Only Human

Medical school culture isn’t known to be open about mental health issues. But many students like Giselle suffer from intense anxiety and depression. And she doesn’t want to stay silent. This is part …

What happens when you’re becoming a psychologist but you’ve  never come clean to your own family about your struggles with mental health? This is the dilemma Rose confronts, and she lets us eavesdrop…

Scientist Paul Quinton has lived twice as long as expected for someone with cystic fibrosis. He also made a discovery that led to a breakthrough treatment for the disease. But now that this new drug …

Native Americans have struggled with poor access to health care for many years. Two doctors who grew up on reservations are trying to change that, one patient at a time.

Jay Alan Zimmerman is a musician who has been losing his hearing over the past several decades. As his hearing worsened, Jay considered other professions, but couldn’t imagine a life without music. N…

Prenatal screening keeps getting more precise, more accessible, and less stressful -- at least in terms of the basic procedure. But what happens when these tests catch something? This week, the life …

A young woman with diabetes hacks her insulin pump and takes DIY medicine to a new level. But could she find herself in trouble with the federal government?

Doctors listen to stories from patients all the time. This week, we give them the mic to hear about the patients who left a lasting impression on their lives.

What actually makes you feel better when you go to the doctor? This week we explore that question and the power of a placebo – the most misunderstood “medicine” of all.

When it comes to dissecting a cadaver, medical students don’t always know who is under their scalpel. This week, Only Human’s Fred Mogul learns about a musician who spent his life educating others, a…

In the early 1900s, an eccentric fitness guru named Bernarr Macfadden discovered what he believed was a treatment for everything: fasting. In this episode, how Macfadden’s miracle cure got big, was f…

We’re often taught that sex can come with consequences. But is our fear of these risks making us alienate and punish people with sexually transmitted disease?

The new “female Viagra” has been underwhelming. But researcher Nicole Prause is on a mission to find out what it takes for women to have better sex.

A neuropsychologist and an opera singer have teamed up to create a form of vocal training for people on the autism spectrum. So far they’ve had success, but what does it mean for the patients who hav…

Peter Grinspoon spent years addicted to painkillers – as a successful physician who also prescribed them. He kept his addiction secret and often shared pills with his patients, until he was caught. I…

Calories, the longstanding building blocks of a diet, can be sneaky. It turns out that measuring what we eat through these units of energy isn’t as foolproof as we thought. We team up with the podcas…

Dr. Willie Parker, a devout Christian, refused to perform abortions early in his career. Now he travels across conservative states like Alabama and Mississippi, amid threats and criticism, providing …

An outbreak of Legionnaires’ disease had New Yorkers panicking last summer. We go behind the scenes to find out how the city stopped a deadly bacteria that claimed 16 lives, and left more than a hund…

Ever since Susannah Ludwig was born without an esophagus, her life has been a series of medical experiments. In this episode, the Academy Award-nominated movie producer talks about the uncertainty of…