Sometimes the biomedical model just doesn't explain what's happening — and neither the patient nor the clinician is satisfied with it. Irritable bowel syndrome, chronic constipation, depression: conditions where the answer often amounts to a restrictive diet and an unsatisfying shrug at why. This clip sits honestly in that gap,…
Medicine tends to move fast from problem to fix: arm hurts, order the X-ray. This clip contrasts that with somatic experiencing — noticing a sensation and simply staying with it, watching how it shifts, seeing what image or meaning arises on its own. The stories we attach to bodily sensations…
Instead of asking only how to lower a number, this clip asks a different question: what is the symptom communicating? A sympathetic state, high blood pressure — there's a reason it's showing up, something adaptive in it, even when it's causing harm in the moment. Western medicine is largely built…
A patient insisted they weren't stressed — their heart rate monitor said so. But that device reads stress as an elevated heart rate. For someone who tends toward shutdown, stress can look like the opposite: slow heart rate, low blood pressure. This clip surfaces a vocabulary gap most of us…
For people who've experienced trauma, going into a shutdown state can carry deep shame — the nagging "why didn't I run, why didn't I fight back?" This clip offers a reframe: your nervous system made that choice for you because, in the moment, it read as the best way to…
Trauma — large or small — can pull us into a default state that isn't home: sympathetic activation or dorsal vagal shutdown, and most of us lean toward one. This clip maps those states onto what family physicians actually see in clinic. Chronic sympathetic activation can look like hypertension, anxiety,…
Not being validated — even as a baby crying from hunger — accumulates over a lifetime. This clip follows that thread into the clinical encounter: how terrifying it can be to see a provider, how much shame and history people carry in with them, and what happens when a doctor…
A story from Peter Levine: when a baby cries at being passed to a relative, the adult's instinct is to soothe the discomfort away rather than honor what the baby is communicating. This clip traces how, from the earliest age, we're taught to override our own signals and "appear calm"…
Most of what determines a patient's health sits outside the exam room — yet clinicians are trained to believe that not fixing someone means they've failed. This clip names the untenable role that framing creates, and points to a deeper flaw in the Western model of medicine: the assumption that…
Evidence-based medicine has a counterpart that rarely gets named: practice-based evidence. Borrowing a phrase from Gabor Maté, this clip makes the case that showing up with patients day after day surfaces patterns and questions no textbook can. A reminder that whole-person care is grounded in the everyday lived experience of…
"At times I may not need lisinopril. At times I may need my land back." There is a Samoan proverb — E fofo le alamea le alamea. The remedy for the sting of the crown-of-thorns starfish is the starfish itself. A community already holds what it needs to heal. In…
You've done the workup. The labs are normal, the cardiac workup is clean, and the patient still has chest pain. Now what? In the third episode of the Roots of Care series, Raj Sundar asks Sophia Malik and Rachel Weiner to explain polyvagal theory in plain language and to say…
A blood pressure of 150 has a story. So does an LDL of 72. But most of our training taught us to treat the number and move on. In the second episode of the Roots of Care series, Raj Sundar sits down with Sophia Malik, Rachel Weiner, and Lonnie A.…
Overview: We explore the difference between superficial and real community engagement in healthcare with guests Rebecca (https://www.pfccpartners.com/news/inspire-paskz) and Stephanie (https://www.pfccpartners.com/news/inspire-paskz) , both experienced patient advocates who share their personal stories of navigating complex health systems and channeling their experiences into advocacy work. We discuss the importance of authentic partnership, meaningful…
Overview: We sit down with Dr. Evans, CEO, Chief Medical Officer, and co-founder of the Wellness Equity Alliance (https://www.wellnessequityalliance.com/tyler-evans) , to explore how trust is built with historically marginalized communities in healthcare. We trace his journey from international humanitarian crises to leading vaccine distribution and street medicine initiatives in the…
Overview: We explore the realities of caring for people with learning disabilities through a powerful conversation with Dr. Sara Ryan, (https://www.mmu.ac.uk/staff/profile/professor-sara-ryan) whose lived experience and research shed light on the stigma, systemic failures, and everyday barriers faced by this community. We hear about the devastating concept of "social murder," where…
What happens when three family physicians sit down and get honest about what's missing in the care we provide? In this conversation, I'm joined by Dr. Rachel Weiner and Dr. Sophia Malik to explore why so many of our patients are carrying unprocessed trauma in their bodies — and why…
What happens when three family physicians sit down and get honest about what's missing in the care we provide? In this conversation, I'm joined by Dr. Rachel Weiner and Dr. Sophia Malik to explore why so many of our patients are carrying unprocessed trauma in their bodies — and why…
Overview: We explore how South Park Senior Citizens (https://www.spseniors.org/) transformed from an institutional, siloed resource hub into a vibrant cultural community, using food as a powerful tool for healing and connection. We dig into the intentional redesign of their dining experience, creating a welcoming space where elders from diverse backgrounds…
Overview: We explore intersection of aging, mental health, and technology with Neelam (https://www.inc.com/profile/neelam-brar) , founder of Total Life (https://totallife.com/) , to explore how we can better support seniors through innovative care models and AI-powered tools. We hear how a personal family experience inspired Neelam to address the lack of mental…
Overview: We discuss what culturally responsive care really means for underserved communities and how technology, especially AI, can create more equitable solutions in healthcare. We reflect on the challenge of finding tools that expand care teams and deepen patient trust without losing the essential personal touch of community health centers.…
Overview: We explore the intersection of rural health and culturally responsive care, highlighting how geography shapes healthcare experiences for the 65 million Americans living in rural areas. We dive into the transformative potential of the $50 billion Rural Health Transformation Fund, discussing how states are listening to diverse communities—including tribal…
Overview: We dive into the journey of Jomo, whose three decades in healthcare have been dedicated to improving access, with a special focus on LA County’s transformative eConsult system. We explore how this tool slashes specialist wait times from months to days for underserved populations, discuss the concept of “return…
Overview: We dive into the inspiring stories of Dr. Fernandez and Dr. Gigi Magan family medicine physicians and co-founders of Alma First (https://www.almafirst.com/meet-the-team) . We explore the challenges they observed during the pandemic with digital health disparities in underserved communities and how those moments sparked their mission to promote digital…
