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America Dissected

On America Dissected, Dr. Abdul El-Sayed and Dr. Katelyn Jetelina explore what’s really making us sick and what we’ll need to take on — be it racism, corporate capitalism, or snake oil salesmen — to keep all of us healthy. New podcast episodes every Thursday. Subscribe wherever you listen.

LISTEN: An Enlightening Conversation about Breast Density

LISTEN: An Enlightening Conversation about Breast Density

The FDA recently issued a rule that requires all mammography reports include information about breast density. Abdul talks to Dr. Elise Desperito, the Breast Imaging Director at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center about what breast density is and its implications for breast cancer screening. To assess your breast cancer risk,

LISTEN: Pink October

LISTEN: Pink October

It’s October–which if the ubiquitous pink ribbons didn’t make it clear–is breast cancer awareness month. Breast cancer is a terrible disease, but so are so many others. But it has excellent branding. Which raises the question: should diseases have brands? Abdul reflects on the implications of

LISTEN: Will Medical Debt get a Blue Waive?

LISTEN: Will Medical Debt get a Blue Waive?

Over the past several years, cities, counties, and states have elected to relieve their residents’ medical debt. That’s cascaded into a national movement to relieve it — which has been picked up by the likes of Vice President Kamala Harris in her presidential campaign. Abdul reflects on the particular pain

LISTEN: Factory Farming Fails

LISTEN: Factory Farming Fails

You are what you eat…right? Or maybe, we are what we eat. And together, most of the meat we consume is raised on factory farms that degrade our environment, our pocketbooks, and yes, our health. Abdul reflects on the role financialization has played in creating factory farms. Then he

LISTEN: If childbirth isn’t an illness, why does it happen in hospitals?

LISTEN: If childbirth isn’t an illness, why does it happen in hospitals?

Is a hospital the best place for childbirth? That question is driving a revolution in birthing, focused on creating outpatient birth centers. This National Birth Center Week, Abdul reflects on the birth experience — and who it leaves behind. Then he sits down with the co-founder and CEO of the birth

LISTEN: Are Annual Pelvic Exams Still Necessary?

LISTEN: Are Annual Pelvic Exams Still Necessary?

For more than half of the adults alive, pelvic exams are among the most dreaded parts of getting healthcare. That’s not to mention the troublesome history of how they came to be a part of standard medical practice. Abdul reflects on the gender imbalance in medical innovation. Then he

LISTEN: A Family Physician on meeting “fear with feelings”

LISTEN: A Family Physician on meeting “fear with feelings”

It’s back-to-school season — and that means back-to-school vaccines. Abdul reflects on the roles that ritual and trust play in shaping vaccination. Then he sits down with Dr. Natasha Bhuyan, a family physician, to discuss the conversations she has with hesitant families and the future of family medicine. This show

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