Best Karen Updike Podcasts (2024)

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Ep 138 Fever: Take it to the limit 1:24:15

10h ago1:24:15

1:24:15

A dull pounding headache. Body aches that come and go. Chills that set your teeth to chattering and have you reaching for the fluffiest blankets to warm up. But the thing is, you’re already warm, hot even. At least according to the thermometer. That’s right, you’ve got a fever. Throughout the years of making this podcast, we’ve begun many a disease…

1
Special Episode: Dr. Deirdre Cooper Owens & Medical Bondage 1:12:47

8d ago1:12:47

1:12:47

The TPWKY book club is back in action, and we’re thrilled to be starting this season’s reading journey with Dr. Deirdre Cooper Owens, reproductive rights advocate, Associate Professor in the University of Connecticut history department, and award-winning author of Medical Bondage: Race, Gender, and the Origins of American Gynecology. The history of…

1
Ep 137 ME/CFS: What’s in a name? (A lot, actually) 1:44:51

10d ago1:44:51

1:44:51

In many ways, this week’s episode on myalgic encephalomyelitis/chronic fatigue syndrome (ME/CFS) is a companion piece to last week’s episode on Long Covid. The two share many similarities: a wide range of debilitating symptoms lingering long after infection, an illness which can transform from day to day or week to week, dismissal and downplaying b…

1
Ep 136 Long Covid: A long time coming 1:37:36

18d ago1:37:36

1:37:36

We’re back with our season 7 premiere, and we’re kicking things off with a topic that we’ve wanted to cover for a long time, even if the topic itself hasn’t been around all that long. That’s right, we’re taking on Long Covid. When SARS-CoV-2 began making its way around the world in 2020, it was thought to cause a mild illness in most people, with c…

1
Ep 135 Menopause is whatever you want it to be 2:11:17

3M ago2:11:17

2:11:17

For our season 6 finale, we’re spending some time with menopause. How many nicknames can you think of for menstruation? Quite a few, I’m sure. “That time of the month”, “Aunt Flo”, “the red wave”, “period”, the list goes on. But what about euphemisms for menopause? We’ve got “the change” or “change of life”, “climacteric”, and… that’s it? There may…

1
Ep 134 Tonsils: Underestimated and underappreciated 1:32:03

3M ago1:32:03

1:32:03

Raise your hand if you or someone you know has had their tonsils removed. If your hand is sky-high, there’s a pretty good chance that you (or that person you know) are from the US and were born before 1980. Of course, maybe that’s not the case, but tonsillectomies certainly fit in the category of 20th-century fads, along with Tamagotchis and the At…

1
Ep 133 Parvoviruses: Who let the dogs (and their viruses) out? 1:52:54

4M ago1:52:54

1:52:54

This one’s not just for the dogs. It’s also for the cats, the raccoons, the wax moths, the birds, the mice, and so many other critters. Oh, and of course the humans. Even though most of us may be familiar with parvovirus through our canine friends, the world of parvoviruses is much larger. In this episode, we explore that world, focusing first on t…

1
Ep 132 Osteogenesis Imperfecta: All bones about it 1:30:45

4M ago1:30:45

1:30:45

Often, the more we learn about a disease, the more we learn about ourselves and the world around us. The story of the genetic disorder osteogenesis imperfecta (OI), colloquially known as brittle bone disease, illustrates this perfectly. As researchers continue to uncover the mechanisms responsible for OI development and progression, the better we u…

1
Ep 131 Parkinson’s Disease: Dopamine & discoveries 1:48:10

5M ago1:48:10

1:48:10

Parkinson’s is a disease of many dimensions. On the shelves of any bookstore or library you’ll find at least a handful of titles exploring the topic from a myriad of perspectives, and extending that search to the internet will turn up dozens upon dozens more options: how-to guides for the recently diagnosed, in-depth textbooks exploring the neuroph…

1
Ep 130 Cocoliztli: We do love a salty dish 1:58:09

5M ago1:58:09

1:58:09

In the 16th century, a series of deadly epidemics swept through much of the region of Mesoamerica known as the Aztec Empire, killing untold millions. By the start of the first of these epidemics, the area had become woefully accustomed to devasting epidemic disease, as the Spanish conquistadors had introduced smallpox, measles, typhus, and influenz…

1
Ep 129 Lymphatic Filariasis: Hiding in plain sight 1:26:52

6M ago1:26:52

1:26:52

With a history extending back millennia, with a biology that leads to permanent disability for tens of millions of people globally, and with a bacterial endosymbiont that may prove to be its Achilles heel, the filarial parasites that cause lymphatic filariasis are quite the complex creatures. In this episode, we explore the intricacies of this negl…

1
Ep 128 Skin Cancer: We love and fear the sun 1:43:40

6M ago1:43:40

1:43:40

For every article about the risks of sun exposure or a guide to sunscreens, you don’t have to look far to find one about the health benefits of sunshine or a how-to for achieving the best tan. Messaging around sun exposure is mixed, to say the least, and it’s no wonder that despite having more sun protection tools than ever before, rates of skin ca…

1
Ep 127 Bhopal: The 1984 Union Carbide Disaster 1:31:13

7M ago1:31:13

1:31:13

On the night of December 2, 1984, a deadly gas leak at the Union Carbide pesticide plant in Bhopal, India led to what has been described as the world’s worst industrial disaster. In the immediate aftermath of the gas leak, thousands of people died and hundreds of thousands were injured from exposure to the toxic gas methyl isocyanate. But long afte…

1
Ep 126 Migraine: A Cacophony in Four Movements 1:48:27

7M ago1:48:27

1:48:27

“Throbbing, pulsating pain.” “Like a drill boring into your head.” “As though your head is gripped by a vise.” “Stabbing pain hammering through your brain.” There is no shortage of metaphors used to describe the horrific, incapacitating pain of migraines. But try as we might, can any of them truly convey what it feels like to be at the mercy of suc…

1
Ep 125 Blastomycosis: How fungus became amongus 1:24:13

7M ago1:24:13

1:24:13

Fungal infections don’t often make an appearance on this podcast, but when they do, you know you’re in for a wild ride. In this episode, we explore the rare but potentially deadly fungal infection blastomycosis. We trace the journey of Blastomyces spores as they depart from their cozy homes of decomposing wood and make their way first into mammalia…

1
Ep 124 The full spectrum of color vision deficiency 1:31:49

8M ago1:31:49

1:31:49

There’s no denying that human imagination is a powerful thing. It has led us to create incredible works of art, literature that transports its readers to other realms, technology that revolutionizes the way we communicate and travel, music and film that makes us laugh, cry, and hit repeat. But our imagination often falls short when trying to concei…

1
Ep 123 Hand, Foot, and Mouth (and Butt?) Disease 1:36:55

8M ago1:36:55

1:36:55

Hand, foot, and mouth disease (HFMD). The dreaded scourge of daycares, kindergartens, even occasionally college campuses, and the topic of this week’s episode. From the multiple viruses that cause HFMD to the wide array of symptoms (bye bye, fingernails), from the relatively recent discovery of this disease to the ancient origins of all viruses (de…

Podcasts Worth a Listen

Karen Updike Podcasts

Podcasts Worth a Listen

1
This Podcast Will Kill You

Exactly Right Media – the original true crime comedy network

1
Ep 138 Fever: Take it to the limit 1:24:15

1
Special Episode: Dr. Deirdre Cooper Owens & Medical Bondage 1:12:47

1
Ep 137 ME/CFS: What’s in a name? (A lot, actually) 1:44:51

1
Ep 136 Long Covid: A long time coming 1:37:36

1
Ep 135 Menopause is whatever you want it to be 2:11:17

1
Ep 134 Tonsils: Underestimated and underappreciated 1:32:03

1
Ep 133 Parvoviruses: Who let the dogs (and their viruses) out? 1:52:54

1
Ep 132 Osteogenesis Imperfecta: All bones about it 1:30:45

1
Ep 131 Parkinson’s Disease: Dopamine & discoveries 1:48:10

1
Ep 130 Cocoliztli: We do love a salty dish 1:58:09

1
Ep 129 Lymphatic Filariasis: Hiding in plain sight 1:26:52

1
Ep 128 Skin Cancer: We love and fear the sun 1:43:40

1
Ep 127 Bhopal: The 1984 Union Carbide Disaster 1:31:13

1
Ep 126 Migraine: A Cacophony in Four Movements 1:48:27

1
Ep 125 Blastomycosis: How fungus became amongus 1:24:13

1
Ep 124 The full spectrum of color vision deficiency 1:31:49

1
Ep 123 Hand, Foot, and Mouth (and Butt?) Disease 1:36:55

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