Wellness, Actually with Emily Oster & Perry Wilson, MD

This week, Emily and Perry explore the creepiest, crawliest topic yet: ticks! What's the deal with these little bloodsucking jerks? How do they infect us? What are the differences between tick-borne illnesses, and which ones do you really need to watch out for? Is Lyme disease a bioweapon? And how much should you worry about becoming allergic to meat? Tuck your pants into your socks and join us. Plus: a new study advocating for more screen time is just as bad as all the others, updates on good cholesterol levels, and be sure to take extra vehicular precautions the next time Tay Tay drops an album. Submit a question for our weekly mailbag at wellnessactually.fm.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This week, Emily and Perry take on fluoride, a mineral with proven benefits for your teeth and an army of skeptical influencers ready to fight their municipal water supplies, (weakened) tooth and nail. What is fluoride? When did we start putting it into the water? Do we still need to? Is there any truth to the skeptics' concerns? And can we all agree that the best hope for our kids' IQs is Dolly Parton? Plus: the shady backroom dealings of flavored vapes, the specious reasoning behind vaccine "choice," and a padded bra scandal in the Tour de France Femmes (avec Zwift!).  Submit a question for our weekly mailbag at wellnessactually.fm.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This week, Emily and Perry explore gluten, the protein responsible for everything that makes bread, bagels, pasta, and all of their other favorite foods chewy and delicious. Why has gluten gotten such a bad rap lately? Is it really responsible for all the ailments it's blamed for? When is an allergy an allergy, and how do we have compassion for any number of very real sensitivities without throwing the baby out with the sourdough discard? Plus: the inevitable protein backlash has arrived, Viagra is unfortunately not a cure for cancer, and though it's out of the news cycle, the Ebola outbreak in the DRC is still raging. Submit a question for our weekly mailbag at wellnessactually.fm.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This week, Emily and Perry discuss the Sun. Sure, it’s necessary for life on earth and occupies over 99% of our solar system’s mass, but seriously, what’s its deal? Specifically, with respect to vitamin D and sunscreen, two oddly controversial topics in the wellness space. How much sun should we safely be exposed to? What’s the value of sunlight for our mood, health, and overall well-being? And…should we be tanning our buttholes? Plus: coffee is good for you, actually, the United States is a “cool mom” when it comes to peptide production, and yet another infuriating record set with measles cases. Past episodes referenced: What's the deal with peptides? What's the deal with red light therapy? Submit a question for our weekly mailbag at wellnessactually.fm.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This week, Emily and Perry raise a glass to alcohol: the cause of, and solution to, all of life's problems. How does it actually affect our brains? How much should we, or should we not, safely be drinking? Why are studies about responsible consumption such hot, noisy garbage? And does everything always have to be good for us to be enjoyable? Plus: the latest on cyclospora, a sad upper bound on the human lifespan, and some overcompensating in the military. Submit a question for our weekly mailbag at wellnessactually.fm.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This week, Emily and Perry are joined by actress Allison Williams to discuss all things pregnancy brain. Are the fog and forgetfulness due to actual brain shrinkage? Does it replenish itself postpartum? Do women ever actually "bounce back"? What's all this change in the service of, exactly? And, most importantly, how do we support the women in our lives going through this? Plus: lactate gels at the Tour de France, Bryan Johnson's pesky autoimmune disease, and hail and farewell to the last American Polio survivor. Submit a question for our weekly mailbag at wellnessactually.fm.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This 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.

This week, Emily and Perry explore 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.

This 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.

This 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.

This 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.

This 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.

This 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.

This 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.

This 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.

This 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.

This week, Emily and Perry take on testosterone, the raging yang to last week's sober estrogen yin. Do men actually experience "manopause" in ways similar to women? How much testosterone is not enough, what are the risks of too much, and how do you know if you need an extra boost? And what does testosterone do for men anyway? (Note: this episode on both endogenous and exogenous male sex hormones contains the existence of sex.) Plus: the U.S. military no longer mandating the flu jab, the fishy effects of fish oil on your brain, and promising news about pancreatic cancer treatment. Submit a question for our weekly mailbag at wellnessactually.fm.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.