The Body of Evidence

Chris and Jonathan interview Dr. Ivan Oransky, the co-founder of Retraction Watch which tracks retractions of scientific papers. They discuss how papers get published, how they get retracted, and what a better system might look like.   1:29 How scientific papers get published 3:44 Journals are businesses with a bizarre business model 13:52 No more COVID-related retractions than expected 17:10 Scie...

Diabetes: different types and what to do about them // Mask misinformation // To bank or not to bank your newborn’s cord blood   * Jingle by Jillian Correia of Roctavio Canada * Theme music: “Fall of the Ocean Queen“ by Joseph Hackl . * Assistant researcher: Nicholas Koziris   To contribute to The Body of Evidence, go to our Patreon page at: http://www.patreon.com/thebodyofevidence/   Patrons get...

Jonathan and Chris interview Dr. Brennen McKenzie, an evidence-based veterinarian who runs the “SkeptVet” blog. They separate what we know, what we don’t know, and what we think we know when it comes to pet care and address the pseudosciences of the animal world.   2:24 Evidence-based veterinary medicine 4:49 Extrapolating from human clinical trials 7:31 Do vets change their mind? 10:07 Acupunctur...

Breastfeeding: its history, the quality of the evidence for it, and the alleged benefits to the baby and to the mother // Placebos in vaccine trials // Are we overreacting to COVID?   * Jingle by Joseph Hackl * Theme music: “Fall of the Ocean Queen“ by Joseph Hackl .   To contribute to The Body of Evidence, go to our Patreon page at: http://www.patreon.com/thebodyofevidence/ .   Patrons get a bonu...

Chris and Jonathan interview Jen Novakovich, a science communicator and cosmetic chemist, on everything you’ve ever wanted to know about the safety and efficacy of cosmetics and over-the-counter beauty products… and the drivel you need to be warned against.   2:03 Jen’s career path 4:20 Reversing the signs of aging 7:21 How much should you pay for a moisturizer? 9:37 The regulation of therapeutic...

Stomach ulcers: what causes them, what doesn’t, why they’re like ninjas, the usefulness of cameras, and how to treat them without resorting to surgery // the debate over airborne transmission of the novel coronavirus and how the virus affects children // COVID-19’s impact on blood vessels and what’s happening with “long haulers” // A word about Plandemic: InDoctorNation   * Jingle by Jillian Corre...

How can you as a patient better navigate the healthcare system? Chris takes you through the labyrinth from his side of the gurney. From the emergency department to the hospital bed, from your regular doctor visit to your medical record, the secrets to medical success and happiness (and how to win friends and influence people) will be shared! Money back guarantee!   0:00 Apology 2:03 Corrections on...

Guest host Morgan Sweeney asks Chris and Jonathan about blood! You will learn that blood is not a magical elixir but rather “water and stuff.” Featuring references to Archer, The Simpsons, Ryan George, and a recurring digression into Stephen King’s work, for some reason. After discussing King’s IT, it’s becoming obvious that The Body of Evidence is no longer a family-friendly show.   1:38 Why bloo...

Jonathan and Chris interview Dr. Elisabeth Bik, a science detective who has dedicated herself to identifying and reporting image duplications in the scientific literature that can be due to errors… or to fraud. This interview is part of a continuing series on bad science, including the special “Science Is a Human Enterprise” ( part 1 and part 2 ) and the interview with Dr. Brian Nosek .   1:16 How...

Infertility: why we’re having fewer babies, sperm counts, myths and facts, the blame game, and infertility treatments // RNA vaccines // COVID-19 mega-update: convalescent plasma, chloroquine, remdesivir, blood vessel disease hypothesis, children with Kawasaki-like complication, antibody tests, and face shields.   * Jingle by Joseph Hackl * Theme music: "Troll of the Mountain Swing" by the Undersc...

Chris and Jonathan speak to Brooke Binkowski, journalist and managing editor for Truth or Fiction, about social media’s misinformation problem and why we need more journalists to figure out what’s real from what’s fake. This interview contains more political opinions than the rest of our show because of the subject matter.   0:38 Brooke gets hoisted by her own petard 3:21 Social media became a sou...

HIV: what is it, how do you get it, and what can medicine do about it // What we have learned about chloroquine, remdesivir and convalescent plasma against COVID-19 // Sex and cigarettes, as they relate to the pandemic   * Jingle by Jillian Correia of Roctavio Canada * Theme music: "Troll of the Mountain Swing" by the Underscore Orkestra.   To contribute to The Body of Evidence, go to our Patreon...

The United States government has filed a complaint for injunction against the main seller of a type of bleach claimed to cure people of autism, COVID-19, and cancer. Jonathan speaks to Amanda Seigler, the executive director of Fierce Autistics and Allies, to bring him up to speed.   Fierce Autistics and Allies on Twitter: https://twitter.com/FierceAandA Fierce Autistics and Allies on Facebook: htt...

Jonathan and Chris speak to David Robert Grimes, physicist, cancer researcher and science writer, about 5G and why we believe things that aren’t true.   1:00 A physicist who studies biology 2:46 What is radiation? 4:16 Harm from radiation 7:02 5G 13:01 Why can’t 5G cook us? 15:51 Genuine concerns about 5G 19:26 The psychology of conspiracy theorists 23:41 Schrödinger’s bin Laden 28:00 5G and COVID...

A comprehensive look at COVID-19 and its infectious agent, SARS-CoV-2, also known as “the coronavirus.” Jonathan and Chris are joined by Dr. Matthew Oughton, an infectious disease specialist, to share the state of the evidence about the current pandemic. Recorded March 26th, 2020.   4:25 How is the disease transmitted? 18:18 What do we know about the virus? 23:47 What are the signs and symptoms? 3...

Jonathan, Chris, and special guest Nicholas Koziris discuss the popular novel House of God by Samuel Shem, a thinly veiled fictional account of Shem’s year as a medical intern at a major hospital in Boston, published in 1978. They discuss despair, suicide, and doctors lusting after busty nurses. But they mostly look at how much medicine has (or hasn’t) changed in the past 50 years. This episode co...

Morgan Sweeney, who has collaborated with us in the past, has created a podcast that uses storytelling set in the Forgotten Realms of Dungeons & Dragons to teach people about the ways of the human brain. It’s called Magic of the Mind, and we are sharing its second episode, on perception and attention, because we, uh, have cameos in it. Enjoy!   To listen to more episodes: https://podcasts.apple.co...

Arthritis: what it is; osteoarthritis vs. inflammatory arthritis; rheumatism; the risks and benefits of treatments // biosimilars, the “generic drugs” of biologics // Q&A: Chris’ qualms about omega-3 supplements for your heart // The Health Canada Ministry of Truth // Natural products claiming to cure cancer   * Jingle by Joseph Hackl * Additional original music by Seth Donnelly * Theme music: "Tr...

Chris and Jonathan speak to Paul Ingraham, a former massage therapist and author of the website PainScience.com, about the many myths surrounding massages. It will blow your socks off.   1:14 Training as a massage therapist 3:22 Chris wants to massage people 4:47 PainScience.com 10:29 Chris’ big massage reveal 11:43 Increasing circulation 17:46 Tightness 22:00 Do massages detox or toxify the body?...

Flu: Cold vs. flu; the anatomy of a virus; when viruses make a MegaZord; diagnosing, preventing and testing for the flu // coronavirus disease COVID-19 // update on talc and ovarian cancer   * Vox pop by David Lonstein * Jingle by Jillian Correia of  Roctavio Canada * Additional music by Seth Donnelly and Kevin MacLeod of Incompetech.com . * Theme music: "Troll of the Mountain Swing" by the Unders...

Jonathan and Chris speak to Stephan Guyenet, Ph. D., the author of the book The Hungry Brain and the creator of the health book review site Red Pen Reviews, about hunger, obesity, and the highs and lows of debating a journalist on one of the biggest platforms on the Internet.   0:00 Introduction 2:00 How evolution shaped our brain 3:20 Hunger 9:00 The disconnect between hunger and energy needs 15:...

Salt: what is it and what does it do to the body? (with Star Wars references!) // Telling Australians to stop drinking // Q&A with our listeners // YouTube cracks down on pseudomedicine   * Vox pop by David Lonstein * Jingle by Joseph Hackl * Additional music by Seth Donnelly and Kevin MacLeod of  Incompetech.com . * Theme music:  "Troll of the Mountain Swing"  by the Underscore Orkestra.   To con...

One day, Trysha Gellis’ heart just stopped pumping blood. She lost consciousness and almost died… but CPR saved her life. Today, we hear her story and our medical experts explain what doctors do to investigate what went wrong with her heart on that day. Thankfully, it involves cute anesthesiologists. * Theme music: "Troll of the Mountain Swing" by the Underscore Orkestra. To contribute to The Body...

Drinking water: alkaline, thirst, bottled, lead // Interview with Olivier Bernard ( thepharmafist.com ) on vitamin C, harassment, and winning the John Maddox Prize // Vaping update: EVALI and popcorn lung   * Vox pop by Sarah Swinwood * Jingle by Jillian Correia of Roctavio Canada * Additional music by Seth Donnelly and Kevin MacLeod of Incompetech.com . * Theme music: "Troll of the Mountain Swing...

Chris and Jonathan were interviewed on stage by a reporter from the McGill Tribune newspaper as part of their annual conference on journalism and the media. They discuss how they met, their respective backgrounds, the challenges of podcasting, and many more. Theme music: "Troll of the Mountain Swing" by the Underscore Orkestra. To contribute to The Body of Evidence, go to our Patreon page at: http...