Grass Roots Health

Is our planet really getting warmer and drier? More importantly, what does that mean for all of us—no matter where we live or what our family looks like? To tackle these pressing questions, our host Tim Jordan sits down with Dr. Annalisa Bracco, a Senior Scientist at the Centro Euro Mediterraneo sui Cambiamenti Climatici Foundation in Milan, Italy (CMCC). Dr. Bracco specializes in climate modeling and global warming trends. She wil...

I believe that politics determine a person’s health status. Politics determine one’s world view, one's priorities, and funding for various causes. Politics and public health are intertwined.

In fact, there is not an area of life that is not impacted by politics. The health of the U.S. public has always been political. Therefore, we should be talking (and teaching students) more about politics.

Local elections often have very lo...

Are humans susceptible to misinformation? Did Donald Trump, Fox News,  and the Republicans start  misinformation? What is the difference between misinformation and disinformation? Listen as host Tim Jordan explores the answers to these questions and more with Dr. Yotam Ophir, an expert in the field of misinformation.  

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Resources for This Podcast:

Website:  University of Buffalo of New York.  http...

On July 3, 2025, Congress passed the sweeping, One Big Beautiful Bill Act (OBBBA). Amid the self-imposed rush to deliver the bill to President Donald Trump’s desk by July 4, many Americans are still looking for information about the bill. This bill was largely debated in the dead of night and pushed through at breakneck speed. The confusion that many Americans are experiencing has been exacerbated by misleading and inaccurate state...

Every day, each American generates about 5 lbs. of trash. The rest of the world averages about 1.8 lbs. of trash per person each day. Why the huge difference? According to research, about 76% of Americans throw their recyclables in the trash. How can we increase recycling? For example, we know that plastic waste does not break down in the environment for hundreds of years. Even then, it breaks down to microplastics and nanoplastics...

Who is the “real” Donald Trump? What does the President of the United States have to do with the health of Americans? The identity of the President has everything to do with health! You see, one’s view of the world determines his/her investment in the health of Americans. The health of Americans has always been political.

Whether it is abruptly terminating international assistance in foreign aid, ending severe weather warnings, tr...

Should Christians care about refugees and immigrants?

Listen as Tim Jordan explores this question with his special guest.

You should know the differences between the words, “refugee” and “immigrant.” The key difference between a “refugee” and an “immigrant” lies in their reason for migration. “Refugees” are forced to flee their homes due to persecution, war, or violence. “Refugees” seek safety elsewhere, often seeking asylum or ref...

I first heard about Dr. Mike Osterholm in March 2020 while on spring break in the Phoenix, AZ area for spring training baseball. After attending a spring training game or two, my son-in-law informed me that baseball was canceled for the year. Initially, I thought he was joking, but he was not. The 2020 preseason and regular season baseball were canceled for all fans.  

That night, we drove approximately 45 minutes to meet some rela...

The U.S. has an Israel problem. The problem is this: The U.S. has supplied weapons to Israel that have been used by Israel in serious violations of international humanitarian and human rights law and in a manner that is inconsistent with U.S. law, policies, and values.  The U.S. has supported Israel since the modern establishment of the nation in 1948. There have been atrocities on both sides. However, the atrocities have been grea...

Is climate change caused by humans? Or is climate change a hoax made up by liberals? Is climate change just a naturally occurring phenomenon in the environment? Do over 97% of climate experts believe that humans are causing climate change? Who or what is responsible for the 26% of Americans who deny human-caused climate change and the 14% who deny climate change is happening at all?        

Listen as our host Tim Jordan asks one of...

Of all similar, wealthy nations of the world, Americans pay the most for health care (I call it “sick care”) and receive the least back for their investment.  

Get out your large, foam finger. We are No. 1 in health care!  We're No 1.  USA! USA! USA!  Right? Wrong!  

Infant mortality (death) rate is often used as a proxy indicator of a nation’s health. The U.S. had a higher infant mortality rate than other wealthy countries like us...

We are born, live, get old, and then die. This is the natural cycle of life. One thing is certain, humans have a 100% mortality rate. 

Death is a rite of passage in which we all participate – as a family member, a health care provider, or as a patient.    

Healthcare providers often view death through a biomedical lens and define death as a physiological event. As a result, they often view death very narrowly as a medical failure. ...

We adults have created a plastic pollution disaster for those that will follow in our footsteps. However, you can be part of the solution starting today!  

Microplastics, 5 millimeters or less in size, come from a variety of larger plastics such as plastic bottles, car tires, plastic beads (including those in skin-care products), and synthetic fibers. These larger plastics typically break down into smaller and smaller plastics call...

This past summer, I visited a Native American Museum in the Ozark Mountains. An Iroquois saying on a painting caught my attention: “We should consider the results of every decision on the next seven generations that follow us.” Smart people were the Iroquois!

Unfortunately, we adults in modern times have not been smart. Plastic pollution will be the legacy that we leave our children, grandchildren, and at least, the next seven ge...

Gastrointestinal (GI) cancers collectively represent the most common type of cancer and the second leading cause of death from cancer in the U.S. GI cancers account for just under 30% of all cancer deaths. This type of cancer can affect the esophagus, stomach, pancreas and biliary tract, small intestine, liver, colon, rectum, and anus.

 GI cancers share risk factors, including: 

• Occupational exposure to carcinogens 
• Obesity 
• ...

Many citizens of the U.S. think that they have the best health care system in the world. I have bad news for them: The U.S does not. It has one of the worst health care systems in the world. Of similar developed countries, the U.S. has the most expensive, broken, reactive, sick care system that yields some of the worst patient outcomes. Our sick care system has little to do with health.    

Maternal and child death rates are ofte...

People think like this:  If it is not in my “backyard” and not affecting me and/or my family, I really do not pay much attention to it and really do not care. Well, this is an issue that impacts at least 12 million of you. That’s how many of you get your drinking water from the Lake Erie watershed.

Do you care about your health? Do you care about the quality of your drinking water? You should care enough to listen to this podcast...

On October 7, 2024, Hamas terrorists from the Gaza Strip killed at least 1,139 Israelis and injured many more (Aljazeera News, 2024). Hamas also took more than 250 from Israel to the Gaza Strip, including older people, women, children, and men. According to the Washington Post (2024), 84 hostages are believed to be still alive and in captivity. Since the attack this past October, 112 hostages have been freed. 

In retaliation, the...