Violence, Opioids, Loneliness, Obesity - The Pros and Cons of Treating Social Issues as Epidemics
b'These days anything that\'s widespread might be called an "epidemic." Violence, obesity, opioids, even loneliness. But in the public health space, the label "epidemic" carries special significance beyond that - it\'s a disease that\'s widespread - and usually contagious, too. How does thinking about social issues as epidemics change the way we approach them? We\'ll explore the pros and cons with first responders on the front line of each of those epidemics: \\nWhat changes if we think of opioid addiction as a disease rather than a crime or character flaw? In what ways is loneliness like a disease - and what\'s the prescription? Obesity got official epidemic status in America in the \'90s. And yet, obesity rates have only increased, so what\'s to gain by viewing violence as a disease epidemic? \\n \\nIn this podcast episode, an ER doctor explains the cyclical, contagious nature of violence. A dietician considers the unintended consequences of making weight loss the focus of the obesity epidemic. A paramedic with 30 years of experience traces the evolution of the opioid overdose crisis in America and argues for empathy and harm reduction to save more lives. Finally, we consider America\\u2019s newest epidemic \\u2013 loneliness \\u2013 with the nation\\u2019s leading scientist on the harm caused by social isolation. In what ways does framing these issues as epidemics enable us to cure them? \\n\\nPodcast Guests:\\nRob Gore, MD, founder of the Kings Against Violence Initiative (KAVI), and author of \\u201cTreating Violence: An Emergency Room Doctor Takes on a Deadly American Epidemic\\u201d (https://kavibrooklyn.org/)\\n\\nKirsten Morrisson, registered dietitian and certified Intuitive Eating counselor, host of Intuitive Bites podcast (https://theintuitiverd.com/podcast/)\\n\\nPeter Canning, paramedic, EMS coordinator at UCONN John Dempsey Hospital, and author of \\u201cKilling Season: A Paramedic\'s Dispatches from the Frontlines of the Opioid Epidemic\\u201d (https://www.petercanning.org/)\\n\\nJulianne Holt-Lunstad, professor of psychology and neuroscience at Brigham Young University, director of the Social Connection & Health Lab, and lead scientist on the Surgeon General\'s 2023 report on Loneliness and Social Isolation (https://www.hhs.gov/sites/default/files/surgeon-general-social-connection-advisory.pdf)'