Every year, millions of Americans experience a stroke. Though the focus is often on prevention and immediate care, many patients are left with long-term effects for years –or even a lifetime– afterward. On this week’s episode of Well, Now , we dive into new approaches to overcome the cognitive and physical disabilities that often follow a stroke. Dr. Rajiv Ratan , executive director at Burke Neurological Institute, offers his insights. If you liked this episode, check out – Gut Check: How to Mas...
Aug 21, 2024•47 min
GLP-1 drugs like Ozempic and Wegovy are in high demand and short supply. The internet makes it easy for you to have a compounding pharmacy whip you up a batch—but should you? Guest: Kate Knibbs, senior writer at Wired. Want more What Next TBD? Subscribe to Slate Plus to access ad-free listening to the whole What Next family and all your favorite Slate podcasts. Subscribe today on Apple Podcasts by clicking “Try Free” at the top of our show page. Sign up now at slate.com/whatnextplus to get acces...
Aug 18, 2024•23 min
We all know the food we eat directly impacts our physical health. But that’s just the start of the story. Food fuels our emotional well-being, connects us with one another, and fosters a key source of identity. On this week’s episode of Well, Now we speak with award-winning food journalist Mary Beth Albright on her new book Eat & Flourish: How Food Supports Emotional Well-Being . If you liked this episode, check out: No, Netflix Isn’t Forcing You to Go Vegan Well, Now is hosted by registered...
Aug 14, 2024•54 min
“Hysteria” is an ancient word carrying thousands of years of baggage. Though the terminology has changed, hysteria has not gone away, and in its most baffling instances it can even be contagious. The idea of a mass psychogenic illness can be hard to wrap your head around. A group of people begins experiencing physical symptoms, because of something that started in one of their minds? In today’s episode Dan Taberski, the host of Hysterical , a new podcast about mass hysteria, walks us through the...
Aug 14, 2024•38 min
When Miranda July entered her early forties, she noticed a grim feeling emerge. “It wasn't coming from me,” she said, “I guess it came from this lack of imagery, or stories, or even just basic medical information about what was going to happen next with my body.” The dearth of information and near absence of cultural mythology about perimenopause and menopause became the catalyst for her novel All Fours , which came out in May and quickly became a New York Times bestseller. In this episode, Mira...
Aug 13, 2024•55 min
On this episode: Jamilah, Elizabeth and Zak help a listener who’s wondering why her friend is bodyshaming her own toddler so intensely — not to mention our listener’s kid, too — and what to do about it. These kids are still little enough to avoid lifelong damage to their relationships with food, and their bodies… but where’s the line when it comes to telling this friend to shut it and let the kids eat cake? We’ll also debrief with a round of parenting Triumphs & Fails — and we'll share an up...
Aug 08, 2024•42 min
How Imane Khelif and Lin Yu-Ting—two women boxers fighting in the gender category they were assigned at birth—became the targets of trans panic and subject to another round of “but is she woman enough ?” at the Olympics. Guest: Rose Eveleth, reporter and host of the podcast Tested, from NPR and CBC. Want more What Next? Subscribe to Slate Plus to access ad-free listening to the whole What Next family and across all your favorite Slate podcasts. Subscribe today on Apple Podcasts by clicking “Try ...
Aug 08, 2024•29 min
This week Jules speaks with journalist Sohini Desai about their latest article for Slate ‘ Trans Health Care Is Under Attack. But Are Concierge Providers Really the Solution? ’ Together they break down what these services offer and whether they can make a meaningful difference for trans people accessing healthcare across the country. Produced by Palace Shaw Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices...
Aug 07, 2024•39 min
Research going back decades shows adding more fruits, vegetables, and non-animal sources of protein helps us live longer, healthier lives. A study featured in the Netflix docuseries You Are What You Eat: A Twin Study took that to the next level. Stanford researchers asked 22 sets of identical twins to go 8 weeks eating a healthy, varied diet and regularly exercising. One twin ate an omnivore diet, the other vegan. On this week’s episode of Well, Now we talk to the lead researcher of the “twin st...
Aug 07, 2024•47 min
On today’s episode of Hear Me Out: opening ceremonies (and a can of worms). We come to you midway through the 2024 Olympic Games in Paris. But amid the patriotism, athletic prowess, and sheer spectacle of these games — the most watched and streamed to date, by some measures — there’s also concerns about geopolitical power, human rights abuses, and the facilitation of facism. MacIntosh Ross of Windsor University joins us to talk about the uglier facets of the Olympic Games. If you have thoughts y...
Aug 06, 2024•41 min
The age when you need to start being screened for cancers may need to be updated, as rates among younger people are on the rise. New testing methods could make the process a lot easier than, say, a colonoscopy - but they’re not perfect. Guest: Dylan Scott, senior correspondent and editor for Vox . Want more What Next TBD? Subscribe to Slate Plus to access ad-free listening to the whole What Next family and all your favorite Slate podcasts. Subscribe today on Apple Podcasts by clicking “Try Free”...
Aug 02, 2024•26 min
If you’re lucky, it’s possible you’ve never thought much about sitting. It’s just something your body does, like breathing or sleeping. But in the last decade or so, sitting has stepped into the spotlight, as a kind of villain. In today’s episode, Slate’s Dan Kois tells us about his radical experiment to go without sitting for an entire month. Then to understand why sitting is under attack we look back at an earlier posture panic around slouching, and explore the role of hostile architecture. Th...
Jul 31, 2024•38 min
It’s a fact that summers around the world are reaching record-breaking temperatures. Heat-related illness and death have hit a crisis point, and staying cool is more important than ever. On this week’s episode of Well, Now we speak with someone living in one of the country's hottest states. Dr. Richard Carmona is a career first responder with more than 50 years of experience caring for people in crisis. A veteran of the U.S. Army as a special forces medic, Carmona also served as the 17th U.S. Su...
Jul 31, 2024•46 min
A key component to wellness is gut health. But what determines if you have a healthy gut? On this week’s episode of Well, Now, we dive into the fascinating world of the gut microbiome, a collection of bacteria and sometimes fungi that live in the human digestive system. We are provided with insight from Dr. Colin Hill , professor of Microbiology at APC Microbiome Ireland on how to properly take care of your microbiome and why it is essential If you liked this episode, check out – Doctors Agree: ...
Jul 24, 2024•40 min
Todd is looking for love, but he’s unsure about disclosing something in dating profiles: his multiple sclerosis. With symptoms that are increasingly visible, Todd feels compelled to be upfront about his disability with potential dates—but he doesn’t know when or how to discuss it. On this episode of How To!, Carvell Wallace brings on Jessica Slice and Caroline Cupp , authors of Dateable: Swiping Right, Hooking Up, and Settling Down While Chronically Ill and Disabled . They give Todd guidance on ...
Jul 23, 2024•43 min
From a young age, James T. Morrison used drugs to help him feel better. He started with pills that were prescribed to him–medications like Xanax and Klonopin–but he soon moved on to basically whatever he could get his hands on. In this episode, James discusses his experience with substance use disorder, housing instability, and the criminal justice system. At a time when public officials and policy experts are debating ways to address the overdose crisis in the U.S., James discusses what humane ...
Jul 23, 2024•49 min
We all know about the mental health crisis wreaking havoc throughout the nation and world. On this week’s episode of Well, Now we’re continuing our ongoing discussions of mental health, and this time we’re tackling men’s mental health as a whole. Prime’s new show Counsel Culture , hosted by Nick Cannon and medical professionals across the spectrum, invites men to open up about their histories with anxiety, depression, grief, addiction, and more. Dr. Mike Dow is the resident psychotherapist for t...
Jul 17, 2024•55 min
“Home diagnostics” are a $5 billion industry—and growing. Spurred by social media, people are buying into at-home health tests, without input from their doctors, and often, not even the FDA. Guest: Elizabeth Dwoskin, reporter for the Washington Post Want more What Next TBD? Subscribe to Slate Plus to access ad-free listening to the whole What Next family and all your favorite Slate podcasts. Subscribe today on Apple Podcasts by clicking “Try Free” at the top of our show page. Sign up now at slat...
Jul 14, 2024•23 min
Air-conditioning can feel like the only way to get through increasingly hot summers, but it’s an expensive, power-hungry way to keep cool. How necessary is it? And how necessary is it to raise our thermostats up from 72 degrees? Guest: Adam Clark Estes , senior technology correspondent at Vox. Want more What Next? Subscribe to Slate Plus to access ad-free listening to the whole What Next family and across all your favorite Slate podcasts. Subscribe today on Apple Podcasts by clicking “Try Free” ...
Jul 11, 2024•25 min
Few drugs in the last century have changed the landscape of healthcare and weight management like GLP-1 agonist drugs — drugs like Ozempic and WeGovy. On this week’s episode of Well, Now we talk with Harvard professor and clinician Dr. Fatima Cody Stanford. Her research revolutionized obesity medicine and helped pave the way to get a diabetes drug approved for treating a condition millions have in the U.S. If you liked this episode, check out – Doctors Agree: Obesity is a Disease. The Public Nee...
Jul 10, 2024•50 min
In this episode, Jules talks to Gender Doula Eli Lawliet. They break down what it means to offer non-medical support to people during transition, the long history of trans support networks, and the value of ritual and spirituality during transition. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Jul 10, 2024•39 min
Last week the Supreme Court ruled a $6 billion settlement between Purdue Pharma and victims of the opioid crisis could not move forward, because it granted immunity to the Sackler family, the principal owners of Purdue. For one of the litigants, a mother who has lost two sons to overdoses, the decision felt like “a sucker punch.” Guest: Cheryl Juaire, part of the bankruptcy settlement with Purdue Pharma and founder of the non-profit organization Team Sharing, a support group for parents who have...
Jul 04, 2024•33 min
Women, girls, and people assigned female at birth make up more than half of the world’s population. Yet, many of them say they don’t feel supported, heard, or cared for in the doctor’s office — even in spaces designed specifically for their care like obstetrics and gynecology. Dr. Sharon Malone , veteran OB/GYN, is on a mission to change that. On this week’s episode of Well, Now, we speak with Dr. Malone on how to advocate for the care you deserve at every stage of life. It’s the subject of her ...
Jul 03, 2024•55 min
When Roe v. Wade was overturned, a near-total abortion ban was triggered in Idaho, allowing for health exceptions only when “necessary to prevent the death of the pregnant woman.” But a case that found the ban in conflict with a federal law known as “EMTALA” went all the way to the Supreme Court, before being sent back to lower courts—neither overturning nor upholding Idaho’s ban. Guest: Dr. Stacy Seyb, a maternal-fetal medicine specialist in Boise, Idaho. Want more What Next? Subscribe to Slate...
Jul 03, 2024•28 min
The story of IUDs is a story of technology, reproductive rights, shortcomings in communication about women’s health, and politics. Guest: Mia Armstrong-Lopez, managing editor at ASU Media Enterprise and author of a recent piece on IUDs for Slate . Want more What Next TBD? Subscribe to Slate Plus to access ad-free listening to the whole What Next family and all your favorite Slate podcasts. Subscribe today on Apple Podcasts by clicking “Try Free” at the top of our show page. Sign up now at slate....
Jun 30, 2024•26 min
Saying any one storm or heat wave or weather in general was “caused by climate change” is tricky—summer is, after all, usually pretty hot, and storms happen. But researchers are working on a model that brings “climate change” from abstract into the particular. Guest: Daniel Swain , climate scientist at the UCLA Institute of the Environment and Sustainability, studying how extreme events are changing on a warming Earth. Want more What Next TBD? Subscribe to Slate Plus to access ad-free listening ...
Jun 28, 2024•31 min
The Supreme Court’s unanimous decision to uphold access to mifepristone left the door open for another case to be brought to ban the abortion pill. This physician is eager for another chance. Guest: Dr. Christina Francis, CEO of the American Association of Pro-Life Obstetricians and Gynecologists ( AAPLOG ), associate scholar with the Charlotte Lozier Institute , a board member of Indiana Right to Life , physician member of the Abortion Pill Reversal Network. Want more What Next? Subscribe to Sl...
Jun 26, 2024•32 min
For years, psychiatrists have been researching new methods to help people with treatment-resistant mental illness. These include severe cases of depression, post-traumatic stress disorder, and other debilitating diagnoses. One type of drug has seen some positive results in clinical trials: psychedelics like psilocybin, MDMA, ketamine, and LSD. In professional medical settings, they’re used as a part of a multifaceted approach to mental health treatment, including supervised therapy sessions whil...
Jun 26, 2024•42 min
Today, we’re revisiting one of our favorite episodes from September 2023 with Dr. Orna Guralnik (host of Showtime’s Couples Therapy ). In this episode, Dr. Orna Guralnik joins Prudie (Jenée Desmond-Harris) to answer letters from readers about what to do when a friend is obsessed with misogynistic love and relationship podcasts, when your husband just can’t figure out birthday gifts, and when you’re wondering “Does therapy just not work for me?” If you want more Dear Prudence, join Slate Plus, Sl...
Jun 21, 2024•42 min
The Supreme Court is soon expected to decide Grants Pass v. Johnson , a case where a town’s efforts to remove unhoused people from its parks became “cruel and unusual,” according to lower courts. Guest: Dr. Bruce Murray, chief medical officer for the Mobile Integrative Navigation Team (MINT) in Josephine County, Oregon. Want more What Next? Subscribe to Slate Plus to access ad-free listening to the whole What Next family and across all your favorite Slate podcasts. Subscribe today on Apple Podca...
Jun 20, 2024•33 min
