#135 - BJ Miller, M.D.: How understanding death leads to a better life

ℹ️ EPISODE INFO

Released

November 2, 2020

Duration

1h 54m

Channel

Peter Attia MD

Watch on YouTube

▶ Open ↗

📝 EPISODE DESCRIPTION

BJ Miller is a hospice and palliative care specialist on a quest to reframe our relationship with death. In this episode, BJ begins with how his own brush with death radically shifted his perspective and ultimately forged his path towards palliative care and helping patients integrate and understand their life in a meaningful way. BJ recounts several moving stories from his patients, which reveal important lessons about overcoming the fear of death, letting go of regret, and what’s most important in life. He discusses the major design flaws of a “death phobic” healthcare system. Furthermore, he makes the case that seeing death as a part of life allows us to live well, as opposed to living to evade death itself. He concludes with a discussion around physician-assisted death as well as his hopes around the use of psychedelics to reduce suffering in end-of-life care. We discuss: 00:00:00 - Intro 00:03:00 - BJ’s accident leading to the loss of his limbs and his experience inside a burn unit 00:14:30 - Coping with his amputations—being tough, the grieving process, and the healing properties of tears 00:28:15 - Going from art history to medical school: the value of a diverse background in medicine 00:40:00 - How BJ’s new body liberated him 00:47:15 - How losing his sister to suicide and his disillusionment with medicine altered his path 00:55:30 - Discovering his path of palliative care—distinct from hospice—in medicine 01:02:15 - Our complicated relationship with death, and how acknowledging it can release its grip and improve living 01:10:00 - The different distinctions around the fear of death, and how BJ helps his patients negotiate fears 01:14:15 - The major design flaws of a “death phobic” healthcare system 01:23:00 - Common regrets, the value of time, and other insights from interactions with patients in their final moments of life 01:33:45 - The story of Randy Sloan—a case study of playing life out 01:39:45 - Hastening death with physician-assisted dying: Legality and considerations 01:45:45 - The use of psychedelics in end-of-life care, and what BJ is most excited about going forward Show notes page: https://peterattiamd.com/bjmiller/ About: The Peter Attia Drive is a weekly, ultra-deep-dive podcast focusing on maximizing health, longevity, critical thinking…and a few other things. With over 30 million episodes downloaded, it features topics including fasting, ketosis, Alzheimer’s disease, cancer, mental health, and much more. Peter is a physician focusing on the applied science of longevity. His practice deals extensively with nutritional interventions, exercise physiology, sleep physiology, emotional and mental health, and pharmacology to increase lifespan (delay the onset of chronic disease), while simultaneously improving healthspan (quality of life). Learn more: https://peterattiamd.com/ Subscribe to receive exclusive subscriber-only content: https://peterattiamd.com/subscribe/ Sign up to receive Peter's email newsletter: https://peterattiamd.com/newsletter/ Connect with Peter on: Facebook: http://bit.ly/PeterAttiaMDFB Twitter: http://bit.ly/PeterAttiaMDTW Instagram: http://bit.ly/PeterAttiaMDIG Subscribe to The Drive: Apple Podcast: http://bit.ly/TheDriveApplePodcasts Overcast: http://bit.ly/TheDriveOvercast Spotify: http://bit.ly/TheDriveSpotify Google Play: http://bit.ly/TheDriveGooglePlay

🎤 SPEAKERS

• Peter Attia

  host

  Physician and host of The Drive Podcast, focused on longevity and health.

• Dr. BJ Miller

  guest

  Palliative care physician known for work in hospice and end-of-life care.

🧾 EPISODE SUMMARY

In this episode of Peter Attia MD, featuring Peter Attia and Dr. BJ Miller, #135 - BJ Miller, M.D.: How understanding death leads to a better life explores bJ Miller on Loss, Dying Well, and Living Fully BJ Miller describes surviving a severe electrical burn at Princeton that cost him both legs below the knee and one arm below the elbow, and how his grief unfolded slowly after an initial phase of joking and toughness.

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