Broadcast from KSQD, Santa Cruz on 6-26-2025:

• Dr. Dawn opens with groundbreaking results from Vertex Pharmaceuticals' stem cell treatment for severe type 1 diabetes. The experimental therapy, Zimislecel, converts stem cells into pancreatic islet cells and infuses them into patients. In a 12-person study, 10 patients no longer need insulin after one year. The cells migrated to the liver and began producing insulin in response to glucose levels. Patients with hypoglycemic unawareness saw complete elimination of dangerous episodes after three months. However, patients must take lifelong immunosuppressive drugs to prevent rejection. The research represents 25 years of work by Harvard's Doug Melton.
• A caller asks about Keytruda treatment for melanoma. Dr. Dawn explains it's an immunotherapy drug targeting programmed death receptors that cancer cells hijack to evade immune response. The drug can cause serious immune overreactions but is standard for metastatic melanoma. Treatment protocols depend on cancer staging. For young patients with decades to lose, aggressive treatment is often justified despite risks.
• An email about morning arthritis pain leads to chronotherapy research discussion. Macrophages have energy levels that peak in the morning when inflammasome activation is quicker and more robust, explaining why arthritis pain is worst after overnight rest. Treatment timing could optimize anti-inflammatory medications by taking them at bedtime.
• Another email about eye irritation prompts diagnostic discussion. Dr. Dawn recommends examining for bacterial blepharitis before assuming food allergies and testing antihistamine drops. For elimination diets, common allergens include wheat, dairy, corn, soy, and peanuts. However, without other symptoms, food allergies are unlikely causes of isolated eye problems.
• Dr. Dawn explores advancing CAR-T cell therapy using RNA technology. Traditional therapy costs up to $500,000 per patient requiring lab reprogramming. New RNA-containing nanoparticles temporarily create antigen receptors for about one week. Mouse studies eliminated detectable tumors at highest doses. While effects are temporary, this could dramatically reduce costs and complexity.
• She discusses DNA forensics evolution from O.J. trial era to current technologies. New paleogenomics technology can analyze fragmented DNA from hair, previously considered unusable. Mitochondrial DNA analysis can definitively exonerate suspects. This led to Charles Fane's release after 17 years on death row when hair evidence proved innocence and identified the actual perpetrator.
• Dr. Dawn introduces Barrett's esophagus screening replacing invasive endoscopy. Patients swallow a capsule containing a compressed sponge that expands in the stomach and is pulled out via string, collecting esophageal cells. The test identifies abnormalities with 100-fold increased cancer risk when positive and 98% accuracy when negative, allowing targeted endoscopy only for high-risk patients.
• She concludes discussing body composition analysis superiority over BMI. Studies found overweight BMI showed 3.6 times higher heart disease risk, while large waist circumference showed four times higher risk. However, BMI had no significant relationship with overall mortality. Dr. Dawn advocates for bioimpedance analysis devices to measure body fat percentage and track muscle loss.

Broadcast from KSQD, Santa Cruz on 6-19, 2025:

• Dr. Dawn presents the VITAL study evidence showing 2,000 IU daily vitamin D prevents telomere shortening in immune cells, effectively slowing biological aging by three years.
• Groundbreaking mouse research reveals maternal iron deficiency can alter fetal sex development. When iron levels dropped 60%, the SYR gene controlling male development switched off, causing 6 of 39 XY offspring to develop ovaries instead of testes. Thus, mammalian sex can be influenced by environmental factors just like in amphibians and fish. Dr. Dawn connects this to gender identity questions, advocating supporting puberty blockers based on their 30-year safety record.
• Dr. Dawn advocates widespread CPR and AED training after describing a successful Buffalo airport rescue. With 350,000 annual out-of-hospital cardiac arrests and 90% fatality rates, immediate AED intervention can triple survival odds. She promotes the Pulsepoint app registering 185,000 AEDs and praises countries like Norway achieving 90% population CPR training through driver's license requirements.
• Post-Roe v. Wade data shows vasectomies doubled in men aged 19-26 while tubal ligations rose 70%, mostly in abortion-ban states. Dr. Dawn notes the irony that policies intended to increase births prompted widespread voluntary sterilization.
• Environmental concerns from January 2025 Moss Landing battery fire and LA wildfires highlight toxic contamination from burning lithium, plastics, and building materials. She advocates fire-resistant landscaping and home hardening, noting some fire-resistant homes survived while surroundings burned.
• British research shows pet ownership provides life satisfaction equivalent to $90,000 annual income boost. Dr. Dawn experiences this firsthand, noting pets provide family-like benefits without complex interpersonal dynamics.
• Sleep study reveals 15 minutes additional nightly sleep improves cognitive performance in tweens. Children sleeping 7.25 versus 7.10 hours showed better academics and larger brain volumes, though Dr. Dawn questions causation versus correlation.
• Mayo Clinic identified Interleukin-23 as a reliable cellular senescence biomarker across multiple tissues. Natural compounds like quercetin, fisetin, and luteolin can reduce these aging markers, supporting her dietary supplementation philosophy.

Broadcast from KSQD, Santa Cruz on 6-12-2025:

• Dr. Dawn opens with alarming news about NIH budget cuts devastating cancer research just as breakthrough CAR-T cell therapy shows promise for gastrointestinal cancers. This personalized immunotherapy extracts patients' T cells, engineers them to target specific cancer antigens, and makes them essentially immortal before reinfusion. While previously successful only for blood cancers like leukemia and lymphoma, researchers achieved tumor shrinkage in 25% of solid GI tumor patients. However, devastating layoffs forced removal of two patients from trials due to staff shortages and supply chain disruptions.
• Dr. Dawn emphasizes how pregnancy can worsen hidden cancers due to immune suppression, explaining why aggressive metastasized cancers often appear shortly after childbirth.
• Dr. Dawn takes a call from Bob about concerning forehead growths his dermatologist examined. She speculates they're likely seborrheic keratoses - benign, stuck-on appearing growths common in sun-exposed areas that look like crumpled brown paper "spit-wads". These aging-related changes are harmless and can even be picked off, though she warns against repeatedly traumatizing any skin area as this increases cancer risk through accumulated DNA damage. She explains how repetitive trauma in occupational settings creates statistically higher cancer risks, comparing it to filling a bingo card of cellular errors.
• She addresses an email about Joe Tippens' cancer cure protocol involving fenbendazole, an anti-parasitic drug. Dr. Dawn explains this viral social media phenomenon began when Tippens claimed his lung cancer was cured by fenbendazole, but he was simultaneously receiving Keytruda immunotherapy at MD Anderson. The story spread rapidly in South Korea, causing pharmacy shortages. Unvalidated internet health information can spread dangerously. Dr. Dawn compares it to old-fashioned medicine show scams. trend
• Dr. Dawn warns about a recent vitamin B6 toxicity misdiagnosis trend affecting her patients who were told they had dangerous levels of B6 despite lacking neuropathy symptoms. Accuracy requires fasting 12 hours before blood draws, otherwise creating false elevations from recent vitamin consumption. More critically, she alerts listeners about biotin(Vitamin B7) interference with laboratory tests using biotin-streptavidin techniques. High-dose biotin supplements are often used in hair and nail health growth formulas. This can falsely alter tests for thyroid hormones, vitamin D, sex hormones, cortisol and dangerously, troponin levels that diagnose heart attacks. This could lead to missed myocardial infarctions in emergency rooms, potentially causing fatal outcomes.
• Dr. Dawn takes a call from Richard seeking information about a previous radio program guest. She guides him to use on-line resources at ksqd.org to find program details, pivoting into praise for libraries as community centers offering far more than internet access. She emphasizes libraries provide serendipitous discovery that algorithms can't match, encouraging people to explore their local library systems for events, historical collections, and personal assistance from knowledgeable librarians eager to help visitors navigate both physical and digital resources.
• She discusses the concerning trend of giving melatonin to children, calling it "the Grinch that stole children's bedtime." While used prescription-only for severe developmental disorders in Denmark and EU countries, American children receive melatonin gummies regularly, with one in five preteens using it occasionally. Dr. Dawn explains melatonin is a hormone affecting pancreas, heart, fat tissue, and reproductive organs still developing in children. Supplemental doses create blood levels 10 times higher than natural peaks, representing an uncontrolled medical experiment on developing brains and bodies. Poison control calls for melatonin ingestion increased 530% between 2012-2021, with one tragic case involving a three-month-old death where 20 melatonin bottles were found in the home.
• Dr. Dawn concludes by debunking food expiration date myths, explaining that Americans waste a third of food ($7 billion annually) due to misunderstanding labels. Most shelf-stable foods simply degrade in quality rather than becoming dangerous after printed dates. She notes acidic dairy products like yogurt resist bacterial contamination due to protective bacteria,and even surface mold can be scraped off safely. However, she emphasizes trusting expiration dates on lunch meats and deli products, which pose real listeria risks when stored improperly. California will soon simplify labeling laws to reduce confusion between quality and safety dates.

Broadcast from KSQD, Santa Cruz on 6-05-2025:

• Dr. Dawn answers an email about Dupuytren's contracture treatment, explaining her clinic experience using acupuncture anesthesia combined with Traumeel injections directly into palm nodules. She describes how this anti-inflammatory homeopathic compound, when injected into tendon sheaths, can break the cycle of fibrosis formation. Dr. Dawn explores fascinating quantum physics concepts involving collagen microstructure, water molecules, and hydrogen ion movement that may explain how acupuncture and homeopathy work through crystalline formations in collagen tubules.
• She discusses vitamin A's critical role in measles complications, explaining how deficiency dramatically increases risks of encephalitis and cardiac damage. Dr. Dawn covers two forms of dietary vitamin A - beta carotene from plants requiring enzymatic conversion, and vitamin A from animal products. She warns about vitamin A toxicity risks, particularly birth defects in pregnancy, while noting that typical American diets are adequate unlike vitamin D.
• Dr. Dawn examines vitamin D deficiency affecting 68% of children in a South Florida study, linking inadequate levels to bone health, immune function, and gut barrier integrity. She explains how vitamin D receptors throughout the body regulate cell differentiation, insulin secretion, and tight junction formation that prevents leaky gut syndrome. There are higher deficiency rates in darker-skinned populations and the historical context of rickets during industrialization when urban environments blocked sunlight exposure.
• She highlights revolutionary medical technology, the world's smallest pacemaker for newborns, half the size of a rice grain. This injectable device dissolves naturally after hearts self-repair, controlled by light-emitting patches communicating through the baby's skin. This breakthrough eliminates risky surgical removal procedures that caused complications, such as Neil Armstrong's death from pacemaker wire infections.
• Dr. Dawn discusses research showing shingles vaccination reduces dementia risk by 20%, particularly in women. She explains the natural experiment in Wales where universal healthcare created clear vaccination cutoff dates, allowing researchers to compare dementia rates. Dr. Dawn hypothesizes that cross-immunity against herpes viruses may protect brain tissue, noting even stronger protection with newer Shingrix vaccines compared to older Zostavax.
• She covers alarming increases in invasive Group A Streptococcus infections, with cases more than doubling from 2013 to 2022. Dr. Dawn explains how flesh-eating bacteria secretes enzymes that dissolve epithelial barriers in throats and lungs, allowing systemic spread that destroys tissue. She links rising cases to increasing diabetes and obesity rates that compromise immune function, noting devastating mortality rates approaching 10,000 deaths nationwide.
• Dr. Dawn celebrates a breakthrough antibiotic discovery of Lariocidin which works against highly drug-resistant bacteria through novel protein synthesis inhibition. She explains how antibiotic resistance spreads between bacterial species just like social media memes, emphasizing the urgent need for new treatments as 4 million people die annually from resistant infections. Dr. Dawn advocates for public funding since pharmaceutical companies avoid antibiotic development due to poor profit margins.
• She answers an email about Epstein-Barr virus detection, explaining its role in mononucleosis, Burkitt's lymphoma, and chronic fatigue syndrome. Dr. Dawn describes how EBV can remain dormant and reactivate during stress or immunocompromise, potentially triggering autoimmunity. She discusses similarities between EBV reactivation, Lyme disease, and long COVID, suggesting they may represent variations of the same inflammatory syndrome with different triggers.
• She explores the nocebo effect - how negative expectations worsen outcomes - and its amplification through social media. Dr. Dawn cites studies showing people warned about erectile dysfunction or altitude headaches experience these symptoms more frequently. She discusses recent phenomena like TikTok-induced tics and vaccine side effect amplification, warning that online health information creates dangerous nocebo loops that spread faster than traditional word-of-mouth.

Broadcast from KSQD, Santa Cruz on 5-30-2024 and 5-29-2925:

• Cognitive errors in medicine dismissing unusual presentations as psychological
• A case of Pediatric Autoimmune Neuropsychiatric disorders Associated with Streptococcal Infections (PANDAS)
• Anti-NMDA receptor encephalitis causing psychiatric symptoms
• Failures of genetic research to identify causes
• Need for integrating neurology and psychiatry; Importance of testing for antibodies and using MRI scans
• Detailed explanation of immune tolerance, peripheral tolerance, and the phenomenon of molecular mimicry in diseases like multiple sclerosis and celiac disease
• Importance of addressing root causes rather than just symptoms
• Historical context and current advancements in treating autoimmune diseases like type 1 diabetes, lupus, and multiple sclerosis using reprogrammed immune cells and iron oxide nanoparticles
• Explanation of how the liver filters blood and helps establish immune tolerance by processing cellular debris and antigens
• Advances in engineering regulatory T cells to target specific disease sites and calm inflammatory responses
• Exploration of new diagnostic tools and the potential of AI in understanding complex psychiatric conditions
• Detection of colds and other diseases by analysis of voice frequency patterns

Broadcast from KSQD, Santa Cruz on 5-22-2025:

• Dr. Dawn explores groundbreaking cancer research using high-throughput "digital twin" analysis to reverse colon cancer cells back to normal states, identifying three master molecular switches that can induce normal cell differentiation without killing the cancer cells, thus avoiding traditional chemotherapy side effects.
• She discusses remarkable results from Memorial Sloan Kettering showing 80% of patients with mismatch repair deficient tumors, including all 49 rectal cancer patients, saw complete tumor disappearance after six months of dostarlimab immunotherapy, with no recurrence at five years and minimal side effects.
• The program covers innovative CRISPR applications, including targeting previously "undruggable" cancer mutations like KRAS and BRAF by selectively degrading mutant RNA messages while preserving healthy genes, offering unprecedented precision in cancer treatment.
• Dr. Dawn explains a clever immunotherapy approach that disguises tumors as pig organs using Newcastle disease virus carrying alpha-gal enzyme, tricking the immune system into mounting fierce attacks against cancer cells, showing promising results in both monkey and human trials.
• She describes fascinating research using cryoshocked tumor cells as Trojan horses, where liquid nitrogen-treated cancer cells carrying CRISPR gene editing tools directly seek out tumors, offering superior targeting compared to injecting CRISPR.
• The show reveals how cancers create protective acid walls around themselves to repel immune cells, with individual cancer cells pumping lactic acid away from the tumor center to form pH 5.3 barriers that kill attacking CD8 T cells within hours.
• Dr. Dawn discusses breakthrough mRNA cancer vaccines for glioblastoma using patients' own tumor cells, showing rapid immune system activation within 48 hours and extending survival in both dogs and humans with this aggressive brain cancer.
• She explores the "flower code" mechanism where cancer cells gaslight healthy cells through epigenetic manipulation, expressing dominant "flower win" codes to overpower normal cells expressing "flower lose" codes in biological turf wars.
• The program addresses systemic problems in cancer classification, explaining how organ-based categorization delays access to effective treatments, with patients waiting years for drugs that could help based on molecular profiles rather than tumor location.
• Dr. Dawn concludes by highlighting medical discrimination against people with Duffy null phenotype, primarily affecting African Americans, whose naturally lower neutrophil counts lead to reduced chemotherapy doses and excluded clinical trial participation despite no increased infection risk.

Broadcast from KSQD, Santa Cruz on 5-15-2025:

• Dr. Dawn provides a comprehensive overview of bone health, describing bones as the "silent architects" of our bodies that require ongoing care and attention throughout life. She outlines key risk factors including family history of fractures, eating disorders, hormonal changes, digestive surgeries, and medication use, while explaining how DEXA scans measure bone density through T-scores and Z-scores, recommending the FRAX risk calculator as a superior predictive tool. She shares practical strategies like weight-bearing exercise and proper vitamin supplementation (D, K2, calcium) alongside explaining the roles of osteoclasts and osteoblasts in bone turnover and how medications influence this balance.
• She addresses a caller's question about strontium citrate and isoflavone supplements for bone health after cancer treatment, clarifying that these differ from problematic boron and suggesting C-telopeptide or N-telopeptide testing to verify bone turnover rates beyond DEXA results.
• The program discusses a promising non-hormonal male contraceptive called ADAM, a dissolvable hydrogel implant shown in preliminary trials to block sperm for up to two years without serious side effects.
• Dr. Dawn addresses misconceptions about autism, describing it as a spectrum with diverse manifestations, explaining its neurological basis in atypical brain pruning patterns, and emphasizing it as a complex genetic vulnerability to environmental events.
• She evaluates a listener email about a supplement for urinary incontinence and metabolic health, warning listeners about marketing tactics and insufficient evidence behind many commercial products.
• Dr. Dawn examines "Fatty 15," a pentadecanoic acid supplement marketed for metabolic health, noting that while some rodent studies show promise for insulin sensitivity and liver health, human evidence remains limited compared to well-established benefits of omega-3 fatty acids.
• Dr. Dawn shares news about Orforglipron, a new oral GLP-1 medication in pill form for diabetes and weight management that appears as effective as injectable versions like Ozempic..
• The show concludes with information about innovative plant-based transparent paperboard, a cellulose-based material that biodegrades within 300 days while offering a safer and more sustainable alternative to conventional plastics.

Broadcast from KSQD, Santa Cruz on 5-08-2025:

• Dr. Dawn examines groundbreaking research on rising rates of early-onset colorectal cancer worldwide, explaining how researchers have identified a bacterial toxin called colibactin produced by specific E. coli strains that appears to cause early genetic mutations in cancer-controlling genes, potentially explaining why younger generations face significantly higher cancer risks. She discusses how modern medical practices like antibiotic overuse and cesarean deliveries may disrupt protective gut microbiomes, while diets low in fiber and high in animal fats create conditions where harmful bacteria thrive and damage the protective mucosal barrier, potentially exposing colon cells to cancer-causing mutations.
• Dr. Dawn explains fascinating research on transgenerational memory in C. elegans worms and mice, where learned aversions to specific odors are genetically passed down to offspring through epigenetic mechanisms involving methylation and RNA pathways, challenging traditional views on inheritance and suggesting implications for human genetics.
• Responding to an email about posterior tibial tendon disease (PTTD), she offers comprehensive management strategies including cross-massage with ice, proper footwear selection, careful stretching techniques, and anti-inflammatory approaches while cautioning against invasive procedures like steroid injections that might weaken tendons.
• She discusses promising research on rosemary's potential in Alzheimer's treatment, explaining how carnosic acid activates the NRF2 pathway that controls antioxidant proteins, with researchers developing a more stable chemical analog that reduced inflammation and improved memory in mouse models of Alzheimer's disease.
• Dr. Dawn provides updates on vaccination recommendations, noting that egg allergy questions are no longer needed before flu vaccines, pneumococcal vaccines are now recommended for all adults over 50, and explaining the small risk of Guillain-Barré syndrome with RSV vaccines compared to the much larger risk of RSV-related deaths.
• She shares information about a new hypertension risk calculator called PREVENT that reclassifies many patients to lower risk categories, potentially allowing 2.6 million Americans to manage their blood pressure through lifestyle changes rather than medication, particularly benefiting older women who face different risk profiles than men.