Bodies

Bodies

Each episode of this documentary series begins with a medical mystery. Sometimes the sickness is in the body, and sometimes the sickness is in the system. Once you peel back the layers, more questions emerge. Created by Allison Behringer and supported by KCRW.

New to the show and don’t know where you start? We polled the Bodies team and our listeners to recommend some of our favorite episodes to get you started. Here are some of our favorite episodes to get you started.

Start at the beginning: "Sex Hurts (Season 1, episode 1)

Bodies host Allison Behringer shares her own story of painful sex and takes us into the hard conversations as she tries to figure out what’s wrong. Is it her birth control? Why doesn’t her boyfriend stop pushing for sex? Why didn’t she think her pleasure should come first? Will it get better?

“I always recommend Sex Hurts first to others” - Rachel

“so foundational and important” - Betsy

“Iconic!” - Erin


"The Cost of Silky Soft"  (Season 2, episode 3)

Johnson & Johnson knew its baby powder contained asbestos but kept selling it and specifically marketed the product to Black women. Krystal is one of thousands of women who claimed J&J’s baby powder caused their ovarian cancer. How did normal body odors become racialized? Who determines if our products are safe?

"Not This Again(Season 2, episode 6)

Angelina was a journalist living in Brooklyn when she was diagnosed with ALS. She now lives with her parents. How do you stay true to yourself when you rely on others to keep you alive?

Do Less Harm(Season 3, episode 2)

Lill lives in Appalachian West Virginia — it’s coal country, and it’s also the overdose capital of the United States. An increasingly dangerous drug supply and a lack of safe supplies like clean syringes leave people who use drugs vulnerable to disease and death. Lill is trying to fill that gap, providing safe supplies and care all over West Virginia — even as the government tries to stop them.

Not Tested on Humans(Season 3, episode 2)

Why did it take doctors years to figure out that a medical device was the cause of Melynda’s debilitating pain? How did this dangerous vaginal mesh get implanted in millions of women?

Bleeding (Season 2, episode 2)

KalaLea has terrible, awful periods. But don’t a lot of women? Well, yes and no. After more than a decade of suffering, KalaLea discovers that the cause of the pain is common for Black women like herself, but far from normal.

Not Your Average(Season 3, episode 5)

The week this episode was released in November of 2021, the FDA approved the first ever treatment for achondroplasia, the most common form of dwarfism. But not everyone is celebrating. This controversial treatment is forcing parents of children with achondroplasia to grapple with an age-old question: What’s best for my child?