From medical dramas to emergency room reality, health fascinates us. If we’re not watching it we’re talking about it … and if we’re not sharing hospital horror stories we’re worrying about them. Let’s face it being unwell or unfit is so addictive it should carry a health warning.
Not so, say the makers of the longest running health and wellness series on public television. As potential patients we need documentaries to help break down the fear-barrier that too often separates us from the medical professionals. Doctors, too, need to appreciate the stresses and personal concerns of being a patient.
A Healthy Nation
Since its debut back in 2004 Healthy Body, Healthy Mind has aired more than 200 episodes — covering everything from nutrition and exercise to angina and the full array of cancers, pain management and tumour after care. Now it is back for a new PBS season with 300-plus stations nationwide broadcasting this healthcare flagship. Topics for this season include examining the link between sun damage and skin cancer, gout, multiple sclerosis and Photodynamic Therapy, the revolutionary anti-cancer light treatment. So if medical or healthcare documentaries are your thing, pick your best Dish promotion, sick back and enjoy.
In The Right Vein
PBS is one of the world’s leading documentary broadcasters — remember the groundbreaking Vietnam serious back in the 1970s? — and health issues are high on its programming list. Whatever your concerns, be it “Addicted to Painkillers” or “Radioactive Wolves” PBS does its best to pose some of the trickiest questions and track down the answers from influential and frontline specialists.
Of course, having all this information at our fingertips has, generally speaking, got to be a good thing. For one, it can help us detect problems sooner. And arriving at your doctor’s office well-informed can only improve the quality of care you receive.





