It’s the case of the woman who was too tired to “par-tay!” What is afflicting her? It’s something that we don’t about enough. Plus: what is happening with avian flu and should you keep using Q-tips in your ears to remove earwax? A Block: The Case of the Woman Who Was Too Tired to Party (0:58) A woman falls asleep at work and has a constant headache…

What does the body of evidence say on measles, that scourge we thought we’d gotten rid of? Plus: do you need to drink AG1 every day for the rest of your life, and Chris explains what doctors do and don’t control when you see them at the clinic. A Block: Measles (0:57) How many people have measles; how measles is transmitted; how the disease progres…

It’s episode 100! For this very special episode, Jonathan and Chris do the Wired autocomplete interview; they answer listeners’ personal and health-related questions; and they make an announcement that will forever change the face of the podcast. A Block: The Wired Interview (1:14) What happens when you google “Jonathan Jarry” and “Christopher Labo…

What does the body of evidence say on acne and how to treat it? Plus: you’re going to want to pay attention to this latest study if you have food allergies, and Chris answers listeners’ questions about when to exercise, whether spinal cord stimulators work, and why some older adults are told that surgery would mess with their brain. A Block: Acne (…

It’s the case of the injured water-skier, which gets Chris to talk about painkillers (NSAIDs, opioids, and Tylenol) and how quickly you lose muscle mass when you’re injured. Plus: a cancer update! Should you pay thousands of dollars for a full-body scan to make sure you don’t have cancer? Can you legally send poop through the mail? And how can we m…

What does the body of evidence say on microplastics and their impact on our health? Plus: we talk about what we have learned about long COVID since 2020, and we discuss the very first approval for a clinical application of the gene-editing technology known as CRISPR. A Block: Microplastics (0:58) What are micro- and nanoplastics; microplastics in t…

A limited series on sport science hosted by student athlete Sophie and featuring two experts: Dr. Christopher Labos, cardiologist and regular co-host of this podcast, and Nick Tiller, who holds a doctorate in exercise physiology. Together, they will answer Sophie’s questions while dispelling myths that athletes—and anybody getting into fitness—are …

A limited series on sport science hosted by student athlete Sophie and featuring two experts: Dr. Christopher Labos, cardiologist and regular co-host of this podcast, and Nick Tiller, who holds a doctorate in exercise physiology. Together, they will answer Sophie’s questions while dispelling myths that athletes—and anybody getting into fitness—are …

A limited series on sport science hosted by student athlete Sophie and featuring two experts: Dr. Christopher Labos, cardiologist and regular co-host of this podcast, and Nick Tiller, who holds a doctorate in exercise physiology. Together, they will answer Sophie’s questions while dispelling myths that athletes—and anybody getting into fitness—are …

A limited series on sport science hosted by student athlete Sophie and featuring two experts: Dr. Christopher Labos, cardiologist and regular co-host of this podcast, and Nick Tiller, who holds a doctorate in exercise physiology. Together, they will answer Sophie’s questions while dispelling myths that athletes—and anybody getting into fitness—are …

As the year comes to an end, Jonathan recruits three doctors—Chris, Niko, and Aigul—and invites them to solve two perplexing cases. These mysteries involve a lot of (necessary?) rectal exams; the blood of witches; activated charcoal; farting patients; controversial diagnoses; tales from the ER that border on true crime; and diagnosing brain injurie…

Chris and Jonathan speak to Joey Fox, an engineer and the chair of the Indoor Air Quality Advisory Group for the Ontario Society of Professional Engineers. COVID-19 is not over, as both Jonathan and Chris can testify. How can we better protect ourselves from the coronavirus and other respiratory viruses? By improving our air! Joey Fox explains the …

Chris, Jonathan, and a mystery guest get together for an old-fashioned radio play. Are hot dogs and other red meat really as bad for your health as cigarettes? A doctor without a name boards an airplane and is soon asked to answer this question. It involves risk, hazard, and a budding romance. * Theme music: “Fall of the Ocean Queen“ by Joseph Hack…

What does the body of evidence say on Ozempic and its impact on diabetes and obesity? Plus: can you trade in your antidepressant for a jog, and Chris returns to the hot seat to diagnose a teenage boy who fell during a baseball game! Block 1: (2:22) Ozempic/Wegovy: GLP-1 receptor agonists; the difference between them; Mounjaro; Trulicity; diabetes b…

Jonathan and Chris talk to David Scales, MPhil, MD, PhD, an assistant professor of medicine at Weill Cornell and the chief medical officer at Critica. Misinformation is everywhere and it is causing actual harm. But what can we do about it beyond recognizing the problem? Dr. Scales mentions a scientific solution that transposes to social media what …

What does the body of evidence say on age-related macular degeneration (AMD) and how to treat the #1 cause of blindness in North America? Plus: which vaccines are available this fall to prevent respiratory tract infections, and a look at whether blue-light-blocking glasses will make a difference in your life! Block 1: (2:15) AMD: how common it is, …

Chris and Jonathan talk to Michelle Cohen, MD, CCFP, FCFP, an assistant professor at Queen University’s Department of Family Medicine and a staff physician at Lakeview Family Health Team. Dr. Cohen provides gender-affirming care and is here to dispel myths surrounding trans people, especially the panic around the mistaken idea that children are bei…

Is there a mysterious neurological syndrome harming the people of New Brunswick? And is the Government of New Brunswick suppressing the truth so as not to upset commercial interests? That is certainly the story strongly hinted at by the Canadaland podcast, which has featured a New Brunswick neurologist who now claims to have identified over 200 cas…

What does the body of evidence say on air quality and how to protect ourselves from airborne pollution? Plus: a birth control pill becomes easier to access in the Republic of Gilead, and Chris returns to the hot seat to help a lawyer with blood-streaked loose stool! Block 1: (2:11) Air Quality: forest fires and their causes; major air pollutants; w…

Jonathan and Chris speak to Anna Merlan, a senior reporter with Motherboard and the author of the book Republic of Lies: American Conspiracy Theorists and Their Surprising Rise to Power. How has the anti-vaccine movement changed since the COVID-19 pandemic? Its influencers deny the “mainstream narrative” on vaccine safety, which makes them prone to…

What does the body of evidence say on the topic of bioidentical hormones? Plus: a new gene therapy troublingly gets approved by the FDA, and Health Canada finally changes how it regulates natural health products (a little). Block 1: (2:19) Bioidentical hormones: sex hormones, hormone replacement therapy, testosterone replacement therapy, and what “…

Chris and Jonathan speak to Ken Milne, the host of the Skeptics’ Guide to Emergency Medicine and a physician who practices rural emergency medicine in Ontario. What is it like treating patients away from major urban centres? It may actually be better in some ways! Also, the trio tackles the unfolding crisis in which Canadian emergency departments a…

Exceptionally, we are releasing this month's patron-only bonus episode, Digressions, on the main feed. Chris answers a patron's question about fever delirium (is that really a thing or a Hollywood invention?), and we dig into a paper that claims to show that a cheap diabetes drug, metformin, can be used to prevent long COVID. We do this type of bon…

What does the body of evidence say on fevers and whether or not we should treat them? Plus: more and more children are getting invasive streptococcal disease, and Chris fulfills two dreams of his: to become Dr. House and to write a book! Block 1: (1:47) Fever: what a fever is; the role the hypothalamus plays; why we shiver Block 2: (7:36) Fever: wh…

Jonathan and Chris speak to Julie Robitaille, a Ph.D. student investigating endocrine disruptors in waste water and the president of the student committee of the Intersectoral Centre for Endocrine Disruptors Analysis. We’ve all heard of them: chemicals that mimic hormones and that are found in everyday products. What are they doing to human health?…

What does the body of evidence say on the topic of gluten, celiac disease, and non-celiac gluten sensitivity? Plus: a puzzling finding in nutritional epidemiology is painted as a conspiracy, and the FDA is getting sued by people who claim the abortion drug mifepristone was wrongly approved… twenty years ago. Block 1: (2:26) Gluten: what gluten is, …

Chris and Jonathan speak to Professor Carla Sharp, the director of both the Developmental Psychopathology Lab and the Adolescent Diagnosis Assessment Prevention and Treatment Center at the University of Houston. Glenn Close in Fatal Attraction. Benedict Cumberbatch’s Sherlock. Batman’s rogues gallery. Hollywood loves to both glamourize and stigmati…

What does the body of evidence say on whether violent video games cause violence in real life? Plus: a Slate article argues that long COVID just isn’t that bad, and can you biopsy the prostate without going up the bum? Block 1: (2:18) Violent video games: what the AAP and APA say about violent video games; court case; the review at the heart of the…

Jonathan and Chris speak to Dr. Justin Sanders, the director of palliative care at McGill, on the topic of medical assistance in dying (MAiD). What are the arguments for and against MAiD? And what do we make of the thornier aspects of euthanasia, like its intersection with disability rights and the conflict of interest at the heart of a government …

What does the body of evidence say on erectile dysfunction? Plus: why was a woman in need of a heart transplant was denied the procedure, and what happens when you have advanced HIV and you catch mpox? Block 1: (2:06) Erectile dysfunction: definitions, how common it is, causes Block 2: (9:13) Erectile dysfunction: the psychological angle, figuring …

Chris and Jonathan talk to Vincent Denault, who researches nonverbal communication. Are there human lie detectors? Is someone lying when their eyes are shifty? And more importantly, do people in positions of power believe the pseudoscience of lie detection? (2:54) What is nonverbal communication? (7:09) Vincent thought he could become a human lie d…

Chris and Jonathan look at the already-infamous 2023 Cochrane review on masks, which many people are claiming shows that “masks don’t work.” References: 1) The Cochrane review: https://www.cochrane.org/CD006207/ARI_do-physical-measures-such-hand-washing-or-wearing-masks-stop-or-slow-down-spread-respiratory-viruses 2) Tom Jefferson’s interview by Ma…

What does the body of evidence say on the topic of healthcare-acquired infections? Plus: CBD is put on trial to see how well it does against the symptoms of advanced cancer, and the world’s elites reveal their most damning secret: they don’t think COVID is just a bad cold. Block 1: (2:02) Nosocomial infections: what they are, difference from iatrog…

Jonathan and Chris talk to Tom Thumb, the author of the book Science for Hippies. How do you have productive conversations with people who believe that we can never truly know anything and that everything happens for a reason? Tom shares his experience being a rational hippie trying to get his friends to think more scientifically, especially in the…

What does the body of evidence say on the topic of osteoporosis? Plus: we look at a genuinely breakthrough therapy for metastatic melanoma, and Chris lets you in on a troubling “secret” when it comes to travel health insurance! You will also learn what a “dowager’s hump” is and hear Chris sing, and for that we formally apologize. Block 1: (2:01) Os…

Chris and Jonathan welcome back Dr. Jonathan Howard to talk about the doctors who repeatedly said the pandemic was ending and who became anti-vaccine in the process. When doctors become brands, narcissism can easily lead them and their fans astray, as these media figures chase an ever elusive limelight. Dr. Howard has been tracking their claims and…

What does the body of evidence say on the topic of gun control? Plus: we address why more and more children are accidentally getting poisoned with cannabis, and we wonder if a vaccine against RSV might be around the corner! Warning: discussions of suicide in the first half. If you need help, please reach out: https://talksuicide.ca/. Block 1: (2:42…

Chris was a guest on the Montreal Gazette’s Corner Booth podcast, alongside local reporter Aaron Derfel, to discuss the on-going pandemic, COVID-19 denialism, and government messaging. We are bringing you this episode with the Corner Booth’s permission. It was recorded in a restaurant and the first question the host asks is, “Why is Chris wearing a…

What does history teach us about the controversy over cholesterol? Plus: we look at the zombie myth that soccer players are dying from the COVID-19 vaccine, and we dissect a new clinical trial of colonoscopies that reports disappointing results and compare it to Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney’s enthusiasm for the procedure itself! Block 1: (1:50)…

Jonathan and Chris speak to Nick Tiller, PhD, a physiologist interested in exercising and the marketing hype that often surrounds the topic. They discuss the few supplements that can improve your workouts, as well as the gadgets that probably won’t. Bookending their conversation is the important question: what is the best exercise? 2:35 Common misu…

What does the body of evidence say on the topic of cholesterol? Plus: we look at the claim that a multivitamin can preserve your cognitive functions as you age, and we cover that study that allegedly shows aluminum in vaccines causes asthma! Block 1: (3:04) Cholesterol: what cholesterol is, total cholesterol, LDL cholesterol, how fat is digested, H…

Chris and Jonathan speak to Dr. Swapnil Hiremath, a hypertension specialist and staff nephrologist at the Ottawa Hospital. As they discuss high blood pressure and how to treat it, they make their way to a highly contentious clinical trial, the Hygia trial, which allegedly compared two times of day when to take blood pressure medication. Its results…

What does the body of evidence say on the topic of Botox injections? Plus: we address the confusion over bivalent COVID-19 booster shots, and we look at a trial of magic mushrooms for alcohol use disorder! Block 1: (3:00) Botox: what it is and what botulism does to you Block 2: (9:00) Botox: how Botox works on wrinkles, a comparison between formula…

What does the body of evidence say on the topic of vitamin supplements? We pilot a new format for the show and ask for your feedback! Let us know your thoughts on Facebook, Twitter, Patreon, or via email at thebodyofevidence@gmail.com (6:34) The story of scurvy and how its cause, a vitamin deficiency, was harder to “science” than you may remember, …

The laying on of hands. The stethoscope. The “does it hurt when I press here.” We are all familiar with the physical exam a doctor does when investigating our symptoms. But in the 21st century, with access to ultrasound and MRI, are these old-fashioned techniques still relevant or just cool parlour tricks? Returning guest Niko joins Chris to discus…

What does the body of evidence say on the topic of sexually transmitted infections? Plus: should you worry about monkeypox, and what is going on with mysterious cases of liver inflammation in children? Block 1: (2:15) STIs: nomenclature, HIV, rising cases Block 2: (8:57) STIs: why cases are increasing, who should be screened, treatment options, ant…

The Body of Evidence is releasing an episode of HFMA’s Voices in Healthcare Finance podcast, which features an interview with Dr. Christopher Labos on the topic of weight bias in healthcare, including what health indicators to focus on instead of weight and how to help patients who are at risk improve their health outcomes without explicit or impli…

What does the body of evidence say on the topic of MSG? Plus: we dig into a new study that alleges that artificial sweeteners are associated with a higher risk of cancer (but But BUT!), and will we keep boosting people against COVID every four months? Block 1: (2:05) MSG: what it is, where it comes from, and where it is used Block 2: (8:41) MSG: wh…

Chris and Jonathan welcome back to the show Paul Ingraham, the founder of PainScience.com. He charts his early days as a woo believer, his transformation into a skeptic, and the thing that got him in trouble with his massage therapy regulatory body: tone. Do healthcare regulators care for snark? Is it their role to tone-police their members? The In…

Fingers on buzzers! It’s the first (and possibly last) episode of What’s in a Name: Medical Edition! Join host Jonathan and his three contestants in figuring out the origin of common words used in biology and medicine! It’s fun, we swear! In the hot seat: social media manager Melissa, medical resident Niko, and cardiologist Chris! Who will win? Who…