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Exploring Psychedelics in Mental Health
In recent years, the intersection of psychedelics and mental health has become a topic of growing interest in the medical community. Dr. Josh Woolley, Director of the Translational Psychedelic Research Program at UC San Francisco, recently shared his insights on the risks and benefits of psychedelic use, especially among younger populations. Dr. Woolley discussed the […]
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Demystifying Cholesterol
Take a deep dive into the multifaceted topic of cholesterol in this UC San Francisco Mini Medical School for the Public presentation. Dr. Robert B. Baron begins by explaining the fundamental role of cholesterol in our bodies and how it is transported systemically. He specifically addresses LDL (low-density lipoprotein), commonly referred to as “bad cholesterol,” […]
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How Infant Microbiomes Influence Childhood Health
Our bodies are dynamic ecosystems housing trillions of microbes that, while invisible to the naked eye, play a critical role in shaping human health. Scientists are beginning to understand the superpowers the microbiome holds and the affect they have on our longterm health – beginning from infancy. In this program, Susan Lynch, Ph.D., director of […]
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Digestive Disease Research
Our digestive system is made up of the digestive tract — a series of organs from the mouth to the anus — that help the body break down and absorb food to create energy. Gastroenterology focuses on the causes, prevention, diagnosis and treatment of diseases of the digestive system, including the esophagus, stomach, small intestine, […]
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Privacy, Practicality, and Potential: The Use of Technology for Healthy Aging
That wearable fitness device on your wrist is measuring so much more than your exercise levels. Digital tools offer unprecedented opportunities in health research and healthcare but it can come at the cost of privacy. Six days of step counts are enough to identify you among a million other people – and the type of […]
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E-Cigarettes: What We Know, What We Need to Learn
In 2014 with vaping newly on the rise, Dr. Laura Crotty Alexander joined us to talk about the potential health risks. Five years later, we revisit the topic to see how the research is bearing out how e-cigarettes and their usage has evolved. Dr. Alexander shares a physician’s view of the specific dangers of vaping. […]
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How a Year in Space Affects the Human Body
Science fiction has long promised an age of interplanetary human existence. Scenes of spaceships hopping from one galaxy to the next are so common, it seems almost inevitable that future generations will one day vacation on Mars. But, if we are ever going to achieve life on other planets, we first have to figure out […]
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Shaping Our Dynamic Microbiomes for Lifelong Health
Our life-spans are ever-increasing, but our health-spans are not, leading to long periods of unpleasant and expensive suffering with chronic conditions. Many of these conditions have recently been linked to the microbiome. We are constantly shaping our microbiomes through the foods we eat, the environments we experience, even the people we live and work with. […]