When Dr. Verghese, professor for the theory and practice of medicine, meets a new patient, it is often the story of the person’s life that most informs their interactions. Sometimes even if he cannot cure, he can still heal. Abraham Verghese is a critically acclaimed, best-selling author and a physician with an international reputation for his focus on healing in an era when technology often overwhelms the human side of medicine. In February 2014, he received a Heinz Award from Teresa Heinz and the Heinz Family Foundation. The Heinz awards given annually celebrate the enduring spirit of hope and the power of innovation. This talk was given at a TEDx event using the TED conference format but independently organized by a local community. Learn more at http://ted.com/tedx

Watch, learn and connect: https://stanfordconnects.stanford.edu/ Every patient's body tells a powerful story about the patient's socio-medical condition, past and present. In this talk, Professor Abraham Verghese traces the evolution of technology in medical care and emphasizes the importance of developing a clinical eye during bedside diagnosis. He'll also touch on the ritual of the medical exam as a pivotal moment of transformation. Abraham Verghese is a professor and senior associate chair for the theory and practice of medicine. In addition to being a sought-after clinician and diagnostician, Abraham attended the Iowa Writers Workshop, where he obtained a master of fine arts. An accomplished author, he chronicled AIDS in rural Tennessee in a memoir, My Own Country, a complex friendship in another memoir, The Tennis Partner, and the lives of twin orphans in his novel, Cutting for Stone. Abraham has published extensively in medical literature, and his writing has appeared in The New Yorker, Sports Illustrated, The Atlantic, Esquire, The New York Times Magazine, The Wall Street Journal and elsewhere. He is board certified in internal medicine, pulmonary diseases and infectious diseases and is a member of the Institute of Medicine of the National Academy of Sciences. This Stanford+Connects micro lecture was filmed on location in Paris, France. Stanford+Connects is a program of the Stanford Alumni Association. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed in whole or part with out express written permission.

http://www.ted.com Modern medicine is in danger of losing a powerful, old-fashioned tool: human touch. Physician and writer Abraham Verghese describes our strange new world where patients are merely data points, and calls for a return to the traditional one-on-one physical exam. TEDTalks is a daily video podcast of the best talks and performances from the TED Conference, where the world's leading thinkers and doers give the talk of their lives in 18 minutes. Featured speakers have included Al Gore on climate change, Philippe Starck on design, Jill Bolte Taylor on observing her own stroke, Nicholas Negroponte on One Laptop per Child, Jane Goodall on chimpanzees, Bill Gates on malaria and mosquitoes, Pattie Maes on the "Sixth Sense" wearable tech, and "Lost" producer JJ Abrams on the allure of mystery. TED stands for Technology, Entertainment, Design, and TEDTalks cover these topics as well as science, business, development and the arts. Closed captions and translated subtitles in a variety of languages are now available on TED.com, at http://www.ted.com/translate.

In this new RSA Animate, Professor Renata Salecl explores the paralysing anxiety and dissatisfaction surrounding limitless choice. Does the freedom to be the architects of our own lives actually hinder rather than help us? Does our preoccupation with choosing and consuming actually obstruct social change? Taken from the RSA's free public events programme www.thersa.org/events. The RSA was established in the heart of the Enlightenment, and is dedicated to driving social progress and spreading world-changing ideas. Follow the RSA on Twitter: https://twitter.com/RSAEvents Like the RSA on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/rsaeventsofficial/ Listen to RSA podcasts: https://soundcloud.com/the_rsa See RSA Events behind the scenes: https://instagram.com/rsa_events/ ------ This audio has been edited from the original event by Becca Pyne. Series produced by Abi Stephenson, RSA. Animation by Cognitive Media. Andrew Park, the mastermind behind the Animate series and everyone's favourite hairy hand, discusses their appeal and success in his blog post, 'Talk to the hand': http://www.thersa.org/talk-to-the-hand/

Stress is ubiquitous these days — it plays a role in the workplace, in the home, and virtually everywhere that people interact. It can take a heavy toll on individuals unless it is recognized and managed effectively and insightfully. This is even more true for parents, family members and caregivers of individuals with neuro-behavioural disorders such as FASD, and if left unchecked, accumulated stress goes on to undermine immunity, disrupts the body's physiological milieu and can prepare the ground for a multitude chronic diseases and conditions. This presentation, adapted for this conference, is based on When The Body Says No, a best-selling book that has been translated into more than twelve languages on five continents.

http://www.ted.com What is happiness, and how can we all get some? Buddhist monk, photographer and author Matthieu Ricard has devoted his life to these questions, and his answer is influenced by his faith as well as by his scientific turn of mind: We can train our minds in habits of happiness. Interwoven with his talk are stunning photographs of the Himalayas and of his spiritual community.