Latest Scepticism Podcast Episodes

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Episode 572: Preventing RSV Infections in Infants

Best Science Medicine Podcast - BS without the BS - April 19, 2024 16:02 - 25 minutes ★★★★★ - 159 ratings
In episode 572, James and Mike invite Samantha Moe back to the podcast to go over the evidence around the safety and effectiveness of the monoclonal antibodies used to reduce the risk of respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) infections in infants. We go over all the numbers for hospitalizations and d...

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Episode 570: Statistics made simple and relevant – we promise – PART III

Best Science Medicine Podcast - BS without the BS - April 07, 2024 20:43 - 35 minutes ★★★★★ - 159 ratings
In episode 570, James and Mike finish their trilogy on statistics. We take what we discussed in the previous podcasts and go through a couple of examples that will hopefully solidify what all the terms and numbers really mean. Show Notes 1) Sensible Medicine Doing statistics can be difficult but ...

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Episode 569: Statistics made simple and relevant – we promise – PART II

Best Science Medicine Podcast - BS without the BS - March 28, 2024 00:52 - 30 minutes ★★★★★ - 159 ratings
In episode 569, James and Mike continue to go over what statistics really show – we focus on what inferential statistics can and cannot do, what a p value means and more importantly what it doesn’t mean. And yes we try to keep all this stat stuff on a realistic and practical level – easier […]

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Episode 568: Statistics made simple and relevant – we promise

Best Science Medicine Podcast - BS without the BS - March 21, 2024 17:08 - 27 minutes ★★★★★ - 159 ratings
In episode 568, James and Mike go over what statistics really show – and importantly what they don’t show. We go over the terms and nuances and hopefully put them all into a simple context. Statistics are not just in medicine – they are in much of what you do every day – so you […]

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Episode 567: Industry and Us and You

Best Science Medicine Podcast - BS without the BS - March 15, 2024 15:42 - 49 minutes ★★★★★ - 159 ratings
In episode 567, Mike and James revisit the old topic of industry influence on health care providers. We go over the issues, the nuances and some of the latest evidence around the interactions, the influence, and patient perceptions. Show Notes 1) Industry Evidence Handout 2) MAKING EVIDENCE MATTE...

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Episode 566: Topical corticosteroids for atopic dermatitis – More than skin deep

Best Science Medicine Podcast - BS without the BS - February 28, 2024 22:48 - 32 minutes ★★★★★ - 159 ratings
In episode 566, Mike and James invite Émélie back yet again to the podcast and the topic is the balance of benefits to harms of using corticosteroids in adults or children for atopic dermatitis. We come to the realization, as always, that how to use topical corticosteroids is based on knowing the...

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Episode 565: Do-It-Yourself Hearing Aids – please listen closely

Best Science Medicine Podcast - BS without the BS - February 22, 2024 18:44 - 29 minutes ★★★★★ - 159 ratings
In episode 565, Mike and James invite Émélie Braschi back to the podcast to talk about do-it-yourself hearing aids. We find some very interesting information about how direct-to-consumer self-fitted hearing aids compare to conventional hearing aids fitted via audiogram. You really need to listen ...

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Episode 564: Can non-hormonal drugs improve vasomotor symptoms in menopause?

Best Science Medicine Podcast - BS without the BS - February 08, 2024 00:36 - 27 minutes ★★★★★ - 159 ratings
Episode 564: Can non-hormonal drugs improve vasomotor symptoms in menopause? In episode 564, Mike and James invite Samantha Moe back to the podcast to talk about the benefits and harms of non-hormonal medications for vasomotor symptoms in menopause. We find they do have an effect over placebo but...

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Episode 561: PEER simplified lipid guideline 2023 update

Best Science Medicine Podcast - BS without the BS - January 08, 2024 19:00 - 27 minutes ★★★★★ - 159 ratings
In episode 561, Mike and James invite Adrienne Lindblad and Mike Kolber to discuss our recently revised 2023 simplified lipid guidelines. We talk about the guideline process, the best available evidence, and discuss some of the rationale we used to recommend the simpler approaches outlined in our...

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Episode 560: From Hallucinations to Healing? The psilocybin evidence

Best Science Medicine Podcast - BS without the BS - December 29, 2023 17:34 - 37 minutes ★★★★★ - 159 ratings
In episode 560, Mike and James finish their discussion around the use of hallucinogens/psychedelics by going over the psilocybin evidence. As with ketamine we cover the many limitations of the evidence around psilocybin and also talk about the side effects, costs and inconvenience. So now you kno...

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Episode 559: From Hallucinations to Healing? The ketamine evidence – PART II

Best Science Medicine Podcast - BS without the BS - December 21, 2023 17:49 - 40 minutes ★★★★★ - 159 ratings
In episode 559, Mike and James continue to discuss the best available evidence around ketamine and severe depression. We go over the many limitations of the evidence and at the end we wrap it all up by going over the side effects, costs and inconvenience. Show notes HANDOUT Psychodelics Podcast F...

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Episode 558: From Hallucinations to Healing? The ketamine evidence

Best Science Medicine Podcast - BS without the BS - December 15, 2023 19:09 - 43 minutes ★★★★★ - 159 ratings
In episode 558, Mike and James decide to start to tackle the ketamine for depression story. Mike talks about what the media says about ketamine and then he delves into what the guidelines say. Then as always, we discuss the best available evidence. Have a listen so that you can be in the know abo...

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Episode 557: Fancy Creams for Scaly Skin: Topical calcineurin inhibitors for atopic dermatitis

Best Science Medicine Podcast - BS without the BS - December 04, 2023 18:35 - 30 minutes ★★★★★ - 159 ratings
Episode 557: Fancy Creams for Scaly Skin: Topical calcineurin inhibitors for atopic dermatitis In episode 557, Mike and James invite Emelie Braschi back to the podcast to talk about how effective topical calcineurin inhibitors are for atopic dermatitis. We’ll give you all the numbers so have a li...

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Episode 534: Come Spy with Me: Continuous glucose monitoring in diabetes

Best Science Medicine Podcast - BS without the BS - February 20, 2023 23:48 - 34 minutes ★★★★★ - 159 ratings
In episode 534, Mike and James bring Jamie Falk to go through all the evidence for continuous glucose monitors that use subcutaneous sensors. There certainly seems to be evidence of benefit for T1DM but when it comes to T2DM the evidence for a benefit is not clear at all. Have a listen to get all...

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Episode 532: Topical Anal Fissure Treatments – getting to the bottom of it

Best Science Medicine Podcast - BS without the BS - January 25, 2023 18:47 - 17 minutes ★★★★★ - 159 ratings
In episode 532, Mike and James bring Mike Kolber in to chat about potential treatments for anal fissures. We discuss the evidence for topical nitroglycerin, topical calcium channel blockers and topical Vitamin E. At the end we provide guidance that will blow your head off – or maybe we were all u...

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Episode 531: Bronchodilators or inhaled steroids for post-infectious cough

Best Science Medicine Podcast - BS without the BS - January 11, 2023 21:38 - 22 minutes ★★★★★ - 159 ratings
In episode 531, Mike and James chat with Samantha Moe yet again. In this podcast we go over all the best evidence for whether or not inhalers help with post-infectious cough in adults without asthma. The evidence is miles/kilometres from being overwhelming but we do our best give you numbers you ...

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Episode 530: Resolving New Year’s Resolutions

Best Science Medicine Podcast - BS without the BS - December 29, 2022 19:10 - 19 minutes ★★★★★ - 159 ratings
In episode 530, Mike and James welcome Samantha Moe back to the podcast to do an end of the year podcast. In this podcast we discuss the evidence around New Year’s resolutions. We discuss what are the most popular types of resolutions and which are more likely to be kept. At the end we resolve […]

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Episode 529: Tranexamic acid in adult trauma and/or gastrointestinal bleeding

Best Science Medicine Podcast - BS without the BS - December 22, 2022 20:48 - 25 minutes ★★★★★ - 159 ratings
In episode 529, Mike and James welcome Mike Kolber back to the podcast and we discuss all the best available around the use of tranexamic acid for acute adult trauma and acute GI bleed. It seems to have an effect in one of these. Tune in to find out the numbers. Show Notes 1) Tools […]

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Episode 528: Proving you don’t need to repeat cholesterol measurements?

Best Science Medicine Podcast - BS without the BS - December 19, 2022 01:50 - 31 minutes ★★★★★ - 159 ratings
In episode 528, James and Mike go through the logic and math around CVD risk estimates with regard to repeat cholesterol measurements. We discuss the impact remeasuring cholesterol has on CVD risk estimates and show that re-measuring every 5-10 years provides minimal if any value when it comes to...

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Episode 521: A dose a day keeps the UTI away?

Best Science Medicine Podcast - BS without the BS - September 25, 2022 18:33 - 36 minutes ★★★★★ - 159 ratings
In episode 521, James and Mike invite Caitlin Finley to the podcast for the first time to talk about a very common primary care topic – recurrent UTIs. We discuss the frequency of recurrence and look at the evidence for many of the different strategies used to reduce the chance of recurrence. Sho...

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Episode 520: Ultra-processed food – is it really all “bad” for you?

Best Science Medicine Podcast - BS without the BS - September 13, 2022 19:44 - 33 minutes ★★★★★ - 159 ratings
In episode 520, James and Mike delve into the delicious area of ultra-processed food. We review all the best available evidence and try to put it into a digestible format. At the end we put a cherry on top to make it even more appetizing/interesting. Show Notes The Nutrition Proposition 1) Book w...

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Episode 519: Oh Baby – Combined oral contraceptives during breastfeeding

Best Science Medicine Podcast - BS without the BS - August 29, 2022 18:06 - 26 minutes ★★★★★ - 159 ratings
In episode 519, Mike and James ask Jen Potter back to the podcast to talk about a common primary care question around oral contraceptives and breast feeding. We review the best available evidence which unfortunately we find out is not the highest quality. Nonetheless, we go over the numbers and t...

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Episode 518: Avoiding lactose-containing products during acute pediatric diarrhea

Best Science Medicine Podcast - BS without the BS - August 19, 2022 15:18 - 23 minutes ★★★★★ - 159 ratings
In episode 518, Mike and James get Samantha to go through all the evidence we have for restricting lactose-containing foods in children with acute diarrhea. While we find out that looking at this evidence is at best tricky, it seems like reducing or diluting formula may provide a reasonable benef...

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Episode 516: The LARC (long-acting reversible contraception) Song: Is the etonogestrel implant a hit?

Best Science Medicine Podcast - BS without the BS - July 28, 2022 16:51 - 31 minutes ★★★★★ - 159 ratings
In episode 516, James and Mike invite Nicolas Dugré to the podcast yet again, and this time we talk about the evidence around the latest long-acting implantable reversible contraception. As always, we talk about the efficacy, the harm and all the rest of the issues around the use of these forms o...

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Episode 515: Weight to Go: Naltrexone/bupropion for weight loss

Best Science Medicine Podcast - BS without the BS - July 24, 2022 17:45 - 31 minutes ★★★★★ - 159 ratings
In episode 515, James and Mike invite Allison Paige to the podcast for the first time. Alli takes us through all the evidence around a combination product (naltrexone/bupropion) for weight loss. We talk about all the numbers we have for benefit, harm and cost and we put this agent into the contex...

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Episode 514: Antihistamines for allergic rhinosinusitis: ‘Achoo’sing the right treatment

Best Science Medicine Podcast - BS without the BS - June 28, 2022 17:28 - 35 minutes ★★★★★ - 159 ratings
In episode 514, James and Mike invite Betsy Thomas to the podcast for the first time. We look at a very common condition that many of us have at some point in our lives – allergic rhinosinusitis. We go over the best available evidence for the oral antihistamines and try to figure out which one […]

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Episode 513: To Pee or Not to Pee: Combination agents for benign prostatic hypertrophy

Best Science Medicine Podcast - BS without the BS - June 23, 2022 16:11 - 29 minutes ★★★★★ - 159 ratings
In episode 513, James and Mike invite Emelie Braschi to the podcast for the first time. We go over the best available evidence around the treatment of BPH and focus on the combination therapy of alpha-blockers and 5-alpha reductase and find as for many things there is an improvement in symptoms b...

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Episode 512: Alcohol, the cause of, and solution to, all of life’s problems – PART II

Best Science Medicine Podcast - BS without the BS - May 31, 2022 20:17 - 36 minutes ★★★★★ - 159 ratings
In episode 512, James and Mike finish going over the best available evidence around drinking alcohol. We look at what evidence says about the “red-wine” theory and the French Paradox. We also look at the evidence around alcohol and surrogate markers, and atrial fibrillation. We also examine the e...

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Episode 511: Alcohol, the cause of, and solution to, all of life’s problems

Best Science Medicine Podcast - BS without the BS - May 11, 2022 00:03 - 34 minutes ★★★★★ - 159 ratings
In episode 511, James and Mike go on a binge and dissect the best available evidence around alcohol – more specifically 0-3 drinks a day. We look at what is a “drink” and then dive into one of the largest reviews of alcohol ever done. We explore what that evidence suggests about the harms and […]

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Episode 10: Bob Plant – this game of philosophy

Generous Questions - May 10, 2022 16:00 - 1 hour
Bob Plant puts out music as Portland Vows, and you should definitely go and listen to his releases on the Concrète Tapes label here (https://portlandvows.bandcamp.com/) and on the Third Kind label here (https://thirdkindrecords.bandcamp.com/album/living-posthumously) and here (https://thirdkindr...