Searching for the Soul of Health Care 5/19

Carly Yuenger

Thomas Moore broadens the discussion of health care on today's show. His 1992 book, Care of the Soul, was a New York Times bestseller and his new book, Care of the Soul in Medicine, couldn't be better timed.

What dimensions of health care won't be changed by government reform? Is our culture lacking a belief system to cope with illness? What cultures and beliefs can we use to fill the gap? Have you experienced illness as a right of passage?

Share your thoughts and experiences of soulful and soulless health care by leaving a comment below, or leave us a voicemail at 1-877-GLOBE-07

Eating good, eating easy 2/26

Let's face it, we know better.

We know what foods are good for us and which ones are nothing but empty calories. Still, us modern humans tend to eat poorly and we're paying for it - with our health and pocketbook. In a recent article, past Here on Earth guest Mark Bittman asks whether we've reached a point where it makes sense to tax products like soda in order to decrease their consumption.

Today's show offers another solution. Guest Louisa Shafia with her new book, Lucid Food: Cooking for an Eco-Conscious Life, helps us do organic, seasonal and local so that it's easy, cheap and yummy.

Share your tips and tricks for eating good and eco-friendly by leaving a comment below.

We'll post a recipe from the book on Monday.

Globalizing psychiatry 2/24

Carly Yuenger

Yesterday's show with Ethan Watters about the influence of western medicine on other culture's understandings of the mind and its idiosyncrasies sparked some really great conversation.

Watters' book, Crazy Like Us: The Globalization of the American Psyche, not only opened a far too rare discussion of the many ethical, social and personal issues surrounding mental health, but showed how important and helpful it is to think through them from a global perspective. And that's just the kind of conversation we love to hold...

You can listen to the show here, check out some of the audience discussion at our Facebook page, or leave a comment below with your thoughts.

Touch: Cross-Cultural, Communication and Health

Update - 12/23/08: This show has aired. You can download the MP3 from our archive. Let us know what you think!
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Patrick Peczerski


Today we're airing a program on touch. There's a whole field of science that studies touch called "haptic communication" We started from the premise that touch is healthy (see these studies) and that in general Americans are averse to touch. During today's show Jean will explore with her guests how much people touch in different cultures and how health and communication can be improved through touch and massage.

Below is a funny parody on the man hug. Joe Hardtke made an edited version for the show, and because it's so hilarious we decided to post the full version.



I'm curious to know what your experiences with touch have been. Have you ever committed a touch taboo? How do you respond to touch? Are you very protective of your personal space?