Wellness, Actually with Emily Oster & Perry Wilson, MD

This week, Emily and Perry take on fluoride, a mineral with proven benefits for your teeth and an army of skeptical influencers ready to fight their municipal water supplies, (weakened) tooth and nail. What is fluoride? When did we start putting it into the water? Do we still need to? Is there any truth to the skeptics' concerns? And can we all agree that the best hope for our kids' IQs is Dolly Parton?
Plus: the shady backroom dealings of flavored vapes, the specious reasoning behind vaccine "choice," and a padded bra scandal in the Tour de France Femmes (avec Zwift!).
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This week, Emily and Perry explore gluten, the protein responsible for everything that makes bread, bagels, pasta, and all of their other favorite foods chewy and delicious. Why has gluten gotten such a bad rap lately? Is it really responsible for all the ailments it's blamed for? When is an allergy an allergy, and how do we have compassion for any number of very real sensitivities without throwing the baby out with the sourdough discard?
Plus: the inevitable protein backlash has arrived, Viagra is unfortunately not a cure for cancer, and though it's out of the news cycle, the Ebola outbreak in the DRC is still raging.
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This week, Emily and Perry discuss the Sun. Sure, it’s necessary for life on earth and occupies over 99% of our solar system’s mass, but seriously, what’s its deal? Specifically, with respect to vitamin D and sunscreen, two oddly controversial topics in the wellness space. How much sun should we safely be exposed to? What’s the value of sunlight for our mood, health, and overall well-being? And…should we be tanning our buttholes?
Plus: coffee is good for you, actually, the United States is a “cool mom” when it comes to peptide production, and yet another infuriating record set with measles cases.
Past episodes referenced:
What's the deal with peptides?
What's the deal with red light therapy?
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This week, Emily and Perry raise a glass to alcohol: the cause of, and solution to, all of life's problems. How does it actually affect our brains? How much should we, or should we not, safely be drinking? Why are studies about responsible consumption such hot, noisy garbage? And does everything always have to be good for us to be enjoyable?
Plus: the latest on cyclospora, a sad upper bound on the human lifespan, and some overcompensating in the military.
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This week, Emily and Perry are joined by actress Allison Williams to discuss all things pregnancy brain. Are the fog and forgetfulness due to actual brain shrinkage? Does it replenish itself postpartum? Do women ever actually "bounce back"? What's all this change in the service of, exactly? And, most importantly, how do we support the women in our lives going through this?
Plus: lactate gels at the Tour de France, Bryan Johnson's pesky autoimmune disease, and hail and farewell to the last American Polio survivor.
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