Posted May 2, 2018
Jonathan and Chris interview three of the Science Moms: Alison Bernstein, Kavin Senapathy, and Natalie Newell. They discuss a bevy of important topics, such as the Dirty Dozen shopping list; the social justice aspect of GE and anti-GE activism; Monsanto; conflicts of interest in research; epigenetic; and, of course, Natalie's film, Science Moms; also, Chris' Spider-Man Theory of What Scares People.
The Science Moms documentary can be accessed at ScienceMomsDoc.com, while the moms themselves continue their adventure, bringing good science to the public, at SciMoms.com. You can follow Natalie Newell at @NCNewell; Kavin Senapathy at @KSenapathy; and Alison Bernstein at @MommyPhD2.
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://www.patreon.com/thebodyofevidence/.
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Posted April 8, 2018
A shameless Chris removes his belt at an all-you-can-eat buffet, which leads Jonathan to talk about the keto diet. How does it compare to other diets and will it do anything to your diabetes, cancer, or epilepsy? Learn about the mysterious food stuff known was "tufo"; hear someone say "carby" a lot; and watch in horror as Jonathan drinks a whole bottle of nail polish remover. Also: how does hormone replacement therapy compare to vaginal moisturizers for vaginal dryness; Chris talks about how much he loves the phrase "clot busters" and what to watch out for if you think you're having a stroke; and Jonathan and Chris have a very important announcement. They placed it at the end of the show so that you have to listen to the whole episode to get to it.
The JAMA Internal Medicine paper on the estrogen tablet vs. vaginal moisturizer trial: https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jamainternalmedicine/article-abstract/2674257?redirect=true
Vox pop by Ada McVean of the McGill Office for Science and Society.
Jingle by Jillian Kate.
Additional music by Seth Donnelly and Kevin MacLeod.
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://www.patreon.com/thebodyofevidence/.
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Posted March 18, 2018
Jonathan interviews public health and consumer advocate Ryan Armstrong, in whom the College of Chiropractors of Ontario is now taking a special interest. They discuss the internal split between "straights" and "mixers"; the Canadian origin of the chiropractic discipline; the College's monitoring of Ryan's public criticism; the divine claims of some practitioners; the safety of fast thrusts; the chiropractor-antivaxx link; and more. Ryan weighs in on two important questions: can chiropractors self-regulate and can the profession be moved to a more science- and evidence-based position?
Ryan's blog is PostTruthHealth and you can find him on Twitter at @RyArmst.
Music by Seth Donnelly.
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://www.patreon.com/thebodyofevidence/.
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Posted March 7, 2018
The podcast's third-year anniversary celebration turns out to be the perfect time to discuss coffee. Does it prevent disease... or cause disease? Why are pregnant women told to avoid excessive caffeine consumption if it's a wonder drug? And, if it's a drug, is it addictive? We discuss its purported links to miscarriages, birth defects, fertility, cardiac risk, blood pressure, cancer, migraine, and Parkinson's disease. Plus: why complications are not the same as medical error, and the really bad study that led to the pronouncement that cell phone exposure was associated with increased risk of miscarriages.
The BMJ article on medical errors being the third leading cause of death: http://www.bmj.com/content/353/bmj.i2139
The Vox.com article on cell phones and miscarriages: https://www.vox.com/science-and-health/2018/2/15/17008482/cellphones-cancer-miscarriage-health
Details on the Science Moms screening taking place on March 26: https://mcgill.ca/oss/channels/event/science-moms-film-screening-and-panel-discussion-284437
Jingle by Joseph Hackl of Voodoo Jazz.
Additional music by Seth Donnelly and Kevin MacLeod.
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://www.patreon.com/thebodyofevidence/.
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Posted February 7, 2018
Chris' goodwill to help out a young couple on Valentine's Day backfires, which leads him and Jonathan to talk about contraception. What is the most effective form of birth control, and how come there's no pill... for men? One thing's for certain: McGill students are going to have a lot of unplanned babies if the vox pop is any indication! Also: can science really tell you how compatible you and your lover are?; Britt Marie Hermes, ex-naturopath and prominent skeptic, needs your help; and we tear into the pilot episode of FOX's new medical drama, The Resident. You'll learn about central lines, the diver's reflex, and how to precipitate catastrophic blindness.
To donate to Britt Hermes' legal defence fund: https://www.skeptics.com.au/features/britt-hermes-legal-costs-fundraising-campaign/
Vox pop by Ada McVean of the McGill Office for Science and Society.
Jingle by Jillian Kate.
Additional music by Seth Donnelly and Kevin MacLeod.
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://www.patreon.com/thebodyofevidence/.
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Posted January 3, 2018
Dr. Yoni Freedhoff guest stars to discuss our changing food environment. He talks dieting, The Biggest Loser, food frequency questionnaires, and the Cornell Food Lab fiasco. He also valiantly defends his children against the Don Drapers of the world. Also on the show: California issues guidelines for people worried about cell phones and how these guidelines were released is a really wacky story involving "FREEEEDOM!"; electricity to fight cancer; and Chris' The More You Know wholesome message regarding driving.
Yoni Freedhoff's blog: http://www.weightymatters.ca
California's guidelines for cell phone use: https://www.cdph.ca.gov/Programs/OPA/Pages/NR17-086.aspx
The trial on tumor-treating fields: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/29260225
Vox pop by Wassim El-Mounzer.
Jingle by Joseph Hackl.
Additional music by Seth Donnelly and Kevin MacLeod.
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://www.patreon.com/thebodyofevidence/.
(The image above is taken from the Rudd Center Media Gallery, containing images and videoclips providing a non-biased representation of adults with overweight and obesity)
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Posted December 27, 2017
Our second end-of-year special is chock full of bloopers. Plus, the worst bits of medical news this year; favourite jingles; and science communication heroes. Happy holidays!
Additional music by Kevin MacLeod (www.incompetech.com)
Original music by Seth Donnelly
To contribute to The Body of Evidence, go to our Patreon page at: http://www.patreon.com/thebodyofevidence/.
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Posted December 6, 2017
A Christmas-themed delivery and Stanley-Kubrick-directed opening skit lead Chris and Jonathan to discuss the worth of chemotherapy. Do doctors themselves refuse chemo, and is chemotherapy only effective in 2% of cases? You may be surprised to find out the origin of the latter myth in the Worst Paper Ever (possibly). Also, Jonathan makes Chris cry; will doctors stop stenting stable angina; and Jonathan's interview with Dr. Steven Novella on the importance of the narrative when debunking false beliefs and on how being an outspoken skeptic has changed Dr. Novella's social life for the better.
The Worst Paper Ever (possibly): https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/15630849
Go to the McGill OSS YouTube channel to see more interviews with skeptical luminaries: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCYlDe7Vc5YS1Z0-FMVJdQAA
Vox pop by Alex Wood.
Jingle by Jillian Kate.
Additional music by Seth Donnelly and Kevin MacLeod.
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://www.patreon.com/thebodyofevidence/.
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Posted November 22, 2017
A conversation with Trevor Butterworth of Sense About Science USA and Adam Oliver Brown of the University of Ottawa on art, science, education, and communication.
Topics covered include the use of design in statistics; the silos of academia; false balance in science journalism and recent improvements; how science experts end up in the media; students sneaking into scicomm workshops; apartment design in NYC; the original PhD; Jon Snow, Florence Nightingale and Da Vinci walk into a bar; government-mandated curricula in schools; curiosity; GMOs; how to teach both children and adults; and storytelling.
You can follow Trevor (@Butterworthy) and his organization (@SenseScienceUSA) on Twitter, and you can find Adam on his website, adamoliverbrown.com, and on Facebook.
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Posted November 8, 2017
A Fantasia-inspired flirt with the dark arts strips Chris of his humanity. Does hypnotherapy work for smoking cessation, getting over phobias, weight loss and pain control? And is it any better than visualization, relaxation, or straight-up counselling? And will we ever find out what Tanya loves to do (no, no we won't). Also: valid (and less valid) criticism of a retracted Canadian paper linking aluminum to autism, and how universities keep falling for pseudoscience (clue: follow the dollar signs).
The CBC coverage of the retraction of Dr. Shaw's paper: http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/british-columbia/ubc-autsism-vaccine-paper-retraction-chris-shaw-1.4351855
The Cracked Science episode on the 200-million-dollar donation to UC Irvine: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PoRmUYlHTXU
Vox pop by Darren Henwood.
Jingle by Jillian Kate.
Additional music by Seth Donnelly and Kevin MacLeod.
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://www.patreon.com/thebodyofevidence/.
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