This podcast is no stranger to major epidemics. We've already covered the Spanish Flu and the Black Death. But what if we told you that the epidemic currently devastating American health has not been caused by a virus or bacteria at all, but rather by a poor understanding of pain and addiction, insufficient regulations surrounding medications and the greed of a pharmaceutical giant?
Note: We are not entirely accurate when we mention benzodiazepines at the end. They are anti-psychotics, not painkillers. Benzodiazepines are sometimes prescribed together with opioids as they can alleviate psychiatric co-morbidities in patients with chronic pain. Combining opioids and benzodiazepines can carry risks as both drugs sedate users and suppress breathing—the cause of overdose fatality. Also, Mia says 300 million people died from the opioid epidemic, the correct number is 300 thousand.
Image by Franz Eugen Köhler, Köhler's Medizinal-Pflanzen,1897
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See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.Torture, Pain and Thumbscrews | LeechFest Ep 29
Pride Special: Be Gay Do Crime | LeechFest Ep 28
Organ transplantation | LeechFest Ep 27
Prions | LeechFest Ep 26
Blood Transfusions | Leechfest Ep 25
Opium and the Opium Wars | LeechFest Ep 24
Wares, Drugs and Stuff | LeechFest Ep 23
Leprosy | LeechFest Ep 22
Biowarfare | LeechFest Ep 21
STIs: Syphilis | LeechFest Ep 20
Abortion | LeechFest Ep 19
Narcotics in Medicine: Magic Mushrooms | LeechFest Ep 18
Nosejobs and Flesh Artistry | LeechFest Ep 17
Bigotry in Healthcare | LeechFest Ep 16
Spookysode 1 | LeechFest Ep 15
Mass Hysteria | LeechFest Ep 14
Narcotics in Medicine: LSD | LeechFest Ep 13
Chernobyl's Spicy Rocks Episode | LeechFest Ep 12
Space medicine | LeechFest Ep 11
Neurodiversity in History | LeechFest Ep 10
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