Wellness, Actually with Emily Oster & Perry Wilson, MD

111 episodes

What's the deal with alcohol?
23/07/2026 | 1h
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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What's the deal with pregnancy brain? (feat. Allison Williams)
16/07/2026 | 1h 6 mins.
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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What's the deal with cortisol?
09/07/2026 | 55 mins.
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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What's the deal with mRNA vaccines?
02/07/2026 | 58 mins.
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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See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
What's the deal with full body scans?
25/06/2026 | 1h 2 mins.
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.
Submit a question for our weekly mailbag at wellnessactually.fm.
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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About Wellness, Actually with Emily Oster & Perry Wilson, MD

A staggering amount of health and wellness news and information is bombarding us everywhere we look – and who’s got time to parse it out, to verify it, and then to actually do the work of improving our health? We do! We are Emily Oster, best-selling author and data expert, and Perry Wilson, a medical doctor. And unlike the influencers, we actually know how to read a medical paper. This podcast separates fact from fiction, causality from correlation, so that you can stay informed without being overwhelmed. Every episode, we cover the health news of the week, take listener questions, and do a deep dive into a buzzy and misunderstood wellness topic so that you can actually make the best decisions for your own health.

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