← Chasing Life with Dr. Sanjay Gupta
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Hey there, it's Sanjay. The current Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo. It's a constantly evolving situation and I know that can come with uncertainty and concerns. These types of viral outbreaks are something that my colleague Anderson Cooper and I have seen firsthand while reporting on the ground in Africa. And as always, we want to keep you informed. We want to answer your questions. So Anderson and I are going to be holding an interactive Q and A session all about Ebola exclusively for CNN All Access subscribers. Go ahead, start submitting your questions now@cnn.com subscriberseries and we will answer them live on Wednesday, June 3rd at 5:00pm Eastern. Hope to see you there. Welcome to Paging Dr. Gupta. Thank you so much for joining us. I love listening to all your comments and your questions. It really gives me a sense of what, what's on your mind. My producer Jennifer is back with us today. Who do we have first?
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Hi, Sanjay. Today we have a 14 year old calling from Orlando, Florida with a great question about bathroom air dryers.
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Hello, my name is David and my question for the podcast is are air dryers safe? Like, do they have a filter where they filter the bacteria out? Okay, David, 14 year old David, thank you for calling in. That's a great question. Look, sometimes you gotta use a public restroom. I don't think anyone wants to do that, but sometimes it's just obviously inevitable. It may feel stressful because public restrooms may feel like they're full of pathogens like bacteria, maybe even viruses. So we know that we need to wash our hands after using the bathroom, wherever we are. What you may not know is that it's also critically important to dry your hands after washing them because it helps decrease the volume of germs on our hands and also because bacteria can be spread way more easily when our hands are wet. Now, if you're in a public restroom, there are often several options to dry your hands. Warm air dryer, jet air dryer and or paper towels, which is the most hygienic. And we'll get into that after this short break.
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And we are back with paging Dr. Gupta Jennifer. Who do we have next?
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Okay, Sanjay, we have a nurse practitioner asking about plasma donation now. She's seeing a growing number of people in her community requesting medical authorization to donate plasma. So here's what she wants to know.
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Hi Dr. Fanjay, my name is Deepa. I am writing with a question regarding the increasing trend of plasma donation in our community. I would like to know better understand the reasons behind this surge, the recommended frequency of plasma donation, potential health consequences, and any safety concerns with the frequent donation of plasma, especially with people with mental health disorders or people take a lot of medication. Okay, Deepa, thank you so much for your observation. Thank you for your question. Look, there has been an uptick in plasma donation not only in your community, but but all over the country. In fact, According to a US Plasma Industry Report, Americans sold about 62 and a half million liters of their plasma in 2025. That was more than a 30% jump in the volume of plasma collected since 2022. So why? What's going on here? Well, part of this is just the economy. More and more Americans are struggling to make ends meet. In this economy. We have sluggish job growth, higher consumer prices, lower rates of savings. And what we're hearing as a result is that college students in particular have reported selling their plasma to cover some of those costs. Middle class Americans say they need the extra money to cover some of their expenses. According to the industry report, Americans receive about $65 per plasma donation, which added more than $4.7 billion to Americans household income last year. So a lot of this is just simply about money. But let's go back to the basics here. What is plasma? What is its role? Plasma is essentially the liquid part of your blood. It's a pale yellow color, makes up around 55% of your blood's volume, and it transports red and white blood cells and platelets around your body. It's basically 92% water, 7% or so proteins like antibodies and coagulation factors, and 1% sort of hormones and vitamins and salt enzymes and other compounds like donated blood. Donated plasma can be a medical lifesaver. For example, plasma donation can help people with rare and chronic diseases, can help people who are cancer patients, people who have clotting factor disorders. A plasma transfusion, in essence, can help increase blood volume, which can restore blood pressure, replenish electrolytes and other vital components. The United States, incidentally, is a major supplier of human plasma, contributing approximately 70% of the global plasma used for plasma derived medicinal products. Not just anyone can donate plasma. Certain experiences, health conditions or medications may temporarily or sometimes even permanently prevent a person from donating plasma But I want to get to your question, Deepa. People with certain health conditions and people who take a lot of medications, many may not even pass the initial health screening. So how do you donate plasma and what does the process look like? Well, for starters, there are usually local plasma donation centers and you can contact them to find out if you initially qualify. Each center may have its own specific process. Now, once you make an appointment, there will be a health screening and a medical exam. Once you've passed that, the staff will place a needle in your arm, take blood and and that blood will go to a specialized machine that separates out the plasma. The rest of your blood incidentally, is then returned to your body. The amount you donate can range from 625mls to 880mls depending on your weight. The staff will then give you some saline as well to help you maintain circulation during the donation. Whole process takes typically around two hours if it's your first time donating plasma. Now, Deepa, long term health consequences of frequent plasma donation. Well, good news here is that according to the fda, several studies have shown that there are no long term side effects for people who donate plasma regularly and long term again if they've passed those initial medical requirements. The FDA has set a limit on how often a person can donate plasma. Donors shouldn't give more than twice a week or more than once in a 48 hour period. No more than twice a week or more than once in a 48 hour period. Your blood volume typically returns to normal levels in 48 hours. You gotta make sure you stay hydrated during that time. One study has shown that donating plasma too frequently could result in potential issues that could affect the quality of the plasma and maybe even the health of the donor. So I guess bottom line is according to the FDA guidelines, a person can donate plasma frequently and over the long term, but it doesn't necessarily mean they should. American Red Cross for their part, recommends plasma donors give once every 28 days, up to 13 times a year. No more than that. Deepa, thank you so much for your question. Donating plasma is important. It can help a lot of people. It's good for our fellow humans who urgently need this resource, but you gotta do it responsibly. Thanks again for calling in. And that's a wrap for today's episode. Thanks to all of you for sending in your health questions. Remember, no question is too big or too small. I love hearing from you, so keep them coming. We might just answer your question on our next show. Reach out to us. Record a voice memo email it to paging Dr. Guptann.com that's paging Dr. Gupta.com or give us a call 470-396-0832 and leave a message. Thanks for listening. This is CNN meteorologist Derek Van Dam, thrilled to introduce the new CNN weather app. Be prepared for anything with comprehensive coverage from real experts like me. Download the CNN weather app on iOS today.
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Hey, I'm Anderson Cooper. On my podcast, All There Is, we explore grief and loss in all its complexities. As Ken Burns said on an earlier podcast, the half life of grief is endless. Mariska Hargitay knows that very well. Jane Mansfield was killed in a car crash in 1967. Mariska was in the car with her. After decades spent coming to terms with her past and wanting to learn more about the mother she doesn't remember, Mariska has made a remarkable documentary called My Mom Jane.
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Our vulnerability is our greatest strength and our greatest connector. And so in telling the story, I don't feel vulnerable. I feel free. We all have a story, and you never know what somebody else carries.
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Talking grief, building community. That's what the podcast is all about. This is all there is. Listen and follow wherever you get your podcasts.