All In Her Head
A young woman is starving to death. Some doctors say she needs life-saving surgery; others say the diagnosis doesn't exist. This series explores the grey area where medicine, belief & evidence collide
Episodes
A young woman is starving to death. Some doctors say she needs life-saving surgery; others say the diagnosis doesn't exist. All In Her Head is a seven-part investigative podcast from RNZ’s award-winning journalist Anusha Bradley about Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome (EDS), and explores the grey area where medicine, belief and evidence collide.
Rachel is starving to death, but doctors can't agree what’s wrong with her. In desperation her family fundraises for life-saving surgery she can only get overseas. Rachel has Ehlers-Danlos, a syndrome dividing the medical community.
See photos, video and read more about Rachel's story in a special digital feature: The girl who couldn’t eat: An RNZ investigation into the controversy over a debilitating illness
A special th...
Sophie Roberts was a normal active 15-year-old, used to hours each week of ballet and Crossfit. Then she started feeling dizzy, often fainting, and eventually those episodes would lead to seizures. For three years she struggled through high school until her gastro symptoms started. Eating became hell. Sophie searched for answers, and while some doctors believed she was suffering from Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome and related vascular comp...
Anusha meets the doctors facing scrutiny for treating Ehlers-Danlos syndrome. Meanwhile, Rachel takes a leap of faith, heading overseas to meet a surgeon who could save her life.
Read about a pledge made by Australian vascular surgeon Gert Frahm-Jensen to support new research into EDS: Australian surgeon pledges Kiwi patients' fees towards new vascular compressions research
A special thanks to the young women and their families for s...
Health officials make a shock move that sends a ripple of fear through the EDS community. Anusha meets the family of Ruby Hill, who starved to death after a long battle with EDS. And we hear from the experts who say the evidence doesn’t stack up.
See photos, video and read more about Ruby's story in a special digital feature: Sent home to die: What a missed diagnosis says about the medical establishment
A special thanks t...
Another young woman fights for her life in hospital while doctors' debate what they see on her scans. So how is it that different doctors can look at the same image and come to completely different conclusions?
A special thanks to the young women and their families for sharing their stories for this series. And thank you to the doctors, surgeons and specialists in New Zealand and overseas for sharing their medical knowledge and expe...
A doctor in Germany says he can treat complex vascular compressions. Health officials say it’s experimental and dangerous. Jemima’s family say he saved her life, but we meet another woman who wishes she never went under the knife.
Content warning: this episode contains graphic descriptions of surgical procedures and might not be suitable for younger listeners, please take care while listening.
Anusha meets Sophie and Selah. Both have EDS, but their experiences were vastly different. So why are some women with Ehlers-Danlos syndrome told their pain is psychological? Is it medical misogyny?
*Correction: Trinity was in Auckland Hospital in 2023, not 2022. She was diagnosed with scurvy in 2024, not 2022, as originally published.
A special thanks to the young women and their families for sharing their stories for this series. A...
Anusha returns to Whakatāne to see Rachel for the first time since her surgery. Has it been a success? And what is the way forward for the women still waiting for answers?
See photos, video and read more in a special digital feature: Doctors accused her of faking illness - now they’re asking for forgiveness
A special thanks to the young women and their families for sharing their stories for this series. And thank you to the doc...
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