The word 'hypochondria' has travelled from meaning physical ailments in a particular region of your body, to ones that are only in your mind. It has been in fashion, and thoroughly out; it has been subject to a range of treatments; it has been lucrative for quacks; and it's a very understandable form of anxiety - which I have, and so does Caroline Crampton, author of the new book A Body Made of Glass: A History of Hypochondria. Content note: this episode contains a lot of discussion about health anxiety. There are mentions of cancer, doctors and hospitals - but not detailed accounts of medical conditions or treatments. Get the transcript of this episode, and find links to more information about the topics therein, at theallusionist.org/hypochondria. This episode was produced by me, Helen Zaltzman. The music is by Martin Austwick of palebirdmusic.com. We'll be playing a space-themed show in the planetarium at the H.R. MacMillan Space Centre in Vancouver BC on 18 April 2024; get tickets via theallusionist.org/events. Become a member of the Allusioverse at theallusionist.org/donate and as well as keeping this independent podcast going, you get regular livestreams, insight into the making of this show, and watchalong parties - AND to hang out with your fellow Allusionauts in our delightful Discord community, where I am posting all my best/worst portmanteaus and portmantNOs. The Allusionist's online home is theallusionist.org. Stay in touch via facebook.com/allusionistshow, instagram.com/allusionistshow, youtube.com/allusionistshow, twitter.com/allusionistshow etc. Our ad partner is Multitude. If you want me to talk lovingly and winningly about your product or thing on the show in 2024, sponsor an episode: contact Multitude at multitude.productions/ads. This episode is sponsored by:• Squarespace, your one-stop shop for building and running your online empire. Go to squarespace.com/allusionist for a free 2-week trial, and get 10 percent off your first purchase of a website or domain with the code allusionist. • Bombas, whose mission is to make the comfiest clothes ever, and match every item sold with an equal item donated. Go to bombas.com/allusionist to get 20% off your first purchase. • This Is How We Heal from Painful Childhoods: A Practical Guide to Healing Past Intergenerational Stress and Trauma, the new book from Dr Ernest Ellender. Find out more about his work and buy the book at healfromchildhood.com. Support the show: http://patreon.com/allusionist See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
This is the illusionist, in which I, Helen Zaltzman, tenderly mop languages brow.
This episode is about health anxiety, so content note there's a lot of discussion about health anxiety and there are mentions of cancer doctors and hospitals, but not detailed accounts of medical conditions or treatments.
Remember, on the 18 April 2024, there is a space themed illusionist live show in the planetarium at the HR Macmillan Space Centre in Vancouver, Canada.
It'll be really fun, possibly a one off, unless you have a planetarium you want some language related entertainment to happen in.
I'm open.
I've linked to tickets@theillusionist.org events and they include a whole evening of space related amusement and edutainment.
On with the show.
What does hypochondria mean?
Like, what does it mean?
I suppose.
What does it mean to you now?
I think to me now it's come to mean a particular state of anxiety I experience that is related to health generally.
Specifically, though, bodily sensation I associate it very strongly with.
I feel something.
It doesn't feel right.
It must be.
It must be x, it must be y.
That escalating train of anxiety, what it means in a more neutral, dictionary definition way, I think the oad calls it the persistent and unwarranted fear that one has a serious illness, very much though a mental condition that you experience around feelings to do with your health.
My name is Caroline Crampton and I'm the author of a body made of a history of hypochondria.
The word hypochondria has had a pretty big shift in meaning over its lifespan, since it originated as a word for a physical problem in the region of the body then known as the hypochondrium.