Wellness, Actually with Emily Oster & Perry Wilson, MD

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Latest Episodes:

What's the deal with the sun? Jul 30, 2026

Show notes

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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What's the deal with alcohol? Jul 23, 2026

Show notes

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) Jul 16, 2026

Show notes

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? Jul 09, 2026

Show notes

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? Jul 02, 2026

Show notes

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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What's the deal with full body scans? Jun 25, 2026

Show notes

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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What's the deal with sleep? Jun 18, 2026

Show notes

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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What's the deal with hypoactive sexual desire disorder (HSDD)? Jun 11, 2026

Show notes

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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What's the deal with cupping and dry needling? Jun 04, 2026

Show notes

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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What's the deal with red meat? May 28, 2026

Show notes

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?

Submit a question for our weekly mailbag at wellnessactually.fm.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.