The Health Deli: Recent Episodes
The Health Deli
Welcome to the Health Deli, your local stop for a fresh take on community health topics. As always, we will be serving up some delightful discussions with a focus on wellness and a side of humor. The menu is sure to satisfy everyone from the healthcare connoisseur to those with a casual interest in wellness. Come on in, grab a number, and let the guys behind the counter, Mark Young, Ben Pontefract, and Mike Klepser, tell you about today’s specials!
On this second episode with our new hosts, Mark, Kaite, and Michelle discuss smoking and vaping. Is it harmful? Should you quit?
The shotgun plunger! https://a.co/d/3EHvl19
Resources to help quit vaping:
National Quit Line
1-800-QUIT-NOW or 1-800-784-8669
or text QUITNOW to 333888
or try the quitSTART app
https://smokefree.gov/tools-tips/quitstart
This is Quitting
Text DITCHVAPE to 88709 or visit
https://www.thetruth.com/about-truth/collaboration/this-is-quitting
Our topic today is Performance-enhancing drugs. Mark is joined by two new co-hosts, Dr. Katie Axford and Dr. Michelle Kelly.
We hear a lot about PEDs (mostly about a famous athlete who tested positive) so we can assume that they give athletes an advantage but are they safe? Mark goes through his laundry list of substances that athletes use and the team discusses how they work and why they may be unsafe?
In this episode, Mark continues the discussion surrounding the involuntary functions that our bodies do every day. Last time we talked about why we need to yawn, hiccup, vomit, get goosebumps, burp and today we pick it up at farting, sweating, and sneezing. In this episode the guys behind the counter have a hard time keeping a straight face, an involuntary response by the way.
On this episode of The Health Deli, Mike and Mark tackle questions from the elders of our population. They cover three topics. The first is memory loss and I can't remember the other two...
Listen to find out!
Mark has had a lot of important things on his mind. What leads a human to fart? Why does everyone yawn whenever he starts talking? These are questions for the ages, and Mark wants to get to the bottom of them! Join the gang as they learn about hiccoughs, sneezes, yawns, and even farts. Why does our body do these? Do they actually serve a function or are they just a way for Mike to show his disdain for The Deli?
We’re back on the allergy train! Ben decided to actually do Mike a favor and look into allergy shots like he asked. What are allergy shots? How are they supposed to work? Do they actually work? Is Mike the ultimate allergen? All these questions will be answered in this week’s episode of the deli.
Today Mike wants to talk about influenza. In particular, he wants to discuss a relatively new strain of influenza that has been circulating in the headlines that has been referred to as highly pathogenic avian influenza. He's joined by Mark, Ben, Producer Andrew, and audio engineer MJ.
Welcome to The Health Deli! On this episode, the topic is little-known body parts and what they do. Mark hosts this episode and turns it into a game...can Mike, Ben, and Producer Andrew figure it out based on the names alone? Listen to find out!
Mike says, "Today we will be talking about a topic near and dear to my heart – the appropriate use of antibiotics. The science and practice of making sure that antibiotics are used appropriately is also referred to as antimicrobial stewardship. The goal of antimicrobial stewardship is to measure and improve how antibiotics are prescribed by clinicians and used by patients."
Everyone’s feeling a bit stuffed up in this week’s episode of the Deli. Ben has been plagued by seasonal allergies for too long, and he can’t take it anymore! Join the gang as they try to get to the bottom of what allergies are and how to treat them.
Mike is finally ready to talk about those social determinants of health he kept talking about. Just to make sure he does the topic justice, he brought in special guest, Dr. Katie Axford, PharmD! Join Mike, Mark, Katie, and Andrew as they talk about how the environment we live in can have just as much of an impact on our health as the medications we take!
Mark wants everyone to live long and fulfilling lives. While looking into the secrets of longevity, he found people who have lived longer than even Mike! After getting over that shock, he took some notes and headed right over to the deli. Join Mike and Andrew as Mark recounts the tale of people who have lived to be over 110 years old. What do they have in common? What is the secret to living that long long life?
We have a special guest in the deli this week, Health Economist and Mike’s brother, Don Klepser! Will the deli be able to handle 2 Klepsers? Probably not. At the very least, we should get a few questions answered about why medications cost what they do and what PBMs are while the walls burn down around us.
Nobody enjoys a Cup of Joe more than Mark. This set him down the road to learn all about the relationship between humans and caffeine. Join Mike and Producer Andrew as Mark explains our history with caffeine, how it is used, and whether it is actually good or bad for us in this week’s episode of The Deli!
The gang is all together at the deli! Mark leads the discussion as Mike wonders why he's so tired, depressed, hopeless, and socially withdrawn this time of year; and Ben makes obscure song references. Andrew and Rylynn join in to mix the podcast and ask questions.
The team finally got Ben to stop talking about weight loss meds, but then a brand-new study came out, and he started foaming at the mouth! Join Mike and Mark as they work to calm Ben down. In this week's episode, we'll talk about both the health benefits of these medications as well as their exorbitant prices. These medications seem pretty great, but can anything be worth that price? Listen in to find out!
Leave it to Ben to always be on the cutting edge of health care! There’s a whole new family of weight loss meds that are all over the news. Join Mike and Andrew as Ben goes through a primary study that evaluated one of these meds. How effective are they? Are there any side effects? How expensive is it? You have some great questions, listener. Listen in to find out!
Mike is having a pretty lousy time this week on the Health Deli. He’s been experiencing vertigo over the past few months, and it has not been a fun time! Join Mike and Ben as they talk all about vertigo, what it is, what causes it, and whether there is anything that can be done to treat or prevent it.
We have a special guest on The Health Deli this week! Join Ben and Mike as they chat with Dr. Dylan Brewer, Professor of Economics at the Georgia Institute of Technology, all about air pollution. What even is air pollution? How bad is it for us, really? How do we even study the effects of air pollution?? All this and more, on this week’s pod!
Mike has a real bombshell episode of The Health Deli for us today. He’s been reading up on mosquitos in the United States and found there have actually been several confirmed cases of malaria! Join Ben and Mark as they learn about how common this truly is and what can be done to protect you and your loved ones from illnesses that are spread by mosquitos.
Professor Mark is really strutting his stuff in this episode of The Health Deli. He has put together a quiz all about medications in older adults. Which are safe, and which are potentially dangerous in the older population? Join Ben as he puts his knowledge to the test! Does he know his stuff, or does he need to attend Mark’s remediation school of hard knocks?
In this episode, Mike, Mark, and Ben talk with Susan Thrush about breast cancer and her personal story. Each year in the United States about 240,000 cases of breast cancer are diagnosed in women and about 2,100 in men. Everybody's story is different, listen to discover Susan's perspective.
The new COVID-19 vaccines are out! Who should take them? How are they different? Join Mark and Ben to find out what you need to know!
Recorded in the new Ferris State University CVL "Health Deli Studios." ;)
Ben’s gone a little off the deep end in this week’s episode. He’s been working out and researching how to get MAD GAINS. Join Mike, Mark, and Producer Andrew as they try to reel him in. We’ll be digging deep into the proven scientific benefits of protein, creatine, and branched-chain amino acids (BCAA’s). Have we unlocked the secrets to getting JACKED!? Listen in to this week’s episode to find out!
We got a full house this week! Mark, Mike, Ben, and Andrew are joined by Dr. Martin Covey, an expert in family and child ecology. In a world where there is always more work to be done, how do we slow down and take time out for those we love? Dr. Covey shares with us the secret of making the most of our free time and being present in the moments we share with our friends and family.
Welcome to season 3!
On this first episode, Mike and his wife talk about their daughter's congenital heart disease. Mark joins as co-host from the Winery at Young Farms.
Check out our website at https://thehealthdeli.com to learn more about CHD.
Mark’s been thinking a lot about interpersonal relationships, and that includes those between the different medications in your body! Listen in as Mark tells Mike, Ben, and Andrew all about how some medications can affect each other when taken at the same time. Is taking multiple medications dangerous (usually not), is it safe (usually yes, but ask your doctor first), or is it something in between!? Join us this week to find out!
Mike’s back at it again with his prostate! He has news, and he’s going to update Mark, Ben, and Andrew whether they want him to or not! Luckily, Mike also brought a spicy topic to discuss, point of care testing and treatment within community pharmacies. Join the gang as they look at the future of services you can expect to receive at a pharmacy in the near future (or even today!).
We’ve all heard of these new-fangled Chat AI programs such as ChatGPT, and Mike, Mark, and Andrew all fear they will soon be replaced by robots. Leave it to Ben, who actually understands computers, to dive into this question without trepidation! Join the gang as they chat about how these chat AI programs work and whether we can rely on them to answer our medical quandaries.
Welcome back to part 2 of our series on the opioid epidemic. In the first episode, special guest Sam, Ben, and Mike discussed the history of the opioid epidemic in the United States. This episode focuses on the repercussions of the opioid crisis but also ends with a look at all the great work that is being done to help those affected by it.
Mike and Andrew cracked a hare-brained scheme to walk around a college campus and ask students what medical questions they’ve always wondered about. This episode is the result of that moment of brilliance. Join the squad as they seek to answer those questions. How much sleep do I really need? Will cracking my knuckles cause arthritis? What is the truth behind the 5-second rule?
Today, we’re talking about a topic so big that we couldn’t fit it in a single episode...the Opioid Epidemic. This week, in part 1, join Ben and Mike as they talk with special guest Dr. Samantha Patton, pain management pharmacist extraordinaire, as they explore the history of the opioid crisis. By understanding where we came from, we can hopefully identify the best path forward!
Mike and Mark are back talking about everybody’s favorite topic, viruses! While most viruses like influenza and COVID-19 get most of the attention, the impact of Respiratory Syncytial Virus (RSV) is being recognized. Join us this week at the deli as the gang talks about RSV and new vaccines against this important virus.
Mark and Mike are back in the deli with two special guests, Emily Mackler, and Colton Zwart, both are cancer pharmacists, and lead the gang as they talk about “POEM”, a program designed to improve care for patients with cancer, and “BiTE”, a new treatment that is still being researched but could completely revolutionize the way cancer is treated!
We have a pretty heavy topic here at the deli today, but it is well worth the discussion. To help keep us on track, we have a special guest, Abby Young! Abby is a pediatric and OB/GYN nurse with years of experience working with pregnant and postpartum patients. Oh, and she also happens to be Mark’s wife! Join Mark and Abby as they talk about this very serious topic...and Mike will also be there to third wheel.
Mike, Mark, and producer Andrew are still on location at the Canadian Lakes Pharmacy and now they are discussing cholesterol. Again, Mike is the guinea pig for the test, so buckle up and learn more about lipoproteins! Also, find out...is high cholesterol bad? And what is the difference between HDL and LDL?
In this episode, Mike takes the lead in discussing Lyme Disease with Mark. Is it transmitted from any kind of tick or should we be more worried about certain types of ticks? In fact, there are many types of ticks and the answer may surprise you. Do you want to stay safe when outdoors? Listen to learn tips and hear stories from Mike and Mark.
In this episode, Mike and Mark meet with Pharmacist Brent Beemer of Canadian Lakes Pharmacy. Then, joined by producer Andrew, they move onto the main topic of the day: Blood Pressure - and Mike's stress level is high. He shows off his guns (because we have video this week) and takes one for the team. Mark talks about potential risk factors and the team discusses Mike's impending doom.
Have you ever had a violent case of the poops? There's a high likelihood that was caused by our friend norovirus! Join Mike, Ben, and producer Andrew as they discuss one of the most common causes of infectious diarrhea in the United States. What is it? How is it treated? How can I avoid it? All this and more in this week's episode of The Health Deli!
Mike and Mark discuss student mental health after COVID-19 with Dr. Bill Pink, Ferris State University's 19th president.
Mark, Ben, and Mike are back talking about one of our most requested topics, marijuana! Join us as Mark recounts the history of using marijuana for medicinal purposes. Can marijuana really be used to treat everything!? Are there any proven side effects? Listen in to find out!
You had questions, we try to have answers! Join Mark, Ben, and Mike as they answer some questions written by our listeners. Is the placebo effect real? What is the difference between gram-positive and gram-negative bacteria? Is there a risk when washing your hands too much? Get the answer to all of these and more in this week's episode!
DISCLAIMER: This episode uses specific anatomical terms when referencing the prostate, location of the prostate, etc.
We all asked Mike to stop talking about prostates, but he could not be contained. Instead, he decides to make an entire episode about them! Join Ben, Mark, and producer Andrew as they try to reel Mike in. On the bright side, maybe we'll all learn a little something about men's health along the way!
Oh no, we accidentally asked Ben about antibiotics, and he took off like a rocket ship! Join Mike and Andrew as they try to contain Ben’s excitement. In this episode, the gang will talk about the dangers of overusing antibiotics, the ominously named “post-antibiotic era”, and what we can do to stop it.
Ben and Mike have a special guest visiting the deli today! Join the gang as they talk with Travis MacFarlane, managed care pharmacist extraordinaire! Listen in as Ben and Mike ask Travis hard-hitting questions such as: Why do medications cost so much? And what are the pros and cons of our current health insurance system? Hear all this and more in this week’s episode of The Health Deli.
Mike, Ben, and producer Andrew have brought us an episode we never thought we’d have to make. Polio is unfortunately making a small resurgence in the United States. How did we go from virtually eradicating Polio in 1994 to having a case of paralytic polio in New York in 2022? Join the gang for a very sobering episode of the Health Deli.
Mark, Mike, and producer Andrew chat about another popular topic, vaping! Smoking has been on the decline in recent years, but the popularity of vaping has skyrocketed. Is vaping a healthy alternative to smoking? What is vaping-related “popcorn lung” I keep hearing about? Join the gang as they try to get to the bottom of this in the newest episode of The Health Deli!
Mark, Mike, and producer Andrew are asking the hard-hitting question that has been on everyone’s mind. Is alcohol good for you, actually? We’ve all seen the flashy headlines that having a few alcoholic drinks a day can actually help you live longer! How much of that is true, and how much of it is bad science? Join us on this episode of The Health Deli to find out!
Mike and Mark are kicking off season 2 with a tried and true topic, COVID-19! It’s absolutely wild how many things have changed in just the past few months. Today, the gang will be talking about the new Bivalent COVID Boosters. What are they? Are they better than the original vaccine? Which should you get? Find the answer to all these questions and more, at The Health Deli!
Listen up everyone: The Health Deli is back for a second season, stocking the shelves with fresh content. Make sure to subscribe with your favorite podcast app!
Mark and Mike round out their time at The Winery at Young Farms with a special guest, Dr. Brian McDowell! Join the gang as they talk about what it means to have diabetes and why knowing your HgA1c is so important.
Listen up everyone: The Health Deli is back for a second season, stocking the shelves with fresh content. Make sure to subscribe with your favorite podcast app!
Mike and Mark are still playing hooky at The Winery at Young Farms, but today they are trying a variety of plant-based meat products available at local grocery stores. Will Mark, a self-described “meatatarian”, enjoy anything or just have a really bad time?
Mark and Mike strike out on their own in an episode hosted over at The Winery at Young Farms! Here they will attempt to accomplish the impossible task of providing satisfying answers to questions asked by some precocious kiddos. Will eating dirt make me sick? What is ear wax and why does it taste so bitter? Learn the answers to all of this and more on today’s episode of the Health Deli!
Mike and Ben are joined today by an honest-to-goodness Infectious Diseases Pharmacist, Derek VanderHorst! Listen in as they discuss his experience working through the COVID-19 pandemic. If we’re lucky, we may learn his secret on how to finally end this pandemic.
Ben is at it again with calling out bad science! This time he is joined by Mike as they wax about real-life bad science that still affects our society to this day, including manuscripts falsely claiming vaccines aren’t safe and the use of ivermectin for COVID-19.
Mike and Ben have finally decided to clean their hands for once! Celebrate with the gang by hearing them wrestle with the million-dollar question. Is hand sanitizer just straight up better than soap?
Join Ben and Mike as they dig into their heads to see what snot really is. What is it made of? What is its purpose? What if my child eats it? Hear the answers to all this, and more, on the latest episode of the Health Deli!
Mark, Mike, and Ben are finally back in the same room to talk about everyone’s favorite topic, COVID! Listen in as they discuss whether the vaccine still works against all the new variants and what they think Fall 2022 will hold.
Content Warning: This episode does include 2 instances of profanity (PG).
Join the gang as they take a look at how drug manufacturers spin their data to make their products look better than they really are!
Can natural remedies and traditional medicine truly go hand in hand? Join the gang as we talk with Bob Huttinga, physician assistant and homeopathic practitioner to ask him that very question! If we're lucky, we can also hear what he thinks about medicinal marijuana.
Come on in! Let Mike, Mark, and Ben give you a tour of the place. Join the gang as they introduce themselves and give a sneak peek into what future episodes will hold.