The good news about tuberculosis? It’s treatable and curable. In this episode, we learn how.

Harvard Medical School research fellow Dr. Andrew Basham comes on the podcast to discuss the ins and outs of TB in the body, and some of the lingering mental and physical effects he’s documented in patients after their treatments.

We cover the difference between active and “sleeping” or latent TB, symptoms to look out for and what to do when you’re diagnosed. Basham explains how to avoid drug-resistant and multidrug resistant TB (hint: take your medications on time!) and his frustration with the inherent paternalism of the Direct Observational Therapy (DOT) method. We wrap things up with the ways western medicine can learn from Indigenous ways of knowing and doing, and the importance of speaking up – learning to advocate for yourself in a healthcare setting.