Jonathan and Chris speak to Julie Robitaille, a Ph.D. student investigating endocrine disruptors in waste water and the president of the student committee of the Intersectoral Centre for Endocrine Disruptors Analysis. We’ve all heard of them: chemicals that mimic hormones and that are found in everyday products. What are they doing to human health? Many of these endocrine disruptors play important roles in the products we buy, but what we are learning about many of them makes us wonder why...

What does the body of evidence say on the topic of gluten, celiac disease, and non-celiac gluten sensitivity? Plus: a puzzling finding in nutritional epidemiology is painted as a conspiracy, and the FDA is getting sued by people who claim the abortion drug mifepristone was wrongly approved… twenty years ago. Block 1: (2:26) Gluten: what gluten is, what celiac disease is, whether or not it’s an allergy, the genetic cause, the solution, and how to test for it Block 2: (10:04) Gluten: gluten...

Chris and Jonathan speak to Professor Carla Sharp, the director of both the Developmental Psychopathology Lab and the Adolescent Diagnosis Assessment Prevention and Treatment Center at the University of Houston. Glenn Close in Fatal Attraction. Benedict Cumberbatch’s Sherlock. Batman’s rogues gallery. Hollywood loves to both glamourize and stigmatize psychopathology, including personality disorders. But what do we really know about personality disorders? Does histrionic personality disorder...

What does the body of evidence say on whether violent video games cause violence in real life? Plus: a Slate article argues that long COVID just isn’t that bad, and can you biopsy the prostate without going up the bum? Block 1: (2:18) Violent video games: what the AAP and APA say about violent video games; court case; the review at the heart of the debate; what is violence; the evolution of video games Block 2: (8:25) Violent video games: the Bobo doll experiments; measuring aggressive...

Jonathan and Chris speak to Dr. Justin Sanders, the director of palliative care at McGill, on the topic of medical assistance in dying (MAiD). What are the arguments for and against MAiD? And what do we make of the thornier aspects of euthanasia, like its intersection with disability rights and the conflict of interest at the heart of a government that funds both assisted suicide and palliative care?   (2:30) What is palliative care? (10:21) The history of MAiD in Canada (15:34) Sedation...

What does the body of evidence say on erectile dysfunction? Plus: why was a woman in need of a heart transplant was denied the procedure, and what happens when you have advanced HIV and you catch mpox?   Block 1: (2:06) Erectile dysfunction: definitions, how common it is, causes   Block 2: (9:13) Erectile dysfunction: the psychological angle, figuring out what’s causing it, treatments, the blue haze effect, cardiac risk, prevention, all-natural sexual enhancers   Block 3: (25:38)...

Chris and Jonathan talk to Vincent Denault, who researches nonverbal communication. Are there human lie detectors? Is someone lying when their eyes are shifty? And more importantly, do people in positions of power believe the pseudoscience of lie detection? (2:54) What is nonverbal communication? (7:09) Vincent thought he could become a human lie detector (9:45) Is there a clear way to know when someone is lying? (18:30) Lie to Me and The Mentalist (22:53) Hollywood’s love affair with...

Chris and Jonathan look at the already-infamous 2023 Cochrane review on masks, which many people are claiming shows that “masks don’t work.” References: 1) The Cochrane review: https://www.cochrane.org/CD006207/ARI_do-physical-measures-such-hand-washing-or-wearing-masks-stop-or-slow-down-spread-respiratory-viruses 2) Tom Jefferson’s interview by Maryanne Demasi: https://maryannedemasi.substack.com/p/exclusive-lead-author-of-new-cochrane 3) Tom Jefferson’s own Substack blog post about...

What does the body of evidence say on the topic of healthcare-acquired infections? Plus: CBD is put on trial to see how well it does against the symptoms of advanced cancer, and the world’s elites reveal their most damning secret: they don’t think COVID is just a bad cold.   Block 1: (2:02) Nosocomial infections: what they are, difference from iatrogenic infections, what the US did to reduce them, types of infections   Block 2: (9:51) Nosocomial infections: hand hygiene, disposable...

Jonathan and Chris talk to Tom Thumb, the author of the book Science for Hippies. How do you have productive conversations with people who believe that we can never truly know anything and that everything happens for a reason? Tom shares his experience being a rational hippie trying to get his friends to think more scientifically, especially in the middle of a pandemic!   (1:41) Why a science book for hippies? (7:11) Natural immunity and germ denialism (10:55) What science communicators...

What does the body of evidence say on the topic of osteoporosis? Plus: we look at a genuinely breakthrough therapy for metastatic melanoma, and Chris lets you in on a troubling “secret” when it comes to travel health insurance! You will also learn what a “dowager’s hump” is and hear Chris sing, and for that we formally apologize.   Block 1: (2:01) Osteoporosis: what it is; bone cells and how they are assessed   Block 2: (9:02) Osteoporosis: bone mineral density, T-score and Z-score; can...

Chris and Jonathan welcome back Dr. Jonathan Howard to talk about the doctors who repeatedly said the pandemic was ending and who became anti-vaccine in the process. When doctors become brands, narcissism can easily lead them and their fans astray, as these media figures chase an ever elusive limelight. Dr. Howard has been tracking their claims and predictions and brings the receipts.   (2:38) Dr. Vinay Prasad, pre-pandemic (8:41) ZDoggMD, Marty Makary, and Vinay Prasad on vaccine...

What does the body of evidence say on the topic of gun control? Plus: we address why more and more children are accidentally getting poisoned with cannabis, and we wonder if a vaccine against RSV might be around the corner! Warning: discussions of suicide in the first half. If you need help, please reach out: https://talksuicide.ca/.   Block 1: (2:42) Gun control: gun deaths, where the data comes from, violent crime vs. suicide   Block 2: (11:47) Gun control: the Canadian situation,...

Chris was a guest on the Montreal Gazette’s Corner Booth podcast, alongside local reporter Aaron Derfel, to discuss the on-going pandemic, COVID-19 denialism, and government messaging. We are bringing you this episode with the Corner Booth’s permission. It was recorded in a restaurant and the first question the host asks is, “Why is Chris wearing a mask?”   - Why is Chris wearing a mask   - Why is Aaron Derfel not wearing a mask   - Has the government not taken air quality seriously? ...

What does history teach us about the controversy over cholesterol? Plus: we look at the zombie myth that soccer players are dying from the COVID-19 vaccine, and we dissect a new clinical trial of colonoscopies that reports disappointing results and compare it to Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney’s enthusiasm for the procedure itself!   Block 1: (1:50) Cholesterol: conflicting animal studies at the beginning of the 1900s   Block 2: (9:28) Cholesterol: observational studies of high-fat...

Jonathan and Chris speak to Nick Tiller, PhD, a physiologist interested in exercising and the marketing hype that often surrounds the topic. They discuss the few supplements that can improve your workouts, as well as the gadgets that probably won’t. Bookending their conversation is the important question: what is the best exercise?   2:35 Common misunderstandings around exercising 4:43 Delayed onset muscle soreness (DOMS) 11:28 Creatine supplements 13:49 Caffeine 14:50 Glucose...

What does the body of evidence say on the topic of cholesterol? Plus: we look at the claim that a multivitamin can preserve your cognitive functions as you age, and we cover that study that allegedly shows aluminum in vaccines causes asthma!   Block 1: (3:04) Cholesterol: what cholesterol is, total cholesterol, LDL cholesterol, how fat is digested, HDL cholesterol   Block 2: (10:44) Cholesterol: triglycerides, how LDL is calculated, do you need to fast before a blood test, attempts at...

Chris and Jonathan speak to Dr. Swapnil Hiremath, a hypertension specialist and staff nephrologist at the Ottawa Hospital. As they discuss high blood pressure and how to treat it, they make their way to a highly contentious clinical trial, the Hygia trial, which allegedly compared two times of day when to take blood pressure medication. Its results are a little too perfect to be believed.   3:35 What is high blood pressure and what is “essential” hypertension? 8:34 The two numbers of blood...

What does the body of evidence say on the topic of Botox injections? Plus: we address the confusion over bivalent COVID-19 booster shots, and we look at a trial of magic mushrooms for alcohol use disorder!   Block 1: (3:00) Botox: what it is and what botulism does to you   Block 2: (9:00) Botox: how Botox works on wrinkles, a comparison between formulations, what can go wrong, why repeated injections are needed, and the non-cosmetic uses of the botulinum toxin   Block 3: (23:08)...

What does the body of evidence say on the topic of vitamin supplements? We pilot a new format for the show and ask for your feedback! Let us know your thoughts on Facebook, Twitter, Patreon, or via email at [email protected]   (6:34) The story of scurvy and how its cause, a vitamin deficiency, was harder to “science” than you may remember, with author Stephen R. Bown.    (22:48) The porous regulations that allow vitamin supplements to be sold and how Mel Gibson played a key role...

The laying on of hands. The stethoscope. The “does it hurt when I press here.” We are all familiar with the physical exam a doctor does when investigating our symptoms. But in the 21st century, with access to ultrasound and MRI, are these old-fashioned techniques still relevant or just cool parlour tricks? Returning guest Niko joins Chris to discuss the evidence behind hands-on maneuvers taught to medical students to help diagnose a variety of conditions. Warning: you may be shocked.   ...

What does the body of evidence say on the topic of sexually transmitted infections? Plus: should you worry about monkeypox, and what is going on with mysterious cases of liver inflammation in children?   Block 1: (2:15) STIs: nomenclature, HIV, rising cases   Block 2: (8:57) STIs: why cases are increasing, who should be screened, treatment options, antibiotic resistance, confections, cold sore outbreaks   Block 3: (23:29) Monkeypox   Block 4: (36:45) Mysterious liver inflammation...

The Body of Evidence is releasing an episode of HFMA’s Voices in Healthcare Finance podcast, which features an interview with Dr. Christopher Labos on the topic of weight bias in healthcare, including what health indicators to focus on instead of weight and how to help patients who are at risk improve their health outcomes without explicit or implicit fat shaming.   If you enjoy Voices in Healthcare Finance, you can find the show and subscribe to it here: https://hfma.podbean.com/     To...

What does the body of evidence say on the topic of MSG? Plus: we dig into a new study that alleges that artificial sweeteners are associated with a higher risk of cancer (but But BUT!), and will we keep boosting people against COVID every four months?   Block 1: (2:05) MSG: what it is, where it comes from, and where it is used   Block 2: (8:41) MSG: what it tastes like, the story of how it was maligned, and whether or not it causes harm   Block 3: (27:26) New study on artificial...

Chris and Jonathan welcome back to the show Paul Ingraham, the founder of PainScience.com. He charts his early days as a woo believer, his transformation into a skeptic, and the thing that got him in trouble with his massage therapy regulatory body: tone. Do healthcare regulators care for snark? Is it their role to tone-police their members? The Internet took many regulators by surprise and some overreacted. How do you kick the foxes out of the henhouse of massage therapy if the rule is that...