Healthy Options 3/5/25: “It’s a Scientific Fact”: The Imperative of Medical Info & Research

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.