Life · 4 August 2017 · 4 min read

10 TED Talks Everyone Interested in Health Should Watch

Hello!

Now get up, make yourself a nice drink and give the TED talks I've picked for you a chance. As you watch, you'll keep coming back to this blog to click the next link.

Jack Andraka | ‘A promising test for pancreatic cancer… from a teenager’

At the age of 13, Jack lost a very close family friend whom he saw as an uncle, and in his grief he began researching the disease. After some browsing on the internet, he realized that more than 85% of pancreatic cancer patients are diagnosed late. He then realized he needed to change something and started working on early diagnosis of pancreatic cancer. In this talk, he describes the cheap, fast and non-invasive pancreatic cancer diagnostic test he discovered.

Abraham Verghese | ‘A doctor's touch’

In an age when the time devoted to doctor-patient communication keeps shrinking, Dr. Verghese explains what we are actually losing, touching on many fascinating points, from where the technique of palpation came from to the story of how the stethoscope was invented. He shows that taking a patient's history, a ritual since long ago, is in fact a ritual that should not be lost.

Samuel Cohen | ‘Alzheimer’s Is Not Normal Aging — And We Can Cure It

Auguste Deter was the first patient ever diagnosed with Alzheimer's. Despite the years that have passed since that diagnosis, we have made almost no progress in treating the disease. Cohen, a scientist who has worked on a treatment for Alzheimer's disease for the last 10 years, points out that any of us could become an Alzheimer's patient and that we need to learn to fight it instead of running from it.

Eleanor Longden | 'The voices in my head'

One day Eleanor, who was living an ordinary university life, hears a voice speaking to her and narrating what she does. This voice begins to follow her constantly. Over time, Longden learns that she has been diagnosed with schizophrenia, and she shares with us the experiences she went through on this journey.

Jorge Sato | 'The future of early cancer detection'

It's obvious that cancer is very common and one of the most important diseases for humanity. That's why many scientists have dedicated themselves to cancer treatment or early detection. Jorge Sato is also a scientist working on cancer. In his talk, Jorge explains how cancer develops with beautiful visuals, and on stage he presents the early cancer detection prototype they developed. A TED talk you definitely need to watch. And near the top of your list, too.

Lara Boyd | ' After watching this, your brain will not be the same'

Dr. Boyd is a neuroscientist. Having dedicated herself to researching every stage of our brain, from its smallest interactions to the big decisions we make, Boyd deeply moves the audience in this talk. She also touches on how the parts of our brain we don't use aren't actually asleep, and on our daily behaviors, our learning abilities and the details of short-term and long-term memory.

Jennifer Brea | ' What happens when you have a disease doctors can't diagnose '

Jennifer Brea lived a perfectly happy and healthy life, until an illness she thought was the flu simply wouldn't go away. For days, Brea got no meaningful answers from the doctors she visited. The doctors said either that there was no visible problem or that it was something that would pass with rest. But one day it turned out she had chronic fatigue syndrome. Brea talks about how she reached many patients like herself and how she got through this process.

Sarah Hallberg | 'Reversing Type 2 diabetes starts with ignoring the guidelines'

Sarah Hallberg is an obesity doctor. In her talk, she discusses the effects of the hormone insulin, obesity and type 2 diabetes. Talking about how we should make our food choices, Hallberg offers very simple solutions for type 2 diabetes.

Daniel Levitin | 'How to stay calm when you know you'll be stressed'

Neuroscientist Daniel Levitin talks about the consequences of decisions we make under stress and explains, in an interesting way, ways to prevent this stress.

Josh Kaufman ' The first 20 hours -- how to learn anything '

After having a child, author Josh Kaufman had to take a break from his favorite activity, learning new things. He says that technically he couldn't even find time to sleep. But later in his talk, he approaches the question of how we can learn new things from a wonderful perspective and makes it easier for everyone.

10 TED Talks Everyone Interested in Health Should Watch

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