Podcast
Wellness, Actually with Emily Oster & Perry Wilson, MD
Hosted by iHeartPodcasts · EN
A staggering amount of health and wellness news and information is bombarding us everywhere we look – and who’s got time to parse it out, to verify it, and then to actually do the work of improving our health?
We do! We are Emily Oster, best-selling author and data expert, and Perry Wilson, a medical doctor. And unlike the influencers, we actually know how to read a medical paper. This podcast separates fact from fiction, causality from correlation, so that you can stay informed without being overwhelmed. Every episode, we cover the health news of the week, take listener questions, and do a deep dive into a buzzy and misunderstood wellness topic so that you can actually make the best decisions for your own health.
33episodes
Episodes
Newest firstAll episodes
What's the deal with cortisol?
1w ago00:55:44Tap to summarizeThis week, Emily and Perry take on cortisol, the much-maligned stress hormone blamed for heart attacks and stubborn belly fat. But how much heat should cortisol really be getting? How do you know when yours is too high? Too low? Is it ever really worth measuring? And you guys, what did Mendelian randomization ever do to Emily?! Plus: the FDA signs off on ZYN pouches, explosive diarrhea in the Midwest, and apparently GLP-1s are really, really easy to get. Submit a question for our weekly mailbag at wellnessactually.fm.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Transcribe →
What's the deal with mRNA vaccines?
2w ago00:58:49Tap to summarizeThis week, Emily and Perry explore the RNA, a tiny molecule of extraordinary potential. What is it? How is it different from DNA? How have vaccines and an incredible array of potential medical treatments managed to unlock its magic? And what are the conspiracy theories that have been standing in the way? Prepare for medical science to shake hands with technological wonder. Plus: the FDA vs. Whoop, unpacking botulism outbreaks in baby formula, and a mystery “compassionate use” patient for retatrutide. Previous episodes referenced: What's the deal with protein? Submit a question for our weekly mailbag at wellnessactually.fm.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Transcribe →
What's the deal with full body scans?
3w ago01:02:35Tap to summarizeThis week, Emily and Perry debate full body scans: MRIs that scan your entire body like a giant humming hammer in search of nails. Will it find something wrong with you? (Yes.) Will it be something you should be worried about? (Almost always no.) But what if that one time it's the one thing that ends up saving your life? (Yeah, this is actually kind of complicated.) Plus: a totally not shocking flu outbreak amongst our troops, fantastic news about the HPV vaccine and cervical cancer, and RIP blue and brown M&Ms. Submit a question for our weekly mailbag at wellnessactually.fm.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Transcribe →
What's the deal with sleep?
4w ago00:57:47Tap to summarizeThis week, Emily and Perry tackle the weirdest, most wonderful thing all living things do: sleep. If evolution has forced us to be completely vulnerable for eight hours at a stretch, there must be a darn good reason. So what is actually happening to our brains when we sleep? What disrupts it, and how do we optimize for quality and quantity? And what are the risks of getting too little sleep...and enlisting chemical help to get more? Plus: screwworm is (appropriately) nightmare fuel, a cure for Ozempic butt, and hard seltzer vs. your kidneys. Submit a question for our weekly mailbag at wellnessactually.fm. ParentData episode on the placenta.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Transcribe →
What's the deal with hypoactive sexual desire disorder (HSDD)?
Jun 1100:53:57Tap to summarizeThis week, Emily and Perry are coming in hot to discuss the existence of sex, specifically whether or not women have a DSM-5-designated disorder when they don't want it, or if that's a pathology designed to sell women meds. Turns out the data of sexual desire is a complicated and noisy thing to study, but fortunately that's a turn-on for our intrepid hosts. Plus: a diabetes conference gets politicized, losing sleep over getting sleep, and preventative HIV drugs in South Africa. Submit a question for our weekly mailbag at wellnessactually.fm. ParentData survey on sex after kids ParentData episode with Emily Nagoski Buy her book! Previous episodes referenced: What's the deal with testosterone? What's the deal with HRT? What's the deal with peptides?See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Transcribe →
What's the deal with cupping and dry needling?
Jun 401:01:50Tap to summarizeThis week, Emily and Perry dig into dry needling and cupping, the wellness equivalent to pain equals gain (maybe?). What are the therapeutic properties, and the risks, of yanking at or poking holes in your skin? Warning: this episode is not for the faint of heart. Plus: extraordinary developments in pancreatic cancer treatment, Google wants to fill the air with millions of sterile mosquitoes, and also farts. Past episodes referenced: What's the deal with creatine? Submit a question for our weekly mailbag at wellnessactually.fm.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Transcribe →
What's the deal with red meat?
May 2800:56:46Tap to summarizeThis week, Emily and Perry pull out their steak knives to cut through both the hypers, and the detractors, of red meat. Is it as bad for you as people say? Is there value to a (fiberless) carnivore diet? What makes it red, anyway? And why is nutritional science such a heap of hot, correlation-is-not-causation garbage? Plus: a peptide scandal in the running world, myths around mitochondria, and more Ebola, unfortunately. Past episodes discussed: What's the deal with peptides? What's the deal with protein? Submit a question for our weekly mailbag at wellnessactually.fm.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Transcribe →
What's the deal with methylene blue?
May 2100:57:02Tap to summarizeThis week, Emily and Perry bravely platform methylene blue, a synthetic dye with almost godlike properties according to the influencers, and some fascinating uses (and risks) in reality. Fatigued (?) mitochondria, the electron transport chain, and blue poop? AP Bio was never this fun. Plus: strawberries won't kill you, Ebola might, and keeping teens out of tanning beds. Submit a question for our weekly mailbag at wellnessactually.fm.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Transcribe →
What's the deal with psychedelics?
May 1400:58:40Tap to summarizeThis week, Emily and Perry take a trip into the groovy world of psychedelics: what they are, what they do to our brains, and the myriad mental health problems that they seem to have a pretty interesting effect on. Join us for the most uniquely incredible experience of your life, we promise. Plus: hantavirus redux, the (now former) FDA commissioner pressured to approve flavored vapes, and a bad breast cancer study regarding perennial topic GLP-1s. Submit a question for our weekly mailbag at wellnessactually.fm.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Transcribe →
What's the deal with colostrum?
May 700:52:31Tap to summarizeThis week, Emily and Perry explore bovine colostrum, the alleged secret weapon for muscle growth and immunity, and cure for the much-maligned leaky gut. Does it actually work, who does it work for, and how do you know when it's safe? What's so wrong with having a gut that leaks anyway? And should someone be thinking about the poor deprived baby cows? Plus: Ozempic for Alcohol Use Disorder, the hantavirus outbreak on that cruise ship, and, finally, an end to the saga of perennial-no-longer Surgeon General candidate Casey Means. Submit a question for our weekly mailbag at wellnessactually.fm.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Transcribe →