Health Illness

Humpback whales are among the most intelligent animals on Earth—thought to potentially surpass even humans in self-awareness, empathy, and communication skills. In this episode, we swim with a whale as he teams up with other humpbacks to use bubbles to catch fish, rescues a sea lion, and puts his own spin on melodies sung by whales across the Pacific Ocean. This is the world in its natural state, defined by seasons, routines, and cycles. By the time this whale is ready to close one eye and go to sleep, you will be too.

A riveting thriller reminiscent of The Hot Zone, this true story dives into the mystery surrounding one of the most controversial and misdiagnosed conditions of our time - Lyme disease - and of Willy Burgdorfer, the man who discovered the microbe behind it, revealing his secret role in developing bug-borne biological weapons and raising terrifying questions about the genesis of the epidemic of tick-borne diseases affecting millions of Americans today.

In Saving Normal, Allen Frances, one of the world's most influential psychiatrists, warns that mislabeling everyday problems as mental illness has shocking implications for individuals and society: Stigmatizing a healthy person as mentally ill leads to unnecessary, harmful medications, the narrowing of horizons, misallocation of medical resources, and draining of the budgets of families and the nation.

Psychiatry has come a long way since the days of chaining "lunatics" in cold cells and parading them as freakish marvels before a gaping public. But, as Jeffrey Lieberman, MD, the former president of the American Psychiatric Association, reveals in his extraordinary and eye-opening audiobook, the path to legitimacy for "the black sheep of medicine" has been anything but smooth.

This is a thrilling historical account of the worst cholera outbreak in Victorian London and a brilliant exploration of how Dr. John Snow's solution revolutionized the way we think about disease, cities, science, and the modern world.

Tried all the medical advice but still hurting from reflux? You're not alone. I was there for 15 years, trusting advice that just didn't help. Medications faded in effect, and the fear of long-term side effects grew. Thankfully, a tip from a friend changed everything for me. In the same way, I hope that the tips in my free digestion challenge—digestionchallenge.com—are what you needed to confirm that you're ready for my three-step plan.

Professor of psychiatry Elyn R. Saks writes about her struggle with schizophrenia in this unflinching account of her mental illness. In The Center Cannot Hold, Saks draws readers into a nightmare world of medications, a misguided health-care system, and social stigmas. But she would not be defeated. With a strength and force of will that most can only imagine, Saks reclaimed her life and went on to achieve great success.

This fully revised and updated edition of The 30-Day Heart Tune-Up includes the latest science on the surprising connections between your gut and your heart as well as tons of new information on reducing cardiovascular risk factors like obesity, high blood sugar, high cholesterol, and chronic inflammation through diet and exercise, it will help you get healthy - and stay healthy - for life.

Childhood adversity that is severe enough to be harmful throughout life is one of the biggest public health issues of our time, yet health care systems struggle to even acknowledge the problem. In Damaged, Dr. Robert Maunder and Dr. Jonathan Hunter call for a radical change, arguing that the medical system needs to be not only more compassionate but more effective at recognizing that trauma impacts everybody's health, from patient to practitioner.

With compassionate stories of his patients and their conditions, Dr. Leschziner illustrates the neuroscience behind our sleeping minds, revealing the many biological and psychological factors necessary in getting the rest that will not only maintain our physical and mental health, but improve our cognitive abilities and overall happiness.

The Gentle Sleep Book offers gentle, no-tears sleep solutions for exhausted parents of newborns to five-year-olds. A large percentage of parents find their young children's sleep - or lack of - challenging. This new audiobook from Sarah Ockwell-Smith, founder of BabyCalm, will be an indispensable guide for parents, whatever challenges they are facing with their child's sleep - from the day they bring their newborn home until their child is settled in at school.

Good health doesn’t have to be complicated. Sleeping, hydrating, and breathing are fundamental to life, and making simple adjustments to the way we perform these basic functions can have an extraordinary impact on our health and wellbeing. In Sleep Drink Breathe, bestselling author Dr. Michael Breus shares the most recent science on these biobehaviors and inspiring patient stories that are the basis for his innovative strategy for optimizing your sleep, hydration, and breathing habits.

More than 100 million Americans suffer from chronic pain, according to an Institute of Medicine report released in 2011. For many, chronic pain is part of an autoimmune disease, but all too often doctors turn to the same solution: painkilling drugs. But all of this medication simply isn't helping. As Dr. Peter Osborne, the leading authority on gluten sensitivity and food allergies, has found, the real solution often lies in what you eat.

It's in our food, our clothes, and our homes. It's microplastic and it's everywhere—including our own bodies. Scientists are just beginning to discover how these tiny particles threaten health, but the studies are alarming. In A Poison Like No Other, Matt Simon reveals a whole new dimension to the plastic crisis.

Avoid, manage, and even reverse diabetes and prediabetes just by changing when - not what - you eat with this authoritative guide from the author of The Circadian Code.

Chronic fatigue, burnout, brain fog-no matter what we call it, our constant feeling of being drained affects all that we hold dear. But the very real culprits of our fatigue don't lie in our preconceived notions of caffeine intake or adrenal fatigue, nor does the replenishment of our energy lie in overhauling our lifestyle in time-consuming and unrealistic ways. Instead, the core underlying cause lies in our cells, specifically our mitochondrial deficiency, and the solution can be found in simple, straightforward, nutritional strategies that address our body's biology.

In addition to working well for physical ailments, homeopathy offers remedies for engaging with the subconscious mind to ameliorate embedded, existential causes of chronic illness— called “miasms.” Jerry M. Kantor presents diagnostic insight, specific homeopathic remedies, and successful case studies about the profound connections between emotions and their physical manifestations in illness.

We don’t believe we are worthy of rest unless we burn ourselves out to accomplish it. Our thinking has been limited by disconnection, sleep deprivation, and the unattainable call for perfection. The systems will never give us rest. It is something we must create for ourselves and each other.

When a car crash sidelines Mickey just before softball season, she has to find a way to hold on to her spot as the catcher for a team expected to make a historic tournament run. Behind the plate is the only place she’s ever felt comfortable, and the painkillers she’s been prescribed can help her get there. The pills do more than take away pain; they make her feel good. But as the pressure to be Mickey Catalan heightens, her need increases, and it becomes less about pain and more about want, something that could send her spiraling out of control.

In The Microbiome Solution, Dr. Robynne Chutkan, a preeminent gastroenterologist, explains how the standard Western diet and our super-sanitized lifestyles are starving our microbiomes, depleting the "good bugs" that are crucial for keeping us healthy, and encouraging overgrowth of exactly the wrong types of bacteria, which can leave us vulnerable to a host of autoimmune and chronic health conditions.