The Bullied Brain

Bullying and abuse can be seen in all corners of society from children’s playgrounds, to baseball practice, and dance class. We also see adult bullying in the classroom, at summer camp, at home, on the job, and in the political arena. The psychological trauma of being bullied produces damage to the developing brain, and the child who is doing the bullying also suffers. The bullied brain can heal, and children can be taught to not fall victim to bullying. Join us to learn more. 

Listen now to About Health on KPFA.org— 94.1FM (8/1/22) 

https://kpfa.org/player/?audio=383556

 

My guest is best-selling author and award-winning teacher, Jennifer Fraser. With a PhD in Comparative Literature from the University of Toronto, Jennifer is trained to take different discourses—literature, anthropology, psychology, pedagogy, neuroscience, philosophy—and put them into dialogue. Her wide-ranging knowledge, lived experience, dedication to learning and teaching, produce new insights into age-old problems. Not content to merely discuss, Jennifer’s goal is to set in motion significant change. Her latest book is The Bullied Brain: Heal Your Scars and Restore Your Health. Jennifer’s first book was on the rite of passage from being a reader to a writer of culture. Her second book was on suppressing grief in childhood, only to have it resurface as either numbness or aggression. Her third book was about the way children learn bullying from influential adults. She is interested in designing a world with our brain in mind. Go to https://www.bulliedbrain.com/ to learn more. 

Reproductive Health…what now?

The U.S. Supreme Court has overturned Roe v. Wade, cutting off millions of women across the country from essential health care. All women have the right to accessible and culturally sensitive reproductive health care! And did you know that pregnant women in the US are more than twice as likely to die from complications related to pregnancy or childbirth than those in most other high-income countries in the world?

Tune in now to About Health on KPFA.org, 94.1FM (7/11/22)

** https://kpfa.org/player/?audio=382478 **

 

Guest:

Joy A. Cooper, MD MSc is a Philadelphia native and an Obstetrician-Gynecologist in Oakland, California. She completed residency at the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania. She earned her MD from Howard University and completed a Master’s in Sexually Transmitted Infections & HIV at University College of London/London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine. She earned an A.B. in African and African-American Studies at Harvard College. Through her telemedicine startup, Culture Care, she is fulfilling her mission to impact women of the African Diaspora by linking Black women to Black doctors with the click of a button. Go to www.ourculturecare.com to learn more.

Children Under Stress

There is collective trauma in our nation, with the Covid-19 pandemic and the horrific gun violence epidemic. With the recent shootings in Buffalo, Uvalde, and Tulsa, people are once again dealing with the deep pain of loss, grief, anger, and fear. The trauma of gun violence impacts all of us, but our children are suffering in ways that are so hard to witness. What can teachers, parents, and all adults do to lessen the burden?

Listen now to About Health, KPFA—94.1FM  (6/6/22)

https://kpfa.org/player/?audio=380356

What you are doing to help the children in your life during this painful time?

Guest:

Julie Kurtz is a child and family therapist and national speaker consulting and training on trauma and resilience. She is the Founder and CEO for the Center for Optimal Brain Integration® which promotes the concept of optimal brain integration to maximize human growth potential.

Julie is the co-author of—Trauma-Informed Practices for Early Childhood Educators: Relationship-Based Approaches that Support Healing and Build Resilience in Young Children, Culturally Responsive Self-Care Practices for Early Childhood Educators, Trauma Informed Practices for Early Childhood Leaders: Creating and Sustaining Healing and Engaged Organizations, and Trauma-Responsive Family Engagement in Early Childhood: Practices for Equity and Resilience. She is also the author of the award winning children’s books, Understanding My Brain: Becoming Human(E)! (Ages 4-8 and 5-10). Julie is the creator of the phone/tablet Application (APP) Trigger Stop: Sensory and Emotional Check-in designed specifically for children ages 3-8 years to promote sensory and emotional literacy and to support self-regulation. To learn more go to https://www.optimalbrainintegration.com/. 

The Parent Trap

Listen to About Health (5/9/22)-KPFA.org 94.1FM 

**https://kpfa.org/player/?audio=378930**

 

There is an unreasonable expectation placed on parents, and it’s time to advocate for better policies for the health and well being of all children. Economist Nate Hilger argues that the solution to many of our nation’s biggest social and economic problems is within reach. “We must provide richer professional support to parents in the form of greater access to teachers, tutors, counselors, coaches, and health care workers.” Nate Hilger will share highlights from his forthcoming book The Parent Trap: How to Stop Overloading Parents and Fix Our Inequality Crisis, in which he shows why parenting is harder and more important than previously understood and what it will take to get parents the resources they need to set up all children for success.

Guest:

Nate Hilger is a researcher and writer, and author of The Parent Trap.  He earned a bachelor’s degree in economics from Stanford University and a PhD in economics from Harvard University. He has worked as a professor of economics at Brown University, and is currently an economist and data scientist in Silicon Valley and an affiliate of the Population Studies and Training Center at Brown. In 2020 he served as a lead policy consultant on early childhood and non-K12 child development issues for Pete Buttigieg’s presidential campaign. His academic research on child development and inequality has been published in The Quarterly Journal of Economics and other leading peer-reviewed journals, and has been featured in The New York TimesThe Washington Post and other major media outlets. He lives with his wife and son in Redwood City, California. You can read more about The Parent Trap in the SF Chronicle or The Hill.

Gut Health And Your Microbiome

**Listen now to About Health, 4/4/22—KPFA.org—94.1FM** 

https://kpfa.org/player/?audio=376632

We explored gut health and how your microbiome plays a vital role in digestion and the health and regulation of the immune system.Your gut microbiome is made up of trillions of bacteria, fungi and other microbes—essentials for your physical and emotional health. Learn about the gut-brain connection and why it’s so important to understand what the underlying causes are of your symptoms.

Guest:

Dr. Peter Kozlowski did his residency in Family Practice, but started training in Functional Medicine as an intern. He has devoted his career to helping uncover the underlying cause of chronic disease through Functional Medicine. He is the author of “Unfunc Your Gut: Boost Your Immune System, Heal Your Gut, and Unlock Your Mental, Emotional and Spiritual Health.” His expertise is in gut health, but he also works with food sensitivities, hormone imbalances, detoxing from toxic chemicals such as heavy metals and mold, and mental, emotional, and spiritual health. He serves patients in person and online via his Montana- and Chicago-based practices. Learn more at www.doc-koz.com.