The Body of Evidence

Chris and Jonathan discuss “the” healthcare system and how medicine is being practiced, with all its flaws and needs for improvement. Chris quickly starts going into too many details, but fear not: Jonathan pulls him back. This conversation will be of particular interest to Canadians, but we welcome anyone with open hearts (especially if you bring food).   01:29  There is no Canadian healthcare system 04:24  How do doctors get paid 08:16  Who decides how many patients a doctor sees in a day 12:54  Wait times and the US healthcare system 20:24  Our partially centralized medical record system 22:35  The quest to find a family doctor 27:43  US vs. Canada: FIGHT! 31:26  Pharmacare 34:48  Does the US have more cutting-edge medical treatments 39:19  “You’ve NEVER SEEN SPARTACUS?!” 41:30  Malpractice lawsuits 44:28  Access to healthcare 47:34  Publicly-funded, privately-delivered solutions 51:58  Chris’ #1 frustration   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/.

Chris tries to shave Jonathan’s head as a poorly thought-out prophylactic measure against baldness. Meanwhile, comedian Jacob Meza interviews the cast of his comedy show: do baseball caps cause baldness… or treat it? Back in the studio, the boys talk about the many reasons why people lose their hair; Rogaine and Propecia; whether or not women can go bald; and the fact that it’s not technically testosterone that’s to blame for baldness. Also: peacocks; vaping may help you quit cigarettes but it many not help you quit nicotine; sunscreen chemicals in the blood; and the return of Dr. Bob Bobinovitz.   Vox pop by Jacob Meza, host of Comedy Crowd Off, the Heckling Game Show.   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/.   Patrons get a bonus show on Patreon called “Digressions”! Check it out!

Jonathan and Chris interview Ryan Armstrong, the executive director of Bad Science Watch, a consumer protection watchdog and science advocacy organization. They discuss what Bad Science Watch does; the lobbying forces surrounding Health Canada; homeopathy; the antagonist in Braveheart; the Stop Nosodes campaign; vaccine misinformation on social media; chiropractic complaints not taken seriously; innate intelligence; predatory practice building; how to lodge a complaint, the Ryan way; internecine squabbles between vitalists and evidence-based chiropractors; osteopaths and podiatrists; chiropractors and physical therapists; should pseudomedical practitioners have an order; Ryan’s dream of a national science agency; and Chris’ controversial question.   LINKS:   Bad Science Watch’s website: https://badsciencewatch.ca Ryan Armstrong on Twitter: https://twitter.com/ryarmst Ryan changes his mind regarding the self-regulation of the chiropractic profession: https://posttruthhealth.ca/index.php/2019/05/17/the-failure-of-self-regulation-of-the-chiropractic-profession-is-an-urgent-public-health-crisis/ Stop Nosodes: http://www.stopnosodes.org   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/.

A discussion around ice cream reveals that Jonathan may have fallen into the Twilight Zone. Comedian Jacob Meza goes to ComicCon to talk diet pills and accidentally meets “a good swallower” he knows. Back in the studio, the boys discuss the green coffee bean marketing apocalypse; how to spot fake diet pills; and genuine pharmaceuticals that may kill you, give you hallucinations, or make you leak. The biggest question is: will losing 10 pounds make a difference to your health? Also: hot yoga (not to be confused with goat yoga) and an injectable drug for women who want… to want to have sex.   Vox pop by Jacob Meza, host of Comedy Crowd Off, the Heckling Game Show.   Jingle by Jillian Correia of Roctavio Canada.   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/.   Patrons get a bonus show on Patreon called “Digressions”! Check it out!   References: Retracted Green Coffee Bean paper: http://www.dovepress.com/retraction-randomized-double-blind-placebo-controlled-linear-dose-peer-reviewed-article-DMSO   FTC complaint against green coffee bean makers: https://www.ftc.gov/news-events/press-releases/2014/09/green-coffee-bean-manufacturer-settles-ftc-charges-pushing-its   Dr. Oz statement: https://www.doctoroz.com/page/recent-developments-regarding-green-coffee-extract   Cochrane review on GLP agonists: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed?term=21975753

To celebrate the 20th anniversary of the McGill Office for Science and Society, a university-backed office dedicated to separating sense from nonsense, Jonathan moderated a panel discussion entitled “Talking Science in the Age of Fake News”. The panelists were Prof. Joe Schwarcz, the director of the Office; Timothy Caulfield, host of a User’s Guide to Cheating Death on Netflix; Carly Weeks, health reporter for The Globe & Mail newspaper; and Ryan Armstrong, director of Bad Science Watch.   They discussed trends in pseudoscience; how men and women are differently targeted by bunk; stem cells; newspapers running ads for quackery; false balance in the media; native advertising; the opioid crisis; deplatforming an antivaxxer; social media momentum; academic apathy; when scientists talk to journalists; mandatory childhood immunizations; chiropractors self-regulating; hate mail; Deepak Chopra; and whom should the public trust?   To watch the video for the entire event (which included a look back at the history of the McGill OSS and flash talks from each of the panelists): https://youtu.be/aztSt-hnS9I   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/.

An unexplained bout of amnesia leads Jonathan to completely change his mind about Chris’ interior decoration choices. For the 50th episode of their podcast, the boys have friends over who will help them explain what’s been in the news lately. A dentist and a paediatrician talk about human touch; a chemistry and gender studies double major comments on the line between male and female in competitive sport; and an Apple fanboy and his sui generis podcast co-host talk about wearables… IN MICE!   Theme music: "Troll of the Mountain Swing" by the Underscore Orkestra.   Additional music by Seth Donnelly and Kevin MacLeod.   To contribute to The Body of Evidence, go to our Patreon page at: http://www.patreon.com/thebodyofevidence/.   No bonus Patreon show this month because this episode is a mother!  

Chris and Jonathan interview Timothy Caulfield, former guest of the show, health policy expert, and one of the major pro-science voices quoted in the Canadian media. They discuss solutions to vaccine hesitancy; “dancing” on Twitter; the rise of “bro science”; what recently made Tim very happy (hint: it involves the government); and Tim’s new TV show.   Timothy Caulfield on Twitter: https://twitter.com/CaulfieldTim   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 boys travel back to 1998 to change history (and inadvertently alter the course of cutlery). Ada speaks to autistic artists to know what the media gets wrong in its portrayal of autism. Back in the studio, Jonathan and Chris discuss why it looks like rates of autism are increasing, the likely cause of autism spectrum disorder, interventions real and imaginary, and how long you have to wait to get a diagnosis (Jonathan’s reaction will surprise you). Also: what’s happening with measles cases in New York; the mere thought of coffee leads to… what?; and our second winner takes home the coveted prize in our on-going raffle.    Vox pop by Ada McVean of the McGill Office for Science and Society.   Jingle by Jillian Correia of Roctavio Canada.   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/.   Patrons get a bonus show on Patreon called “Digressions”! Check it out!   Links mentioned by the artists interviewed: * AspiGurl web comic: https://aspigurl.com * Sara Luterman on Twitter: https://twitter.com/slooterman * Autistic Self-Advocacy Network: https://autisticadvocacy.org * Autistic Women & Nonbinary Network: https://awnnetwork.org * Autistics United Canada: https://www.autisticsunitedca.org * Autistics 4 Autistics Ontario: https://a4aontario.com

Jonathan and Chris interview Brian Nosek, a professor of psychology and the co-founder and director of the Center for Open Science. They discuss problems and solutions in modern scientific research, such as committing scientists… to stick to a protocol.    Table of contents. 2:00 The culture of science.  4:18 Publications as currency for career advancement.  7:53 What researchers tell each other at the bar.  10:22 Cynicism.  12:48 The solution to climate change (not really).  18:24 The paper is advertising for the research.  22:16 Weaknesses of the peer review process.  23:58 One data set, many scientists, different conclusions.  27:29 Resistance to sharing.  29:52 The road to the Center for Open Science.  37:49 Signs of success.  44:10 The generational gap in openness.  46:55 Registered reports.    LINKS:   The Center for Open Science website: http://www.cos.io Project Implicit: https://implicit.harvard.edu/implicit/ For scientists, the Open Science Framework: http://www.osf.io   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/.

An ill-timed surprise spells heart trouble for our favourite cardiologist. But what exactly is a heart attack, and how does it relate to strokes and angina? Do you need a stress test? What are the warning signs of a heart attack? Is stress a trigger? And what do you do if your friend complains of chest pain, short of filming it for the ‘gram? Also: eggs are no longer sunny side up in the media, but it’s all due to deeply flawed data collection; the results of a local investigation into poop pills (will make sense); and the first winner of our raffle!   To register for the McGill OSS’ 20th Anniversary Event: https://www.mcgill.ca/oss/channels/event/oss-20th-anniversary-event-talking-science-age-fake-news-295743   Vox pop by Jacob Meza of the So It Is Told podcast.   Jingle by Joseph Hackl.   Additional music by Seth Donnelly and Kevin MacLeod. This episode also featured “Are You in Heaven” by Lobo Loco.   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! This episode’s theme is CPR.   —   References   Differences between men and women in the symptoms of heart attacks: https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jamainternalmedicine/fullarticle/1738716   Emotional triggers of a heart attack: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/7671353   Natural disaster triggers of a heart attack: https://www.thelancet.com/journals/lancet/article/PIIS0140-6736(83)91439-3/fulltext https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/?8651102   Can the World Cup trigger heart attacks? Carroll D, Ebrahim S, Tilling K, Macleod J, Smith GD. Admissions for myocardial infarction and World Cup football: database survey. BMJ. 2002;325:1439–1442.