Causes or Cures

Send us Fan Mail A scientist at an anti-plague research institute in Siberia died from severe pneumonia. Early reports suggested pneumonic plague and a possible laboratory exposure. And suddenly, we got a LOT of plague. There was just one problem: we didn't actually know that she had it. Now Russia says it wasn't plague, WHO says there's no evidence of ongoing transmission, and thou...

Send us Fan Mail NAD+ supplements have become a huge part of the longevity world. Compounds like NMN and NR are marketed for energy, cellular repair, and healthy aging. But could some of the same things that help healthy cells survive also help cancer cells survive? In this episode of Causes or Cures , Eeks talks with pancreatic cancer surgeon-scientist Dr. Jordan Winter about new research examini...

Send us Fan Mail A bat lands on a restaurant table in California. It later tests positive for rabies. And somehow, that's only the beginning of the story. In this episode of Causes or Cures , Eeks looks at rabies exposure, post-exposure prophylaxis (PEP), and the sometimes staggering medical bills that can follow—from tens of thousands of dollars to one initial bill topping $200,000. Plus: ra...

Send us Fan Mail Can cleaning the air in your home affect how your brain works?  In this episode, Eeks talks with Prof Doug Brugge, Professor and Chair of Public Health Sciences at UConn, about a randomized crossover study testing HEPA air filtration in people living near busy highways.  Researchers gave participants both real HEPA filtration and sham filtration and measured cognitive performance...

Send us Fan Mail Would you want to know if you had a 50% chance of developing an inherited form of dementia? In this episode of Causes or Cures , Dr. Eeks talks with #1 New York Times bestselling author Robert Kolker about his new book, The Vanishing Family: Love, Fate, and the Quest to End Dementia . The book follows a Pennsylvania family across generations as they confront a rare inherited form...

Send us Fan Mail What can hundreds of thousands of Reddit posts tell us about the side effects of GLP-1 medications? In this episode of Causes or Cures , I talk with researcher Neil K. R. Sehgal about his recent study examining self-reported side effects of semaglutide and tirzepatide, commonly known by brand names including Ozempic, Wegovy, Mounjaro, and Zepbound. Neil and his colleagues used AI...

Send us Fan Mail A woman named Victoria went viral after sharing that a prescription medication that would have cost her $1,000 out of pocket in the U.S. cost just $25 when obtained through a Canadian pharmacy from an Indian manufacturer. But perhaps the most interesting part wasn't the price difference. It was the reaction. The comments filled with people sharing their own stories about pres...

Send us Fan Mail Yes, scientists have invented smart underwear.  And yes, we're going to have to talk about farts.  But this isn't really a story about underwear or even intestinal gas. It's about finding a new way to study the gut microbiome in real time. In this episode, researcher Dr.  Brantley Hall joins me to talk about the development of wearable “smart underwear” that continu...

Send us Fan Mail Are you sharing your microbiome with your roommate? What about your romantic partner? In this episode of Causes or Cures , Dr. Eeks talks with microbiome researcher Dr. Nicola Segata about new research showing that we may share parts of our microbiome with the people we live with—including family members, roommates, and romantic partners. They discuss how our microbiomes are share...

Send us Fan Mail Once upon a time, people blamed tuberculosis on vampires. Seriously. In this Public Health Is Weird episode, we head to 1892 Rhode Island, where the deaths of several members of one family led to an exhumation, a suspected vampire, and a truly horrifying attempt at a cure. The real culprit was tuberculosis.  We explore the strange connection between TB and vampire folklore, the di...

Send us Fan Mail Why do so many middle-aged Americans feel like they're barely keeping their heads above water? In this episode, Dr. Eeks is joined by Dr. Frank Infurna, Professor of Psychology at Arizona State University and lead author of a recent paper examining historical changes in midlife well-being in the United States and Europe. His research paints a concerning picture: today's...

Send us Fan Mail Exploring the Spiritual Realm Where spiritual belief meets health, culture, and skepticism  Disclaimer: This episode discusses spiritual and metaphysical beliefs that are not evidence-based public health methods or medical treatments. Nothing in this conversation is medical or health advice. If you have a health concern, please seek care from a licensed clinician. This is entertai...

Send us Fan Mail Seasonal Blues, Melancholy, and the Winter Splinter... Do you only get the Winter Blues? Lucky you. In this episode of Eeks Speakeasy, Dr. Eeks confesses to suffering from the entire seasonal collection—from the Autumn Bottom and Spring Sting to the Summer Bummer and the newly diagnosed Winter Splinter. Along the way, she explores why our moods seem to shift throughout the year, w...

Send us Fan Mail Can bananas change the nutritional value of your smoothie? Bananas are often considered one of the healthiest fruits you can eat. But what happens when they're blended with berries or other foods rich in beneficial plant compounds? In this episode, Dr. Eeks talks with Professor Gunter Kuhnle, Professor of Nutrition and Food Science, about his research examining how bananas ma...

Send us Fan Mail Can We Prevent Muscle Loss While Taking GLP-1 Weight-Loss Drugs? GLP-1 medications like Zepbound have changed the way we treat obesity. But as more people lose significant amounts of weight, another question has emerged: What happens to your muscle? It's normal to lose some lean mass—including muscle—during weight loss. But researchers are now asking whether preserving more m...

Send us Fan Mail Can using your smartphone on the toilet increase your risk of hemorrhoids? In this episode of WTF Health News, Dr. Eeks explores one of the strangest health headlines of the year—and yes, it's based on a real scientific study. Researchers found that adults who reported using smartphones while sitting on the toilet had a 46% higher likelihood of hemorrhoids compared with peopl...

Send us Fan Mail Many people living with migraines say they can "feel a storm coming" before an attack. But is there scientific evidence that environmental exposures can influence migraine risk? In this episode of Causes or Cures, Dr. Eeks talks with Professor Gal Ifergane, neurologist and headache specialist, about his research on migraines and the environment. The conversation explores...

Send us Fan Mail Can listening to music help protect your brain as you age? In this episode of Causes or Cures, Dr. Eeks talks with Professor Joanne Ryan about her research on music, dementia risk, cognitive decline, and healthy aging. Drawing on data from thousands of older adults participating in the ASPREE Longitudinal Study of Older Persons (ALSOP), Professor Ryan discusses findings suggesting...

Send us Fan Mail A recent asthma attack in a pet store sends Dr. Eeks down a rabbit hole of thoughts about breathing, chronic illness, menstruation woes, panic versus biology, strangers helping strangers, an anxious dog that needs emotional support during human emergencies, the cost of ambulance rides, and how the day rarely goes the way you think it will. A story, a reflection...and a reminder th...

Send us Fan Mail Can you be genuinely happy and, even thrive,  as a single person?  In this episode, Professor Elyakim Kislev, author of Happy Singlehood: The Rising Acceptance and Celebration of Solo Living , discusses the growing global trend toward singlehood and what the research says about happiness, loneliness, marriage, and solo living.  We explore the difference between being alone and bei...

Send us Fan Mail Today's Causes or Cures' WTF Health News with Dr. Eeks starts with olive oil and somehow ends with the microbiome. A recent study suggests that older adults consuming more virgin olive oil may perform better on cognitive tests than those consuming more refined olive oil. Researchers also found differences in the gut microbiome because, at this point, the microbiome appea...

Send us Fan Mail What makes you you ? Is it your memories? Your personality? Your sense of humor? Your motivation? What happens when a neurological disease changes one of those things? In this episode of Causes or Cures , Dr. Eeks talks with neurologist, neuroscientist, and author Dr. Masud Husain about his new book, Our Brains, Our Selves: What a Neurologist's Patients Taught Him About the B...

Send us Fan Mail In this episode of Causes or Cures, Dr. Eeks speaks with Dr. Judson Brandeis, a board-certified urologist, sexual medicine specialist, surgeon, author, and founder of BrandeisMD, about erectile dysfunction, sexual wellness, aging, intimacy, and the rapidly growing men’s penile enhancement industry. Dr. Brandeis discusses his recent clinical research exploring whether nitric oxide...

Send us Fan Mail Do you cough a lot?  Does someone you know cough a lot?  What if you could actually measure it, continuously?   For people with chronic cough, those question matters.  Because right now, most of what we know about cough comes from self-report. And that’s not very precise. In this episode, Dr. Eeks speaks with Dr. Peter Small from Hyfe , a company using AI to continuously detect an...

Send us Fan Mail In this episode of Causes or Cures, Dr. Eeks speaks with Dr. Amrita Vijay , a gut microbiome scientist who studies how diet shapes the microbiome and influences inflammation, mood, and overall health. Her research tested three different dietary approaches over six weeks: a prebiotic fiber (inulin), omega 3 supplementation, and a synbiotic combining fermented kefir with prebiotic f...