Wellness, Actually with Emily Oster & Perry Wilson, MD

This week, Emily and Perry tackle creatine, a beloved amino acid derivative with surprisingly robust health properties. What is it actually doing to our muscles, and our brain? Pop a gummy, or stir in some powder, and find out.
Plus: Casey Means might be out for Surgeon General, stem cells don't help heart attacks, and just how much sugar intake affects your kids.
Submit a question for our weekly mailbag at wellnessactually.fm.
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This week, Emily and Perry go toe-to-toe with the scammier side of the wellness industry: regenerative medicine clinics that claim to inject you with stem cells. Are they the fountain of youth? (No.) Are they even injecting you with stem cells? (Not really.) Are they preying on sick people? (Most definitely yes.) From knee cartilage to sickle cell disease, we've got the miraculous, the bad, and the truly ugly of stem cell therapy.
Plus: the generational woes of lead poisoning, debunking stress as a cause of cancer, and doulas for all!
Submit a question for our weekly mailbag at wellnessactually.fm.
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This week, Emily and Perry dive into the here, there, and everywhere of microplastics. We know they're in the air we breathe and the water we drink, but how bad are they for us, really? How do our bodies respond to them, and how long do they even stay inside us? And can they be avoided?
Plus: Leucovorin approved to treat autism, whether ChatGPT is a trustworthy triage nurse, and curious reports of painful sex in college students.
Submit a question for our weekly mailbag at wellnessactually.fm.
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This week, Emily and Perry shine a light on red light therapy: its origins, its heroic use of the mighty mitochondria, and the supposed countless benefits (better mood, wound healing, facial rejuvenation, hair regrowth?) of sitting in front of a hot red light that may or may not even be able to penetrate your skin.
Plus: the disturbing return of polio, whether multivitamins have an effect on epigenetic aging, and if the pitch clock, while modestly good for Emily's enjoyment of baseball, is ruining pitchers' elbows.
Submit a question for our weekly mailbag at wellnessactually.fm.
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This week, Emily and Perry discuss GLP-1s, those blockbuster weight-loss drugs that have taken the world by storm -- and not just what you already know about them. From the origins in Gila monster venom to the surprisingly long history of their use, they explore their effectiveness, side effects, lingering questions about long-term usage, and the weird knock-on effects in both the brain (libido?) and our society (protein water?). These drugs are here to stay, so let's understand them from every angle.
Plus: RFK vs. Dr. Mike, a concerning Surgeon General pick, and unsurprising data around football head injuries.
Concussion & CTE Foundation
Submit a question for our weekly mailbag at wellnessactually.fm.
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.