregory Poland. Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

From the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, it was that known the disease affected the lungs. But some of the most severe damage to the body can be to the heart muscle. COVID-related myocarditis, or inflammation of the heart muscle, can cause severe damage and sometimes death. On the Mayo Clinic Q&A podcast, Dr. Leslie Cooper, chair of Cardiology at Mayo Clinic in Florida, discusses how COVID-19 affects the heart in hospitalized patients, in young people and he identifies areas of research that need to be pursued in the near future.     Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

Health care workers across the country have been on the front lines fighting the coronavirus for more than six months. COVID-19 has presented extraordinary challenges in treating patients and helping families cope, and those challenges are taking a toll on the health care workers themselves. On the Mayo Clinic Q&A podcast, Dr. Ayan Sen, chair of Critical Care Medicine at Mayo Clinic in Arizona, shares his experiences managing patients and supporting staff during the pandemic.   Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy