Broadcast from KSQD, Santa Cruz on 1-15-2026:

• An emailer from Switzerland asks about fluorescein angiography requested before her first retina appointment. Dr. Dawn suspects protocol-based medicine screening for macular degeneration and suggests negotiating to see the doctor first given her different reason for seeing a retinal specialist. She encourages patients to maintain agency in medical settings.
• An emailer asks about creatine supplements. Dr. Dawn notes it helps muscle development in people doing weight training at 3-5 grams daily, but does nothing for aerobic-only exercisers. Claims about cognition and mood lack solid research. She advises against high-dose "loading," and cautions that creatine causes fluid retention problematic for congestive heart failure and should be avoided with stage 3 or higher kidney disease.
• Dr. Dawn reminds listeners it's not too late for flu shots, noting this season's H3N2 strain emerged after vaccine formulation was finalized. She laments mRNA vaccine research defunding, as that technology allows rapid reformulation.
• She describes organoids—tissues grown from stem cells that self-organize into primitive organ structures, enabling rapid drug screening without animal testing. Stanford researchers created assembloids by placing four neurological organoids together that spontaneously connected and built the ascending sensory pain pathway, offering new approaches to studying chronic pain.
• Dr. Dawn explains research showing satellite glial cells transfer healthy mitochondria to spinal sensory neurons through tunneling nanotubules. When this transfer fails, neurons fire erratically causing pain. Infusing healthy mitochondria into mouse spinal columns cured peripheral neuropathy—suggesting future periodic infusion treatments for humans.
• She reports Texas A&M researchers created "nanoflowers" from molybdenum disulfate that double stem cell's mitochondrial production, potentially supercharging regenerative medicine for conditions including Alzheimer's and muscular dystrophy.
• A caller asks about flu vaccines with egg allergy. Dr. Dawn explains that his gastrointestinal reactions to eggs differ from dangerous IgE allergies causing hives or anaphylaxis—GI intolerance doesn't preclude vaccination.
• Dr. Dawn reveals that 20 years of Parkinson's research followed a false lead. MRI showed increased iron in patients' brains, prompting iron chelation trials—which worsened symptoms. The problem: MRI detects paramagnetic ferric iron (stored, inert) not ferrous iron (biologically active). Patients accumulate useless ferric iron but are deficient in usable ferrous iron. Earlier 1980s studies showing that iron supplementation helped were ignored and abandoned prematurely. She suggests Parkinson's patients discuss iron supplementation with neurologists. She will post the link in the resources page on her website.
• A caller concerned about early Parkinson's describes tremors and balance problems in darkness. Dr. Dawn suggests darkness-related symptoms sound more like peripheral neuropathy than Parkinson's, recommending neurological examination and screening for diabetes, B vitamin deficiency, or heavy metal exposure. She confirms that sedentary lifestyle reduces mitochondrial production while progressive exercise builds both muscle and mitochondria.

Broadcast from KSQD, Santa Cruz on 1-08-2026:

• Dr. Dawn concludes her 2025 medical advances recap, noting that while GLP-1 weight loss drugs showed unexpected benefits for addiction, schizophrenia, and dementia risk, Novo Nordisk recently reported semaglutide had no effect on cognition in people with existing dementia or mild cognitive impairment.
• She describes the first successful human bladder transplant performed on May 4th. The 41-year-old recipient received both kidney and bladder due to the bladder's complex blood vessel network. Surgeons practiced on cadavers with active circulation before achieving success, opening pathways for future bladder-only transplants for the 84,000 Americans diagnosed with bladder cancer annually.
• An emailer follows up about purslane for cognitive health. Dr. Dawn reviewed the referenced studies and found neither actually supported claims about purslane and cognition—one discussed the Lyon Heart Study's Mediterranean diet, the other described antioxidant properties. She cautions listeners that websites citing "scientifically proven" claims often reference articles that don't support their assertions.
• An emailer asks about statin alternatives after developing severe muscle pain on both atorvastatin and rosuvastatin. Dr. Dawn suggests he shouldn't be on statins given his classic adverse reaction. She recommends ezetimibe plus oat bran for cholesterol, metformin for his elevated triglycerides indicating insulin resistance, and checking LDL particle size and inflammation markers. She emphasizes that cholesterol is a risk factor, not a disease, and treating 50 low-risk people for 10 years prevents only one heart attack.
• A caller discusses plaque formation theory, comparing it to calluses. Dr. Dawn explains Linus Pauling's similar hypothesis that plaque forms at vessel bifurcations to protect against turbulent blood flow damage. She warns against driving total cholesterol below 130, as it disrupts steroid hormone production. The caller shares his mother's near-fatal rhabdomyolysis from statins—muscle breakdown releasing myoglobin that clogs kidneys—and criticizes data transfer failures between hospital systems.
• An emailer reports four UTIs in two months at age 79. Dr. Dawn questions whether all were true infections, since vaginal contamination causes false positives on dipstick tests. For confirmed UTIs, she recommends D-mannose and cranberry to prevent bacterial adhesion, post-void residual ultrasound to check for incomplete emptying, lactobacillus probiotics, and vaginal DHEA (Intrarosa) to restore mucosal thickness and disease resistance.
• Dr. Dawn describes Stanford's Phase III trial for dystrophic epidermolysis bullosa, where defective collagen-7 causes skin layers to separate at the slightest touch. Researchers take patient skin biopsies, use retroviruses to insert corrected genes, grow credit-card-sized skin grafts over 25 days, then suture them onto wounds. At 48 weeks, 65% of treated wounds fully healed versus 7% of controls.
• She reports a Stanford study showing premature babies who heard recordings of their mothers reading for 2 hours 40 minutes daily developed more mature white matter in language pathways. The left arcuate fasciculus showed greater development than controls, demonstrating how early auditory stimulation shapes brain circuitry even in NICU settings.
• Dr. Dawn concludes with tattoo safety concerns. Modern vivid inks contain compounds developed for car paint and printer toner, including azo dyes that break down into carcinogenic aromatic amines—especially during laser removal. Pigment particles migrate to lymph nodes and persist in macrophages, causing prolonged inflammation. She advises those with tattoos to avoid laser removal, wear sunscreen, practice lymphatic hygiene, and reconsider extensive new tattoos.

Broadcast from KSQD, Santa Cruz on 1-01-2025:

• An emailer asks about omega-3 supplementation for memory at age 72. Dr. Dawn advises checking that fish oil capsules contain adequate DHA—at least 1,000 mg—since many omega-3 products have low DHA levels. She notes Medicare covers the same testing at standard labs as proprietary labs like OmegaQuant that charge patients directly. Beyond omega-3s, she emphasizes glucose control (hemoglobin A1c below 5.6) since the enzyme that breaks down insulin also clears beta-amyloid, and weight training to raise brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF), which promotes new synapse formation essential for memory.
• Dr. Dawn reviews Popular Science's top 2025 health innovation: eye drops from Lens Therapeutics containing aceclidine that correct age-related farsightedness for 10 hours. The drops shrink the pupil to increase depth of field, improving near vision by three or more lines on eye charts within 30 minutes without affecting distance vision. Side effects include eye irritation, dimmed night vision, and headache.
• She describes Duke University's breakthrough allowing heart transplants from circulatory death donors using an on-table reanimation technique. This could expand the pediatric donor pool by 20%—critical since up to 20% of children die waiting for transplants.
• Dr. Dawn celebrates CAR-T immunotherapy for multiple myeloma, which saved her husband's life. Of 97 heavily pretreated patients, 38% achieved complete remission still present at five years, with over 50% total survival. The therapy removes T-cells, uses CRISPR to add receptors targeting cancer cell antigens, then reinfuses the modified cells.
• She highlights a UC Davis study showing remote blood pressure monitoring with home technology, education, and coaching dropped patients' average blood pressure from 150/80 to 125/74 in months—low-tech with high impact.
• Dr. Dawn explains the Nano Knife for prostate cancer, which uses localized electrical pulses delivered through thin wires to destroy tumors while sparing surrounding nerves. This minimally invasive approach could reduce erectile dysfunction and incontinence common with traditional surgery.
• She describes Gilead's Sunlenca, a twice-yearly injection for HIV prevention that's 99% effective. At $14,000 per injection in the US, proceeds help fund access in resource-limited countries where it can be distributed like a vaccination.
• Dr. Dawn discusses Journavx (suzetrigine), a new non-opioid pain medication working on sodium channels to block pain signals before reaching the brain. At $30 for 50 pills on GoodRx, it offers an alternative for surgical pain in patients with addiction history or genetic vulnerability to opioid dependence.
• She details the landmark case of Baby KJ, the first person to receive personalized CRISPR gene therapy. Born with a CPS1 enzyme deficiency causing toxic ammonia buildup, KJ was too small for liver transplant. Scientists identified his specific mutation and used CRISPR base editing delivered via lipid nanoparticles to correct a single DNA letter—changing an A to G—in his liver cells which restored enough function to be discharged home.
• Dr. Dawn reports surprising findings that COVID mRNA vaccines amplify cancer immunotherapy. Lung cancer patients who received COVID vaccination within 100 days of checkpoint inhibitor treatment had 56% three-year survival versus 31% for unvaccinated patients. The mechanism is unknown but may involve mRNA generally alerting the immune system.
• She revisits research showing Zostavax shingles vaccination reduced dementia risk by 20% over seven years. A natural experiment in Wales—where an age cutoff created comparable vaccinated and unvaccinated groups—provided strong evidence that preventing herpes zoster inflammation protects brain health.
• Dr. Dawn concludes with Huntington's disease breakthrough: microRNA therapy delivered by virus directly into the brain slowed disease progression by 75% over three years. The microRNA binds to Huntington protein mRNA, preventing ribosome translation and toxic protein production. Some patients returned to work; others expected to need wheelchairs are still walking.