This Podcast Will Kill You

Poop is an incredibly valuable and massively underutilized resource. However, most of us don’t see it that way because of our evolutionarily ingrained disgust towards poop. In this episode, we explore the problems that poop can cause on both the individual and population level. Tune in now!

For many of us, our poop is out of sight, out of mind once we flush it away. But for the next hour and fifteen minutes, we’re bringing it front of mind as we delve into the rich world of poop. This episode, the first of two on poop, is sure to shift your perspective in how you think about poop.

For much of the world, refrigeration is such a common technology that we rarely stop to wonder at the many ways it has transformed our lives. As Nicola Twilley describes in her book, Frostbite, progress often comes at a cost. Listen now - you’ll never look at your fridge the same way again.

One-third to one-half of Americans are not getting enough sleep, according to public health guidelines. Why? Hypotheses abound, but many suggest that sleep in industrialized societies today is not just different but worse than in centuries past. Is that true? Tune in now to find out all we learned!

Sleep is a universal experience. It’s not just the lion that sleeps tonight - it’s also the butterfly,
the chicken, the jellyfish, the dog, and of course the human. What is this widespread physiological process whose spell we are all under? Tune in as we unravel some of the mysteries of sleep!

Since its development in the 1920s, leaded gasoline has been linked to countless health issues in millions around the globe. This week, Erin chats with Daniel Stone about his book American Poison, which tells the story of leaded gasoline - heroes, villains, and lessons we can learn. Don't miss it!

We are putting together a mini-series on cancer, from the history to the biology to the concept of cancer as a disease. We are looking for people willing to share your experience with cancer - whatever that may mean to you. If you've been thinking about sending in your cancer experience, please do!

Went a little too hard over the holidays? Feeling like you need a reset? Wondering which supplement/tea/cleanse will detoxify you to the max? Boy do we have an episode for you! Tune in this week to see what these brands are actually trying to sell you and what detoxification actually is!

We've got another episode from the vault for you all this week - Endometriosis. This episode is our top answer to "what's your favorite episode you've recorded" for so many reasons.

In light of the recent changes by RFK jr’s ACIP to eliminate the universal birth dose of the Hep B vaccine in the US, a decision which will result in preventable infections and deaths in this country, it seems timely to remind everyone of the global consequences of this incredibly prevalent pathogen

2025 Year in Review: Revisiting the Top Takeaways from Advances in Care | Advances in Care In this year-end episode, the hosts of NewYork-Presbyterian’s Advances in Care and Health Matters podcasts come together to reflect on the most compelling insights from their 2025 conversations with ...

While you count down to the new year, check out this special episode of Advances in Care, where Erin Welsh is joined by Health Matters host Courtney Allison to chat about the top health takeaways from their conversations with physicians this year. advances-in-care.simplecast.com/episodes/202...

Did your grandma ever warn you against going out in the cold with wet hair because “you’ll catch your death”? There are countless health myths about how to prevent or treat disease, what food will give you super powers or turn your kid into a whirlwind. But is there any truth to them? Let’s find out

In this week’s TPWKY book club episode, Dr. Homer Venters joins us to discuss his latest work, Outbreak Behind Bars: Spider Bites, Human Rights, and the Unseen Danger to Public Health. Dr. Venters has extensive firsthand knowledge of the barriers in care - and he has evidence-based solutions.

These episodes will be coming out in Spring 2026, and we'll be reaching out to folks who submit a firsthand shortly after the New Year.

This is a huge topic and your firsthand stories mean so much to us so thank you in advance to anyone willing to share their story. You can find the link to our firsthand account form in our bio or on our website under "contact us".

Hi everyone! We are putting together a mini-series on cancer, from the history to the biology to the concept of cancer as a disease. We are looking for people willing to share your experience with cancer - whatever that may mean to you.

Is salt actually bad for us and if so, why is there still a debate? This week we’ll figure out what salt actually does in our bodies and how it might impact our health. If you’ve ever wondered how we’ve arrived at the maximum daily sodium intake and why salt impacts blood pressure, tune in!

Have you ever thrown a pinch of spilled salt over your shoulder? Or said “take this with a grain of salt”? Salt is so deeply embedded in our history as a species that we often take its influence for granted. In the first of a two-parter on everyone’s favorite seasoning, we delve deep into salt lore.

You’ve been asking and we finally have… NEW MERCH!! Order now on exactlyrightstore.com and order by 12/14 if you’re planning on gifting for the holidays!!

The human body is an endlessly fascinating machine. But when you spend so much time learning about the body, you can lose sight of the fact that it isn’t a machine. This week, Erin is joined by Gabriel Weston to discuss her latest book Alive: Our Bodies and the Richness and Brevity of Existence.

Necrotizing fasciitis earned its nickname “flesh eating bacteria” from how quickly it progresses from what looks like a skin irritation to a deadly infection. This week, we get up close and personal with necrotizing fasciitis and its causative agents.

The New World Screwworm, is a nightmare of a fly and it seems to be making a comeback in the places it was previously eradicated - Central and North America. What exactly this fly does, why it’s such a problem, and how we came to defeat it (temporarily) all feature in this week’s episode.

Ohio! We are coming to you! We are so honored to be presenting one of the keynote addresses at this year's Infectious Diseases Institute Annual Meeting! Registration closes this Friday... we can't wait to see you there!

This week, we (both!) chat with two of our all-time favorite science communicators, @drlindseyfitz.bsky.social and @tealcartoons.bsky.social to discuss their newest book Dead Ends! There’s learning, there’s laughter, there’s a lesson: failure is okay. Not just okay but a necessary part of science

Famine is much more than a food shortage and starvation on a population-level scale. This week, we’re picking up where we left off last episode to explore the definitions, drivers, and many dimensions of famine. Tune in for a broad overview of this heavy but incredibly important topic.

This is the first of two episodes centered around malnutrition, starvation, and famine. Today, we explore the profound consequences that arise when our bodies are not given the energy stores they need and we tell the story of how we came to learn about these outcomes through a WWII-era study.

The roots of the inequities we see in our modern mental health system can be traced back decades, to the earliest psychiatric hospitals founded on racist notions of mental illness. This week's book club features @ahylton26.bsky.social and her book Madness: Race and Insanity in a Jim Crow Asylum.

Today's episode is all about newborn screening - from its serendipitous origins, to what the process looks like from a parent’s perspective, and how cutting-edge technology could revolutionize these programs. We even brought on an expert guest to walk us through the future of newborn screening!

Yeast infections! We've all had them (er, around 75% of us probably have), but what really are they, where do they come from, and why are they so hard to get rid of? All this and then some on today's episode featuring Candida!

On this week's book club Erin chats with the one and only @maryroach.bsky.social about book Replaceable You: Adventures in Human Anatomy, available TODAY! As with any Mary Roach production, this is the perfect combination of informative, fascinating, and fun. Tune in today!