
From Serial Productions: The Retrievals, Season 2
Produced by Julie Snyder and Ben Phelan
Edited by Julie Snyder
Original music by Dan PowellFritz Myers and Nick Thornburn
Engineered by Phoebe Wang
After hearing the first season of 'The Retrievals,' a podcast that explored how women's pain is often minimized and dismissed, hundreds of listeners wrote to the host, Susan Burton, to share their own stories of inadequately treated pain. Some of the most shocking emails were from listeners who said they 'felt everything' during their C-sections: a scalpel cutting through flesh; an organ being moved around.
Cutting someone's body open and operating when they can feel it: That is not supposed to happen. That's something from history or from war.
Significant pain during a C-section can't be something that 100,000 women experience each year. Can it?
When Burton set out in search of answers, she uncovered a story not only about a widespread problem, but also about the people trying to solve it.
Season 1 of 'The Retrievals' named a problem: Women's pain is often ignored. Season 2 asks: What are the solutions?
'The Retrievals," Season 2, is a four-episode podcast series, coming July 10.
Susan Burton is the host of the Peabody Award-winning podcast 'The Retrievals' and the author of the memoir 'Empty.'
Hosted, Reported and Written by Susan BurtonEdited by Julie SnyderProduced by Julie Snyder and Ben PhelanAdditional Editing by Jessica Weisberg and Jen GuerraFact Checking and Research by Ben PhelanMusic Supervision, Sound Design and Mixing by Phoebe WangAdditional Production by Catherine Anderson and Mack MillerOriginal Score by Dan Powell, Fritz Myers and Nick ThorburnTheme Music by Carla Pallone, remixed by Dan PowellAdditional Music by Marion LozanoArt direction by Pablo DelcanPhotography by Erik TannerStandards Editor Susan WesslingLegal Review by Dana GreenSupervising Producer Ndeye ThioubouSenior Operations Manager Elizabeth Davis-MoorerDeputy Managing Editor Sam Dolnick
At The New York Times, thanks to:
Nina Lassam, Brian Rideout, Susan Beachy, Jeffrey Miranda, Corey Beach, Rokk Vincelli-Williams, Naomi Noury, Kyle Grandillo, Kelly Doe, Shu Chun Xie, Peter Rentz, Jordan Cohen, Mahima Chablani, Katie O'Brien, Karl Delossantos, Tara Godvin, Victoria Kim, Brad Fisher, Maddy Masiello, Reyna Desai, Christine Ngyuen, Mukul Devichand, Zoe Murphy, Pierre Antoine-Louis, Dan Levin, Elisheba Ittoop and Diane Wong.
Special thanks:
Jessica Weisberg, Jen Guerra, Katie Fuchs, Julie Whitaker, Laura Starecheski, Leah Shaw Dameron, Pierre Cattoni and Lee Riffaterre.
Serial Productions
Serial Productions makes narrative podcasts whose quality and innovation transformed the medium.

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Fox News
21 minutes ago
- Fox News
California pastor John MacArthur hospitalized with life-threatening illness as church community rallies
John MacArthur, pastor of Grace Community Church (GCC) in Sun Valley, California, has reportedly been hospitalized with pneumonia following years of health complications. The announcement regarding the 86-year-old's health came as the congregation was celebrating Sunday service over the weekend, according to The Roys Report. "This week, Pastor John contracted pneumonia," associate pastor Tom Patton reportedly announced at the church's 11 a.m. service on Sunday. "He was admitted into the hospital and may be in the presence of the Lord soon." Patton reportedly asked the congregation to pray for MacArthur, along with his wife, four children and fifteen grandchildren. The pastor previously made national headlines after a California judge ruled he could continue holding in-person services despite Gov. Gavin Newsom's statewide coronavirus restrictions. MacArthur has suffered from years of health complications while in the spotlight, including a sudden onset of illness during a 2023 service. Since 2023, he has reportedly undergone numerous surgeries to treat atrial fibrillation and other conditions. He was reportedly hospitalized earlier this year while undergoing a "second procedure" on his lungs, according to the outlet. "That procedure was successful, and (I) am now back at home," MacArthur previously said in a statement at the time, according to The Roys Report. "The doctors are optimistic about my recovery, and I am eager to return to you once I regain my strength." However, MacArthur's prognosis reportedly created uncertainty regarding his health among the church's congregants, with Patton telling members of the community that the pastor's recovery from "three surgeries in the second half of 2024" was "slower than expected, and saw "occasional setbacks affecting his heart, lungs and kidneys." MacArthur has led GCC's congregation for 56 years and is president of Grace to You, a nonprofit organization dedicated to distributing nearly 400 book titles authored by the pastor, according to the church's website. "We place our dear pastor at the feet of the glorious Savior," Patton was quoted as saying during Sunday's service. "Whom he has served so faithfully for so many years and now awaits His final command to be in his presence forever." Grace Community Church did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital's request for comment.


Medscape
30 minutes ago
- Medscape
Potential Practice-Changer in Cystectomy Care
A 30-day course of prophylactic antibiotics following robot-assisted radical cystectomy significantly reduces the incidence of urinary tract infections (UTIs) and related complications, researchers have found. However, experts urge caution in interpreting the findings due to methodological limitations of the study. The researchers, led by Ahmed A. Hussein, MD, PhD, of Roswell Park Comprehensive Cancer Center in Buffalo, New York, randomized 77 patients undergoing robot-assisted radical cystectomy to receive either standard postoperative care or a 30-day course of oral antibiotics — either trimethoprim/sulfamethoxazole or nitrofurantoin — starting at discharge. Ahmed A. Hussein, MD, PhD The primary endpoint was the occurrence of symptomatic UTIs within 90 days, defined by a positive urine culture (> 105 CFU/mL) and clinical symptoms such as fever or flank pain. Dramatic Reduction in UTIs, Costs None of the 37 patients in the antibiotic group developed a UTI within 90 days compared with 10 of 40 patients (25%) in the group who received standard care ( P < .001). The antibiotic group also experienced significantly fewer infectious complications within 90 days of the procedure or discharge (14% vs 43%; P = .006) and readmissions related to infection (5% vs 30%; P = .007). The number needed to treat to prevent one UTI was calculated at 4 (95% CI, 2.5-7.0). 'This is very significant, as infectious complications are the most common after cystectomy and the main reason for readmission within 30 days of surgery. To bring this down from 25% to 0% improves patient care and saves a lot of resources for a procedure that is known for significant morbidity and for a very vulnerable patient population,' said Hussein, whose group published their findings in the Journal of Urology . The approach led to significant savings. Hussein and his colleagues found the mean cost of care after the procedure fell by roughly $9000 in the antibiotic group ( P =.007), with total 90-day costs more than $8000 lower ( P = .022). This figure included expenditures associated with readmissions, any additional procedures, medications, and drains. No increase in adverse events or high-grade complications was observed in the antibiotic arm, the researchers reported. Hussein said he believed the cost savings are generalizable to other institutions and health systems. 'Radical cystectomy is a highly morbid procedure with significant rate of complications regardless of open or robotic approach. Infections remain very significant,' he said. 'While the choice of antibiotic may vary based on the local hospital antibiograms, we believe the approach — should be equally effective. We encourage all centers considering this approach to review their retrospective data and to determine the most appropriate antibiotic for their patient population,' he added. Editorial Perspective: Promising but Preliminary Nicholas H. Chakiryan, MD, from the Department of Urology, Oregon Health & Science University in Portland, Oregon, noted the lack of placebo control and blinding in the study may have introduced bias. 'If clinicians know a patient is on antibiotics, they may be less likely to diagnose a UTI,' he wrote in a commentary on the study. In a separate commentary, Luigi Nocera, MD, from ASST Spedali Civili in Brescia, and Alessandro Viti, MD, from Università Vita-Salute San Raffaele in Milan, both in Italy, echoed these concerns and highlighted the gender imbalance between groups. More women, who are generally at higher risk for UTIs, were in the arm that received standard care (35% vs 14%; P = .036). They also pointed to the exclusion of patients with renal dysfunction and the absence of long-term data on antimicrobial resistance. 'Although extended antibiotic prophylaxis following [robotic cystectomy] appears to significantly reduce infectious morbidity and healthcare costs, its routine adoption requires caution,' Nocera and Viti wrote. 'Future large-scale, blinded, placebo-controlled trials with proper stratification are essential to guide evidence-based clinical practice without undermining antibiotic stewardship principles.' Methodological Rigor and Limitations 'The study employed a robust definition of UTI, requiring both microbiological and clinical criteria, which strengthens its validity compared to prior studies that included asymptomatic bacteriuria,' Nocera and Viti wrote. All patients received intravenous ertapenem at anesthesia induction, and only 4% had ureteral stents. Compliance with the antibiotic regimen was high, with 68% of patients completing the full 30-day course. 'Before we designed the RCT [randomized controlled trial], we actually reviewed our retrospective data that were published in the Journal of Endourology ,' Hussein said. 'So this RCT was based on the sensitivities that our previous patient had, and therefore, we were expecting that these chosen antibiotics would work. There was really no significant difference among the two groups when it comes to adverse events.' Despite its limitations, the trial provides the highest level of evidence to date supporting extended antibiotic prophylaxis after cystectomy. 'This represents the highest quality data on the subject and is likely to change practice for many urologic oncologists, myself included,' Chakiryan wrote. Still, widespread adoption should await confirmation from larger, multicenter, placebo-controlled trials, he added. 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Forbes
40 minutes ago
- Forbes
How Leaders Can Support Agroforestry—And Why It Matters
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And it's something I believe leaders should be paying attention to—even if you aren't necessarily in the agroforestry space. Understanding The Value Of Agroforestry I've been immersed in food and wellness for decades, and my marketing firm specializes in branding for well-being-focused companies. But it wasn't until recently, when my husband began exploring how to create an agroforestry farm, that the full potential of this approach began to surface for me. It felt like a meaningful sustainability project. And after attending the Food as Medicine Summit, I now see it as something far greater: a blueprint for systemic health. Agroforestry is not only about how we grow food. In my view, it's also about how we rebuild the relationship between soil health and human health, and it teaches us to design with the long view in mind. When trees, shrubs, herbs and crops grow together in one system, they do more than feed us. They can help regenerate the land and sequester carbon and protect biodiversity as well as produce more diverse food that can support better nutrition. This is not an idealistic concept; there are programs in the U.S. that link food systems to human health. While it's not an agroforestry initiative, in particular, one of the most compelling examples I encountered at the summit was a program in Oklahoma that provides free, locally grown produce to people managing chronic conditions like diabetes. These aren't random food boxes. They're clinically integrated, culturally relevant prescriptions designed to shift long-term behavior, as the patients receive education, recipes and health screenings, according to KTUL in Tulsa. From a business and policy perspective, the implications of programs like these are enormous. The program has helped participants lose weight and reduce their HbA1c levels, and it has been found to prevent hospitalizations and improve productivity, KTUL also said. What struck me most is how this model embodies similar principles to agroforestry. They both rely on local supply chains. They create value by nourishing people. They recognize that food systems must be designed for people, not just for shelf life or convenience. In conversations throughout the summit, one theme kept resurfacing: Food is not just medicine—it's an ecosystem. When agricultural practices are aligned with public health outcomes, it may be possible to reduce the burden on our healthcare systems. When we teach patients how to cook, store and preserve whole foods, we can build self-reliance. And when we pay farmers to grow regeneratively, we can create a market that values nutrient density and environmental stewardship. There's also an emotional and cultural dimension to this. Food is deeply personal. Healing doesn't happen in a vacuum; I believe it happens when people feel seen, respected and empowered. In my view, agroforestry, which has roots in indigenous knowledge and embraces biodiversity, offers a model that honors the complexity of our ecosystems and our communities. It challenges us to move beyond one-size-fits-all nutrition and toward food systems that reflect place, tradition and identity. A Call To Action For Business Leaders Instead of chasing downstream interventions, we have the opportunity to design health from the soil up, as described by J. Carter Williams, a leader in healthcare innovation. It's not about managing disease. It's about building environments—economic, agricultural and clinical—that make health the default. In my view, agroforestry fits into that model. For business leaders, this means it's time to ask ourselves: How can agroforestry inform the sourcing strategies of food brands? How can health systems integrate regenerative farms into their community outreach? How can policy support long-term investment in soil and human capital? These are the questions I'm weighing and the partnerships we're seeking. Even if you're not directly in the agroforestry space, you can still support it in powerful ways. Educate yourself—take a field trip to a regenerative or agroforestry-based farm. Taste the difference. See the systems in action. That firsthand experience can shift your mindset. From there, look for opportunities to source ingredients from agroforestry producers, invest in community-based farm partnerships or integrate regenerative supply chains into your sourcing strategy. The solutions may be closer than you think, and the impact can be transformative. Forbes Business Council is the foremost growth and networking organization for business owners and leaders. Do I qualify?