This week on Body Stuff we’re excited to introduce TED’s newest podcast, Good Sport, hosted by veteran sports producer Jody Avirgan. What can sports teach us about life – and each other? Good Sport brings you invigorating stories from on and off the field to argue that sports are as powerful and compelling a lens as any to understand the world – from what happens when you age out of a sport, to how we do or don't nurture talent, to analyzing how sports arguments have become the mode for all arguments. Good Sport launched on February 8th and you can find it anywhere you’re listening to this. TED Audio Collective+ subscribers on Apple Podcasts can hear the whole season early and ad-free.

When it comes to sports, is there anything more evocative –and elusive– than “the zone”? That mythical place an athlete goes to where focus is laser-sharp, nothing can go wrong, and time just vanishes. In this episode, Jody talks to NBA All-Star great Steph Curry about what “the zone” means for him – and whether or not it even exists. Then Jody works on his mental game with sports psychologist Dr. Nicole Detling, and follows Olympic biathlete Clare Egan in a step-by-step guide on how to foster mental resilience after failure. Transcripts for Good Sport are available at go.ted.com/GStranscripts

Back pain is extremely common. (The U.S spent around $135 BILLION on it in 2016 alone!). It’s also complicated, because sometimes it’s one thing, but often it’s a combination of factors with no single “root cause” or fast fix, and many doctors unfortunately don’t do a good job of evaluating back pain, or even explaining it. So when medical practitioners advertise quick fixes and fast relief, it's easy to fall prey to procedures that might do you more harm than good to you and your wallet— like “cracking” your back, or unnecessary surgery. In today’s episode, Dr. Jen helps you understand where back pain comes from, how science solidly debunks the legitimacy of chiropractors, and shares real solutions you can use to treat your pain so that you can get BACK to enjoying all the amazing things your body can do when it receives science-backed treatment. For the full text transcript visit: https://go.ted.com/BSTscript16

When we are in pain, we often turn to over-the-counter medications like acetaminophen. Sometimes, however, we’re prescribed opioid painkillers, and there’s a perception that this will be a more effective treatment, because opiods are the “strongest” treatment.  But a lot of what we think we know about opioids is due to propaganda from pharmaceutical companies and confusing medical guidelines. In today’s episode, Dr. Jen breaks down opioids: what ARE they? What do they do in our brain, and how do they affect pain? From discussing the difference between opioid addiction and opioid dependence, to tracing the history that’s led to today’s epidemic of opioid addiction (and what we might try as a society to fix it), this episode aims to arm you with information – because we all deserve access to responsible pain treatment.

https://go.ted.com/BSTscript15

It’s no shock that how we communicate about vaccines matters. A LOT. For example, one of the reasons some people don’t want to get vaccinated against COVID19 is because of anti-vaccine propaganda that falsely links the vaccine with infertility. Unfortunately, these kinds of myths are part of the playbook that’s been employed by anti-vaccine propagandists for… well, pretty much as long as there have been vaccines. And while this kind of targeted misinformation was predictable, powers in charge failed to take that threat seriously, and misinformation has become rampant across our communities. In this episode, Dr. Jen reviews how vaccines are developed and how they are tested for safety, including reproductive safety—and suggests strategies to address vaccine misinformation if you encounter it in the wild. For the full text transcript visit: https://go.ted.com/BSTscript14

These days it can feel like anyone can be allergic to anything– with sensitivities ranging from common allergies to certain foods and animals to more unusual things, like semen or the chemicals used to treat leather. But is that true–ARE we becoming more allergic to things? What IS an allergy anyway and what are things that simply mimic an allergic reaction? Can you have a temporary allergy, and do we ever develop them later in life? In this episode, Dr. Jen explores theories of how allergies evolved and shares how to get tested – legitimately – to see if you really have one. For the full text transcript visit: https://go.ted.com/BSTscript13

There’s a new episode out of Body Stuff for subscribers of TED Audio Collective + on Apple Podcasts; subscribe there for early access to Body Stuff and more. Otherwise see you here next week for more episodes that bust the lies you’re told and sold about your health.

And today, we’re sharing an episode of TED Health, another podcast in the TED Audio Collective. As prescription drug costs skyrocket in the US, thousands of people are forced to forgo lifesaving medications—all while manufacturers and health care facilities systematically destroy perfectly good, surplus pills. Kiah Williams shares how SIRUM—a nonprofit that delivers unused medications to families who need them most—plans to drive down prescription prices by recycling almost a billion dollars’ worth of medications in the next five years. After the talk, hear from radiation oncologist Dr. Fumiko Chino, in conversation with TED Health host Dr. Shoshana Ungerleider, on her heartfelt and tireless work investigating the high cost of medical care. If you like the episode, you can find more episodes of TED Health by following the show wherever you’re listening to this.

It might surprise you to know that if you’re a healthy human, you have yeast living in your body (and if you’ve had a delicious slice of bread or mouthwatering glass of wine, you also have fungi to thank for that). But what DOES yeast do for human health–and at what point does yeast become a problem? How much yeast is too much? And what treatments are appropriate for things like yeast infections? In today’s episode, Dr. Jen takes a look at the science to answer these questions and more, and gives us guidance on how to approach the fungus in –and among– us. https://go.ted.com/BSTscript12

We all know a good night’s sleep is essential, but for many people, sleeping well (or falling asleep at all) can be difficult and even stressful– and there’s no shortage of tales about what prevents people from catching their ZZZs. In this episode, Dr. Jen digs into ``how to sleep'' culture– from blue light blockers to sleep hygiene enthusiasts, to the 8 hours a night rule to… witches?! Don’t sleep on this episode–because  it might just have you skipping the melatonin supplements and rethinking sleep rituals –before jumping into bed for a well-deserved snooze. Read the full transcript for this episode at https://go.ted.com/BSTscript11

From metabolism gummies to spicy foods, the Keto diet to intricate exercise routines—it seems there’s always something that is being sold or promoted to speed up your metabolism. But do most of us even know what our metabolism IS? And is there any way to hack it (you know, so we can eat pizza all day and not stress about it)? In this episode, Dr. Jen outlines what science knows about this process and why the myths and misunderstandings about our metabolism’s ability to change can actually do us more harm than good. https://go.ted.com/BSTscript10

Sniffing a fragrant flower, inhaling the aroma of a good cup of coffee, breathing in your loved one’s signature scent–these are just a few of the joys you might feel deprived of when you lose your sense of smell. But smell is a surprisingly underrated sense and many of us don’t know– How DOES our sense of smell work? Is it related to taste? And if we lose it, how do we get it back? Dr. Jen Gunter walks us through the fascinating wonders and mysteries of smell, unpacks the latest neuroscience about the sense and its links to taste, and investigates how language can shape our perception of the many odors that our nose (and entire olfactory system!) picks up daily. You can read the text transcript for this episode at https://go.ted.com/BSTscript9