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:

 Politicians can choose their own voters. Is that a threat to democracy? | File Type: audio/mpeg | Duration: Unknown

Every 10 years, based on the data provided by the U.S. Census, states redraw the country's congressional and state legislative districts. It’s an intense and often contentious political process that shapes representation for the decade to follow. The rules about how redistricting works, specifically about whether districts can be drawn to expressly favor one party over another, are being considered right now by the U.S. Supreme Court. The outcome of that case could have profound impact upon the health of our democracy. We talk it over with Michael Li, Senior Counsel for the Democracy Program at the Brennan Center for Justice at the NYU School of Law. He is a leading national expert in the redistricting process and, as you might guess, has lots of thoughts on the topic.

 Childbirth and reproductive health in America: Where we are and why we're here | File Type: audio/mpeg | Duration: Unknown

Another dispatch from SXSW and a big, important conversation this week. We’re talking maternal health care and the worsening dangers of childbirth in the U.S. We’re also talking abortion and comprehensive sex education as part of the spectrum of reproductive health care and why so many American women deliver their babies via c-section. Paid family leave makes an appearance too. Join us as we sit down with three passionate experts and advocates on International Women’s Day, who were in Austin to present a session called Hysteria No More: Data, Doctors, and Women’s Health: Dr. Chitra Akileswaran, Co-Founder of Cleo and lecturer at Harvard Medical School Dr. Rashmi Kudesia, reproductive endocrinology and infertility specialist at CCRM Fertility Houston Dr. Pooja Mehta, Director of Maternal and Women's Health Policy at the LSU Center Consortium for Health Transformation

 The physical and mental toll of mass violence | File Type: audio/mpeg | Duration: Unknown

In the wake of violence, some survivors appear unharmed but actually experience very real mental health injuries. Manya Chylinski, a survivor of 2013 Boston Marathon bombing who now speaks about mental trauma and resiliency & Amanda Samman, CEO of the Better Lab and trauma surgeon at Zuckerberg San Francisco General Hospital and Trauma Center, join us on the podcast this week. We talk with Manya about her personal journey after the marathon and to Amanda about how her experience has informed how she has engaged on this issue.

 We went to SXSW and heard a lot of things | File Type: audio/mpeg | Duration: Unknown

This week: A little change of pace from the Wooden Teeth crew. We snagged a booth at the SXSW Wellness Expo and talked to anyone who’d lend an ear about this very show – and we also got their thoughts on tape about the products they were selling and what influences their chance to be healthy. Listen up for some of the best, most-interesting, and most-head-scratching products and ideas about our health.

 What are the most effective policy proposals to improve health? | File Type: audio/mpeg | Duration: Unknown

President & CEO of Trust for America’s Health, John Auerbach, joins us on the podcast as we discuss effective policy proposals to improve health. We talk about the evolution of public health, the role of Trust for America's Health (TFAH), and we dive deep about specific state-level policy ideas. TFAH recently examined 1500 policies in an effort to identify the most feasible and effective ones that states can use to improve health and control costs. Their wide-ranging findings include recommendations on income, housing, syringe access, and policy to promote healthy behavior.

 Should people be allowed to inject illegal drugs under supervision? | File Type: audio/mpeg | Duration: Unknown

Harm Reduction Action Center, drug users are provided with clean needles to prevent the spread of HIV and Hepatitis C, along with other resources to help them stay healthy and avoid overdose, in addition to providing treatment referral. Last year, Denver approved a measure that would create a pilot site for a "supervised use site," a place where people could legally inject drugs under medical supervision. However, state approval would still be needed, and federal threats by the Trump Administration loom. Lisa takes us inside the world of applying a harm reduction strategy to address the needs of people who inject drugs.

 What makes a movement succeed or fail? | File Type: audio/mpeg | Duration: Unknown

Leslie Crutchfield is Executive Director of the Global Social Enterprise Initiative at Georgetown University's McDonough School of Business and she’s the author of "How Change Happens: Why some social movements succeed and others don't." We talk about why societal trends go where they do and the effect those trends have on the direction of the country. Like, how did we make so much progress on LGBTQ rights while the country also stockpiled guns and ammunition? Important for us, specifically, we also talk about why, after over a century of trying, America has yet to achieve universal access to health care.

 Is public health under siege? And other hot topics with Dr. Georges Benjamin | File Type: audio/mpeg | Duration: Unknown

The Executive Director of the American Public Health Association (APHA), Dr. Georges Benjamin joins us on the podcast today. We talk about some of the greatest public health achievements of the 21st century like maternal and infant health. We also discuss climate change and why APHA thinks it’s a public health concern. Dr. Georges Benjamin gets real as he provides a critique of Trump’s State of the Union address to eradicate HIV and AIDS. And to top it all off, we talk about APHA’s recent forum titled, “Public Health Under Siege: Improving Policy in Turbulent Times, “ which featured Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi and public health leaders from around the country.

 Getting to know SiX with Jessie Ulibarri | File Type: audio/mpeg | Duration: Unknown

We all know shows like The West Wing and Veep accurately portray the day-to-day lives of our elected officials. WRONG! Jessie Ulibarri is the executive director at the State Innovation Exchange (Six) and unfortunately, he’s here to tell us government is nothing like what you see on TV. Especially state government. We talk with Ulibarri about how SiX supports state legislators with tools and resources to pass progressive policies like paid family leave, criminal justice reform, paid sick days, and more. So sit back and crank up the volume as we get to know the State Innovation Exchange.

 News with friends: Scott Wasserman | File Type: audio/mpeg | Duration: Unknown

We’re trying something new today! We process current events from a public policy and public health perspective with friends of the podcast. And who better to kick this off than Scott Wasserman, president of the Bell Policy Center! We talk about the 3 M’s on this episode: medicare for all, Marxism, and marijuana. Wait, is that a thing? Probably not but we might patent it. Stay tuned. We also talk about Coloradans running for president, the federal government shutdown, and teacher strikes. Check out this episode and let us know your thoughts by rating us on iTunes!

 Science & democracy with Michael J. Thompson | File Type: audio/mpeg | Duration: Unknown

We live in a complicated society. We’re technologically advanced and scientifically complex. And while a world of information is right at our fingertips to help us dissect these convoluted studies, there’s also an abundance of misinformation spreading like wildfire. Michael J. Thompson, editor of, Anti-Science and the Assault on Democracy, discusses “fake news” around climate change, and outlandish claims about the effects of vaccines. I mean, should we trust those fancy pants scientists? Or are we holding our democracy back because we view science as left or right instead of facts?

 What states can do to address gun violence with Ari Freilich | File Type: audio/mpeg | Duration: Unknown

Ari Freilich is the staff attorney and California Legislative Affairs Director at the Giffords Center to Prevent Gun Violence and he joins us this week to talk about, well, guns, gun violence, and preventing gun violence. The Giffords Center was founded by former U.S. Representative Gabby Giffords after she and 18 others were shot at a constituent event in a supermarket parking lot in Tucson, AZ. And whether or not you believe guns kill people or people kill people, Freilich takes us down memory lane as he explains how the 2nd Amendment has evolved from “a well-regulated militia” to something more like “assault weapons for all.” He also highlights the role of guns in today’s escalating rates of suicide. Most gun-related deaths today are the result of suicide, not homicide. The rising rate of gun-related deaths has also contributed to a drop in life-expectancy for Americans. So why aren’t we considering this a public health crisis? Don’t worry though. It’s not all sad. We end on a positive note as Freilich discusses policy steps that can be taken at the state level to reduce gun violence. So let’s dive in!

 Wages and public health with J. Paul Leigh, PhD | File Type: audio/mpeg | Duration: Unknown

How much you earn directly affects your chances at good health. Straightforward enough, right? Well, sorta. J. Paul Leigh, PhD, Professor of Economics within the Public Health Division at UC-Davis, clues us in this week on how it’s actually a lot more than simple cause-and-effect. He caught our eye recently when he published a piece with Juan Du on the effects of minimum wage on the population’s health. We chat about the health effects of wages, job satisfaction, and unemployment – and why it’s taken so long for researchers to study all this. Particularly interesting are the outcomes of a higher wage for lower earners. If they can now buy things that are better for their health, they can also buy things that are worse for their health. So which wins out?

 Edgar Villanueva, vicious cycles, and 'Decolonizing Wealth' | File Type: audio/mpeg | Duration: Unknown

Edgar Villanueva has a new book. But more than that, he has a set of solutions to the pernicious problem of white men controlling the flow of philanthropic money in our country. His solutions are rooted in Native wisdom and he’s a member of the Lumbee Tribe, hailing originally from North Carolina. We discuss how foundations are stuck in vicious cycles, often reluctant to engage in upending a system that generated their wealth in the first place. And when it comes to health, they’re often stuck on an endless carousel of being hesitant to solve the public policy issues that created the health problems that the foundation was set up to fix in the first place.

 Marion Nestle and the politics of food, sugar, scientific research, and public health | File Type: audio/mpeg | Duration: Unknown

Author, professor, and general public health force of nature Marion Nestle joins us this week. Her newest book, Unsavory Truth: How Food Companies Skew the Science of What We Eat, examines the influence that food companies exert on the research that tags their products as healthy or not. As you might imagine, when food companies fund research, the results often come out looking prettttttttttty good for those companies. Marion also shares some fascinating anecdotes, including how the how the Russian hack of John Podesta’s emails during the 2016 presidential election turned out to have a connection back to her and the Coca-Cola Company. She’s the Paulette Goddard Professor of Nutrition, Food Studies, and Public Health, Emerita, at New York University. She is also a professor of Sociology at NYU and a visiting professor of Nutritional Sciences at Cornell University.

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