Enlarge Justin Sullivan/Getty Images

Poultry farms and other livestock operations often use antibiotics to promote growth, which can lead to antibiotic-resistant strains of bacteria such as salmonella.

Justin Sullivan/Getty Images

Poultry farms and other livestock operations often use antibiotics to promote growth, which can lead to antibiotic-resistant strains of bacteria such as salmonella.

Hosts April Fulton and Rebecca Davis talk turkey this week on the podcast, among other things.

The third largest recall in U.S. history affected 36 million pounds of ground turkey on store shelves and in consumers' freezers. For months, people have been getting sick from an antibiotic-resistant strain of salmonella, but government investigators only recently pinpointed the culprit: Turkey from a Cargill plant in Arkansas.

Bacteria such as salmonella can become resistant to antibiotics when they are exposed to low-doses of them over time. And the industrial production of poultry and meat provides ample opportunity for that to happen, some experts say. As Allison Aubrey reports, more antibiotics are used on livestock than humans in the U.S. â€" and not because they're sick.

 

And, gout, a disease once thought to be a royal problem, has emerged as a health concern for the common man and woman. That's because the lifestyle of many modern folks doesn't look all that different from the princes of old: Lots of rich food and not much exercise. Patti Neighmond talks to the doctors and patients who are dealing with gout.

Scorpions may not be a big concern for you if you live in, say, Maine or Mississippi. But they're a fact of life if you live in the desert Southwest. This week, the Food and Drug Administration approved the first antidote to scorpion stings, which can be a real problem for kids in particular.

Good news for couch potatoes, too â€" or bad news, depending on your perspective. Turns out that even a little exercise â€" just 15 minutes of walking a day â€" can do some good for your heart. Waiting to pick up the kids? You're not off the hook. Walk around the block.

We also take a look at a different side of health: A controversial form of "therapy" that aims to turn gay men and women straight. The debate over whether this is medically and morally sound is not new. But since the revelation that Michelle Bachmann's husband practices conversion therapy, the controversy has been back in the news.

Alix Spiegel spoke with two men who underwent conversion therapy.

Finally, a microbiological farce: David Was tells the story of his efforts to retake his swimming pool from the protozoa.