On September 9th 2024 I said goodbye to the listeners of About Health on KPFA radio. I’ve been hosting the show for 9 years. I was very sad to end the show, but I’m ready to move on to other things. It’s been a privilege to host About Health and meet so many dedicated and wise people who joined me on the air over the years. I am also grateful to all of the listeners and callers, and to the other hosts, David Feldman, and Michael Lenoir. Thank you!
If you would like to hear our final show you can listen here:
As I say at the end of most shows: May you be healthy, happy, and live with ease as best you can.
Rona
Here is a picture of some of the people I love spending time with: Maia, Leo, David, Mick, Maceo, and Kai. As the grandma of five, my life is filled with joy. I thank my children for this gift.
Death is a part of life, but many people are afraid to talk about their fears about dying, how they want to live in the present, and their priorities for care at the end of life. Often people find themselves in challenging situations when they are faced with a dying relative or friend, not sure what steps to take to honor the dying person’s wishes.
Are you prepared? Do you have an advanced health care directive and will or trust? Have you talked to your loved ones about your decisions for care at the end of your life? If not, you are not alone.
Guest
Eileen Spillane is the founder of Befriending Death, a platform that offers the signature course “Let’s Chat About Death” as well as 1:1 coaching, a book club, and community gatherings. Her most recent course is Befriending Death, Befriending Your Life: Aligning your wild and precious living with what matters most. Launching on 9/14/2024.
Her motivation to create these courses came from many years as a Critical Care Nurse witnessing unnecessary suffering. Her hope is to normalize conversations around death with a supportive, friendly community, so life and death decisions can be approached long before one is hospitalized. In addition to working as a Registered Nurse for over thirty years, Eileen is a meditation and dharma teacher, and works as an active travel guide for international hiking and biking trips. She is a former Zen Hospice Project volunteer and a trained end of life doula.
According to a survey conducted by the Yale Program on Climate Change Communication and the George Mason University Center for Climate Change Communication, one in 10 Americans reports experiencing anxiety because of global warming. We will discuss why we need to talk about Climate and Mental Health and how to talk to young people about climate emotions.
Anya Kamenetz speaks, writes, and thinks about generational justice; about thriving, and raising thriving kids, on a changing planet. Her newsletter on these topics is The Golden Hour.
She covered education for many years including for NPR, where she co-created the podcast Life Kit: Parenting. Her newest book is The Stolen Year: How Covid Changed Children’s Lives, And Where We Go Now. Kamenetz is currently an advisor to the Aspen Institute and the Climate Mental Health Network, working on new initiatives at the intersection of children and climate change. Anya grew up in Baton Rouge and New Orleans, Louisiana, in a family of writers and mystics, and graduated from Yale University.
Matt Renner is Vice President ofSeneca Environmental, where leads strategic development for Seneca Environmental with the goal of creating unprecedented collaboration to accelerate climate action. Previously he worked as a nonprofit executive in clean energy policy, climate organizing, and journalism for over a decade, focusing on the near-term social and economic impacts of climate change.
Matt began his career as an investigative reporter and later became the Executive Director of the World Business Academy to focus on the future of business in a climate-constrained world. He has a BA in Political Science and Government from the University of California, Berkeley.
Good oral health is a critical component of health for adults and children. It not only helps prevent problems like cavities and gum disease but also contributes to overall wellbeing. In California, more than 50% of children in kindergarten already have experienced dental decay, with nearly 3 in 10 being untreated. Maintaining good oral health through oral hygiene, healthy nutrition, and receiving preventive and early dental care can reduce the risk of systemic diseases, improve self-esteem, and support good nutrition.
Listen now to the show aired 1/8/24 on About Health, 94.1FM—KPFA.org
Dr. Jared Fine is the former Dental Health Administrator, for Alameda County, where he served the Public Health Department for nearly 40 years. After graduation from dental school at Maryland, he served in the US Navy Dental Cops at Treasure Island. He completed his, Masters in Public Health at UC Berkeley before completing a dental public health residency at UCSF.He is recognized in as a visionary leader in public health policy, program development, advocacy and community organization. He initiated Alameda County’s WIC oral health program, and led Alameda County in the development of its first 5 year strategic Plan for Oral Health. He co-chaired the successful 2016 Soda Tax Campaign in Oakland and served on Oakland’s Advisory Commission for 2 years. Dr. Fine co-chaired the advisory committee to the California Oral Health Plan, chaired the non profit Center for Oral Health for 10 years, co-chairs the Oral Health Committee of the County Public Health Commission. He has served on the Board of the Alameda County Dental Society since 1986 and initiated the development of “California Dental Association’s 7 Year Strategic Plan to Overcome Barriers in Access to Care.”Most recently he has served as a consultantto Alameda County’s Healthy Teeth Healthy Communities, Dental Transformation Initiative pilot project serving as the Dental Health Ambassador.
Dr. Bahar Amanzadeh, DDS, MPH, is a California Oral Health Technical Assistance Center (COHTAC) member and an Assistant Clinical Professor at UCSF School of Dentistry. She has been the Dental Health Administrator at the Alameda County Department of Public Health where she planned, evaluated, and oversaw the dental public health programs. She is an independent consultant in dental public health. She works with multiple organizations and local jurisdictions to conduct oral health needs assessments, develop community oral health improvement plans, and guide the implementation and evaluation of such plans. She focuses on school oral health programs and dental care coordination and strives to engage the communities to build the infrastructures to combat oral health disparities. Previously, she directed the Community Based Dental Education program at UCSF School of Dentistry. Dr. Amanzadeh has an extensive background in working with underserved communities, designing educational, preventive programs and integrative systems of care in the areas of children’s oral health and school oral health programs, dental care coordination and community health workers, the oral health of pregnant women, seniors, people with disabilities, and those experiencing homelessness, motivational interviewing, and Trauma-Informed Care. She is also a mother, a visual artist, and an intuitive painting facilitator.
Pain is an unpleasant signal and complex experience when something hurts. It’s an important message to let us know something is wrong, and to help us to take action to prevent further harm. Pain will often go away on its own, but it can also persist and become chronic pain, which is one of the most common reasons people seek out medical care.
My guest, Dr. Rachel Zoffness, will help us understand the three important domains of chronic pain: biology, psychology, and social factors. Successful treatment often requires addressing these three prongs of pain.
Listen now to About Health (7/10/23) on 94.1FM—KPFA.ORG
Dr. Rachel Zoffness is a leading global pain expert, international speaker, author, and thought-leader in medicine, revolutionizing the way we understand and treat pain. She is a pain psychologist, Assistant Clinical Professor at UCSF, and lectures at Stanford. Dr. Zoffness is the author of The Pain Management Workbook and The Chronic Pain and Illness Workbook for Teens, the first pain workbook for kids. A passionate pain educator, she is a regular guest on popular health podcasts, and her episodes have over 6 million downloads. Dr. Zoffness was trained at Brown University, Columbia, UC San Diego, NYU, and Mt. Sinai Hospital. You can learn more at https://www.zoffness.com
