Plain English with Derek Thompson
News:News Commentary
One week ago, Matthew Perry’s autopsy report came back, finding that the ‘Friends’ actor died from the acute effects of ketamine overdose. His death has sharpened focus on the popular and controversial drug. Ketamine has been hailed as a miracle cure for depression and anxiety, criticized as a VC-fueled fad, and investigated as a placebo. But what is ketamine, what is its history, what do we know about how and why it works, and how could it help hundreds of millions of people with depression and anxiety? Today’s guest is Boris Heifets. He is an assistant professor of anesthesiology at Stanford University and the author of a much talked about and utterly fascinating study on ketamine that came up with a brilliant way to test the effects of ketamine. The study's surprising results raise big questions about not only ketamine, but the curative power of belief.
If you have questions, observations, or ideas for future episodes, email us at PlainEnglish@Spotify.com.
Host: Derek Thompson
Guest: Boris Heifets
Producer: Devon Baroldi
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
How Would the End of Roe v. Wade Change America?
Economic Mystery Hour: How Low Will Stocks Go? Is a Recession Inevitable?
Why Is It So Hard to Predict the Next Great Quarterback?
The End of the Golden Age of Streaming
Instant Reaction Pod! Elon Musk Buys Twitter. So, What Happens Next?
Why Are American Teenagers So Sad and Anxious?
How Joe Biden Lost Millennials
The News About Shanghai’s COVID Lockdown Is Shocking. The Reality Might Be Worse.
Instant Reaction Pod! Elon Musk Offers to Buy 100 Percent of Twitter.
When Will the Ukraine War End? (Plus: 10 Good Minutes on What the Hell Elon Musk Is Doing With Twitter)
It's Not Just You: America's Epidemic of Bad Behavior
Why U.S. Population Growth Crashed to a Record Low
Should You Be Afraid of TikTok?
What Is the “Don’t Say Gay” Law Really About? (Plus: The Big Disney vs. DeSantis Showdown in Florida.)
How Ukraine Wins
Could Putin’s War Crash the U.S. Economy?
Five Reasons Putin’s War Was Doomed From the Start
Why a No-Fly Zone Over Ukraine Could Be—Literally—the Worst Idea Ever
“Every Person Is Ready to Die for Our Country”: Five Ukrainians on Life Inside Putin’s War Zone
SPECIAL DOUBLE EPISODE: What Putin Will Do Next and the West’s Unprecedented "Financial War" on Russia
Create your
podcast in
minutes
It is Free
The Tucker Carlson Show
The Matt Walsh Show
The Glenn Beck Program
Mark Levin Podcast
The Michael Knowles Show