America Dissected
188 episodes - English - Latest episode: over 1 year ago - ★★★★★ - 3.2K ratingsThe pandemic reminds us that when it comes to health, there’s so much more out there to understand—like how new genetic discoveries could change our relationship with our genes or how climate change could accelerate the next pandemic. In season 3, Dr. Abdul El-Sayed, physician and former city health commissioner, talks to doctors, scientists, culture makers, and policy leaders to dissect how science, policy, and culture shape health. New episodes of America Dissected every Tuesday.
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Episodes
Do you shower too much? with Dr. James Hamblin
December 06, 2022 08:35 - 53 minutes - 49 MBWhat would happen if you just … stopped showering? After all, we spend way more time washing than our ancestors ever did. Abdul reflects on the way the soap industry has created demand for its products by playing on our insecurities. Then he interviews Dr. James Hamblin, a preventive medicine doctor and author of the book “Clean: The New Science of Skin and the Beauty of Doing Less” about what he learned by not showering. You can find a full transcript of this episode at https://crooked....
America’s First Paramedics with Kevin Hazzard
November 29, 2022 08:35 - 48 minutes - 44.2 MBDid you know that modern emergency medical services owe their origins to an all-Black paramedic team in Pittsburgh in the ‘60s? Author and former paramedic Kevin Hazzard tells the story in his new book “American Sirens.” Abdul reflects on the stories we tell — and the ones we don’t — about American healthcare. He sits down with Hazzard to learn more about the Freedom House Emergency Medical Services. To hear more about Freedom House Emergency Medical Services, check out the recent episode o...
Public Health on the Ballot with Dr. Brian Castrucci
November 22, 2022 08:30 - 48 minutes - 44.1 MBPublic Health was on the ballot in the 2022 midterm elections — and public health won! Abdul reflects on the politics of public health. He sits down with de Beaumont Foundation President & CEO and former Georgia State Health Director Dr. Brian Castrucci to break down the biggest public health victories — and challenges — coming out of the midterms.
A Tripledemic? with Dr. Katelyn Jetelina
November 15, 2022 08:30 - 1 hour - 55.5 MBRSV! Flu! COVID! It’s fall, and respiratory illnesses are raging. RSV, in particular, is filling up pediatric hospitals as it infects our society’s youngest and most vulnerable. Abdul dissects why we’re facing a “tripledemic” this fall sits down with epidemiology professor and author of the Your Local Epidemiologist substack Dr. Katelyn Jetelina to dig into what we can do to protect ourselves.
From the Outside In with Jane Coaston
November 08, 2022 08:35 - 1 hour - 70.3 MBAmerica Dissected comes to you LIVE from Boston at the American Public Health Association Annual Meeting. Abdul reflects on what brought him to public health. Then he sits down with Jane Coaston, host of the New York Times Podcast “The Argument” to talk about what public health gets right (and wrong) about racial justice, public communication, and politics. You can find a full transcript of this episode at: crooked.com/podcast/america-dissected
What the Fact with Dr. Seema Yasmin
November 01, 2022 07:25 - 59 minutes - 54 MBThroughout the COVID-19 pandemic, SARS-CoV-2 wasn’t the only thing going viral. In fact, mis- and disinformation ultimately framed so much of society’s response to the virus itself. In her new book, “What the Fact?,” physician and author Dr. Seema Yasmin traces the evolution of information disorder — and what we can do to protect ourselves and society. Abdul sat down with her to talk about it, and what it means for the future of health communication and beyond.
Dissecting Dr. Oz
October 25, 2022 07:30 - 1 hour - 58.4 MBNobody quite represents the seedy underbelly of American medicine like Dr. Oz. His career is a living description of what happens when ego and greed get an “MD,” and then use it to pump quack treatments in search of fame and fortune. Now he’s running for Senate in Pennsylvania — despite being from New Jersey. Abdul breaks down the cautionary tale that is Mehmet Oz. Then he speaks with Trip Gabriel of the New York Times as well as Gisele Fetterman.
Adam Ruins Public Health with Adam Conover
October 18, 2022 07:35 - 55 minutes - 51.2 MBSo much of public health revolves around collective action — that is government working on our behalf to do things like fund biomedical research, regulate polluting factories, or clean our water. But what happens when we lose trust in government? Adam Conover is a comedian and host of the podcast Factually, as well as the new Netflix series “The G Word.” He joined Abdul to talk about how he uses comedy as a tool for truthtelling, what he learned about our public health system, and what it’ll...
Racism is a Public Health Issue with Dr. Matías Valenzuela
October 11, 2022 07:30 - 58 minutes - 53.9 MBFollowing the murder of George Floyd in the context of the pandemic, communities across the country rushed to recognize the public health scourge of racism — a clear, but long ignored public health crisis. But if we declare racism a public health crisis, what do we do about it? Abdul reflects on the consequences of hollow words and speaks to Dr. Matías Valenzuela, Director of the Office of Equity and Community Partnership at the Seattle & King County Public Health Department about their work ...
Getting Myopic with Sarah Zhang
October 04, 2022 07:30 - 54 minutes - 49.5 MBMore than 50% of the thinking part of the human brain is dedicated to processing visual information. We are, in a word, visual beings. And yet around the world, our vision is getting worse — and we’re not quite sure why. Abdul talks about the life-changing impact of correcting vision. Then he speaks with Sarah Zhang, staff writer at The Atlantic, about what we know about the growing burden of nearsightedness.
The Gospel of Wellness with Rina Raphael
September 27, 2022 07:30 - 49 minutes - 45.6 MBGreen juices, skincare, yoga. We all want to keep up with our health. But what happens when corporations, influencers, and snake oil salesmen prey on our insecurities to sell us something we don't need, or worse soemthing, that could harm us? Abdul sits down with Rina Raphael, author of the newly released "The Gospel of Wellness," to break down the people, the systems, and the failures that have allowed the "Wellness Industrial Complex" to thrive in the United States.
Malcolm Gladwell on Why What You Don’t See Can Help You
September 20, 2022 07:30 - 1 hour - 59.9 MBWhat would have happened if, like flouride, the COVID vaccine would have just been in the water? That’s one of the questions Malcolm Gladwell asks in his latest season of Revisionist History — a season about how we know what we know, and how we implement that knowledge to help people. He joins Abdul to talk about the science and practice of public health, how the way we talk about it gets in the way, and how to fix it.
ORGANized with Greg Segal
September 13, 2022 07:35 - 44 minutes - 40.8 MBOrgan transplantation is one of the miracles of modern medicine. And yet the system that we use to manage is anything but miraculous. Organs are damaged or lost, and people die because of it. Abdul talks about the logistics underneath so much of what we do in healthcare, and then he interviews Greg Segal, co-founder of Organize, an advocacy organization focused on reforming the broken organ donation system.
Quack to the Future
September 06, 2022 07:35 - 39 minutes - 36 MBTraditional science-based medicine has some gaps—but what happens when grifters and scammers take advantage? Dr. Abdul El-Sayed leads us inside the underbelly of the cult of wellness. Dr. Jen Gunter, Twitter’s “Resident Gynecologist,” helps us understand modern quackery—and how we can apply scientific principles to make our best health decisions. This episode originally aired in September 2019.
Don’t Pay Attention with Casey Schwartz
August 30, 2022 07:30 - 51 minutes - 47.6 MBThe pandemic drove major increases in depression, anxiety, and ADHD. But rates of ADHD–and its treatment–have been skyrocketing even before the pandemic. Abdul reflects on how our surroundings may be driving this. He sits down with Casey Schwartz, author of “Attention, a Love Story” to learn more about the history and future of ADHD.
Conceiving the Anti-Abortion Movement with Prof. Karissa Haugeberg
August 23, 2022 07:30 - 54 minutes - 49.5 MBThe anti-abortion movement notched a terrible win six weeks ago. But reasserting the right to a safe, legal abortion nationwide forces us to go back in time and understand the opposition. Abdul sits down with Prof. Karissa Haugeberg, a historian of the anti-abortion movement, to understand how it formed–and what it will take to fight back.
Negotiating Prescription Drug Prices with Prof. Aaron Kesselheim
August 16, 2022 07:10 - 41 minutes - 37.6 MBThe Inflation Reduction Act of 2022 is a lot of things…including a healthcare reform bill. Along with extending healthcare subsidies for 13 million people, it also, for the first time, allows Medicare to negotiate prescription drug prices. Abdul lays out what the Inflation Reduction Act means for prescription drug prices and sits down with Prof. Aaron Kesselheim, a physician, attorney, and prescription drug policy expert, to understand what this will mean for America.
Screening Sunscreen? with Amanda Mull
August 09, 2022 07:35 - 33 minutes - 31 MBIt’s early August–it’s hot and sunny. And for many people, it’s sunburn season. But the long-term consequences of sun exposure can be a lot worse than just a sunburn. Americans have fewer and worse sunscreen options than their counterparts abroad–and those options mean fewer people will wear it. Abdul speaks with Amanda Mull, staff writer at the Atlantic, about the bureaucratic issue standing in the way.
50 years after Tuskegee with Prof. Rueben C. Warren
August 02, 2022 07:45 - 48 minutes - 44.6 MB50 years ago, it was discovered that the United States Public Health Service and the CDC–the federal government–had left nearly 400 Black men with syphilis untreated for 30 years to study the long term consequences of the disease. They told these men that they were providing them free healthcare. The consequences of this inhumane, disgusting study still echoes among Black Americans today–leaving many deeply mistrustful of the healthcare institutions that are supposed to provide treatment. Wo...
Presidential COVID with Dr. Megan Ranney
July 26, 2022 07:35 - 47 minutes - 43.2 MBThe president of the United States has COVID. Again. Abdul reflects on what this signals in the pandemic–and our politics. Then he sits down with Dr. Megan Ranney, Emergency Medicine physician and Academic Dean of Public Health at Brown University.
Big Leaky Tech with The Markup
July 19, 2022 07:35 - 36 minutes - 33.8 MBThe fall of Roe has opened up the risk that authorities could use data from period tracking apps or internet searches in legal proceedings in abortion ban violations. But Big Tech may already be tracking a lot more about your health than you know. Todd Feathers and Simon Fondrie-Teitler of The Markup join Abdul to share their reporting.
What the Discovery of Blood Flow Can Teach Us About Science Itself with Dr. Dhun Sethna
July 12, 2022 07:30 - 46 minutes - 42.6 MBFor most of human history, people believed that blood flow was a one-way thing. The discovery that blood flowed two ways–that there was a circulatory system–didn’t happen until the mid-1600s. And it took more than a century for that discovery to be formally adopted by most scientific institutions. Abdul goes back in history to help us understand the resistance to science in the present. He interviews Dr. Dhun Sethna, a cardiac anesthesiologist and author of “The Wine Dark Sea Within” about t...
How AIDS Activists Weaponized Art to Fight a Pandemic with Jack Lowery
July 05, 2022 07:30 - 43 minutes - 40.2 MBAs HIV/AIDS ravaged the gay community in the 1980s, the federal government was slow to respond owing to anti-LGBTQ stigma. ACT UP–the “AIDS Coalition to Unleash Power”–sprang up to hold government officials, pharmaceutical companies, and society at large accountable. One offshoot of that movement was Gran Fury, which weaponized art and graphic design in the fight against HIV/AIDS. Abdul speaks with Jack Lowery, author of the “It Was Vulgar and It Was Beautiful,” about Gran Fury and its legac...
The Fall of Roe. Mailbag & Interview with Attorney General Dana Nessel
June 28, 2022 07:25 - 1 hour - 71.6 MBRoe v. Wade — the Supreme Court Decision protecting reproductive rights in America for half a century — was dashed last week. Abdul sits down with Prof. Kate Shaw, co-host of Strict Scrutiny to answer your questions about the ruling and its implications for reproductive health. Then he interviews Attorney General Dana Nessel of Michigan — a state with a draconian abortion ban on the books — about how she and her colleagues are working to protect reproductive rights in that state.
The Kids Are Not Alright with John Woodrow Cox
June 21, 2022 07:15 - 47 minutes - 43.6 MBAnother school shooting, more thoughts and prayers. But maybe this time its different. Abdul talks about the way that school shootings have shaped the lives, fears, and anxieties of a whole generation of young people. Then he sits down with John Woodrow Cox, author of “Children under Fire,” to talk about the blast radius of gun violence among children.
Monkeypox! with Prof. Anne Rimoin
June 14, 2022 07:35 - 44 minutes - 41 MBA global monkeypox outbreak has infected over a thousand people worldwide. Monkeypox is nowhere as transmissible as COVID, but the choices our public health system makes now could shape how many people could be infected in the long term. Abdul interviews Prof. Anne Rimoin, an infectious disease expert, about monkeypox, what it is, why it’s spreading, and how we should be thinking about in the wake of COVID-19.
The mental health impact of anti-LGBT policies with Heather Zayde
June 07, 2022 08:15 - 34 minutes - 31.5 MBIt’s pride month – a moment when LGBTQ+ Americans ought to feel out and proud. And yet that is becoming harder to do in an America where politicians are attacking the community through discriminatory policies designed specifically to stigmatize and exclude. Abdul talks about the way that exclusionary policy shapes mental health and speaks with Heather Zayde, a mental health provider who specializes in LGBTQ+ mental health about the challenges the community is facing and what it will take to ...
How many more kids have to die? with Dr. Joe Sakran
May 31, 2022 07:40 - 38 minutes - 35.5 MBNot even two weeks since the white supremacist murder spree in Buffalo that took 10 lives at a grocery store, another gunman entered an elementary school and killed 19 kids and two teachers. It’s true, people kill people. But when they do, there’s a reason they usually use guns. It’s because they’re the most effective — particularly the ones meant for war. Abdul reflects on the back-to-back murders — and those the media doesn’t pick up. Then he talks to trauma surgeon and founder of gun refo...
The Generational Dread of the Climate Crisis with Varshini Prakash
May 24, 2022 07:35 - 36 minutes - 33.8 MBMental health among young people is worse than it’s ever been. Millennials and Generation Z are the first generation whose financial outlook looks worse than the generations before it. But that’s not even what weighs heaviest on many young peoples’ minds — the notion that the very Earth on which we are building is in crisis causes a unique kind of existential dread. Abdul sits down with the Executive Director of the Sunrise Movement, Varshini Prakash to understand how climate anxiety may be ...
Abortion is Healthcare with Dr. Heather Irobunda
May 17, 2022 07:35 - 37 minutes - 34.3 MBAnti-abortion activists always try to depersonalize abortion, as if its some abstract issue that doesn’t involve real people. With the impending fall of Roe v. Wade, Abdul re-personalizes it. He speaks with obstetrician/gynecologist Dr. Heather Irobunda about what the fall of Roe would mean for millions of people and how it would affect her practice.
Throughline wants you to understand the “Everlasting Problem”
May 10, 2022 07:30 - 49 minutes - 45.2 MBAmerica’s healthcare system is broken — not because someone broke it, but because it was built haphazardly to begin with. But why was it built that way? A recent episode of NPR’s “Throughline” podcast, which “goes back in time to understand the present” explored how a series of choices throughout the 20th century doomed us to our current system. Abdul sits down with their hosts, Ramtin Arabloui and Rund Abdelfattah to explore those choices and the system they’ve left us with now.
Insulinated From the Price of It with T1International
May 03, 2022 07:36 - 48 minutes - 44.7 MBMillions of people with diabetes simply can’t live without insulin. Discovered over a century ago, it’s patent was sold for $1. But today, pharmaceutical corporations have arbitrarily raised insulin prices, leaving those who can’t afford it having to ration it–or worse, go without it. Abdul breaks down why insulin has become the epitome of pharmaceutical company greed. Then he talks to the leaders of T1International, a non-profit dedicated to insulin access, about how to ensure access. For ...
Insulinated from the price of it with T1 International
May 03, 2022 07:36 - 57 minutesMillions of people with diabetes simply can’t live without insulin. Discovered over a century ago, it’s patent was sold for $1. But today, pharmaceutical corporations have arbitrarily raised insulin prices, leaving those who can’t afford it having to ration it–or worse, go without it. Abdul breaks down why insulin has become the epitome of pharmaceutical company greed. Then he talks to the leaders of T1International, a non-profit dedicated to insulin access, about how to ensure access. For a...
Ai-Jen Poo Needs us to Care about Carers
April 26, 2022 07:33 - 48 minutes - 44.1 MBMillions of Americans work inside our homes–as carers and cleaners–taking care of the people and places we value most. Though they do the most important work in our lives, work that we would only entrust to few others, they are some of the most marginalized workers in our economy–and the work they do continues to be undervalued and underappreciated. Abdul breaks down the consequences of that for our society. Then he speaks with Ai-Jen Poo, co-founder and Executive Director of the National Do...
Pain Points with Dr. Haider Warraich
April 19, 2022 07:31 - 47 minutes - 43.6 MBMillions of Americans live with chronic pain. But we have yet to fully contend with the impact pain has on people–and our ability to treat pain remains limited. In fact, our failure to engage with the complexity of pain is, in part, what led to the opioid crisis, which took over 100,000 lives last year. One of those people living with chronic pain is Dr. Haider Warraich, a physician who’s written a book exploring pain as a biological and sociocultural phenomenon. He joins Abdul to talk about...
Pain Points with Dr. Haidar Warraich
April 19, 2022 07:31 - 1 hourMillions of Americans live with chronic pain. But we have yet to fully contend with the impact pain has on people–and our ability to treat pain remains limited. In fact, our failure to engage with the complexity of pain is, in part, what led to the opioid crisis, which took over 100,000 lives last year. One of those people living with chronic pain is Dr. Haidar Warraich, a physician who’s written a book exploring pain as a biological and sociocultural phenomenon. He joins Abdul to talk about ...
The Means of Consumption with Malik Yakini
April 12, 2022 07:28 - 42 minutes - 39 MBFood insecurity affects millions of Americans — a disproportionate number of them are Black. What are the consequences of the way we produce food in our society — and how do they shape who gets healthy, accessible, affordable food, and who doesn’t? Abdul reflects on our food system and speaks with Malik Yakini, co-founder and Executive Director of the Detroit Black Community Food Security Network. For a transcript of this episode, please visit crooked.com/americadissected.
Seeking Refuge with David Miliband
April 05, 2022 05:34 - 48 minutes - 44.2 MBNearly four million people have left Ukraine since Putin invaded their country. They need housing, food, and work. But so do the million who’ve fled war in countries like Yemen, Iraq, Syria, and Afghanistan. Abdul breaks down the public health consequences of forced migration. He then speaks with David Miliband, President and CEO of the International Rescue Committee about the refugee crisis in Ukraine and what drives our double standard for refugees. For a transcript of this episode, pleas...
Period Poverty with Lynette Medley
March 29, 2022 07:32 - 24 minutes - 22.4 MBMenstruation is a fundamental part of the physiology of nearly half of the people on Earth. But we don’t talk about it that way–it’s taboo, unspoken, and ignored. Period stigma has left state governments across the country taxing period products as “luxury” items, failing to provide access to period products as the necessities they are for low-income menstruators. In this episode, Abdul talks about how period stigma leaves people without the products they need to live their lives–and speaks ...
Bracket Buster with Prof. Tim Fong
March 22, 2022 07:39 - 40 minutes - 36.7 MBOnline sports betting has exploded over the past few years as 18 states have legalized it. Already a $70 Billion market, it’s projected to double in the next five years. But what does the rise of online sports betting mean for people with gambling disorder? We speak with Prof. Tim Fong, a gambling addiction expert, about the consequences of online sports betting–and how we can protect vulnerable people. For a transcript of this episode, please visit crooked.com/americadissected.
Daylight Shavings Time with Dr. Muhammad Adeel Rishi
March 15, 2022 07:19 - 34 minutes - 31.9 MBSpring forward has taken all the spring out of my step. It’s even worse from my four year old who’s super confused about why she has to wake up an hour earlier every day. But beyond the annoyance and the lack of sleep, what are the long term health consequences of Daylight Savings Time? We speak with Dr. Adeel Rishi, lead author of a position paper from the American Academy of Sleep Medicine on Daylight Savings Time. For a transcript of this episode, please visit crooked.com/americadissect...
State of the Pandemic with Dr. Don Burke
March 08, 2022 08:32 - 45 minutesCOVID really is over this time, right? Abdul reflects on the fact that public health is about what we do in the background when no one is paying attention–and how now is not the time for public health leaders to take a breather, but to get ahead of the next variant. Abdul sits down with Dr. Don Burke, a global infectious disease expert, to walk through various scenarios for where we go from here. For a transcript of this episode, please visit crooked.com/americadissected. Learn more about yo...
State of the Pandemic with Dr. Don Burke
March 08, 2022 08:32 - 36 minutes - 33.1 MBCOVID really is over this time, right? Abdul reflects on the fact that public health is about what we do in the background when no one is paying attention–and how now is not the time for public health leaders to take a breather, but to get ahead of the next variant. Abdul sits down with Dr. Don Burke, a global infectious disease expert, to walk through various scenarios for where we go from here. For a transcript of this episode, please visit crooked.com/americadissected.
On the Beaten Path with Dr. Shane O’Mara
March 01, 2022 15:02 - 34 minutes - 31.5 MBWho knew “take a hike” was really powerful health advice? Abdul reflects on the power of one of the most basic things humans can do. Then he speaks with Neuroscientist and author Shane O’Mara about his book “In Praise of Walking,” about the power of a walk, and why so many of us rediscovered it during the pandemic. For a transcript of this episode, please visit crooked.com/americadissected.
People > Pathology with Prof. Celeste Watkins-Hayes
February 22, 2022 08:15 - 42 minutes - 39.5 MBToo often, we focus on the disease that affect people rather than the people those diseases are affecting. That failure to pay attention to people lets the disease take more than their health, it lets it take their identities. But we can stop it. Prof. Celeste Watkins-Hayes studies the ways that women with HIV negotiate their illness and how it shapes their lives. She joins Abdul to talk about her work, her book “Remaking a Life,” and about what it can teach us about rethinking how we respon...
The Sum of Us are Sick with Heather McGhee
February 15, 2022 08:33 - 35 minutes - 33.1 MBPublic health requires us to believe that there is “a public” above and beyond ourselves as individuals. But who belongs to that public may matter even more for what we’re willing to do provide that public. In her book “The Sum of Us,” author and organizer Heather McGhee shows how racism has destroyed collective efforts–from swimming pools to insurance pools–in America. She joins Abdul to talk about what that means for public health and the pandemic. You can find "The Sum of Us," now in pap...
The Black Maternal Health Caucus with Rep. Lauren Underwood
February 08, 2022 08:17 - 38 minutes - 35.6 MBOne of the most galling examples of inequity in America continues to be the stunningly high rate at which Black mothers die in pregnancy and childbirth and Black babies die before during their first year of life. Abdul reflects on how structural inequity continues to take mothers’ and babies’ lives. Then he talks to Rep. Lauren Underwood, Chair of the Black Maternal Health Caucus and sponsor of the “Momnibus” package to eliminate these disparities. Baby 2 Baby: https://baby2baby.org/ Star ...
The Court of Public Vaccination w/ Prof. Melissa Murray
February 01, 2022 09:14 - 38 minutes - 35.6 MBYour right to swing your first ends where my face starts. That principle captures the limits of our freedoms in this country. And the Supreme Court has long held the precedent that people could be required to be vaccinated to protect the public from disease. But a recent ruling against workplace vaccine mandates may upend that. We speak with Prof. Melissa Murray, NYU Law professor and host of “Strict Scrutiny,” a podcast about the supreme court, about that, the retirement of Justice Breyer, ...
A different kind of public option?
January 25, 2022 08:29 - 32 minutes - 30 MBPresident Biden ran on the idea of offering Americans a “public option” for health insurance — a government managed healthcare plan that would operate in parallel to private insurance. But what if we extended “public options” beyond health insurance to, say, pharmaceuticals or increased public investment in clinics and hospitals? Dana Brown is the Director of Health and Economy at the Democracy Collaborative and has been writing about just that. She joins Abdul to talk about it. For a trans...
CDC something wrong here?
January 18, 2022 06:00 - 42 minutes - 38.8 MBThe CDC is the nation–perhaps the world’s–most preeminent public health agency. But it’s taken quite the beating throughout this pandemic. From flawed tests to unclear guidance to political tampering, the agency’s mistakes continue to mount. How did this happen, and how do we make sure it doesn’t happen again? Abdul talks about how public health mistakes happen and speaks with Dr. Tom Frieden, former CDC Director under President Obama about the past, present, and future of the once-storied a...