John McLean Media Distributor of quality television programming to USA domestic and international broadcast sattellite, cable and television stations
  EPISODE DESCRIPTIONS

  Second Opinion
(65 x 30 mins)
 
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SERIES 5

501 – Coronary Microvascular Disease – Research supports that not only do men and women present with heart disease differently, they can also develop it differently.  Coronary Microvascular Disease is predominantly a women’s heart disease – one that is often overlooked and under-diagnosed.

502 – Hospital Acquired Infections - Hospital acquired infections are a growing problem in the U.S., however there are steps that healthcare systems can do to protect patients, and actions that you can take to protect yourself.

503 – Vaccines – While there is no question that vaccines work and have changed our world by eradicating deadly disease, some people have concerns about the risks of immunizations.  The vaccine controversy remains – where do the rights of the public and the rights of the individual collide?

504 – Hearing Loss – Isolation and depression can often be a result of hearing loss, but there are good treatments, including hearing aids and surgery.  Learn about the actions you can take right now to protect yourself from hearing loss.

505 – Alzheimer’s Disease – A Caregiver’s Journey = A diagnosis of Alzheimer’s disease can be devastating for a person and their loved ones.  Care giving issues surrounding a person with a cognitive disease are unique, and planning for decline in health is critical for the caregiver.

506 – Kidney Disease – Caring for someone with a chronic disease = While chronic kidney disease continues to rise in the U.S., Second Opinion explores the many issues faced when caring for a loved one with a chronic disease.

507 – Caregiver Burnout – While family caregivers give of themselves out of love, there are real physical, emotional and financial costs associated with care giving.  As we live longer and care giving becomes a bigger issue in the U.S., learn what can be done to help our care giving community.

508 – Non-Hodgkin Lymphoma – While other cancers continue to decline, lymphoma is on the rise.  The good news is that with early diagnosis, Non-Hodgkin Lymphoma is often a very treatable disease with a good prognosis.

509- Depression in Later Life – Depression in the geriatric population presents different challenges than in younger populations.  Diagnosis and treatment can be difficult, but the management of depression in later life is critical to good physical health.

510- Men’s Health: Why do Men Die Younger? – Biological, social and behavioral issues are just a few factors that play a role in why women live longer.  Experts take an in-depth look into why men die at a younger age than women.

511- Hormone Replacement Therapy – Since the Women’s Health Initiative (WHI) was stopped early due to risk of heart attack and stroke, the use of HRT has been debated in research, in the media and among women across the country.  Second Opinion explores the risks and benefits of HRT.

512 – Hypothyroidism – When the thyroid gland loses its ability to make thyroid hormone, a person’s whole life can be turned upside down.  Affecting the physical and mental well-being of a person, the proper treatment of hypothyroidism can make a remarkable difference to overall health.

513 – Mind Body Connection – Can positive thinking, prayer or yoga help heal your body as well as your mind?  It depends who you ask.  Research into the connection between the mind and the body is both fascinating and controversial.

SERIES 4

Tuberculosis
Many Americans assume tuberculosis is a disease of the past, but the reality is one-third of the world's population is infected with TB - an estimated 10 to 15 million people in the United States alone. Second Opinion explores this historic disease and what you need to know to protect yourself.

Clinical Trials / Parkinson's Disease
Medical research has helped us lead longer, healthier lives, but it has also sparked ethical concerns and contentious political debate. Through a Parkinson's Disease case, panelists explore the controversial world of clinical trials and debate the potential gains and pitfalls of science on the edge.

Macular Degeneration
Many Americans think loss of vision is a normal part of aging. Think again. The number one cause of vision loss is actually a disease called macular degeneration. This episode describes the disease and how you may be able to prevent it from compromising your vision.

Gastroesophageal Reflux Disease
Heartburn is nothing to take lightly. For many people, heartburn can interrupt daily life and be the precursor to serious illnesses. Our panel of experts on gastroesophageal reflux disease will discuss the diagnosis and treatment of it, as well as the symptoms you should not ignore.

Memory Enhancement
Crossword puzzles, vitamins, and classical music have all been promoted as tools for improving memory. Panelists discuss the recent theories and research surrounding memory enhancement and help viewers separate fact from fiction.

Suicide
While youth suicides earn more news headlines, suicide rates in the United  States actually increase with age. This powerful episode explores the devastating reality of suicide, and what you should know about helping yourself or a loved one.

Cardiac Breakthroughs
Heart disease is the number one killer in the U.S.  With doctors and researchers racing to stop heart disease in its tracks, diagnostic technology and treatment options are breaking new ground at astounding speed.  But are there dangers?   Can technology tell us too much?  Our experts dive into the high-tech world of cardiac care.

Ovarian Cancer
One of the deadliest forms of cancer, ovarian cancer is also one of the few cancers for which genetic testing can determine a person's susceptibility.  This episode explores the challenges faced by a woman balancing the opportunity to know her genetic profile with only limited diagnostic testing and sometimes radical treatment options available.

Addiction
Major advancements in neurological science are changing the way experts understand and treat addictive behavior. Learn from some of the country's leading experts what the latest medical research tells us about treating addictive behaviors in men and women.

Migraine
Often debilitating and misunderstood, migraine headaches and the options available to treat them are sources of much debate. Anger, frustration and desperation can plague both patients and physicians. Our panel navigates a case of migraine and the often confusing information that surrounds pain management and prevention.

Breast Cancer Recurrence
While survival rates for breast cancer continue to improve, for some women, recurrence is a devastating reality. When cancer returns, a sense of failure can confront both the patient and health care provider. Our expert panel explores a topic filled with both challenge and hope.

Osteoarthritis
Osteoarthritis, rheumatoid arthritis, or just normal aging? Knowing the difference can affect patient care and quality of living. Join experts discussing the real science behind the common degenerative disease, arthritis. Find out what you can do to help prevent it, and learn about promising treatments on the horizon.

Inflammation
Research indicates that inflammation underscores a significant percentage of heart disease, and some professionals believe that it may be the source of many complications of aging. Our panelists explore the relationship between inflammation and disease, and what new treatments lay ahead.

SERIES 3

Diabetes
Is sugar really the enemy? What is insulin resistance? And is diabetes really that bad? With Type II Diabetes reaching epidemic numbers in our country, why aren't we doing anything about it? Our panel sets out to answer these questions and more.
 
Heart Disease & Depression
While the physical consequences of heart disease are fairly well known, the mental ramifications are often overlooked.  With a tough case and a surprise ending, Second Opinion delves into the cause and effect of heart disease and mental health, and the potentially detrimental emotional aspects of medical illnesses. 

Lung Cancer
With so much money going into cancer research and the success rate of cancer treatment increasing every year, why is a diagnosis of lung cancer still a death sentence? Experts who diagnose and treat the disease talk openly about the challenges of finding good diagnostics and a cure. 

Erectile Dysfunction
Though often portrayed as merely a sexual issue, erectile dysfunction can also be a signal of other significant health problems, such as hear disease. Second Opinion provides a candid discussion of causes and treatments, and reveals the many issues faced not just by men with this condition, but also their partners. 

Sleep Disorders
Sleep is often described as the most influential factor of our health and longevity, and sleep disorders can cause detrimental sleep disruptions. Our panel looks into the importance of shut eye and how to get enough of it.

Bariatric Surgery
Two thirds of Americans are obese. Some people call it an epidemic. While diets and pills fail, gastric bypass surgery has swept the nation as the magic bullet for weight loss. Is this solution as simple as it seems? Second Opinion takes and in-depth look at the pros and cons of this surgery. 
 
Flu 
With thousands of people dying each year from the flu, it takes a pandemic to get us talking about it. The leading experts in the field will discuss the everyday flue, what we can do to keep ourselves healthy and flu-free, and if a more serious flue really poses as great a threat as the media portrays. 
 
Fertility 
While hearing the word "infertile" can have a devastating effect on women and men, there are many options and procedures available to people having trouble conceiving. But with high tech fertility methods developing faster every day, what are moral issues surrounding infertility in our country?

Life after Breast Cancer
The diagnosis and treatment of breast cancer is a traumatic time for the patient and their loved ones. Yet life after the cancer treatment is often just as challenging.  Experts, patients and laypeople discuss life after breast cancer - what it means to a woman personally, medically, socially and sexually.

Kidney Stones
Some say passing a kidney stone is more painful than childbirth.  People have been suffering from kidney stones since the beginning of time, and the incidents continue to rise.  What are kidney stones, how are they treated, and more importantly, can they be prevented?

Longevity
As our average life expectancy increases, we ask is living longer better?  Our panel discusses genetics, modifiable factors and medical technology that may dictate how long we live. 

Chronic Pain
An estimated 15-30% of Americans suffer with chronic pain.  What is causing it?  With so many people struggling with it, still the causes often go undiagnosed and therefore untreated.  Is it real, or is it all in our heads-or are doctors just not looking deep enough?   

End of Life
America is a culture afraid of death.  With that fear comes a lack of communication about how we want to die.  Is it better to die in a hospital with every means for survival being administered, or is an acceptance of the end of life and a quiet death at home better?  Is there such a thing as a good death? 

SERIES 2 
 
Depression
Today, one in five Americans will experience a diagnosable mental health disorder. That adds up to 44 million adults and 4 million children. And yet, it remains under-recognized by primary care doctors. This episode of Second Opinion introduces a panel of medical experts and health care providers, along with the First Lady of New Jersey, Mary Jo Codey, who shares her personal battle with depression. Together they explore the latest trends in diagnosis and treatment of this debilitating disease. 
 
Prostate Cancer
In America, prostate cancer is the most common form of cancer in men, and the second most common cause of cancer deaths in men.  But if it's found early enough, it's quite curable. In this episode of Second Opinion, you'll learn about how prostate cancer is tested for, diagnosed and treated.
 
Epilepsy
Epilepsy, or recurrent seizures, is one of the most common conditions affecting the brain. About 2.5 million Americans have epilepsy, and 200,000 more people are diagnosed with the disorder every year.  However, about 30% of patients referred to epilepsy centers are diagnosed as having non-epileptic attacks.  This episode brings a nationally known panel of experts along with former Congressman Tony Coelho, author of the Americans with Disabilities Act, together to discuss the diagnosis, treatment and social stigmas of a diagnosis of epilepsy.   
 
Vision Correction
Advertising has become standard practice in much of health care and vision correction appears to be taking the lead.  Americans spend nearly $2 billion on vision correction. Providers spend nearly $200 million in advertising. This episode of Second Opinion looks into the ethics of advertising in health care, the rise in corrective vision surgeries across the country and will provide you with information to help you become an informed medical consumer. 
 
 Stroke
A stroke is the interruption of the flow of blood to any part of the brain, which causes damage to brain tissue. Today, some call it a "brain attack" to illustrate its seriousness and its relationship to heart attack (the interruption of blood flow to the heart). In this episode of Second Opinion, you'll learn about the diagnosis, prevention, and treatment of stroke.
 
Eating Disorders
Eating disorders affect some several million people at any given time, about 90 percent of whom are female. You may associate eating disorders with younger women, but they can also begin or recur later in life. In fact, some research suggests that approximately 79 percent of deaths related to anorexia occur in women over 45 years of age. In this episode, Second Opinion panelists discuss this very complex biological, psychological and cultural problem.
 
Joint Replacement
Many Americans are living longer and more active lives.  In doing so, they face the possibility that, over time, their major joints – hip, knee, shoulder – will wear out, become painful or cease to function properly. This episode of Second Opinion brings together a panel of orthopaedic experts and health care providers. Together they explore the causes and symptoms of deterioration of major joints, as well as a wide range of treatments including joint replacement.
 
Metabolic Syndrome
Need a good reason to get out of your easy chair and into a healthier lifestyle?  Then consider the possibility that a lack of physical activity, together with other common health problems, can make you a prime candidate for a potentially life-threatening health condition called metabolic syndrome. In this edition of Second Opinion, you'll learn what metabolic syndrome is, find out about its causes and consequences, and get a handle on steps you can take to protect yourself from life-threatening medical problems. 
 
Women's Cardiac Health
Women are at risk for heart disease and heart attacks, just like men. While they develop heart problems later in life than men, by about age 65, a woman's risk higher than for a man. This episode of Second Opinion explores ways to prevent, assess risk and diagnose heart disease in women. 
 
Back Pain
If you've never suffered from back pain, chances are you know somebody who does.  In the United States, seven out of every ten people will endure back pain at some time in their lives.  For a common-sense discussion about an all-too-common ailment, be sure to watch this episode of Second Opinion.
 
Colon Cancer
Colon cancer is the third most common type of cancer among American men and in women and is the third leading cause of cancer-related deaths (after lung cancer) in the United States.  Learn about how doctors can help you catch it in it's earliest, most curable stage.
 
Skin Cancer
Can that warm and fuzzy feeling of the sun bathing your body really come back to haunt you in the form of skin cancer?  Absolutely.  And for thousands of Americans every year, the cumulative effects of sun exposure result in an untimely death. In this Second Opinion episode, medical experts and skin cancer victims come together to explore the signs, symptoms, and outcomes of this disease and clue you in on simple measures that you and your family can take to significantly reduce your risk.  
 
Asthma
Between 15 and 20 million Americans – including about 5 million children – have asthma, a chronic disease that makes it difficult to breathe.  Asthma attacks can be frightening, even fatal, but they can also be treated and prevented.  This episode of Second Opinion looks at the symptoms, causes, and diagnosis of asthma and how modern drug therapy can alleviate its effects. 
 
Dementia
Nearly five million people in the United States are living with some degree of dementia. Over the next few decades, aging baby boomers are expected to push that number even higher. This episode of Second Opinion introduces a panel of researchers and healthcare providers, along with one extraordinary dementia patient, who explore the latest trends in diagnosing and treating one of the most frightening illnesses a family can face.  

SERIES 1

Heart Failure
It is your body's engine, playing a critical part in your overall health and well-being. And like any engine, your heart can require an occasional tune-up. But what happens when it fails? Artificial hearts and organ transplants are the subjects of this episode of Second Opinion.  

Cervical Cancer and HPV
It is the second leading cause of cancer deaths in women worldwide. Would you be surprised to learn that cervical cancer is caused by a virus, and that a vaccine may soon make it a disease of the past? The latest in cervical cancer treatment and prevention is featured in this episode of Second Opinion.  

Nutritional Supplements 
What if you could prevent cancer and heart disease by simply buying a few items off the grocery shelf? Sound crazy? Well, apparently many Americans don't think so. More than 40% of us take vitamins and other supplements, driving a $30 billion a year business that shows no sign of slowing down. But how safe is it to play your own doctor? Practitioners of both conventional and integrative medicine debate the pros and cons of nutritional supplements on this episode of Second Opinion.  

Hypertension 
It is called the silent killer, presenting few symptoms until there is serious physical damage. One out of three Americans suffer from hypertension and many of us don't even realize it. What qualifies as "high blood pressure," and what do the numbers mean? Panelists discuss the latest in diagnosis and treatment in this episode of Second Opinion.  

Incontinence and Urine Leakage 
More than 20 million women suffer in silence with a secret that causes embarrassment, humiliation and life-altering decisions. Join LPGA champion golfer Terry-Jo Myers in this lively episode of Second Opinion, when our panelists reveal why even doctors avoid the subject of incontinence and how the latest treatments offer new hope.  

Breast Cancer 
Breast cancer: two of the most frightening words in the English language. There's no shortage of advice for protection, detection and treatment options, and women presented with the diagnosis face an overwhelming number of choices. How do you make treatment decisions? And is there such a thing as a "survivor"? Our healthcare team tackles these questions and more on this episode of Second Opinion.  

Obesity 
Magazine covers and newspaper headlines call it a national crisis. Confronted with the health and social costs of obesity, Americans will spend more than $30 billion dollars in their annual battle of the bulge, and most will lose the fight. Are we destined to be fat? And what's so wrong with a few extra pounds, anyway? We tackle these questions and more on this episode of Second Opinion.  

Osteoporosis
It's a public health risk for 44 million Americans. It's a disease you may have and not even know it. But osteoporosis can be prevented and treated. Find out more about what can be done to help ensure healthy bones for you and your family on this episode of Second Opinion.  

Heart Rhythm Disorder
What if someone next to you suddenly collapsed? Would you know what to do? And, what if CPR weren't enough? Find out how you can be prepared to save a life on this episode of Second Opinion.  

Antibiotic Use
Once known as wonder drugs, they can actually be harmful to your health. How has our reliance on antibiotics helped create a new generation of super bugs? And what can we do to keep our families safe? These questions and more on this episode of Second Opinion.  

Menopause
It's something all women will face. Is menopause a natural part of aging or a medical condition? Is estrogen out and black cohosh in? What's a woman to do? And whom should she believe? From the conventional to the new age, treatments for the symptoms of menopause come front and center on this episode of Second Opinion.  

Heart Attack / Coronary Artery Disease
A squeezing sensation in your chest, shooting pain in your left arm - classic signs of a heart attack, right? Well, not necessarily. Find out what we all need to know about heart attack and heart health on this episode of Second Opinion.  




 
 
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