The Body of Evidence

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 Underscore Orkestra.   To contribute to The Body of Evidence, go to our Patreon page at: http://www.patreon.com/thebodyofevidence/.   Patrons get a bonus show on Patreon called “Digressions”! Check it out!   References: 1) Prevalence of infertility according to the CDC: https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/nsfg/key_statistics/i.htm#impaired   2) Age and female fertility: https://www.acog.org/clinical/clinical-guidance/committee-opinion/articles/2014/03/female-age-related-fertility-decline   3) Causes of infertility: https://www.bmj.com/content/291/6510/1693   4) Declining sperm counts: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/28981654/   5) Boxers versus briefs: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/30102388/   6) Laptops and sperm counts: https://academic.oup.com/humrep/article/20/2/452/603276   7) Stress and infertility: https://www.bmj.com/content/342/bmj.d223   8) Zinc for infertility: https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jama/article-abstract/2758450   9) Success rates of IVF: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/30032255/   10) Add-on therapies for IVF: https://bit.ly/2NmAx3C   11) Convalescent plasma randomized trial: https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jama/fullarticle/2766943   12) The on-going Canadian trial for convalescent plasma against COVID-19: https://www.blood.ca/en/convalescentplasma   13) The Guardian investigation into the Surgisphere chloroquine paper: https://www.theguardian.com/world/2020/jun/03/covid-19-surgisphere-who-world-health-organization-hydroxychloroquine   14) The latest preliminary report on remdesivir: https://www.nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/NEJMoa2007764   15) The Elemental blog post on the blood disease hypothesis: https://elemental.medium.com/coronavirus-may-be-a-blood-vessel-disease-which-explains-everything-2c4032481ab2   16) The Lancet’s review and meta-analysis of face shields for SARS and MERS: https://www.thelancet.com/journals/lancet/article/PIIS0140-6736(20)31142-9/fulltext     Music Credits:   Blockbuster 2  by Rafael Krux Link: https://filmmusic.io/song/5618-blockbuster-2- License: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/   Dawn Of The Apocalypse  by Rafael Krux Link: https://filmmusic.io/song/5627-dawn-of-the-apocalypse- License: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/   End Of Days  by Rafael Krux Link: https://filmmusic.io/song/5405-end-of-days- License: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

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 source of news 4:02 The danger posed by Alex Jones 6:26 Two points of view on Plandemic 14:00 Collaborating with Facebook on fact checking 27:23 The radicalization coalition 34:40 Social media’s influence on newsrooms 38:33 Brooke’s dream of reparations 41:49 Free speech on the Internet 45:19 How to solve the fact-checking problem 50:40 The magical power of journalism 54:10 The soft science hard sell 57:18 On finding credible sources 1:02:09 “Get it back!” But how?   * 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/.   Big thanks to ThatMTLGuy for the microphone loan to save Chris from subpar sound quality.   Links: 1) Truth or Fiction: http://www.truthorfiction.com 2) Brooke on Twitter: https://twitter.com/brooklynmarie 3) Brooke on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/brooke.binkowski 4) Where that SWAT team Plandemic footage came from: https://www.truthorfiction.com/researcher-behind-retracted-paper-launches-anti-fauci-campaign/ 5) Study on the anti-vaccine movement on Facebook: http://www.nature.com/articles/s41586-020-2281-1

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 page at: http://www.patreon.com/thebodyofevidence/.   Patrons get a bonus show on Patreon called “Digressions”! Check it out!   Our scientific references seem to have gotten lost in the time vortex this month, and for that we apologize. If you need clarifications or proofs, don’t hesitate to contact Chris!     Music Credits:   “February” by Vibe Mountain Available through YouTube Studio Audio Library   Dantes Dream by MusicParadise Link: https://filmmusic.io/song/5061-dantes-dream License: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

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: https://www.facebook.com/groups/381958535858842/ Amanda Seigler on Twitter: https://twitter.com/fierceautie Amanda Seigler on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/fierceadvocate/

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 and the Towering Infernos 31:16 Electromagnetic hypersensitivity syndrome 37:05 Talking to believers 41:05 Live. Die. Repeat. 47:12 The Irrational Ape   * 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/.   Patrons get a bonus Q&A with Grimes about the antivaccine movement and COVID-19.   Links: 1) David Robert Grimes’ website: https://www.davidrobertgrimes.com/ 2) His book, The Irrational Ape: https://www.davidrobertgrimes.com/copy-of-research-papers 3) David Robert Grimes on Twitter: https://twitter.com/drg1985

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? 36:50 How do we test for it? 44:09 What can doctors do? 57:48 How do we avoid it? 1:02:51 Common questions   * Cover song by Joseph Hackl * Additional original 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/.   Patrons get a bonus show on Patreon called “Digressions”! Check it out!     Music Credits:   Emotional Sad Strings by Rafael Krux Link: https://filmmusic.io/song/6011-emotional-sad-strings License: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/   Travelling With Friends by AlekSound Link: https://filmmusic.io/song/5938-travelling-with-friends License: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

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 contains adult themes and language.   The book: https://bit.ly/2W6tEbI   0:00 First impressions 8:19 Women 17:42 Patients 26:00 Laws of the House of God 36:51 Buff and Turf 41:15 House of God: The Movie 45:43 Compassion and judgment in healthcare 55:30 House of God vs. Scrubs (vs. ER) 1:01:00 Parting thoughts and lots of dead bodies     To contribute to The Body of Evidence, go to our Patreon page at: http://www.patreon.com/thebodyofevidence/.     Music Credits   Theme music: "Troll of the Mountain Swing" by the Underscore Orkestra.   Expressive Blockbuster  by Rafael Krux Link: https://filmmusic.io/song/5349-expressive-blockbuster- License: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/   Dantes Dream by MusicParadise Link: https://filmmusic.io/song/5061-dantes-dream License: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/   Shades of Spring by Kevin MacLeod Link: https://filmmusic.io/song/4342-shades-of-spring License: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/   Chromatic Fantasia (Bach BWV 930) by Kevin MacLeod Link: https://filmmusic.io/song/3504-chromatic-fantasia-bach-bwv-930- License: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/   Raindrops  by Rafael Krux Link: https://filmmusic.io/song/5590-raindrops- License: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

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.com/us/podcast/magic-of-the-mind/id1498237612 Magic of the Mind website: magicofthemind.ca Magic of the Mind on Twitter: https://twitter.com/MagicoftheMind1

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: "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/.   Patrons get a bonus show on Patreon called “Digressions”! Check it out!   Reference: 1) Cochrane review on exercise for arthritis: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/26405113   2) Aquatic exercise and arthritis: https://www.cochrane.org/CD005523/MUSKEL_aquatic-exercise-people-osteoarthritis-knee-or-hip   3) Weight loss and arthritis improvement: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/17204567   4) Tylenol meta-analyses: https://www.bmj.com/content/350/bmj.h1225 https://www.thelancet.com/journals/lancet/article/PIIS0140-6736(17)31744-0/fulltext   5) Review on topical NSAIDs: https://www.cochrane.org/CD007402/SYMPT_topical-non-steroidal-anti-inflammatory-drugs-acute-musculoskeletal-pain-adults   6) Capsaicin as a treatment for chronic pain: https://www.cochrane.org/CD007393/SYMPT_capsaicin-applied-skin-chronic-neuropathic-pain-adults   7) Corticosteroids injections: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/26490760 https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/28510679   8) Knee braces and orthotics: https://www.cochrane.org/CD004020/MUSKEL_braces-and-orthoses-for-osteoarthritis-of-the-knee   9) Duloxetien for knee pain: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/26176791   10) Glucosamine and chondroitin: https://www.nejm.org/doi/10.1056/NEJMoa052771?url_ver=Z39.88-2003&rfr_id=ori:rid:crossref.org&rfr_dat=cr_pub%3dwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov   11) Trials fo knee surgery for arthritis: https://www.nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/NEJMoa1505467   12) The omega-3 for cardiovascular disease meta-analysis: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/31567003?fbclid=IwAR31Z3qq07L9RULPuvFVyzTKavjgde3Mgl_A2LD7BTtw2u4ZZNvat8wAzEU   13) The CTV report on homeopathy: https://bit.ly/2IlNRSx   14) Bad Science Watch report on natural health products and cancer claims: https://badsciencewatch.ca/natural-health-product-retailers-sell-cancer-cures/     Music Credits:   Meanwhile in Bavaria by Kevin MacLeod Link: https://filmmusic.io/song/4028-meanwhile-in-bavaria License: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/   Countdown by Alexander Nakarada Link: https://filmmusic.io/song/4865-countdown License: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/   Imagefilm 036 by Sascha Ende Link: https://filmmusic.io/song/2941-imagefilm-036 License: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

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? 30:25 Post-exercice massages 34:07 Inflammation 36:43 May the fascia be with you 39:46 The endorphins that weren’t there 42:45 Tiger Balm and Its Rubefacient Orchestra 45:28 Clearing the C-spine 46:22 Does Paul recommend massages (and chiropractic)? 49:59 Massages for depression and anxiety 51:50 The complex puzzle of chronic pain 54:47 Paul takes us to his site   * 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/.   Patrons get a bonus show on Patreon called “Digressions”! Check it out!   Links: 1) Paul Ingraham’s website: https://www.painscience.com/ 2) 34 Surprising Causes of Pain: https://www.painscience.com/articles/surprising-ways-to-hurt.php