The Pulse Folgen

Asking for help is hard. It can make us feel vulnerable, like we're sharing too much or admitting weakness. It can also stoke fears about our relationships and sense of self-worth — am I being a burden? Will they resent me later? What if they say no?And yet, the ability to ask for help is an important life skill that not only helps us survive, but can make us feel loved, supported and connected.On this episode, we hear stories about what happens when different people ask for help — from the struggles of a nurse and comedian to make herself vulnerable, to the dark side of GoFundMe, to how helpful a chatbot can really be for our mental health.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

Before dinosaurs, before trees — even before Saturn had its rings – there were sharks. The fierce predators have been swimming in our oceans for hundreds of millions of years, standing the test of time as they survived all five of Earth's mass extinction events.Now, though, many of them face unprecedented threats, from overfishing to climate change. But there's a movement underway to protect sharks — and to change their public image, which suffered after the classic movie Jaws.On this episode, we explore the secret lives of sharks, and what can be done to help these ancient predators survive. We learn about the history of sharks, and what's made them so adaptable; hear about how some fishermen are helping to save them; and find out what the historical record can teach us about the largest, most fearsome shark to ever exist — the megalodon.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

Health care is a billion dollar industry in the U.S. — one of the biggest in the country. The business aspect of medicine is an invisible force in the doctor's office that shapes treatment decisions and care. As patients, financial worries can affect whether we go to the doctor in the first place, make us suspicious of expensive procedures, or even cause us to turn down necessary care. And patients aren't the only ones worrying about money — on the provider side, everyone from doctors to hospitals to insurance companies are also weighing the costs and benefits of expensive tests and treatments, along with whether or not patients can pay.On this episode, we explore the complicated relationship between medicine and money, and how it affects patient care. We learn about the history of medical debt and why some patients end up in court over unpaid bills; we find out how financial incentives affect pharmaceutical companies' decisions about what treatments to develop; and we hear about a controversial practice that some are calling medical deportation.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy