Life Kit: Health

As the days get shorter and temperatures drop, it's common to feel depressed and low on energy. In this episode, tips from the psychiatrist who first studied SAD on how to weather the colder, darker months ahead. This episode originally ran Oct 2020.

Follow us on Instagram: @nprlifekit
Sign up for our newsletter here.
Have an episode idea or feedback you want to share? Email us at [email protected]
Support the show and listen to it sponsor-free by signing up for Life Kit+ at plus.npr.org/lifekit

See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for sponsorship and to manage your podcast sponsorship preferences.

NPR Privacy Policy

We can't prevent you from getting sick this year, but we can help you prepare. In this episode, we talk to a doctor and a pharmacist about their medicine cabinet must-haves, how to read medicine labels, and when to treat an illness at home or see a doctor.

Follow us on Instagram: @nprlifekit
Sign up for our newsletter here.
Have an episode idea or feedback you want to share? Email us at [email protected]
Support the show and listen to it sponsor-free by signing up for Life Kit+ at plus.npr.org/lifekit

See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for sponsorship and to manage your podcast sponsorship preferences.

NPR Privacy Policy

Picking a health insurance plan can be confusing and frustrating. There are endless acronyms and it's hard to predict what your health needs will be in six months. This episode, we break down some of the terms and share guided questions to help you choose the plan that's best for you. This episode was originally published Oct. 31, 2023.

Follow us on Instagram: @nprlifekit
Sign up for our newsletter here.
Have an episode idea or feedback you want to share? Email us at [email protected]
Support the show and listen to it sponsor-free by signing up for Life Kit+ at plus.npr.org/lifekit

See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for sponsorship and to manage your podcast sponsorship preferences.

NPR Privacy Policy

Fall is officially here. Why not use this new season as a chance to check in with your health? This episode of Life Kit, medical professionals share advice to help you care for your ears, eyes, teeth, feet and skin. We hope these tips leave you feeling healthy and strong. This episode was originally published on Sept. 4, 2025.

Follow us on Instagram: @nprlifekit
Sign up for our newsletter here.
Have an episode idea or feedback you want to share? Email us at [email protected]
Support the show and listen to it sponsor-free by signing up for Life Kit+ at plus.npr.org/lifekit

See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for sponsorship and to manage your podcast sponsorship preferences.

NPR Privacy Policy

Interested in having a baby outside of the bedroom? In vitro fertilization is just one of many options on the reproductive technology table. This episode, Life Kit reporter Andee Tagle shares how to choose the right conception method for you -- from planning out your timeline to the financial and legal questions you should ask.

Follow us on Instagram: @nprlifekit
Sign up for our newsletter here.
Have an episode idea or feedback you want to share? Email us at [email protected]
Support the show and listen to it sponsor-free by signing up for Life Kit+ at plus.npr.org/lifekit

See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for sponsorship and to manage your podcast sponsorship preferences.

NPR Privacy Policy

It can be difficult to love how your body looks, or even like it. But what if you could expand the way you think about your body? This episode, psychologist Diana Hill shares how to practice body image flexibility and appreciate all of the ways your body allows you to experience the world. She gives mental exercises that help you fixate less on your appearance in an image-obsessed culture.

Follow us on Instagram: @nprlifekit
Sign up for our newsletter here.
Have an episode idea or feedback you want to share? Email us at [email protected]
Support the show and listen to it sponsor-free by signing up for Life Kit+ at plus.npr.org/lifekit

See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for sponsorship and to manage your podcast sponsorship preferences.

NPR Privacy Policy

Perimenopause can be overwhelming. Mood swings, insomnia and hot flashes can make you feel like a completely different person. Hormone therapy is one way a lot of women are treating the symptoms. Life Kit’s Marielle Segarra talks with Dr. Mara Gordon of NPR’s Real Talk with a Doc column about the risks and benefits.

Follow us on Instagram: @nprlifekit
Sign up for our newsletter here.
Have an episode idea or feedback you want to share? Email us at [email protected]
Support the show and listen to it sponsor-free by signing up for Life Kit+ at plus.npr.org/lifekit

Related episodes

'Say no to power peeing' and other good tips from a pelvic floor physical therapist. Your pelvic floor supports organs like your bladder, bowels and reproductive system. Strengthen it with exercises and mantras (like "squeeze before you sneeze") from physical therapist Sara Reardon.

If sex is painful, you have options. There are lots of reasons women may experience pain during or after sex. Whether you've just given birth, are experiencing hormonal changes, or are under a lot of stress, you have options to address the pain.

Shy about talking to your gynecologist? Here are some answers to difficult questions. Painful periods, low libido, pap smear anxiety — when it comes to talking to your gynecologist, no question should be off the table, says Dr. Rachel Bervell. She answers questions from our audience.

See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for sponsorship and to manage your podcast sponsorship preferences.

NPR Privacy Policy

There are lots of reasons women may experience pain during or after sex. Whether you've just given birth, are experiencing hormonal changes, or are under a lot of stress, you have options to address the pain. In this episode of Life Kit, reporter Andee Tagle talks to pelvic floor physical therapist Janelle Frederick about how to communicate with sex partners about it, when to see a doctor or physical therapist and what exercises you can try at home to relieve the pain.

Follow us on Instagram: @nprlifekit
Sign up for our newsletter here.
Have an episode idea or feedback you want to share? Email us at [email protected]
Support the show and listen to it sponsor-free by signing up for Life Kit+ at plus.npr.org/lifekit

See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for sponsorship and to manage your podcast sponsorship preferences.

NPR Privacy Policy

Many people pause physical activity during pregnancy -- but research shows that exercising while pregnant is good for your health and your baby's health. If you're unsure which kinds of exercise are on the table, fear not. Life Kit reporter Andee Tagle takes you through the workout guidance for each trimester and how you can physically prepare for your due date.

Follow us on Instagram: @nprlifekit
Sign up for our newsletter here.
Have an episode idea or feedback you want to share? Email us at [email protected]
Support the show and listen to it sponsor-free by signing up for Life Kit+ at plus.npr.org/lifekit

See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for sponsorship and to manage your podcast sponsorship preferences.

NPR Privacy Policy

Do you check your phone to set a reminder, then get sidetracked by every targeted social media ad? Or plan to spend your day in focus mode only to be derailed by your TV? We encounter dozens of screens everyday, each of them with an abundance of information calling for our attention. But there is a way to set better boundaries with your tech. This episode, Manoush Zomorodi, host of NPR's TED Radio Hour and author of Body Electric, explains how to free yourself from "information overload."

Follow us on Instagram: @nprlifekit
Sign up for our newsletter here.
Have an episode idea or feedback you want to share? Email us at [email protected]
Support the show and listen to it sponsor-free by signing up for Life Kit+ at plus.npr.org/lifekit

See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for sponsorship and to manage your podcast sponsorship preferences.

NPR Privacy Policy