Educational Media Reviews Online

Health Matters is a series of 5 well-produced videos, each on a different health topic. The topics covered are depression, cancer, heart disease, fat, and Alzheimer’s disease. Each DVD discusses one topic in depth, reviewing the history, scientific research, medical breakthroughs as well as old and new treatments of each health issue. Each DVD also portrays a powerfully human look at these topics through firsthand accounts of people who personally live with or have watched a loved one live with these health issues.

Depression: Out of the Shadows

Today, 20 million Americans are living with depressive disorders. This DVD traces the lives of several patients suffering from various types of depression. It follows their treatments and outcomes. Depression can affect anyone as shown by the personal stories told by a gang member, a corporate executive, a new mother, an author and several teenagers.

Depression is described as a biological disorder with episodes that are related to environmental factors. One scientific breakthrough is the discovery that the human brain continues to develop into a person’s mid 20’s and doesn’t stop in the late teens as originally thought. Treatments for depression include medication and talk therapy, a combination that is most effective. However, 1 million people are inflicted with treatment resistant depression. For this type, electro-shock therapy and surgery are options.

Computer generated images show in detail how the brain works and what causes a depressed state. These pictures describe how the brain’s neurons and neurotransmitters communicate with each other, what happens when these communication malfunctions and how treatment with medication corrects these miscommunications. Live surgery is filmed and electro-shock therapy is also seen. The DVD also discusses the productivity losses in the workplace due to depression and the amount of health coverage people have for mental disorders.

The Truth About Cancer

“Cancer is not for sissies,” says the husband of this film’s narrator, who has been diagnosed with mesothelioma, a rare form of lung cancer. Theirs is the underlying story in this film.

Several other personal accounts of this disease are shared with the viewer. These accounts include a woman with stage four pancreatic cancer, a woman with breast cancer, and a young medical student with adult leukemia. The most touching part of this DVD are the scenes showing Jaime, a pancreatic cancer patient, running her hand through colored tiles as she creates a mosaic. The action is as if a metaphor for the study of the disease – looking for the right scientific clues that will lead to a cure just as Jaime looks for the right color tile to place next in her design.

Cancer cells have a mistake in their DNA telling them to never stop multiplying. Through the stories of the patients, we learn about new drugs for cancer treatment called smart drugs. Smart drugs target the cancer cells only unlike traditional chemotherapy which also kills healthy cells. The two smart drugs discussed are Gleevec and pi3Kinase. These drugs take years to develop. With each new drug, there is new hope for patients. Patients can join clinical trials for treatment, often phase one trials, which means that this is the first time the treatment is being tried on humans.

There are many scenes between doctors and residents and the doctors and their patients. The residents are learning how to communicate with patients and their families. It was good to see the care and concern that doctors take to understand and comfort the patients and their families. Another issue discussed is screening for prostate cancer, especially among the African-American community. A special feature discussion with medical doctors and specialists is included at the end of this DVD.

The Forgetting – A Portrait of Alzheimer’s

Today, 5 million people have Alzheimer’s Disease. It has become an extremely common phenomenon. Of all the DVDs in this series, this one is the saddest. Alzheimer’s Disease robs you of who you are and there is no greater fear for a person than to have the connections to your unique personality destroyed. There are several personal accounts of families who are coping with loved ones who have this disease. One family has a rare form of Alzheimer’s which is genetic. Onset of this rare form of Alzheimer’s begins at an early age. The mother of this family started showing symptoms at age 39. Each of her 10 children has a 50/50 chance of developing the disease. As the film progresses on the viewer learns that 2 of the siblings have already developed it.

The history and causes of Alzheimer’s disease and how the disease develops are discussed in this DVD. Sticky plaque deposits and tangles are formed in the brain and interfere with the transmissions between neurons. These plaque deposits are what cause Alzheimer’s Disease. The process of the attack of plaque in the brain is shown pictorially using diagrams and computer created images. The plaque deposits first attack the emotional part of the brain, followed by memory and finally cover the entire brain attacking basic body functions.

New research and treatment for Alzheimer’s Disease are also described. The newest compound drug being tested in quite fascinating and scientists are hopeful that it will be extremely helpful in identifying who has Alzheimer’s Disease. Through early diagnosis, scientists hope to be able to slow its progress so that one day we will stop the spread of Alzheimer’s Disease. This new compound sticks to the plaque areas of the brain as doctors’ watch and take pictures via an MRI scan. A significant portion of this DVD is dedicated to this discovery and shows the hard work and dedication that is involved in scientific research.

Discussions with caregivers and patients, as well as support group meetings are shown.

The Hidden Epidemic: Heart Disease in America

Heart disease is the number one problem in America, and it is predominantly an American problem. This DVD focuses on the Framingham study; a landmark study in heart disease which began in 1948 and is named after the town where the study took place. Today, the study continues on and is in its second generation of original participants, as the children of the original participants were asked to join.

Many original medical beliefs were abolished because of the Framingham study—one being that high blood pressure is a result of old age. Through the Framingham study scientists and researchers learned the importance of blood pressure, smoking, and cholesterol, invented new drugs because of these findings, and developed the study of preventative cardiology. The changes to American lifestyles are discussed tracing post-World War II history and showing how more and more activities in American life became automated—most significantly the invention of the television which has lead to our sedentary life style.

This DVD also discusses the development of heart disease in the body and the symptoms of heart attacks, which are different for both men and women. Genetics and the environment are discussed as an increase in risk. Other cardiac diseases such as accelerated heart disease in heart transplant patients, congestive heart failure, diabetes in relation to heart disease, and ventricular tachycardia are shared by personal accounts. Some live surgery is shown. At the end of the DVD is a special feature, a panel discussion lead by Larry King.

FAT: What No One is Telling You

What causes obesity? Is it an over-indulgence of food or not enough self-control? This DVD delves into these questions and more as it discusses the subject of obesity. Rocky, an overweight teen, is shown creating a radio documentary about his obesity. The viewer follows him through the DVD, listens to his discussions with his doctor, watches his interactions with his family regarding his weight and sees his final outcome.

Every living creature is driven by 2 things – to reproduce and to eat. The body’s primal brain says store food because it might not be there tomorrow. In our society food is plentiful to many. In some people the primal brain has not turned off the desire to store food for future use. Our digestive system is described as an elegant nervous system, almost like a second brain. This brain of the gut can override the brain of the mind and make us eat when we do not need too. During gastric bypass surgery, some nerve endings in the digestive system that send messages to the brain are cut. The elegant nervous system is drastically disturbed.

Science has yet to understand the nature of obesity. Why can some people east wherever they want and not gain weight? Why can others eat a healthy diet and gain weight? How does exercise fit into the equation? What is it about our lives that affect our weight – not enough sleep, too much stress, constantly on the run.

As with the other DVDs in this series, personal accounts are shown of people who are or have been obese. Food psychologists discuss food decision making and the history of family eating. Emotional eating is discussed. A segment on children and healthy living is shared, teaching children how to make healthy choices and that exercise is important. Also there are people who share their stories of being obese but strive to be the healthiest person they can be, which includes a good mental attitude, exercise, and other factors.