The Wooden Teeth Show show

The Wooden Teeth Show

Summary: Government, elections, historical myths, webs of influence – they’re all affecting your health more than you think.

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Podcasts:

 Public Health & Politics with Dr. Abdul El-Sayed | File Type: audio/mpeg | Duration: Unknown

Jake speaks with Dr. Abdul El-Sayed about how Abdul's public health training informs his political instincts, the status of the public health workforce, and his insights on why President Trump won in 2016, but lost in 2020. They also dabble in actors with Egyptian roots, Ann Arbor deli talk, and a little sports. Abdul is a CNN political contributor, podcaster, and author. He was formerly the Executive Director of the Detroit Health Department and also ran for Governor of Michigan.

 On the Wildfire Frontline with Dan Gibbs | File Type: audio/mpeg | Duration: Unknown

Jake speaks with Dan Gibbs, who is a wildland firefighter and Executive Director of the Colorado Department of Natural Resources. Dan was deployed this year to fight what were the largest forest fires in the state's history, which was part of a swell of fires this year out West that consumed an area larger than the state of Maryland. Dan offers both a ground-level and a policy perspective on how to fight wildfires, sets the record straight on Trump's "forest raking," and takes a position on whether wildland firefighters should have their own calendar.

 Rebuilding in the Wake of the Pandemic with Dr. Ashwin Vasan | File Type: audio/mpeg | Duration: Unknown

Jake speaks with Dr. Ashwin Vasan, a physician and epidemiologist who is also the President & CEO of Fountain House, an organization with international reach that supports people with mental illness. In the conversation, Jake mines Dr. Vasan’s public health expertise in exploring our response to the COVID-19 pandemic, including what steps Vice President Joe Biden should take to advance public health should he become President, and how we should communicate about and build confidence in the adoption of a COVID-19 vaccine.

 A Breath of Fresh Cyanide | File Type: audio/mpeg | Duration: Unknown

While our air quality overall has improved in the last 50 years, air pollution today still causes about 100,000 premature deaths annually in America. It costs us all about $886 billion per year. The air emissions from our fossil fuel economy not only accelerates climate change, but also poses a health risk right now in communities across the U.S. as harmful substances, like Benzene, are still emitted. Jake speaks with Chase Woodruff, a journalist who writes for Westword, about his reporting on an oil refinery in Metro Denver that has been cited for over 100 violations since 2018 by state regulators, including spewing an excess amount of hydrogen cyanide in the surrounding community. Jake also speaks with Dr. Cory Carroll, a physician who describes how harmful air emissions and elevated ozone levels affect our health. He also shares some perspective on treating patients in a community that has seen a steep rise in nearby oil and gas extraction. 

 The Future of Big Tobacco is ... Japanese?! | File Type: audio/mpeg | Duration: Unknown

Altria recently introduced "Heat not burn" tobacco products in Atlanta, their first U.S. test market. This is the latest ploy big tobacco is using to hook people on nicotine. It’s so new it makes vaping seem like a thing of the past. These products come to the U.S. all the way from Japan, where they've become very popular. In this episode, you’ll hear an interview conducted in Tokyo, where Dr. Reiko Saito of Jumonji University talks about the history of tobacco control activism in Japan, new smoking regulations passed in advance of the upcoming Olympic Games in Tokyo, and how these “Heat not Burn” products came to prominence in Japan. PLUS, Don Draper makes a guest appearance!

 Coming out, interrupted. | File Type: audio/mpeg | Duration: Unknown

Justin took the stage at a recent rural philanthropy event and, for the first time in his life, publicly shared his story about coming out as a gay man. However, his microphone got cut off.  In this episode, we talk with him about what happened that day, as well as his personal experience with so-called "gay conversion therapy." We also speak about his work at the University of New Mexico's Center for Participatory Research, where he engages in research to support the health of LGBTQ high school students.

 A conversation with Liz Plank about idealized masculinity | File Type: audio/mpeg | Duration: Unknown

In this episode, Jake speaks with award-winning Vox journalist Liz Plank about her new book, "For the Love of Men: A New Vision for Mindful Masculinity." We explore the negative health impact of toxic masculinity or, as Liz calls it, "idealized masculinity", and its role in fueling gun violence, domestic abuse, suicide and more. And finally, we discuss societal solutions to address these public health problems, including a more empathetic approach to masculinity, which empowers men to be who they truly want to be.

 What it means to be "healthy": some thoughts from the SXSW Wellness Expo | File Type: audio/mpeg | Duration: Unknown

This week, we’re taking a look back at one of our favorite episodes from the season: our trip to SXSW’s Wellness Expo, where we interviewed visitors and vendors about their thoughts on what it means to be “healthy”. Now, a few months after our initial trip, the Wooden Teeth staff takes time to reflect on the conversations we had at SXSW, and talk about what the different booths at the event have to say about how our culture thinks about health.

 Need some summer reading ideas? We got you covered. | File Type: audio/mpeg | Duration: Unknown

In this episode, we are looking back at some of our favorite interviews from this season about books—books that inspire, that force us to reevaluate our preconceived notions, and that illuminate something within ourselves. We’ll show you some highlights from our conversations with three different authors about their work: Marion Nestle, author of Unsavory Truth: How Food Companies Skew the Science of What We Eat; author of Decolonizing Wealth, Edgar Villanueva; and finally, Leslie Crutchfield, author of How Change Happens: Why Some Social Movements Succeed and Others Don’t. Our Wooden Teeth staff also joins the podcast to give some of their top book recommendations for this summer. If you are looking for something to read for a coming vacation in these warmer weeks, we promise you will leave this episode with a laundry list of books to stack on your nightstand and expand your mind.

 How does economic inequality influence mental health? | File Type: audio/mpeg | Duration: Unknown

How does economic inequality influence mental health?

 The re-birth of the public option | File Type: audio/mpeg | Duration: Unknown

The re-birth of the public option

 All About the 2020 Democratic Presidential Primary | File Type: audio/mpeg | Duration: Unknown

All About the 2020 Democratic Presidential Primary

 When we elect women, what happens to our health? | File Type: audio/mpeg | Duration: Unknown

This week, our host Jake Williams chatted with Edwin Ng of the University of Waterloo and Carles Muntaner of the University of Toronto. They examined the effect of female representation in government on population health. Turns out, female representation and feminism generally are good for your health. And we couldn’t have a podcast about women with only men so two ladies of the Wooden Teeth team joined to give their take on the episode. So join us as we discuss feminism and public health.

 Why are some cities better at keeping people alive? | File Type: audio/mpeg | Duration: Unknown

A low-income resident of New York City or San Jose, CA lives about 5 years longer on average than a low-income resident of Detroit or Indianapolis. The evidence suggests that this is due, at least in part, to the difference in social, economic and public health resources offered to residents via public policy. Today on the podcast we have the president of CityHealth, Shelley Hearne. CityHealth, an initiative of the deBeaumont Foundation and Kaiser Permanente, advances evidence-based public health policy solutions that help people live longer, better lives in cities across America, and then ranks cities on their adoption of these policies with a gold/silver/bronze medal system.

 Why does CrossFit have a political agenda? | File Type: audio/mpeg | Duration: Unknown

This week: We learn that there’s an exercise Jake can’t do, find out why a gym company has a government affairs director, and learn about “unholy alliances” of less-than-savory businesses and government health agencies. We’re joined by Russ Greene, who heads up government relations for CrossFit, which now has more than 15,000 affiliate gyms around the country and we find out what it means to be a fitness company with its own political ideology. Disclosure: Jake <3s CrossFit.

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