What's Up Docs?

Hair we go again! Chris and Xand are back with a bonus episode, as they continue their conversation with Dr Christos Tziotzios, Consultant Dermatologist and Senior Lecturer at Kings College London. They learn about a particular type of hair loss which predominantly affects women, investigate the hair growth cycle, and discuss the psychological impact of losing your hair. Plus, what connects the Bl...

Welcome to What’s Up Docs?, the podcast where doctors and identical twins Chris and Xand van Tulleken untangle the confusion around every aspect of our health and wellbeing. In today’s episode, the Doctors explore hair loss. Chris and Xand, who've both battled the receding tide of hair loss (and the accompanying existential dread), are getting to the follicle of the matter. They'll be digging into...

In this ‘uncut’ special episode, recorded before an audience at the Hay Festival in Wales, Chris and Xand discuss the anatomy of the smile, explore its evolutionary origins and examine some of the health claims about the power of the smile. Can a smile really give your brain the same reward as two thousand bars of chocolate? Will putting a pencil in your mouth make you feel happy? And how do you f...

Welcome to What’s Up Docs?, the podcast where doctors and identical twins Chris and Xand van Tulleken explore every aspect of our health and wellbeing. In this special episode, recorded before a live audience at the Hay Literary Festival in Wales, Chris and Xand discuss the anatomy of the smile, its evolutionary origins and some of the health claims about smiling. Is smiling uniquely human? Can th...

Chris and Xand continue their conversation about boredom with Dr Wijnand Van Tilburg. They discuss what happens in our brains when we feel bored, whether some people are more prone to boredom than others, and why boredom isn’t always a bad thing. Presenters: Drs Chris and Xand van Tulleken Guest: Dr Wijnand Van Tilburg Producer: Jo Rowntree Executive Producer: Rami Tzabar Editor: Kirsten Lass Assi...

Welcome to What’s Up Docs?, the podcast where doctors and identical twins Chris and Xand van Tulleken explore every aspect of our health and wellbeing. In this episode, they want to find out whether we can conquer boredom. Why do we experience boredom? Do we experience it less than we used to? And how can we motivate ourselves to complete tasks we find boring? They speak to Dr Wijnand Van Tilburg,...

Chris and Xand take a deeper dive into the world of protein. They are joined by Nita Forouhi, Professor of Population Health and Nutrition at the University of Cambridge, to discuss which groups of people might need more protein in their diets, how we can best optimise our protein intake, and the joys and challenges of Nita’s research. If you’d like to share your thoughts on this or any other topi...

Welcome to What’s Up Docs?, the podcast where doctors and identical twins Chris and Xand van Tulleken untangle the confusion around every aspect of our health and wellbeing. In this episode, they want to get to the bottom of the hype around protein. Should we be worried about not getting enough? What are the best sources of protein? And are protein supplements fact or fad? They speak to Nita Forou...

Drs Chris and Xand van Tulleken dig deeper into hormone replacement therapies for the menopause and are joined again by Professor Mary Ann Lumsden, gynaecologist and academic at the University of Glasgow. Can testosterone replacement be effective in women? What are the benefits of HRT? Is it right for everyone? And are there gaps in the research? If you want to get in touch, you can email us at wh...

Welcome to What’s Up Docs?, the podcast show where doctors and identical twins Chris and Xand van Tulleken explore every aspect of our health and wellbeing. In recent years, long-overdue conversations around the menopause have begun to break taboos and change perceptions. But it can still be a confusing or misunderstood topic, especially with the explosion of menopause marketing that’s come alongs...

In this episode, Chris and Xand continue their trip down memory lane, joined by Linda Henkel, Professor of Psychological and Brain Sciences at Fairfield University. They discuss Linda’s personal experience with memory, how digital technologies like GPS are affecting our memories, and why forgetting isn’t always such a bad thing. If you’d like to share your thoughts on this or any other topic cover...

Welcome to What’s Up Docs?, the podcast where doctors and identical twins Chris and Xand van Tulleken explore every aspect of our health and wellbeing. In this episode, they want to find out about photographs and memory. How does our memory work? How can taking photos impact our ability to form memories? And can we use photos to enhance our memory? They speak to Linda Henkel, Professor of Psycholo...

In this bonus episode Chris and Xand continue to explore microplastics - an issue gaining a lot of media and academic interest. They are joined by Dr Stephanie Wright, a Senior Lecturer in Environmental Toxicology at Imperial College, London, whose work looks at the intersection between plastic pollution and human health. If you’d like to share your thoughts on this or any other topic covered on t...

Welcome to What’s Up Docs?, the podcast where doctors and identical twins Chris and Xand van Tulleken explore every aspect of our health and wellbeing. In this episode, they delve into the issue of microplastics - minute fragments of plastic material that have been found in every environment on the planet, as well as in our brains and bodies. How did they get there, are they doing us harm and, if...

After an unexpected wave of emotion in the main episode, Chris and Xand took a breather and grabbed some lunch. In this bonus episode, we pick up where we left off. Chartered psychologist Kimberly Wilson helps the twins unpick what happened in their own difficult conversation and explains how we can all respond better when having these tricky talks in our lives. If you’d like to share your thought...

Welcome to What’s Up Docs?, the podcast where doctors and identical twins Chris and Xand van Tulleken explore every aspect of our health and wellbeing. How do you tell your friend that something they’ve been doing is really starting to hurt your feelings? Talk to your mum about her health? Or even ask your partner to try something new in bed? If just thinking about these types of conversations mak...

In this bonus episode, Drs Chris and Xand van Tulleken dig deeper into headaches. They talk to Dr Katy Munro, a senior doctor at the National Migraine Centre, about her personal experience of headaches, how she dealt with them and how it motivated her to help others. If you’d like to share your thoughts on this or any other topic covered on the podcast, you email us at whatsupdocs@bbc.co.uk or Wha...

Are headaches clouding your day? Join Chris and Xand as they speak to Dr Katy Munro, a senior doctor at the National Migraine Centre, to delve into the science behind those nagging pains. Discover practical remedies to ease the throbbing, best ways to avoid getting them in the first place and common headache myths. If you want to get in touch, you can email us at whatsupdocs@bbc.co.uk or WhatsApp...

In this bonus episode, Chris and Xand dig deeper into gum disease. They are joined by Associate Professor & Honorary Consultant in Restorative Dentistry Praveen Sharma to discuss how different types of bacteria in our mouths affect the rest of our bodies, and the link between gum disease and systemic conditions such as diabetes and cardiovascular disease. If you’d like to share your thoughts o...

Chris and Xand want to know about bad breath. Chris's wife calls him out on it when he has it. But what causes it? And is there anything we can do about it? In this episode they speak to Dr Praveen Sharma, Associate Professor and Honorary Consultant in Restorative Dentistry, to find out. If you want to get in touch, you can email us at whatsupdocs@bbc.co.uk or WhatsApp us on 08000 665123. Presente...

Chris and Xand dig deeper into sleep deprivation with Professor of Circadian Neuroscience at Oxford University, Russell Foster. They discuss the evolution of sleep and the difference between sleepiness and fatigue. If you’d like to share your thoughts on this or any other topic covered on the podcast, you email us at whatsupdocs@bbc.co.uk or Whatsapp on 08000 665 123. Presenters: Drs Chris and Xan...

In this episode, Chris and Xand explore sleep deprivation, something they both experience. Many people have become obsessed with getting the perfect night’s sleep. We’re using gadgets, monitoring how many hours we’re getting each night, and taking supplements. But how worried should we actually be? Chris and Xand talk to Russell Foster, Professor of Circadian Neuroscience at Oxford University, to...

Chris and Xand dig deeper into the role of testosterone with Dr Channa Jayasena, expert in reproductive endocrinology from Imperial College London. They discuss how  testosterone interacts with other hormones, particularly oestrogen and the different roles these hormones play when it comes to male and female biology. They also explore the populism of testosterone. If you’d like to share your thoug...

In this epsiode, Chris and Xand van Tulleken explore testosterone replacement therapy. It’s been suggested to Xand that he needs some testosterone replacement therapy - but should he take it? Does testosterone really boost mood, sexual appetite and energy? When testosterone declines in men as they get older and when women go through the menopause, can increasing testosterone offer positive results...

Join Chris and Xand for some bonus content, digging deeper into the topic of each week’s episode of What’s Up Docs? In this episode they look at knees and are joined by Philip Conaghan, Professor of Musculoskeletal Medicine at the University of Leeds. They discuss key exercises we can be doing to help with chronic knee pain, what the best kind of pain relief is, and how to ensure longevity of the...