Episodes
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This week, Emily and Perry take on cortisol, the much-maligned stress hormone blamed for heart attacks and stubborn belly fat. But how much heat should cortisol really be getting? How do you know when yours is too high? Too low? Is it ever really worth measuring? And you guys, what did Mendelian randomization ever do to Emily?!
Plus: the FDA signs off on ZYN pouches, explosive diarrhea in the Midwest, and apparently GLP-1s are really, really easy to get.
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This week, Emily and Perry explore RNA, a tiny molecule of extraordinary potential. What is it? How is it different from DNA? How have vaccines and an incredible array of potential medical treatments managed to unlock its magic? And what are the conspiracy theories that have been standing in the way? Prepare for medical science to shake hands with technological wonder.
Plus: the FDA vs. Whoop, unpacking botulism outbreaks in baby formula, and a mystery “compassionate use” patient for retatrutide.
Previous episodes referenced:
What's the deal with protein?
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Missing episodes?
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This week, Emily and Perry debate full body scans: MRIs that scan your entire body like a giant humming hammer in search of nails. Will it find something wrong with you? (Yes.) Will it be something you should be worried about? (Almost always no.) But what if that one time it's the one thing that ends up saving your life? (Yeah, this is actually kind of complicated.)
Plus: a totally not shocking flu outbreak amongst our troops, fantastic news about the HPV vaccine and cervical cancer, and RIP blue and brown M&Ms.
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This week, Emily and Perry tackle the weirdest, most wonderful thing all living things do: sleep. If evolution has forced us to be completely vulnerable for eight hours at a stretch, there must be a darn good reason. So what is actually happening to our brains when we sleep? What disrupts it, and how do we optimize for quality and quantity? And what are the risks of getting too little sleep...and enlisting chemical help to get more?
Plus: screwworm is (appropriately) nightmare fuel, a cure for Ozempic butt, and hard seltzer vs. your kidneys.
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ParentData episode on the placenta.
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This week, Emily and Perry are coming in hot to discuss the existence of sex, specifically whether or not women have a DSM-5-designated disorder when they don't want it, or if that's a pathology designed to sell women meds. Turns out the data of sexual desire is a complicated and noisy thing to study, but fortunately that's a turn-on for our intrepid hosts.
Plus: a diabetes conference gets politicized, losing sleep over getting sleep, and preventative HIV drugs in South Africa.
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ParentData survey on sex after kids
ParentData episode with Emily Nagoski
Buy her book!
Previous episodes referenced:
What's the deal with testosterone?
What's the deal with HRT?
What's the deal with peptides?
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This week, Emily and Perry dig into dry needling and cupping, the wellness equivalent to pain equals gain (maybe?). What are the therapeutic properties, and the risks, of yanking at or poking holes in your skin? Warning: this episode is not for the faint of heart.
Plus: extraordinary developments in pancreatic cancer treatment, Google wants to fill the air with millions of sterile mosquitoes, and also farts.
Past episodes referenced:
What's the deal with creatine?
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This week, Emily and Perry pull out their steak knives to cut through both the hypers, and the detractors, of red meat. Is it as bad for you as people say? Is there value to a (fiberless) carnivore diet? What makes it red, anyway? And why is nutritional science such a heap of hot, correlation-is-not-causation garbage?
Plus: a peptide scandal in the running world, myths around mitochondria, and more Ebola, unfortunately.
Past episodes discussed:
What's the deal with peptides?
What's the deal with protein?
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This week, Emily and Perry bravely platform methylene blue, a synthetic dye with almost godlike properties according to the influencers, and some fascinating uses (and risks) in reality. Fatigued (?) mitochondria, the electron transport chain, and blue poop? AP Bio was never this fun.
Plus: strawberries won't kill you, Ebola might, and keeping teens out of tanning beds.
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This week, Emily and Perry take a trip into the groovy world of psychedelics: what they are, what they do to our brains, and the myriad mental health problems that they seem to have a pretty interesting effect on. Join us for the most uniquely incredible experience of your life, we promise.
Plus: hantavirus redux, the (now former) FDA commissioner pressured to approve flavored vapes, and a bad breast cancer study regarding perennial topic GLP-1s.
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This week, Emily and Perry explore bovine colostrum, the alleged secret weapon for muscle growth and immunity, and cure for the much-maligned leaky gut. Does it actually work, who does it work for, and how do you know when it's safe? What's so wrong with having a gut that leaks anyway? And should someone be thinking about the poor deprived baby cows?
Plus: Ozempic for Alcohol Use Disorder, the hantavirus outbreak on that cruise ship, and, finally, an end to the saga of perennial-no-longer Surgeon General candidate Casey Means.
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This week, Emily and Perry take on testosterone, the raging yang to last week's sober estrogen yin. Do men actually experience "manopause" in ways similar to women? How much testosterone is not enough, what are the risks of too much, and how do you know if you need an extra boost? And what does testosterone do for men anyway? (Note: this episode on both endogenous and exogenous male sex hormones contains the existence of sex.)
Plus: the U.S. military no longer mandating the flu jab, the fishy effects of fish oil on your brain, and promising news about pancreatic cancer treatment.
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This week, Emily, a woman, and Perry, a man, wade into the complicated world of hormone replacement therapy, the first of a two-part series on exogenous hormones and the sexes who love them. What do hormones do for women, and what happens when they recede? And why was HRT so closely -- and erroneously -- linked to breast cancer?
Plus: a new type of diabetes, a normie CDC director nominee, and the groovy (?) reclassification of psychedelics.
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This week, Emily and Perry discuss continuous glucose monitors -- a gamechanger for diabetics and just kind of an overabundance of information for everyone else. What does glucose do to the body and what's the value of tracking it, along with everything we eat? Should we be using this data to regulate our intake? And what are the risks of knowing so much?
Plus: rising and falling birthrates, Jay Bhattacharya's politicized Covid vaccine report, and welcoming folate into our corn tortillas.
Registration link for Emily's interview with Jay Bhattacharya.
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This week, Emily and Perry explore the vast array of protein vehicles that's taken over our influencer culture and supermarket aisles. How much protein are we told we need, and what's the over/under on how much we really need? What does protein do for our bodies anyway? And given the protein bars and protein water and protein Pop Tarts available (protein is having a moment, you guys), is it possible to have too much?
Plus: GLP-1s all over the news cycle, the rising use of gas station kratom, and, ladies and gentlemen, the American Contact Dermatitis Society presents our 2026 Allergen of the Year.
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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.
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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!
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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.
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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.
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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
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This week, Emily and Perry plunge, as it were, into the temperature extremes: cold plunges and saunas. Is there any actual value to shocking your body with ice water or sweating out an ocean? Or are we just gluttons for punishment?
Plus: soaring measles rates, Jay Bhattacharya's double federal appointment, and pandemics lurking under the ice.
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