Causes or Cures
Dr. Eeks
"For the Nerds and the Nerd Nots"Causes or Cures is a health podcast hosted by Dr. Eeks—an independent, grassroots show driven by curiosity and a passion for breaking down complex health topics into bite-sized, easy-to-understand insights. Dr. Eeks works as a public health consultant, in the realm of epi/scicomms. She's all about making science relatable and often uses a blue-collar sense of humor to drive the message home.On this podcast, Dr. Eeks talks with experts from around the world (doctors, researchers, public health pros, and more) to dive into the latest hot topics in health and research, all in a down-to-earth kind of way. She also includes people with compelling stories of healing and "characters" because life is too boring and short to leave out characters. ;)DISCLAIMER: Some topics are more controversial than others, so keep in mind that this is information only and not health advice. Dr. Eeks doesn't endorse any of her guests' views, and despite a strict health routine, nor does she endorse any products, supplements, oils, magic socks or potions. If an episode is sponsored by a company she likes, she will say so in the show notes! Causes or Cures is not a "news site." It's about having conversations, and Dr. Eeks is confident that she can have a respectful conversation with anyone, even people who think far differently than she does. (At least that's been her experience at hole-in-the-walls & on the NYC sidewalks.) The point is to not take anything here as Gospel. Sometimes Dr. Eeks' dog Barnaby makes his opinion known, but the good news is that he's a smart dog. Most importantly, she hopes this podcast encourages folks to stay curious, empathic, hopeful, compassionate, honest, open-minded, and engaged. Freedom of discussion is a beautiful thing, delightfully messy, and one that many take for granted.*The views on this podcast do not reflect the views of anyone she contracts with or consults for. You can contact Dr. Eeks through her website, bloomingwellness.com.If you are interested in sponsoring an episode, write erin@bloomingwellness.com.
Episodes
Mentioned books
Jun 26, 2023 • 1h 7min
The Problem with Not Tackling Excess Weight & the Obesity Paradox Unravelled, with Dr. Naveed Sattar
Send us a textIn this episode of Causes or Cures, Dr. Eeks chats with Dr. Naveed Sattar, a clinician, researcher, and professor of metabolic medicine at the Institute of Cardiovascular and Medical Sciences at the University of Glasgow and a leading expert in diabetes and cardiovascular disease research. In this podcast, he discusses the most accurate ways to measure body fat and why that matters, and he talks about the "obesity paradox", what that is and how it unravels when using more accurate measures of body fat...particularly when it comes to a specific kind of heart failure. (If you are interested, you can read his study on it here.) He discusses how tackling chronic diseases without specifically focusing on and tackling excess weight leads to significantly more problems. (And you can read his study on that topic here.) He shares his views and concerns on the new obesity medications that are trending in the news, and finally, what a good, population-level approach to obesity might look like. You can read his bio here. You can contact Dr. Eeks at bloomingwellness.com.Follow Dr. Eeks on Instagram here.Or Facebook here.Or Twitter.Subcribe to her newsletter here!Support the show
Jun 2, 2023 • 1h 14min
If AI Can Beat the US Medical Licensing Exam, What's Next? With Dr. Victor Tseng
Send us a textIn this episode of Causes or Cures, Dr. Eeks chats with Dr. Victor Tseng about his and his team's study on how AI (ChatGPT) came close to passing the United States Medical Licensing Exams (USMLE), tests that all medical doctors must take and pass in order to practice medicine in the US. The study was published in Plos Digital Health here. Dr. Tseng will tell us more about what ChatGPT is and its current capabilities, how they set up the study to test its performance on the USMLE, results of the study, future studies his company may perform, and perhaps most importantly, where ChatGPT could take medicine and public health in the future, while highlighting some of the major ethical and philosophical concerns. Will robots replace us?!? Let's see... Dr. Tseng is a practicing pulmonologist (lung doctor) and the Medical Director and Executive Vice President for AnsibleHealth, a digital theranostics and AI-enhanced medical practice focused on care for diseases of the lungs. You can contact Dr. Eeks at bloomingwellness.com.Follow Dr. Eeks on Instagram here.Or Facebook here.Or Twitter.On Youtube.Or Threads.SUBSCRIBE to her newsletter here!Support the show
May 22, 2023 • 54min
Kindness Transplanted: A Kidney, a Stranger, and the Gift of Hope, with Elaine Perlman
Send us a textWould you ever donate your kidney to a stranger? In this episode of Causes or Cures, Dr. Eeks chats with Elaine Perlman, Director of Waitlist Zero, an organization with the mission of representing kidney donors and ending the waitlist by making it easier for living donors to donate a kidney. Elaine will walk us through her journey (from start to finish) of donating her kidney to a stranger. She'll also tell us about the journey of her son, who donated his kidney when he was just a teenager. Elaine will also explain what the "kidney crisis" is, how long the wait on the waitlist is, and the cost to living donors, a burden which Waitlist Zero hopes to decrease. Finally, she'll talk about the biggest reason people give for donating a kidney to a stranger, and the main reasons people give for not wanting to do it. You can contact Dr. Eeks at bloomingwellness.com.Follow Dr. Eeks on Instagram here.Or Facebook here.Or Twitter.Subscribe to her newsletter here!Support the show
May 17, 2023 • 33min
How a Low-Cost Antibiotic Could Prevent Sepsis in Childbirth & Save Millions of Women's Lives, with Dr. Michael Santos
Send us a textIn this episode of Causes or Cures, Dr. Eeks chats wit Dr. Michael Santos about the A-PLUS trial, published in The New England Journal of Medicine, which looked at the effects of a cheap, widely available antibiotic, Azithromycin, in preventing sepsis and death in women during childbirth in low- to middle-income countries. Dr. Santos will explain the prevalence and life-threatening nature of sepsis in women during childbirth, particularly in low-resource settings. He will discuss what they knew about Azithromycin and maternal sepsis prior to the study, how they recruited for this study and conducted it, the results they found, and the wider public health implications. Dr. Santos is Vice President of Science at the Foundations for the National Intitutes of Health (FNIH) and was in charge of the work FNIH did on the A-PLUS trial. He was previously Deputy Director of the Global Health program of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. You can contact Dr. Eeks at bloomingwellness.com.Follow Dr. Eeks on Instagram here.Or Facebook here.Or Twitter.Subscribe to her newsletter here! Support the show
May 11, 2023 • 40min
A Drug that Extends a Dog's Life? With Loyal's Dr. Brennen McKenzie
Send us a textIn this episode of Causes or Cures, Dr. Eeks chats with Dr. Brennen McKenzie, a veterinarian, epidemiologist and Director of Veterinary Medicine at Loyal, a clinical-stage veterinary medicine company developing drugs to prolong the lifespan and healthspan of dogs. He discusses the aging process in dogs, age-related biomarkers, and the link between dog size (big vs small) and lifespan. He explains what a dog's "methylation age" is, how that relates to "epigenetics" and how that is similar to and differs from a dog's chronological age. He talks about the studies Loyal is conducting and the drugs they are developing to prolong a dog's lifespan. (You may be able to enroll your dog in a study, right from home, if interested!) Finally, he describes when he thinks we might see a "noticeable" difference in a dog's lifespan. You can contact Dr. Eeks at bloomingwellness.com.Follow Dr. Eeks on Instagram here.Or Facebook here.Or Twitter.Subscribe to her newsletter here!Support the show
May 8, 2023 • 45min
The Story of Trying to Eradicate Polio in Pakistan, with Dr. Anushka Ataullahjan
Send us a textIn this episode of Causes or Cures, Dr. Eeks chats with Dr. Anushka Ataullahjan about her research on the polio eradication efforts in Pakistan. Wild polio is still endemic in Pakistan, and Dr. Ataullahjan will discuss different eradication programs and initiatives they've tried over the years and the different barriers they've met, including threats of insecurity and people's beliefs and concerns. She'll discuss how various global events impacted polio eradication efforts, including how the CIA's 2011 fake vaccine campaign in Pakistan contributed to widespread vaccine mistrust. She also will offer insights and recommendations for future efforts. Dr. Ataullahjan is a professor, poet and researcher who studies public health issues as they relate to Pakistan, including this study on polio eradication efforts published in Expert Review of Vaccines. You can follow her on Twitter here. *SUBSCRIBE to Causes or Cures + for Bonus Episodes!You can contact Dr. Eeks at bloomingwellness.com.Follow Dr. Eeks on Instagram here.Or Facebook here.Or Twitter.Subcribe to her newsletter here!Support the show
Apr 27, 2023 • 57min
How Women Manage & MisManage Their Health, with Author Susan Salenger
Send us a textIn this episode of Causes or Cures, Dr. Eeks chats with author Susan Salenger about her book, SIDELINED, How Women Manage & Mismanage Their Health. Some of the topics covered in the book and on this podcast include why women put themselves second when it comes to health issues, why "nice girls finish last," the shame and blame game for when women are hit with an illness, a breakdown of communication when navigating the healthcare system, how pharmaceutical industries target women with their ads, the downside of the wellness industry and positive psychology, and an intriguing stroll through history to explain the context for why women mismanage their health. She will also provide tips on how women can better manage their health and even save their lives. You can learn more about Susan on her website. You can contact Dr. Eeks at bloomingwellness.com.Follow Eeks on Instagram here.Or Facebook here.Or Twitter.Subcribe to her newsletter hereSupport the show
Apr 10, 2023 • 33min
The Link Between Six Healthy Lifestyle Factors and Risk of Long COVID, with Dr. Siwen Wang
Send us a textIn this episode of Causes or Cures, Dr. Eeks chats with Dr. Siwen Wang about her research published in JAMA Internal Medicine on the link between pre-infection healthy lifestyle factors and risk of Long COVID. She will talk about the 6 lifestyle factors they assessed and why, how they did the study and created a "healthy lifestyle score", and how they defined "Long COVID" for the purposes of her study. Then she will discuss results, "take-home" points, and implications for a wider population. Dr. Wang is a medical doctor and Research Fellow at the Department of Nutrition, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health You can contact Dr. Eeks at bloomingwellness.com.Follow Eeks on Instagram here.Or Facebook here.Or Twitter.Subscribe to her newsletter here.Support the show
Apr 3, 2023 • 46min
HyperBaric Oxygen Therapy for Better Brain Health & Healthy Aging, with Dr. Joseph Maroon
Send us a textIn this episode of Causes or Cures, Dr. Eeks chats with Dr. Joseph Maroon about hyperbaric oxygen therapy (HBOT), what it is, and how it is administered. He will explain why he believes it is beneficial for improving brain health, particularly for helping people recover from traumatic brain injuries, strokes and PTSD. Dr. Maroon will also explain how it can be used to promote healthy aging and describe his own experience with HBOT at Aviv Clinic, as well as how he uses it with his patients. Dr. Maroon is a neurosurgeon, a former doctor for the Pittsburgh Steelers, Vice President of the American Academy of Anti-Aging Medicine, founder of the New Global Aging Consortium, a competitive triathlete and marathoner. You can read his book Square One and learn more about him on his website here. You can contact Dr. Eeks at bloomingwellness.com.Follow Eeks on Instagram here.Or Facebook here.Or Twitter.Subscribe to her newsletter here. Support the show
Mar 24, 2023 • 47min
The Fungi-Killing Compounds Named after Keanu Reeves, with Dr. Sebastian Goetze
Send us a textIn this episode of Causes or Cures, Dr. Eeks chats with Dr. Sebastian Goetze on his and his team's discovery of fungi-killing compounds, which they subsequently named after the famous actor Keanu Reeves. (You can read the study here in the Journal of the American Chemical Society.)While the study has created a lot of buzz for being named after Keanu, in the podcast, Dr. Goetze will describe the need for anti-fungals, particularly in a world experiencing an "anitmicrobial crisis." He will walk us through how they discovered the compounds, break down the chemistry, and teach us what "gene mining" means. He will discuss how these "Keanumycins" may be beneficial for our health (and the Earth's health), the difficult process of developing an anti-fungal drug, safety issues, and answer a question a lot of folks have: why/how he and his team named the compounds after Keanu and not John Wick. He'll end the podcast by describing future avenues of research. Dr. Goetze is a scientist at the Leibniz Institute for Natural Product Research and Infection Biology. You can learn more about him and see his publications here. You can contact Dr. Eeks at bloomingwellness.com.Follow Eeks on Instagram here.Or Facebook here.Or Twitter.Subscribe to her newsletter here.Support the show
