Pain is your body's signal that something isn't right. To help manage it, doctors often prescribe powerful opioids -- but they're not always the best option and can quickly lead to addiction. Illuminating the fine line between substance use and abuse, Dr. Jen Gunter explains what opioids do to your perception of pain, the risks they pose and the...
In the 1980s and 90s, pharmaceutical companies began to market opioid painkillers aggressively, while actively downplaying their addictive potential. The number of prescriptions skyrocketed, and so did cases of addiction, beginning a crisis that continues today. What makes opioids so addictive? Mike Davis explains what we can do to reverse the s...
Body Stuff with Dr. Jen Gunter
Wednesday, June 29, 2022
Dr. Jen Gunter:
Hi everyone, I wanted to give you a heads up that we mention substance abuse and suicide in this episode. Please keep that in mind as you’re listening, and think about who might be listening with you. I was 40 miles into a 60 mile bike ride, and feeling GREAT, representing t...
The United States accounts for five percent of the world's population but consumes almost 70 percent of the total global opioid supply, creating an epidemic that has resulted in tens of thousands of deaths each year. How did we get here, and what can we do about it? In this personal talk, Travis Rieder recounts the painful, often-hidden struggle...
Have we misunderstood pain? Researcher and physician Amy Baxter unravels the symphony of connections that send pain from your body to your brain, explaining practical neuroscience hacks to quickly block those signals. Her groundbreaking research offers alternatives for immediate pain relief -- without the need for addictive opioids. (Followed by...
Travis Rieder wants to help find a solution to America’s opioid crisis -- and if that sounds a bit too lofty, he’d settle for making clear, incremental progress in a responsible, evidence-based way.
Think you know how your body works? Think again! Dr. Jen Gunter is here to shake up everything you thought you knew — from the science of sleep to figuring out if you really have a food allergy and everything in between. This TED original series will tell you the truth about what's *really* going on inside you. Want to hear more from Dr. Gunter?...
What do Tourette syndrome, heroin addiction and social media obsession all have in common? They converge in an area of the brain called the striatum, says neuroscientist Rachel Wurzman -- and this critical discovery could reshape our understanding of the opioid crisis. Sharing insights from her research, Wurzman shows how social isolation contri...
From aspirin to anticoagulants, penicillin to cancer treatments, some of our most important human medicines come from plants. But extracting the medicinal compounds from plants can be complex, costly and unreliable. Which is why scientists are trying to brew them instead. Inside the hunt to brew an opioid painkiller from common ingredients such ...
Could CBD, a chemical compound found in the cannabis plant, help treat opioid addiction? Neuroscientist Yasmin Hurd discusses why current treatment strategies, such as methadone, aren't enough to end the opioid epidemic -- and shares how CBD could help reduce the cravings and anxiety associated with drug use and relapse, potentially providing a ...
Too many of us, too often, think of pain as something that needs to be eliminated, at any cost. But we -- doctors, patients, drug makers, and all of us -- can be part of a much-needed shift that questions this attitude, says bioethicist Travis Rieder.
Travis Rieder’s journey down the rabbit hole of opioid dependence began with his motorcycle a...
Public libraries have always been about more than just books -- and their mission of community support has taken on new urgency during the current opioid epidemic. After witnessing overdoses at her library in Philadelphia, Chera Kowalski learned how to administer naloxone, a drug that reverses the effects of narcotics, and she's put it to use to...
About this event: If you read the daily news, the United States is in the middle of a national opioid crisis. In 2017, there were 749 overdose deaths involving opioids in South Carolina--a rate of 15.5 deaths per 100,000 persons compared to the national rate of 14.6 deaths per 100,000 persons.
Addiction is complicated. The answers are not simple. Join us for our...
Event details: Greenville, South Carolina, United States · November 19, 2019
As a fire chief and first responder, Jan Rader has spent her career saving lives. But when the opioid epidemic hit her town, she realized they needed to take a brand-new approach to life-saving. In this powerful, hopeful talk, Rader shows what it's like on the front lines of this crisis -- and how her community is taking an unusual new approach ...
Is CBD a cure-all -- or snake oil? Jeffrey Chen, executive director of the UCLA Cannabis Research Initiative, explains the science behind the cannabis product.
CBD gummies. CBD shots in your latte. CBD dog biscuits. From spas to drug stores, supermarkets to cafes, wherever you go in the US today, you’re likely to see products infused with CBD. ...
Through her nonprofit SeekHealing, Rachel Wurzman aims to reduce opioid overdose rates by building communities that are inherently resilient to addiction.
As Director of National Drug Control Policy, Michael Botticelli led the Obama Administration’s drug policy efforts to diminish the consequences of substance use through evidence-based prevention, treatment and recovery support services.
Body Stuff with Dr. Jen Gunter
Wednesday, June 22, 2022
Dr. Jen Gunter:
Imagine you’re a doctor like me.You’ve been seeing a patient for a few years. You’ve got a rapport. She comes back to see you regularly because you’ve helped her. And so, when you notice in the medical record that she hasn't been vaccinated against COVID-19, you offer to get...
Body Stuff with Dr. Jen Gunter
Wednesday, July 6, 2022
Diane Russo Cheng :
My name is Diane Russo Cheng. I'm in my mid thirties, I am a filmmaker and a photographer.
Dr. Jen Gunter:
When Diane was 12, she learned she had scoliosis…and she started seeing a chiropractor a couple years later.
Diane Russo Cheng:
They would take x-rays and when ...
Ofer Levy uses new technologies and the principles of precision medicine to develop tailored vaccines to protect the vulnerable, such as the young and the elderly, from infection.
Why do we still think that drug use is a law-enforcement issue? Making drugs illegal does nothing to stop people from using them, says public health expert Mark Tyndall. So, what might work? Tyndall shares community-based research that shows how harm-reduction strategies, like safe-injection sites, are working to address the drug overdose crisis.
"Everybody pees and poops — and we know that urine and stool contain a rich source of information on our health," says data detective Newsha Ghaeli. Exploring the growing field of wastewater epidemiology, she shows how studying sewage can (anonymously) reveal a lot about the collective well-being of our cities — leading to real-time quality-of-l...
When under anesthesia, you can't move, form memories, or — hopefully — feel pain. And while it might just seem like you are asleep for that time, you actually aren't. What's going on? Steven Zheng explains what we know about the science behind anesthesia. [Directed by Zedem Media, narrated by Addison Anderson].
Less than an hour after scrambling out the back door of the Columbine High School library on April 20, 1999, Austin Eubanks was lying in a hospital bed, medicated on a variety of painkillers. That was the beginning of a decade-long addiction that led to a profound realization about the current opioid epidemic: how we manage pain is both the prob...
As of 2021, more than 36 million people were estimated to be experiencing substance use disorder. This condition spans a spectrum of patterned drug use that causes issues in a person’s life, with substance addiction at the more severe end. Why are some people more susceptible to addiction, and why can it be so difficult to treat? Judy Grisel tak...
Veterans in the United States take their own lives at an alarming rate. Suggesting new ways to prioritize mental health in the military, veterans advocate Charles P. Smith offers a data-driven plan to help prevent suicide and ensure service members get proper care before, during and after active duty.