The Pulse

By WHYYScience Health & Fitness

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The Pulse episodes

February 08, 2019Live, Play, Learn — What Keeps Kids Healthy
What matters to a child’s health? Sure, some things are embedded in our genetics. But from the moment we’re born, there are a million different experiences, factors, and choices that contribute — from our neighborhoods and homes, to screen time and family dynamics. There’s also air pollution, neighborhood crime, where we’re born. Health researchers call that stuff “social determinants.” Sometimes, those things can cause stress that lead to sickness. Meanwhile, welcoming and supportive environments can be like winning the “health lottery” for some kids. In this episode, we examine how environments influence kids’ health — their minds and bodies, growth and behavior — and their futures.
Also heard on this week’s episode:
When a San Francisco Bay Area family discovered lead paint in their home, they had to move to protect their child from being poisoned. Read the original story from KALW here.
For lots of kids, as they grow bigger and stronger, their eyesight gets worse. Researchers say increased exposure to daylight could help.
A Michigan mom is teaching her 3-year-old daughter how to say “no” to adults, and hoping to change their family environment for the next generation. Plus, child psychologist Katherine Dahlsgaard weighs in on helping kids create boundaries.
Nina Feldman’s story from this episode is part of WHYY’s series Uneven Play, all about playground inequities.
49 min
February 01, 2019Separate: Black Health in America
Segregation in housing and education has had reverberations on health care and health outcomes for African-Americans. In this episode, we explore the legacy of that separation. We meet some of the people who helped integrate hospitals as the Civil Rights fight was heating up, and hear from a millennial mom, who says that, yes — even in 2018, finding a black doctor to care for her girls is “a thing.” Throughout the episode, we also visit separate, largely black spaces that nourish African-American health and well-being.
Also heard on this episode:
Pierre Johnson talks about his path to becoming a physician – he’s co-authored a book about his experiences called “The Pulse of Perseverance.”
New York Times Magazine writer Nikole Hannah Jones explores segregation in schools and the long-lasting effects on health and career choices.
Rickey Powell and Jeff Drew describe their experiences growing up in “Dynamite Hill,” a neighborhood in Birmingham, Alabama that was targeted by the Klan.
49 min
January 25, 2019In Science We Trust
From anti-vaxxers to climate change deniers and even flat-Earthers, there’s a lot of mistrust in science. But how did we get here in the first place? How did we lose public trust in science and medicine — and is there a way to rebuild it? In this episode of The Pulse, we explore these questions — and the fallout for health and innovation when trust in science disappears.
Also heard on this week’s episode:
Harvard University public health researcher David Williams talks about the wrongdoings and mistakes that have contributed to distrust of healthcare among minorities.
One day in 2015, FBI agents with guns burst into physicist Xiaoxing Xi’s house, and arrested him for economic espionage. Did a wider mistrust of Chinese scientists send the government to his door?
Historian Audra Wolfe discusses the role scientists played in the arms race — and the impact on people’s trust in science. Her new book is “Freedom’s Laboratory: The Cold War Struggle for the Soul of Science.”
There’s a new national initiative working to uncover the things that build trust among doctors and patients. Richard Baron of the ABIM Foundation says that sometimes, it’s about little things — like not mispronouncing a patient’s name.
Drexel University’s Mike Yudell — a public health historian and ethicist — digs into the “mad scientist” trope, explaining what it says about public perceptions of science.
49 min
January 18, 2019The Inner Workings of Hospitals
Hospitals can be bewildering places. They operate according to their own special logic, which can make them feel a bit like a well-oiled machine — and a bit like organized chaos. As patients, we’re dropped in and pushed through a maze of activity, mostly clueless about the hidden gears that keep this life-saving machinery chugging along. On this episode of The Pulse, we step through the “staff only” doors to get a better sense of the inner workings of hospitals.
Also heard on this week’s episode:
Talking with microbiologist Jonathan Eisen and healthcare epidemiologist Jennifer Han about healthcare-acquired infections — and the ways proper cleaning mitigates the risk they pose.
Violence erupts at hospitals more frequently than it should. Now, a California law is requiring medical centers to develop prevention plans to protect workers.
Ballinger architect Erin Nunes Cooper explains the challenges in designing hospitals — and why medical facilities can feel like a maze.
Writer-comedian Mimi Hayes found short-term love at the hospital, while recovering from a brain hemorrhage — call it a meet-cute for the ages (or, ahem — “the aged”).
Every hospital has an employee whose positive attitude makes everybody’s day better. At Nemours/Alfred I. duPont Hospital for Children in Wilmington, Delaware, that guy is George Benson.
50 min
January 04, 2019Feeling Your Age
They call it the golden years, but there’s a reason many of us dread old age — it can mean losing our health, our independence, our memories, and loved ones.
But getting old doesn’t mean what it used to. Thanks to advancements in tech and medicine, seniors have more options than ever when it comes to maintaining their health and quality of life. On this episode — how we want to age, and what gets in the way.
Also heard on this week’s episode:
Reporter Esther Honig documents her father’s cognitive decline.
Geriatric nurse practitioner Barbara Resnick from the University of Maryland explains why aging bodies are like old cars — parts break down, but a little TLC can keep them running for the long haul.
Endocrinologist Farah Khan on why it’s important to pay attention to bone health before it’s too late.
Sharon Wade from St. Louis talks about caring for her mother, who has dementia.
We hear about sex and intimacy at an assisted living facility in Phoenix, Arizona.
49 min
December 28, 2018Sports and Health
We think of sports as part of a healthy lifestyle — a chance to move our muscles, work up a sweat, release endorphins. Often that’s true… other times, not so much. In this show, The Pulse explores how sports affect our health — when they help, and when they hurt.
Also heard on this week’s episode:
Reporter Anders Kelto brings us the story of Josh Anderson — a prodigious soccer player on the cusp of making it big. Until a mental health condition got in the way. You can find a longer version of this piece on “Gamebreaker with Keith Olbermann.”
For talented young athletes, college can be a springboard to the big leagues. Ivy league football champ Cameron Countryman discusses the stresses of being a student-athlete.
KQED’s Laura Klivans reports on an effort by the Washoe people — native to California and Nevada — to revive indigenous sports.
Think gamers can’t get injured? Think again. Physical therapist Caitlin McGee specializes in treating injuries common among professional e-sports players.
In an audio postcard from Louisville reporter Lisa Gillespie, jockey Miguel Mena discusses the dangers of horse-racing.
Adaptive surfing lets people with disabilities catch a wave.
49 min
December 14, 2018Understanding Violence
On this episode of The Pulse, we examine violence — what sparks it, how it spreads, and where it can lead. We’ll learn about the spectrum of violence, from everyday blowups to terrorist acts. The hour includes stories about the allure of violence — which some people admit can sometimes be a thrill. A public health expert discusses the far-reaching impact of violence on health and well-being, including the reverberations for African Americans affected by police violence. Plus, one researcher says 2-year-olds are the most violent people on the planet.
Also heard on this week’s episode:
For years, psychologists have tried to understand the minds of terrorists so we can figure out why they commit violent acts. But now researchers are learning that might not be the best question to ask.
We associate mass shootings with mental illness — but are they really connected? Psychiatrist Amy Barnhorst confronted just this question when an angry 18-year-old walked into her office, threatening to shoot up his school.
We’ve all been there — on the brink of a conniption, ready to snap. Psychology professor Nathan DeWall zooms in on this fragile moment of flux to explain what makes us either control those impulses, or boil over.
African Americans are more likely to be the victims of crime and assault, as well as police violence. Harvard public health professor David Williams explains how living under constant threat can take a toll on both physical and mental health.
Community organizer Alfred Marshall spent years working to curb violence in New Orleans. His weapon: the gospel of de-escalation. His beliefs were put to the test when the city’s violence hit close to home.
49 min
December 07, 2018Body Politics
Our bodies are ours, but how we feel about them is largely defined by others — by the things people say, the culture we live in, the messages we get about which kinds of bodies are acceptable … and which kinds aren’t. On this episode of The Pulse, we look at how culture and politics shape the way we feel about our bodies. We’ll hear stories about bodies transformed by disease, weight, and age, and how those changes affect people’s sense of identity. We’ll also talk about the struggle to reclaim bodies from other people’s narratives about what is strong or beautiful, ugly or dangerous.
Also heard on this week’s episode:
When Earni Young turned 68, arthritis started to slow her down. She talks about her struggle to keep active, and how aging can make you feel invisible.
More men than ever are getting cosmetic surgery — we look at what they’re getting done, and why.
How the criminalization of HIV transforms bodies into weapons in the eyes of the law — and one man who spent nearly a decade in prison as a result.
Writer Kiese Laymon talks about what it means to be black, male and overweight, and how his relationship with his body changed along with his size. His new memoir is called “Heavy.”
We talk to yoga therapist Jennifer Kreatsoulas about recovering from an eating disorder, and how yoga can help people love their bodies. Her new book is “Body Mindful Yoga.”
Filmmaker Emily MacKenzie shares the stories of two people whose conceptions of their bodies changed after getting double mastectomies.
Shane Duquette was always skinny — until he hit the gym, and added 50 pounds of muscle. We talk to him about his transformation from beanpole to buff, and his efforts to help other skinny guys with his muscle-building website Bony To Beastly.
50 min
November 30, 2018The Water We Drink
Most of us take our drinking water for granted — switch on the tap, and out it flows. But in much of the world, that’s not the case. At home and abroad, tensions are mounting over water. In this episode, we take a closer look at the water we drink. We’ll hear stories about why water’s so important to our health; why we enjoy some kinds of water, but not others; how exactly water becomes clean enough to drink; and we’ll explore its ability to shape communities, and even politics, around the world.
Also heard on this week’s episode:
Scooch over soda — the age of seltzer has dawned. We visit Brooklyn Seltzer Boys to hear about how fizzy water works, and why we love it.
A chat with Mona Hanna-Attisha, the Flint, Michigan, pediatrician who blew the whistle on the city’s drinking water crisis. Her book is What the Eyes Don’t See.
How private wells sparked “water wars” in a Washington state farming community.
Scott Harrison talks about his transformation from hard-partying nightclub promoter to founder of the nonprofit Charity: Water. His new book is Thirst.
In arid Phoenix, Stina Sieg describes the sweat-inducing adventure that helped her realize the importance of hydration.
49 min
November 22, 2018The Difference a Gun Makes
A gun can change a moment, a life, a family, an entire neighborhood. Like a catalyst in a chemical reaction, guns have a unique ability to transform the calculus of a situation. A gun can make you feel safe. Sometimes it’s symbol of cultural identity. It also has the power to destroy. On this episode of The Pulse, we look at the difference a gun makes.
Also heard on this week’s episode:
A chat with Lore McSpadden, the militant pacifist who went on to co-found an LGBTQ gun club called Trigger Warning.
Jermaine McCory and Ted Corbin both have first-hand experience with gun violence — Jermaine as a victim, and Ted as an emergency doctor. They describe what gun violence looks like from each of their perspectives, and their work with Healing Hurt People, a violence intervention program.
Jessie Wright-Mendoza talks with her grandfather about his choice to keep a gun in the house after she was diagnosed with bipolar disorder.
Poet and pediatrician Irène P. Mathieu wrote “Our Boy” to mark the murder of Jordan Davis — an unarmed black teenager who was shot and killed by a white man during a “loud music dispute” in front of a gas station.
50 min

About The Pulse

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Go on an adventure into unexpected corners of the health and science world each week with award-winning host Maiken Scott. The Pulse takes you behind the doors of operating rooms, into the lab with…