We all want to achieve wellness, but how many of us have a clear understanding of what it is or how to measure it? Some believe it’s meeting a certain set of metrics around health. Others see it as becoming a more effective self-advocate when navigating our health challenges, or creating a balance in work, fitness, and family that promotes a sense of well-being.However we define wellness, we can all use advice from thoughtful people about how to find it for ourselves. That’s the mission of Slate’s new podcast ‘Well, Now.’ Each week, our expert hosts will tackl...
The Future of Wellness
After a year of nuanced conversations on wellness, we say goodbye by reflecting on how these discussions expanded what it means to live a full, well-balanced life. We’re also joined again by longevity expert Dr. Darshan Shah to discuss what needs to change to make wellness more accessible for everyone.Well, Now is hosted by registered dietitian nutritionist Maya Feller and Dr. Kavita Patel.Editing and podcast production by Vic Whitley-Berry with editorial oversight by Alicia Montgomery.The Well,
Is Longer Life Really Possible?
For eons, humans have been trying to find ways to live longer. It’s a quest that’s inspired legends and myths across cultures and continues to fuel controversy in the health and wellness industry today. On this week’s episode of Well, Now we speak with Dr. Darshan Shah to better understand longevity science and hear about his journey from performing surgery to creating the longevity clinic Next Health.Well, Now is hosted by registered dietitian nutritionist Maya Feller and Dr. Kavita Patel.Editi
Staying Sober This Holiday Season
For many, the holiday season is both a joyful time with friends and family and a period of high stress with dangerous ways to cope. This can be especially challenging for people with substance use disorder.On this week’s episode of Well, Now Maya and Kavita discuss addiction and recovery with Zac Clark. Reality TV fans may remember him as a contestant on The Bachelorette, where he opened up about his history with drug abuse and how his journey to sobriety led him to create Release Recovery, an a
More Than Hot Flashes: Breaking the Silence on Menopause
More than half the population will experience menopause if they’re fortunate enough to age. Yet so much of this full-body transformation remains a mystery.Journalist and filmmaker Tamsen Fadal is out to change that. Her new documentary The M Factor: Shredding the Silence on Menopause premiered on PBS earlier this year. In it, her team interviews patients and health experts worldwide about the lack of research into this important stage of life.On this week’s episode of Well, Now Kavita and Maya a
Creating an Exercise Routine That’s Right for You
Regular movement is crucial for lifelong health, but finding a routine that fits well in your life can be challenging and overwhelming.On this week’s episode of Well, Now we speak to retired volleyball player Gabby Reece on transitioning out of professional sports and talk about ways to realistically bring performance-level fitness to every kind of exercise routine.If you liked this episode, check out: Breaking Up With Diet Culture Well, Now is hosted by registered dietitian nutritionist Maya Fe
Being a "Likeable Badass" Could Improve Your Health
How do women gain social influence? Understanding this is crucial because research shows they often face unique challenges in having their voices heard and their expertise recognized, even in highly qualified fields like medicine. The consequences of this could be dire, both for female patients and their healthcare providers.On this week’s episode of Well, Now, Kavita and Maya talk with psychologist Alison Fragale about the science behind effective social influence. Her new book is Likeable Bada
Getting to the Heart of Hormonal Health
Hormones influence everything from mood and energy levels to fertility and long-term health. Yet for many, hormonal health remains shrouded in mystery.When women do seek guidance from their OBGYNs, they’re often told birth control is the only option for treating hormone-related issues like PCOS and endometriosis.But that wasn’t going to cut it for Alisa Vitti.On this week’s episode of Well, Now Kavita and Maya tackle hormonal health with the FLO Living CEO and see what other options are availabl
Weed’s Growing (and Alarming) Side Effects
Nearly half of states – 24 and Washington, D.C – have legalized recreational marijuana. As more people report regularly using it, physicians are seeing patients with alarming side effects related to their cannabis use.On this week’s episode of Well, Now Kavita and Maya sit down with internist and pediatrician Dr. Brittany Tayler to better understand these conditions and who could most likely get them.If you liked this episode, check out: Psychedelics’ Long Strange Trip to the Doctor’s OfficeWell
Puberty is Starting Earlier and Lasting Longer. Why?
Puberty is changing, and we’re not talking about developing Adam’s apples and growing hair in new places.It starts earlier and lasts longer.Regardless of when this necessary stage of life starts, youth and their adults need support going through it.On this week’s episode of Well, Now puberty expert Vanessa Kroll Bennett discusses the biggest ways puberty has changed for today’s youth and how best to navigate it. She’s co-host of the podcast This Is So Awkward with Dr. Cara Natterson and co-autho
Can Kids Be Healthy at Any Size?
We live in a weight-obsessed world, and children are not immune.From the moment a child is born, their weight and height are tracked and recorded. Then throughout their development, these metrics are used as one of the main factors to determine their health.But as the Health at Every Size (HAES) philosophy continues to gain traction for some adults, is there use for it as a part of growing children’s well-being, too?On this week’s episode of Well, Now Maya and Kavita speak with pediatric dietiti
Are Supplements Actually Worth It?
Go to the supplement aisle at the grocery store, and the options are endless. Scroll through any Instagram or TikTok feed, and you’re bound to see videos of people claiming their latest supplement is life-changing. Supplements can be used for health and wellness, but it’s important to know the facts before buying the next trendy capsule, pill, tincture, or gummy.On this week’s episode of Well, Now Maya and Kavita give you helpful tools to decide what supplements are worth the hype and which are
What It’s Really Like to Take Ozempic
GLP-1 drugs like Ozempic, WeGovy, Mounjaro and others revolutionized weight loss and chronic weight management. But what does it feel like for the patients who take them?On this week’s episode of Well, Now Kavita and Maya talk with journalist and author Johann Hari. Over the course of a year, Johann dived into the research and history behind GLP-1 drugs and how they became the latest and most effective way to lose weight. All the while, he was also taking Ozempic himself. His latest book Magic P
The Truth About IUDs
Modern IUDs have been used for decades to prevent unwanted pregnancy and have been extremely effective at doing so.But they’re not without side effects. With few places to turn, many patients have resorted to TikTok to describe their experiences of painful insertion and removal as well as cramping, changes in menstruation, and mood shifts.But patients don’t have to be left in the dark. If there was more research into how different bodies react to IUDs, there’s a chance patients can get the care
Who Cares for the Caregivers?
Nearly half of healthcare workers are at a breaking point, describing that they often or very often feel burnt out on the job.Most of us have heard the phrase “Put on your oxygen mask before helping others,” but rarely does that happen especially for those who work as caregivers.Psychiatrist Dr. Jessi Gold knows this firsthand when her mental overload caused her to make an unthinkable mistake with a patient. This error forced her to step back and reassess her relationship with the healthcare ind
How to Prepare for Back-to-School Season
Summer is ending and school is officially back in session. For many, a new school year is the perfect time to create new goals and establish a routine. On this week’s episode of Well, Now, we are joined by primary care pediatrician, Dr. Edith Bracho-Sanchez. She discusses the importance of navigating the back-to-school season as a family, highlighting how parents can support their children and prioritize health and wellness.If you liked this episode, check out: Spring Cleaning Your Medicine Cabi
What Drag Queens Can Teach Us About Healthcare
Drag is one of the fastest-growing forms of entertainment, and has been making its way into the mainstream in recent years. On this week’s episode of Well, Now, we are joined by drag queen, actress, and trans activist, Miss Peppermint. She provides insight on self-advocacy, and how to navigate the healthcare system despite society’s tendencies to overlook transgender health.If you liked this episode, check out: Ending Racism in HealthcareWell, Now is hosted by registered dietitian nutritionist M
Eating for Health
Health at Every Size is an approach that shifts the focus from dieting and weight loss and instead promotes healthy eating and exercise patterns, regardless of body size and weight. On this week’s episode of Well, Now, Shana Spence, registered dietitian and nutritionist, provides insight on how to foster a healthy relationship with food. If you liked this episode, check out: How Your Food Can Fight Climate ChangeWell, Now is hosted by registered dietitian nutritionist Maya Feller and Dr. Kavita
How to Reclaim Your Life After a Health Crisis
Every year, millions of Americans experience a stroke. Though the focus is often on prevention and immediate care, many patients are left with long-term effects for years –or even a lifetime– afterward. On this week’s episode of Well, Now, we dive into new approaches to overcome the cognitive and physical disabilities that often follow a stroke. Dr. Rajiv Ratan, executive director at Burke Neurological Institute, offers his insights. If you liked this episode, check out – Gut Check: How to Maste
Food Is More Than Fuel
We all know the food we eat directly impacts our physical health. But that’s just the start of the story.Food fuels our emotional well-being, connects us with one another, and fosters a key source of identity.On this week’s episode of Well, Now we speak with award-winning food journalist Mary Beth Albright on her new book Eat & Flourish: How Food Supports Emotional Well-Being.If you liked this episode, check out: No, Netflix Isn’t Forcing You to Go VeganWell, Now is hosted by registered dietitia
No, Netflix Isn’t Forcing You to Go Vegan
Research going back decades shows adding more fruits, vegetables, and non-animal sources of protein helps us live longer, healthier lives. A study featured in the Netflix docuseries You Are What You Eat: A Twin Study took that to the next level. Stanford researchers asked 22 sets of identical twins to go 8 weeks eating a healthy, varied diet and regularly exercising. One twin ate an omnivore diet, the other vegan.On this week’s episode of Well, Now we talk to the lead researcher of the “twin stu
How to Avoid Heat-Related Illness
It’s a fact that summers around the world are reaching record-breaking temperatures.Heat-related illness and death have hit a crisis point, and staying cool is more important than ever.On this week’s episode of Well, Now we speak with someone living in one of the country's hottest states. Dr. Richard Carmona is a career first responder with more than 50 years of experience caring for people in crisis. A veteran of the U.S. Army as a special forces medic, Carmona also served as the 17th U.S. Surg
Gut Check: How to Master Your Microbiome
A key component to wellness is gut health. But what determines if you have a healthy gut? On this week’s episode of Well, Now, we dive into the fascinating world of the gut microbiome, a collection of bacteria and sometimes fungi that live in the human digestive system. We are provided with insight from Dr. Colin Hill, professor of Microbiology at APC Microbiome Ireland on how to properly take care of your microbiome and why it is essentialIf you liked this episode, check out – Doctors Agree: Ob
How Nick Cannon Got Celebrities to Open Up About Their Mental Health
We all know about the mental health crisis wreaking havoc throughout the nation and world. On this week’s episode of Well, Now we’re continuing our ongoing discussions of mental health, and this time we’re tackling men’s mental health as a whole. Prime’s new show Counsel Culture, hosted by Nick Cannon and medical professionals across the spectrum, invites men to open up about their histories with anxiety, depression, grief, addiction, and more. Dr. Mike Dow is the resident psychotherapist for th
The Full Truth About Ozempic
Few drugs in the last century have changed the landscape of healthcare and weight management like GLP-1 agonist drugs — drugs like Ozempic and WeGovy.On this week’s episode of Well, Now we talk with Harvard professor and clinician Dr. Fatima Cody Stanford. Her research revolutionized obesity medicine and helped pave the way to get a diabetes drug approved for treating a condition millions have in the U.S.If you liked this episode, check out – Doctors Agree: Obesity is a Disease. The Public Needs
Michelle Obama Gets Health Advice from This Gyno. Now You Can, Too.
Women, girls, and people assigned female at birth make up more than half of the world’s population. Yet, many of them say they don’t feel supported, heard, or cared for in the doctor’s office — even in spaces designed specifically for their care like obstetrics and gynecology.Dr. Sharon Malone, veteran OB/GYN, is on a mission to change that.On this week’s episode of Well, Now, we speak with Dr. Malone on how to advocate for the care you deserve at every stage of life. It’s the subject of her new
Psychedelics' Long Strange Trip to the Doctor's Office
For years, psychiatrists have been researching new methods to help people with treatment-resistant mental illness. These include severe cases of depression, post-traumatic stress disorder, and other debilitating diagnoses.One type of drug has seen some positive results in clinical trials: psychedelics like psilocybin, MDMA, ketamine, and LSD.In professional medical settings, they’re used as a part of a multifaceted approach to mental health treatment, including supervised therapy sessions while
Meet Gwyneth Paltrow’s Mold Guy
Everyone knows the quality of the air we breathe directly affects our health. As the summer rolls along and more people seek reprieve from the heat indoors, it’s important to be sure our indoor air is clean and toxin-free.One pollutant to keep an eye out for is mold.Mold inside a home could hurt your health both immediately and in the long term.So to help us better understand how to spot mold in the home and how to get rid of it, we’re joined by air quality expert Michael Rubino, president of th
Doctors Agree: Obesity is a Disease. The Public Needs to Catch Up.
Ever since it showed up on the Body Mass Index, the label “obese” has been used to judge and often shame people with larger bodies.Medical providers, family and friends, even strangers make assumptions about fat people’s health solely based on their size.At the same time, excess quantities of fat can lead to poor health outcomes such as high blood pressure, heart disease, and diabetes.Over the decades, medical associations have evolved their understanding of obesity. The American Medical Associa
The Isolation of a Life-Threatening Diagnosis
Each week, we’ve explored wellness from different perspectives, but we haven’t talked about what it means to live a full life while grappling with the real possibility of death. Most of us hope for a full, long life with “good” health. But a serious, possibly fatal diagnosis changes everything: Our relationships with work, loved ones, and even the way we see ourselves.On this week’s episode of Well, Now we speak with author, journalist, and artist Suleika Jaouad. Many learned about her work in t
How Doulas Make Childbirth Safer For Everyone
Everyone has a different birth experience. Obstetricians and midwives are well-known members of the birth team. Along with the pregnant person, they are central to labor and delivery.Doulas are lesser known, but they can provide essential support for pregnant women and their loved ones. On this week’s episode of Well, Now: What to expect when working with a doula with Latham Thomas, founder of Mama Glow.If you liked this episode, check out: Overcoming a Complicated PregnancyWell, Now is hosted b
“As Little Regulation as Guns”: How Social Media Hurts Youth Mental Health
Youth mental health has hit a crisis point.
Just last year, U.S. Surgeon General Vivek Murthy released an advisory connecting young people’s use of social media with adverse mental health outcomes.
But Murthy and other public health leaders are fighting back, including New York City Health Commissioner Ashwin Vasan. He’s leading the charge against social media platforms like Meta, TikTok, Snapchat and YouTube through litigation and legislation.
On this week’s episode of Well, Now – holding soc
Is Biohacking a Scam?
For many Americans, wellness is about mitigating and navigating disease. They’re looking for reliable ways to live healthier, longer lives.
But some are thinking even bigger than that and looking beyond what doctors view as the standard lifespan: 10, 20, 30, even 40 years beyond it. These people are often called “biohackers.”
On this week’s episode of Well, Now we talk to someone who’s considered the “Father of Biohacking” Dave Asprey on what exactly this movement is, and whether is it feasible
Overcoming a Complicated Pregnancy
For many, pregnancy is a time of heightened and joyful anticipation. There are doctor’s appointments, tests, preparation…All with a focus on bringing home a healthy baby.
The other side of pregnancy–the complications–is not readily discussed.
On this week’s episode of Well, Now we discuss all of these potential roadblocks with economist Emily Oster. In her latest book The Unexpected: Navigating Pregnancy During and After Complications, she arms patients with the data they need to advocate for
How a Former Surgeon General Took on a $5,000 ER Bill
Who hasn’t received necessary medical care and got a shockingly high bill for it weeks later?
Even with insurance, many Americans will experience this at some point–including one of the most recognizable doctors in the country: the U.S. surgeon general.
Earlier this year, Dr. Jerome Adams – who served as surgeon general for the Trump Administration – received a bill of nearly $5,000 after being treated for dehydration. What was his strategy for fighting it?
On this week’s episode of Well, Now:
Living and Loving With OCD (feat. Allison Raskin)
A vital component of wellness is taking care of our mental health. But mental wellness is more than just drinking water, doing yoga, and going for a walk.
Author and podcaster Allison Raskin has lived most of her life with diagnosed mental illness.
By navigating her mental health journey over the years, she’s been able to find community and humor through her diagnoses, particularly by writing about her experience with Obsessive Compulsive Disorder.
On this week’s episode of Well, Now – navigati
We Don’t Need to Cure Autism
April is Autism Acceptance Month, and how we’ve come to understand autism has evolved over the past several decades.
For years, autism spectrum disorder (ASD) was thought of as something that needed to be cured. Through better data and years of activism, that misunderstanding is changing.
On this week’s episode of Well, Now we discuss that evolution with Sara Luterman, caregiving reporter for The 19th.
Podcast production by Vic Whitley-Berry and Ahyiana Angel with editorial oversight by Alicia
Most Skincare Products are BS. Here Are the Facts.
As we approach the warmer months and start spending more time outside, healthy skin couldn’t be more important. So how can we best protect our body’s largest organ?
Feel free to stock up on all the products for a 10-step routine if you want. But the reality is healthy skin requires just three products. The rest is kind of BS.
This week on Well, Now we talk all things skin health with Dr. Adarsh Vijay Mudgil, a dermatologist and dermatopathologist based in New York City.
If you liked this episode
Spring Cleaning Your Medicine Cabinet
Spring is a time for fresh starts. For a lot of us, that means spring cleaning.
But don’t worry, we’re not talking about the whole house.
This week, the Well, Now team is spring cleaning our medicine cabinets. What are some medicinal must-haves, and what things should we definitely toss?
Joining us to help tidy up is Dr. Mauricio Gonzalez, a board-certified physician in internal, emergency and obesity medicine.
If you liked this episode, check out: What “Wellness” Is and Isn’t
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Eating Disorders Are Rising Among Boys. Why?
Eating disorders are one of the most deadly psychiatric disorders.
But for decades, much of the criteria to diagnose one applied only to cisgender girls and those assigned female at birth – like a loss of menstruation. This meant that many cisgender boys and those assigned male at birth fell through the cracks.
On this week’s episode of Well, Now: The rise in eating disorders among boys and men with Dr. Jason Nagata, Associate Professor of Pediatrics at the University of California San Francisc
"People Feel Like They’re Drowning": The Long Covid Survivors Left Behind
While most of the world moves on from Covid-19, millions of Americans remain in limbo: Those living with Long Covid.
Long Covid symptoms are vast and can impact all parts of the body: from gastrointestinal tract issues and fatigue to autoimmune inflammation and cognitive impairment.
On this week’s episode of Well, Now – Kavita and Maya talk with Dr. Wes Ely, an ICU physician based in Nashville, Tenn.
As the co-director of the Critical Illness, Brain Dysfunction and Survivorship Center, he is on
Life After Lockdown
On March 11, 2020, the World Health Organization named Covid-19 a pandemic, and public health around the globe changed forever.
Countries shut down their borders, businesses closed and furloughed workers, and millions of students went to remote learning. Two years in, more than one million Americans lost their lives.
This week on Well, Now we mark this grim anniversary by talking about what we have and haven’t learned about this world-changing virus with one of the epidemiologists who first beg
How Your Food Can Fight Climate Change
It’s impossible to ignore the impact of climate change. Sea levels are rising, and natural disasters like hurricanes and wildfires are increasing in strength and number each year.
A major contributor to a warming planet is the way we’re processing our food. So on this week’s episode of Well, Now we discuss ways to eat a full, balanced diet while keeping the health of the planet in mind with registered dietitian nutritionist Chris Vogliano.
If you liked this episode, check out: Breaking Up With
Ending Racism in Healthcare
The U.S. healthcare system can split the country into two Americas.
Your zip code, education, class status and more all play a role in the outcome of your health as well as the kind of care you receive.
Fewer markers more clearly define these disparities than race.
On this week’s episode of Well, Now Maya and Kavita talk about racism in American healthcare with Dr. Uché Blackstock.
Her new book Legacy: A Black Physician Reckons with Racism in Medicine gives a historical view of how racism has
Is it Burnout? Or, Do You Have a Busy Brain?
Stress is all around us, but that doesn’t mean it needs to run our entire lives. According to Dr. Romie Mushtaq – a neurologist turned corporate wellness consultant – the main culprit behind our culture of stress is what she calls a “busy brain.”
This week on Well, Now Dr. Kavita Patel and Maya Feller, RDN talk with Dr. Mushtaq about curing our busy brains and her latest book The Busy Brain Cure: The Eight-Week Plan to Find Focus, Tame Anxiety and Sleep Again.
If you liked this episode, check ou
What We Get Wrong About Love
On this week’s episode of Well, Now’s ditching the flowers and grand romantic gestures we often see on Valentine’s Day.
There’s tons of research about how loving relationships contribute to wellness, as well as how lacking those relationships can play a part in adverse health outcomes. But what if our entire understanding of love is misguided?
Kavita and Maya talk with relationship expert Dr. Sara Nasserzadeh about what she says are the six components for creating real, long-lasting intimate re
Football’s Concussion Crisis Starts Young
Super Bowl LVIII is this Sunday, amid decades of controversy surrounding football’s impact on traumatic brain injuries.
But for many athletes, these long-term effects can be felt well before making it to the pros: on high school and college teams.
On Well, Now this week: Maya and Kavita talk with physical therapist and concussion specialist John Doherty about the science surrounding youth contact sports and what we know about their relationship with brain injuries down the road.
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How ER Taught Thousands Of Viewers About Cervical Cancer
It’s award season in Hollywood, and it’s got the Well, Now team thinking about wellness and the entertainment industry. Can a medical drama really teach us accurate health information? Or is it all just high-stakes surgeries with beautiful actors?
Maya and Kavita talk this out with physician, showrunner and Harvard lecturer Neal Baer. He brought powerful, data-supported stories on HIV, emergency contraception, cervical cancer and more to hit cable shows like ER and Law and Order: SVU.
If you lik
Breaking Up With Diet Culture
On this week’s episode of Well, Now, Maya and Kavita talk about practical ways to break up with diet culture with fitness instructor, speaker and educator Chrissy King.
She’s the author of The Body Liberation Project: How Understanding Racism and Diet Culture Helps Cultivate Joy and Build Collective Freedom.
Chrissy also ties in how breaking up with diet culture is a piece of a larger conversation about diversity, equity and inclusion in the wellness industry.
If you liked this episode, check o
What “Wellness” Is and Isn’t
On this week’s episode of Well, Now we get to the heart of what “wellness” actually means. Depending on who you ask, you get a lot of different answers.
So Maya and Kavita sit down with veteran journalist Isabel Burton to define the term. Burton was the executive editor of renowned health-and-wellness magazines Shape and Self.
If you liked this episode, check out: A Toast to Dry January
Podcast production by Vic Whitley-Berry with editorial oversight by Alicia Montgomery.
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A Toast to Dry January
On the first episode of Well, Now – Slate’s new podcast on health and wellness – hosts Dr. Kavita Patel and Registered Dietitian Nutritionist Maya Feller tackle resolutions.
A popular one? Sobriety. Or at least Dry January.
With more people becoming “sober curious” Kavita and Maya visit a sober speakeasy in Brooklyn, hosted by the zero-proof cocktail maker Curious Elixirs.
They sit down with the company’s founder and CEO JW Wiseman over some drinks and talk about the rise of the “sober curious
Introducing: Well, Now
We all want wellness, but what does that mean exactly?
Is it achieving diet and exercise goals, or finally reaching a place where you’re happy with your body as it is? Is wellness the thing that will keep you out of the doctor’s office, or give you information you need to advocate for yourself when you get there?
No matter what you define as living a life of wellness, our expert hosts want to help you get there.
Every week, Dr. Kavita Patel and Registered Dietitian Nutritionist Maya Feller talk