The Body of Evidence

Latest Episodes:

078 - Immunity / Omicron / Reproducibility Jan 09, 2022

Show notes

What does the body of evidence have to say on the topic of the immune system? Plus: the omicron variant and its accompanying public health measures, and we go over what happens when scientists try to fulfill one of the promises of science: replicating results.

Block 1:

(2:46) Immunity: what it does, self versus non-self, antigens, HLA, innate versus adaptive, fever, skin

Block 2:

(12:07) Immunity: Geert Vanden Bossche, eosinophils, neutrophils, G-CSF, immune boosters, vitamin C, antibodies, T and B cells, immune memory, vaccines

Block 3:

(30:40) Omicron, public health measures, and booster doses

Block 4:

(48:34) Reproducibility of cancer studies

* Jingle by Joseph Hackl

* Theme music: “Fall of the Ocean Queen“ by Joseph Hackl.

* Assistant researcher: Nicholas Koziris

To contribute to The Body of Evidence, go to our Patreon page at: http://www.patreon.com/thebodyofevidence/.

To make a one-time donation to our show, you can now use PayPal! https://www.paypal.com/donate?hosted_button_id=9QZET78JZWCZE

Patrons get a bonus show on Patreon called “Digressions”! Check it out!

References:

1) Driving doggos: https://www.bbc.com/news/av/uk-15864761

2) Explanatory videos on the immune system: https://www.osmosis.org/learn/Introduction_to_the_immune_system

3) Understanding how vaccines work: https://www.cdc.gov/vaccines/hcp/conversations/understanding-vacc-work.html

4) Understanding how COVID-19 vaccines work: https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/vaccines/different-vaccines/how-they-work.html

5) Cochrane review on vitamin C for the common cold: https://www.cochrane.org/CD000980/ARI_vitamin-c-for-preventing-and-treating-the-common-cold

6) Measles vaccine information: https://www.canada.ca/en/public-health/services/publications/healthy-living/canadian-immunization-guide-part-4-active-vaccines/page-12-measles-vaccine.html#p4c11a4 and https://www.canada.ca/en/public-health/services/publications/diseases-conditions/measles-rubella-surveillance/2021/week-46.html

7) Interview with Dr. Paul Offit for New York Mag’s Intelligencer: https://nymag.com/intelligencer/2021/12/omicron-dr-paul-offit-is-skeptical-of-boosters-for-all.html

8) Brian Nosek paper 1: https://elifesciences.org/articles/67995

9) Brian Nosek paper 2: https://elifesciences.org/articles/71601

10) New Scientist article: https://www.newscientist.com/article/2300455-investigation-fails-to-replicate-most-cancer-biology-lab-findings/

11) Amgen’s paper on the lack of replicability of cancer research: https://www.nature.com/articles/483531a

12) Jonathan’s paper on circulating microRNA signatures for cancer: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5528532/

Music Credits:

Just Deep 2 by Sascha Ende®

Link: https://filmmusic.io/song/312-just-deep-2

License: https://filmmusic.io/standard-license

Introducing: The Body of Evidence Jan 01, 2022

Show notes

When it comes to health and medicine, there are so many decisions to make and so much misinformation out there. Dr. Christopher Labos and Jonathan Jarry look at the body of evidence on these topics to tell you what’s solid, what’s iffy… and what’s crapola. The jingles, comedy, and bickering help the medicine go down.

Interview - René Dreifuss on Evidence-Based Martial Arts Dec 19, 2021

Show notes

Chris and Jonathan speak to coach René Dreifuss, the founder of Radical MMA in New York City and the co-host of the Martial Culture podcast, which has been described as “NPR for mixed martial arts nerds.” Medicine has had to wrestle with figuring out what works and what doesn’t over the years; so have the martial arts. From claims of manipulating your opponent’s qi in a fight to no-holds-barred Krav Maga self-defence, there are things that work in real life and things that really don’t. There are parallels to be drawn with the mystical alternative healings in wellness communities and with cult-like mentalities that move us away from evidence and into the predatory arms of eminence. René also addresses the physical risks and unhealthy side of martial arts, namely weight cutting and brain trauma.

Our patrons will have access to a bonus segment with René on Christmas Eve. It’s about ninjas and Chris’ desire to fight Jonathan.

5:07 The cultural underpinning of energy-based martial arts

11:10 Scientific versus non-scientific thinking

18:18 Groin hits and eye pokes aren’t effective

24:30 Sports improve over time

29:03 Mixed martial arts as an open source science

38:25 Myths about self-defence

47:09 Brain trauma

55:24 Weight cutting is very dangerous

1:10:16 The misunderstood rear naked choke

1:08:54 The Vulcan nerve pinch and Hollywood fights

1:13:55 Weapons-based martial arts: what works?

* Theme music: “Fall of the Ocean Queen“ by Joseph Hackl.

To contribute to The Body of Evidence, go to our Patreon page at: http://www.patreon.com/thebodyofevidence/.

Patrons get a bonus show on Patreon called “Digressions”! Check it out!

Links:

1) The Martial Culture podcast: https://www.stitcher.com/show/the-martial-culture-podcast

2) René’s mixed martial arts gym: https://radicalmmanyc.com/

3) René’s YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/c/radicalmma

4) Martial Culture episode on woo in martial arts: https://www.stitcher.com/show/the-martial-culture-podcast/episode/4-martial-arts-phony-53560245

5) Martial Culture episode on self-defence: https://www.stitcher.com/show/the-martial-culture-podcast/episode/meet-people-where-they-are-86686510

077 - Obesity Myths / Hydroxychloroquine Revelations / Q&A Dec 05, 2021

Show notes

What does the body of evidence have to say on the topic of obesity? Plus: the on-going downfall of Didier Raoult, purveyor of hydroxychloroquine for COVID-19, which dovetails into discussions about the Hongcheng magic liquid, the Galileo gambit, gluten and the backfire effect. And Chris answers listeners’ questions about genomics and cardiology and a syndrome called POTS.

Block 1:

Obesity myths: the body mass index (2:26)

Block 2:

Obesity myths: visceral adiposity, waist-to-hip ratio, obesity as a disease, fat and fit, the obesity paradox, exercising to lose weight, and a calorie is a calorie (10:20)

Block 3:

Didier Raoult and hydroxychloroquine (30:46)

Block 4:

Q&A: genomics and cardiology, and POTS (42:31)

* Jingle by Jillian Correia of Roctavio Canada

* Theme music: “Fall of the Ocean Queen“ by Joseph Hackl.

* Assistant researcher: Nicholas Koziris

To contribute to The Body of Evidence, go to our Patreon page at: http://www.patreon.com/thebodyofevidence/.

To make a one-time donation to our show, you can now use PayPal! https://www.paypal.com/donate?hosted_button_id=9QZET78JZWCZE

Patrons get a bonus show on Patreon called “Digressions”! Check it out!

References:

1) Is obesity a disease?: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6179496/#b9-ms111_p0104

2) Different BMI cutoffs in different ethnic groups: https://www.ahajournals.org/doi/10.1161/circulationaha.106.635011 & https://www.thelancet.com/pdfs/journals/lancet/PIIS0140-6736(03)15268-3.pdf

3) How to measure waist circumference: https://www.cdc.gov/healthyweight/assessing/index.html

4) Is obesity a disease?: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6179496/

5) Metabolically healthy obese: https://www.jacc.org/doi/abs/10.1016/j.jacc.2017.07.763

6) The obesity paradox: https://journals.lww.com/epidem/FullText/2013/05000/The__Obesity_Paradox__Explained.20.aspx

7) Kevin Hall’s research on isocaloric diets: https://academic.oup.com/ajcn/article/104/2/324/4564649

8) Médiapart’s article on Didier Raoult (in French): https://www.mediapart.fr/journal/france/191121/les-equipes-de-didier-raoult-denoncent-les-falsifications-de-leur-patron-sur-l-hydroxychloroquine?onglet=full

9) Our episode on direct-to-consumer genetic testing: https://bodyofevidence.ca/023-direct-to-consumer-dna-testing-and-homeopathy

Music Credits:

Christmas Theme 3 by Alexander Nakarada

Link: https://filmmusic.io/song/4776-christmas-theme-3

License: https://filmmusic.io/standard-license

Unseen Horrors by Kevin MacLeod

Link: https://filmmusic.io/song/4569-unseen-horrors

License: https://filmmusic.io/standard-license

Happy Memory (loopable) by chilledmusic

Link: https://filmmusic.io/song/8368-happy-memory-loopable-

License: https://filmmusic.io/standard-license

Interview - Natália Pasternak on Brazil's COVID-19 Response Nov 21, 2021

Show notes

Jonathan and Chris speak to Natália Pasternak, PhD, the director of the Question of Science Institute. In trying to come to grips with COVID-19, Brazil was rocked by scandals involving research performed without consent and doctors being forced to prescribe treatment kits full of “miracle cures.” This led Pasternak to state that medicine in Brazil is effectively unregulated and to call for the impeachment of President Bolsonaro. Can science literacy fix these problems? Meanwhile, Chris and Jonathan try to blow each other’s minds and fail miserably. And they mention ICQ, not to be confused with IQC (Pasternak’s institute) or HCQ (a drug that doesn’t work against COVID)!

1:55 Natália in the Big Apple

2:50 Brazil’s dual healthcare system

4:42 Brazil and COVID-19: “a total mess”

7:25 Brazil’s COVID kit

16:42 TrateCov, the app that recommended proxalutemide

19:12 Scientific literacy and medical doctors… and homeopathy

30:09 Falling on the deaf ears of the Supreme Court

31:24 Calling for the impeachment of President Bolsonaro

38:04 Medicine in Brazil is essentially unregulated

41:46 Vaccines and the Brazilian paradox

49:04 The Question of Science Institute

53:05 How do we fix these problems?

* Theme music: “Fall of the Ocean Queen“ by Joseph Hackl.

To contribute to The Body of Evidence, go to our Patreon page at: http://www.patreon.com/thebodyofevidence/.

Patrons get a bonus show on Patreon called “Digressions”! Check it out!

Links:

1) Natália writing for The Skeptic magazine: https://www.skeptic.org.uk/?s=pasternak

2) Natália writing for Medscape: https://www.medscape.com/index/list_14444_0

3) Natália’s magazine (in Portuguese): https://www.revistaquestaodeciencia.com.br/

4) Natália’s institute (most of the content in Portuguese): https://iqc.org.br/

5) Natália writing for O Globo (in Portuguese): https://blogs.oglobo.globo.com/a-hora-da-ciencia/

6) Natália on the radio (in Portuguese): https://audioglobo.globo.com/cbn/podcast/feed/835/hora-da-ciencia

076 - Endometriosis / COVID Vaccine in Children / Aspirin a Day Nov 07, 2021

Show notes

What does the body of evidence have to say on the topic of endometriosis? Plus: Pfizer’s COVID-19 vaccine is authorized for children ages 5-11, and we go over why an aspirin a day is no longer suggested for many older adults.

Block 1:

Endometriosis: what it is and what might be causing it (2:59)

Block 2:

Endometriosis: risk factors, how common it is, diagnosis, treatments (8:37)

Block 3:

FDA approves Pfizer’s COVID vaccine for children 5-11 years old (26:18)

Block 4:

An aspirin a day to prevent cardiovascular disease? (40:19)

* Jingle by Joseph Hackl

* Theme music: “Fall of the Ocean Queen“ by Joseph Hackl.

* Assistant researcher: Nicholas Koziris

To contribute to The Body of Evidence, go to our Patreon page at: http://www.patreon.com/thebodyofevidence/.

To make a one-time donation to our show, you can now use PayPal! https://www.paypal.com/donate?hosted_button_id=9QZET78JZWCZE

Patrons get a bonus show on Patreon called “Digressions”! Check it out!

References:

1) Flow diagram of treatment of endometriosis from the Society of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists of Canada: https://sogc.org/common/Uploaded%20files/SOGC%20Endometriosis%20COVID19%20Update-%20Endo%20Group%20Edits%20April%2018%202020.pdf

2) Use of CA-125 to diagnosis endometriosis: https://obgyn.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1111/1471-0528.14055

3) Cochrane review of blood tests to diagnose endometriosis: https://www.cochranelibrary.com/cdsr/doi/10.1002/14651858.CD012281/full

4) Cochrane review of laparoscopic surgery to treat infertility associated with endometriosis: https://www.cochrane.org/CD011031/MENSTR_laparoscopic-surgery-pain-and-infertility-associated-endometriosis

5) Endometriosis time to diagnosis: https://academic.oup.com/humrep/article/18/4/756/596537

https://www.ajog.org/article/S0002-9378(19)30002-X/fulltext

6) FDA news release on authorization of Pfizer’s vaccine: https://www.fda.gov/news-events/press-announcements/fda-authorizes-pfizer-biontech-covid-19-vaccine-emergency-use-children-5-through-11-years-age

7) Pfizer’s press release on its trial of its COVID-19 vaccine in children: https://www.pfizer.com/news/press-release/press-release-detail/pfizer-and-biontech-announce-positive-topline-results

8) United States Preventive Services Task Force updated recommendation on aspirin for primary prevention: https://www.uspreventiveservicestaskforce.org/uspstf/draft-recommendation/aspirin-use-to-prevent-cardiovascular-disease-preventive-medication

Music Credits:

Dreams Of Success (loopable) by chilledmusic

Link: https://filmmusic.io/song/8459-dreams-of-success-loopable-

License: https://filmmusic.io/standard-license

Interview - Effie Greathouse on Fluoride Oct 17, 2021

Show notes

Chris and Jonathan speak to Effie Greathouse, Ph.D., the co-founder of the website Fluoride Exposed dedicated to explaining the science of fluoride and water fluoridation to the public.

2:30 What is Fluoride Exposed?

3:54 Why we put fluoride in drinking water

10:15 Fluoride-free toothpaste

12:00 Arguments against fluoridation

14:00 Fluoride and IQ

21:51 Effie’s origin story and mom groups online

27:19 The phrase “anti-science”

29:23 The Christopher Labos Trivia Show

* Theme music: “Fall of the Ocean Queen“ by Joseph Hackl.

To contribute to The Body of Evidence, go to our Patreon page at: http://www.patreon.com/thebodyofevidence/.

Patrons get a bonus show on Patreon called “Digressions”! Check it out!

Links:

1) Fluoride Exposed website: https://fluorideexposed.org/

2) Fluoride Exposed on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/explorefluoride

3) Fluoride Exposed on Twitter: https://twitter.com/FluorideExposed

4) Fluoride Exposed on Pinterest: https://tr.pinterest.com/fluorideexposed/

075 - Blood Pressure / Multiple Chemical Sensitivity / COVID Risks Oct 03, 2021

Show notes

What does the body of evidence have to say on the topic of blood pressure? Plus: what seems to be causing multiple chemical sensitivity, and we come face to face with the difficulty of deciding if an activity is risky or not when you’re fully vaccinated.

Block 1:

Blood pressure: what the numbers mean (2:27)

Block 2:

Blood pressure: should you treat it, what to aim for, how to treat it, how best to measure it (8:56)

Block 3:

Multiple chemical sensitivity, what happens when tests come back negative, and the ethics of prescribing placebos (28:11)

Block 4:

Question about the HPV vaccine and the immune system (45:56)

Wrong numbers in Ottawa Heart Institute study scare people (48:12)

Is this risky? (53:16)

* Jingle by Jillian Correia of Roctavio Canada

* Theme music: “Fall of the Ocean Queen“ by Joseph Hackl.

* Assistant researcher: Nicholas Koziris

To contribute to The Body of Evidence, go to our Patreon page at: http://www.patreon.com/thebodyofevidence/.

To make a one-time donation to our show, you can use PayPal! https://www.paypal.com/donate?hosted_button_id=9QZET78JZWCZE

Patrons get a bonus show on Patreon called “Digressions”! Check it out!

References:

1) John Hay quote: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/20776269/

2) Oslo study: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/7001898/

3) MRC study: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/2861880/

4) SPRINT study: https://www.nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/NEJMoa1511939

5) ACCORD study: https://www.nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/NEJMoa1001286

6) STEP trial: https://www.nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/NEJMoa2111437

7) SSaSS study on salt substitute: https://www.nejm.org/doi/10.1056/NEJMoa2105675

8) ALLHAT trial: https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jama/fullarticle/195626

9) ACC/AHA systematic review: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/29133355/

10) Jonathan’s article on the INSPQ report on multiple chemical sensitivity: https://www.mcgill.ca/oss/article/health/zeroing-cause-multiple-chemical-sensitivity

11) The INSPQ report on MCS (French only): https://www.inspq.qc.ca/publications/2729

Music:

Fanfare for Space by Kevin MacLeod

Link: https://filmmusic.io/song/3736-fanfare-for-space

License: https://filmmusic.io/standard-license

Guitar Hero by Alexander Nakarada

Link: https://filmmusic.io/song/4807-guitar-hero

License: https://filmmusic.io/standard-license

Good Ideas For A New Startup by MusicLFiles

Link: https://filmmusic.io/song/8159-good-ideas-for-a-new-startup

License: https://filmmusic.io/standard-license

Interview - Jack Lawrence and Gid M-K on Ivermectin Sep 19, 2021

Show notes

Chris and Jonathan speak to two guests about the slow collapse of the body of evidence on ivermectin for COVID-19, with a particular focus on the oft-cited Elgazzar randomized controlled trial. Their first guest is Jack Lawrence, a Master’s student and disinformation researcher, who took the Elgazzar paper apart, finding evidence of plagiarism and of potential data fraud. Their second guest is Gideon Meyerowitz-Katz, an epidemiologist, who appraised the Elgazzar study, the Carvallo “study,” and many others, and who reveals some of the telltale signs of scientific fraud.

Guest #1: Jack Lawrence

3:06 Jack reads the Elgazzar study

5:55 A plagiarized introduction

7:46 The paper’s claims

11:57 Skimming a paper versus actively looking for fraud

24:45 Deaths didn’t add up

31:23 The Guardian’s coverage

36:10 A broken system

Guest #2: Gid M-K

41:28 Most likely a fraud

46:34 Is this dataset real?

52:41 The Carvallo “study” may never have taken place as described

58:11 IVMMeta.com, an anonymous pseudoscientific website

1:04:16 Churning out bad meta-analyses

1:07:07 Gid’s verdict on ivermectin for COVID-19

1:12:23 Maintaining trust in science in the face of fraud

* Theme music: “Fall of the Ocean Queen“ by Joseph Hackl.

To contribute to The Body of Evidence, go to our Patreon page at: http://www.patreon.com/thebodyofevidence/.

Patrons get a bonus show on Patreon called “Digressions”! Check it out!

Links:

1) Jack Lawrence on Twitter: https://twitter.com/JackMLawrence

2) Jack Lawrence’s TimPoolClips account: https://twitter.com/TimPoolClips

3) Jack Lawrence’s blog post on the Elgazzar paper: https://grftr.news/why-was-a-major-study-on-ivermectin-for-covid-19-just-retracted/

4) Gid M-K on Twitter: https://twitter.com/GidMK

5) Gid M-K’s podcast, Sensationalist Science: https://soundcloud.com/senscipod

6) Gid M-K’s first blog post on the ivermectin saga: https://elemental.medium.com/ivermectin-for-covid-19-an-update-5e913bb49483

7) The Elgazzar study: https://www.researchsquare.com/article/rs-100956/v3

8) Nick Brown’s blog post about the Elgazzar study: https://steamtraen.blogspot.com/2021/07/Some-problems-with-the-data-from-a-Covid-study.html

9) The Guardian’s coverage of the Elgazzar study: https://www.theguardian.com/science/2021/jul/16/huge-study-supporting-ivermectin-as-covid-treatment-withdrawn-over-ethical-concerns

10) The BuzzFeed investigation into the Carvallo “study”: https://www.buzzfeednews.com/article/stephaniemlee/ivermectin-covid-study-suspect-data

11) IVMMeta website: https://ivmmeta.com/

Special - Medical Specialties Part 2 Sep 05, 2021

Show notes

Previously, on the Body of Evidence: Jonathan asked Chris to rank medical specialties from super-amazing to garbage! As Chris finds himself lounging on a beach in Greece, we release the conclusion to this special episode. You will learn so much about pathology, cardiology and other specialties, and you will finally hear which branches of medicine Chris thinks are GARBAGE! (sort of… for him… ‘cause he doesn’t like them… but we need doctors to do those things so….)

* Theme music: “Fall of the Ocean Queen“ by Joseph Hackl.

To contribute to The Body of Evidence, go to our Patreon page at: http://www.patreon.com/thebodyofevidence/.

Patrons get a bonus show on Patreon called “Digressions”! Check it out!

Music Credits:

Cinema Blockbuster Trailer 6 by Sascha Ende®

Link: https://filmmusic.io/song/288-cinema-blockbuster-trailer-6

License: https://filmmusic.io/standard-license