Latest / Morning Medical with Dr. Chow / Wearable Health Devices, Whole-Body MRI Scans, and Presidential Health Transparency

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Wearable Health Devices, Whole-Body MRI Scans, and Presidential Health Transparency · Morning Medical with Dr. Chow

• 0:00
  Welcome to Morning Medical with Dr.
• 0:02
  Chow, your daily update on the latest medical and health news from around the world.
• 0:07
  I am your host, Dr.
• 0:08
  Chi-Ming Chow.
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  Today, we are diving into some exciting advancements in biomedical technology, starting
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  with a groundbreaking innovation from Carnegie Mellon University.
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  In the age of technology everywhere, we are all too familiar with the inconvenience of a dead
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  battery.
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  But for those relying on a wearable health care device to monitor glucose, reduce tremors, or
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  even track heart function, taking time to recharge can pose a big risk.
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  For the first time, researchers in Carnegie Mellon University's Department of Mechanical
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  Engineering have shown that a health care device can be powered using body heat alone.
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  By combining a pulse oximetry sensor with a flexible, stretchable, wearable thermoelectric
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  energy generator composed of liquid metal, semiconductors, and three-dimensional printed
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  rubber, the team has introduced a promising way to address battery life concerns.
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  'This is the first step towards battery-free wearable electronics,' said Mason Zadan, a
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  Doctor of Philosophy candidate and first author of the research published in Advanced
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  Functional Materials.
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  The system, designed to achieve high mechanical and thermoelectric performance with seamless
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  materials integration, features advancements in soft-materials, thermoelectric generator array
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  design, low energy circuit board design, and on-board power management.
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  'Compared to our past research, this design improves power density by roughly forty times
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  or four thousand percent.
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  The liquid metal epoxy composite enhances thermal conductivity between the thermoelectric
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  component and the device's point of contact on the body,' explained Carmel Majidi, Professor
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  of Mechanical Engineering and Director of the Soft Machines Laboratory.
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  To test its voltage output, the device was worn on a participant's chest and wrist at rest and
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  in motion.
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  'We saw greater output while the device was on the participant's wrist and while they were in
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  motion,' Zadan said.
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  'As the participant moves, one side of the device is cooled by the increase in airflow,
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  and the other is heated from the rise in body temperature.
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  Walking and running created an ideal temperature differential.'
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  Moving forward, Doctor Dinesh K.
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  Patel, a research scientist on the team, is eager to work on improving electrical
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  performance and explore how to additively manufacture the device.
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  'We want to move it from a proof of concept into a product people can start using.'
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  This research was done in collaboration with Arieca Incorporated, The University of
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  Washington, and Seoul National University.
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  For more information, you can refer to the research article titled 'Stretchable
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  Thermoelectric Generators for Self-Powered Wearable Health Monitoring,' published in
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  Advanced Functional Materials.
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  When artificial sweeteners entered the United States market in the nineteen fifties, food
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  manufacturers made a big claim: that they could satisfy the American sweet tooth without the
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  negative health effects and calories of sugar.
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  Today, artificial sweeteners and other sugar substitutes have become ubiquitous in the food
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  supply, showing up in a slew of products, including diet sodas, sliced bread, and
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  low-sugar yogurts—not to mention your morning coffee.
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  But questions about sugar substitutes have been swirling for decades, with scientists and
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  public health officials suggesting they might come with certain health risks of their own.
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  The research on how sugar substitutes affect our bodies is preliminary, complex, and
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  sometimes contradictory.
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  'They have not been studied as much as they should be in humans,' said Doctor Dariush
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  Mozaffarian, a cardiologist and director of the Food is Medicine Institute at Tufts University.
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  That leaves us with many questions about how to weigh their potential benefits and risks.
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  One major concern is the impact of artificial sweeteners on our metabolic health.
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  Some studies suggest that these substitutes might alter gut bacteria in a way that could
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  lead to glucose intolerance, a precursor to diabetes.
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  Others have raised concerns about the potential for artificial sweeteners to increase cravings
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  for sweet foods, thereby leading to overconsumption and weight gain.
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  On the flip side, artificial sweeteners do offer some clear benefits.
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  For people with diabetes, they provide a way to enjoy sweet foods and drinks without affecting
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  blood sugar levels.
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  They also help in reducing overall calorie intake, which can be beneficial for those
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  trying to lose weight.
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  However, the long-term effects of consuming these sugar substitutes are still not fully
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  understood, and more research is needed to draw definitive conclusions.
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  In the meantime, public health guidelines generally recommend moderate consumption of
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  both sugar and its substitutes.
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  'It is important for people to focus on an overall healthy diet rather than getting caught
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  up in the details of individual ingredients,' advised Doctor Mozaffarian.
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  'A diet rich in fruits, vegetables, whole grains, and lean proteins is the best way to
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  maintain good health.'
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  As we await more comprehensive research, the debate over the safety of artificial sweeteners
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  versus sugar is likely to continue.
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  For now, it is essential to stay informed and make dietary choices that align with your
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  health goals and needs.
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  A cluster of companies are trying to pitch healthy people on whole-body MRI scans,
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  promising early detection of cancer and other life-threatening diseases.
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  These scans are not cheap, with start-up companies like Prenuvo charging between one
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  thousand and two thousand five hundred dollars for various scanning options, none of which are
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  currently covered by insurance.
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  Proponents say consumer-driven medical scans are the next logical step in preventive
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  medicine.
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  The industry has received a big publicity push from celebrities and influencers like Kim
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  Kardashian, who posted about her Prenuvo scan last year.
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  But many medical experts say the companies are selling expensive, unproven technology that may
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  cause extra worries and unnecessary treatment, while driving up costs for the United States
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  healthcare system.
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  'MRIs are great for what they are typically used for,' said Ernest Hawk, Doctor of
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  Medicine, Master of Public Health, a vice president at MD Anderson Cancer Center in
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  Houston.
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  'But now you are moving them much earlier into an average-risk population, and that is where
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  you can run into these questions that have not been answered.'
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  Many radiologists say the likelihood of finding a serious problem, such as a cancerous tumor or
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  brain aneurysm, in someone with no symptoms is very low.
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  Instead, scans are likely to flag growths that are usually harmless.
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  Definitively ruling out a problem could require additional tests, appointments, and even
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  surgeries.
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  'You are going to end up finding a lot of incidental things,' said Mina Makary, Doctor of
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  Medicine, a radiologist at the Ohio State Wexner Medical Center in Columbus.
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  'That is going to create more psychological stress or trauma for the patient, including
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  additional costs for tests and procedures that may have risks.'
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  Experts also worry that people who undergo MRI scans may start skipping other routine exams,
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  such as mammograms.
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  'You have gone through a scan and it did not find anything so you say,
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  Gee, I do not need to do the other routine things my doctor recommends that have been
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  proven to extend life,
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  This year marks the eightieth anniversary of a critical moment in American history that has
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  sparked ongoing debates about the ethics of medical confidentiality, especially when it
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  comes to the health of political leaders.
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  Eight decades ago, President Franklin D.
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  Roosevelt's personal physician misled the public about his health, allowing a gravely ill
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  man to secure an unprecedented fourth term as president.
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  This deception had far-reaching implications as it left an ill-prepared vice president to
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  manage the final stages of World War Two.
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  President Roosevelt's blood pressure averaged 209 over 100 millimeters of mercury, a level
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  that is now considered a medical emergency.
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  His heart was enlarged, his skin was gray due to lack of oxygen in the blood, and an
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  electrocardiogram showed signs of terminal cardiac disease.
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  His cardiologist later described his condition as 'godawful.' However, the public was kept in
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  the dark about his deteriorating health.
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  Despite the severity of his condition, Roosevelt’s personal physician, Ross T.
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  McIntire, declared that the president was in 'robust health.' McIntire, a navy admiral and
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  otolaryngologist, continued to offer optimistic prognoses, even as Roosevelt’s health worsened.
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  In fact, McIntire maintained these falsehoods until the president's death in April 1945.
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  Roosevelt's cardiologist, Howard Bruenn, later revealed that the president had been diagnosed
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  with hypertension and congestive heart failure.
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  The recommended treatments were rest, avoidance of stress, and cessation of his
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  pack-and-a-half-per-day cigarette habit.
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  However, these recommendations were largely ignored, and McIntire continued to assure the
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  public that Roosevelt’s health was satisfactory.
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  On April 12, 1945, just three months after being inaugurated for his fourth term,
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  Roosevelt died of a brain hemorrhage in Warm Springs, Georgia, at the age of 63.
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  His blood pressure at the time of his death was estimated to be 350 over 195 millimeters of
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  mercury.
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  The case of Franklin D.
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  Roosevelt raises important ethical questions about the obligations of White House
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  physicians.
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  Do they have a duty to be truthful with the public about a president’s health, or should
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  patient confidentiality take precedence?
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  This issue remains relevant today as the health of current and former presidents continues to
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  be a topic of public interest.
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  Neurologist Steven Lomazow, who has written extensively about Roosevelt’s health, argues
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  that it is not the role of a physician to disclose a patient’s health information without
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  consent.
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  'If they know the president wants them to lie, it is okay for them to lie,' Lomazow stated.
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  However, bioethicist Joel T.
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  Wu contends that while physicians can refuse to answer questions about a patient’s care, it is
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  unethical to lie or selectively omit information to create a false impression.
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  Historically, White House physicians have often withheld the truth about presidential health
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  crises.
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  Examples include Woodrow Wilson’s stroke, James Garfield’s struggle to recover from a bullet
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  wound, and Donald Trump’s case of COVID-19.
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  The secrecy surrounding Roosevelt’s health stands out because it occurred during a world
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  war and an election campaign.
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  Some experts, like psychiatrist Jacob Appel, believe that White House physicians should
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  ideally be transparent with the public.
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  However, he acknowledges that the president ultimately controls what information is
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  disclosed.
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  Appel also notes that some of the most successful presidents, such as Roosevelt, John
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  F.
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  Kennedy, and Ronald Reagan, had significant health issues, while healthier presidents like
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  Millard Fillmore and Rutherford B.
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  Hayes are less memorable.
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  Ultimately, the debate over medical transparency for political leaders is unlikely
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  to be resolved anytime soon.
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  As Theodore N.
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  Pappas, a surgeon at Duke University, observed, Dwight D.
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  Eisenhower was one of the few presidents to be relatively open about his health.
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  'The rest were not transparent.
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  That is just what they do, and I do not think it is going to change,' Pappas said.
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  That concludes today’s episode of Morning Medical with Dr.
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  Chow.
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  We hope you found our discussion on the ethical dilemmas faced by White House physicians
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  enlightening.
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  Join us again tomorrow for more updates on the latest medical and health news from around the
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  world.
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  Thank you for listening, and have a great day.