DocTalk

Keep an eye out this weekend for ghosts and goblins, witches and ghouls. It's Halloween, which means plenty of costumes and loads of candy to keep your children energized and wide awake. But if your child has a severe food allergy, their indulgences are limited; however, there are still plenty of fun things your child can do on October 31st besides filling their bellies with forbidden Mr. Goodbars or fun-sized Snickers. Today we sit down with Ana Broyles, an attending physician in allergy and immunology at Boston Children's Hospital, to discuss what you can do to have an allergen-free Halloween.

Feeling blue is normal. Bouts of sadness, disinterest, or lack of motivation happen to everyone. But when those feelings persist for more than two weeks, it’s more than just a run-of-the-mill bad day. It’s depression. In 2014, almost 7% of American adults reported experiencing an episode of depression in the year before the survey. That means 15.7 million adults in this country felt hopeless, discouraged, irritable, and unhappy, and these feelings affected all aspects of their lives. That’s why diagnosis and treatment of depression is so important. Today we sit down with psychiatrist Guy Maytal and primary care physician Monique Tello, both from Massachusetts General Hospital. They’re here to help us fully understand depression and the different treatment options for anyone suffering from persistent blues.

The bacteria that cause disease are remarkably resilient and can develop ways to evade the drugs meant to kill or weaken them. This phenomenon is called antibiotic resistance, and it is due largely to the growing, and often careless, use of antibiotics. Today, bacterial infections in the United States and throughout the world are becoming resistant to the drugs we rely on to treat them. Antibiotic resistance has been called one of the world's most pressing public health problems. The smart use of antibiotics is the key to controlling the spread of antibiotic resistant bacteria and the rise of superbugs—bacteria that cause infections that are difficult if not impossible to treat. In this podcast Dr. John Ross, assistant professor at Harvard Medical School, talks about how antibiotic resistance occurs, the dangers of superbugs, and what you can do to protect yourself. Dr. Ross is board certified in internal medicine and infectious diseases and is a practicing physician at Harvard affiliated Brigham and Women’s Hospital.

People in the U.S. spent more than $309 billion on medication in 2015 according to a study completed by the IMS Health Institute for Healthcare Informatics. With prescription medication being one of the most common ways people interact with the healthcare system, the cost of medication is a growing concern for the public. Today with speak with Dr. Kate Ulbricht about the cost of prescription drugs in today’s medical market and discuss safe and effective ways patients can save money on their medications.

Almost 70% of Americans are using at least one prescription medication. What questions should you ask your doctor to make sure you're taking your medications correctly? Find out here.