Wellness, Actually with Emily Oster & Perry Wilson, MD
- Episodes
- 127
- Released
- weekly
- Latest episode
- Nov 12, 2026
About the podcast
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.
Episodes 127
What's the deal with food dyes?
This week, Emily and Perry explore the technicolor world of food dyes, and determine whether that Red 40 or Yellow 6 is actually the root cause of everything that is hurting you and/or your kids. Why do we dye …
Show notes
This week, Emily and Perry explore the technicolor world of food dyes, and determine whether that Red 40 or Yellow 6 is actually the root cause of everything that is hurting you and/or your kids. Why do we dye our food at all? Where do we source our dyes from, and is natural always better? (No.) Do they really do it better in Europe? (Also no.) And really, should tasting the rainbow be so frowned upon?
Plus: a rant against all the anti-vax nonsense, and the latest longevity craze: castration!
Submit a question for our weekly mailbag at wellnessactually.fm.
Past episodes referenced:
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Rerun, Actually - What's the deal with red meat?
This week, we're rebroadcasting our episode on 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 how does nutritional science let us …
Show notes
This week, we're rebroadcasting our episode on 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 how does nutritional science let us down when we're just trying to fuel our bodies efficiently?
Submit a question for our weekly mailbag at wellnessactually.fm.
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
What's the deal with death?
This week, just in time for spooky season, Emily and Perry take on the one certainty in this life: death. How have human beings historically (and unsuccessfully) tried to cheat it? How are the tech bros in the …
Show notes
This week, just in time for spooky season, Emily and Perry take on the one certainty in this life: death. How have human beings historically (and unsuccessfully) tried to cheat it? How are the tech bros in the longevity space trying to today? What's the point? And what actually happens to your body, and curiously overactive brain, when you die?
Plus: the curse of Wellness, Actually comes for Calley Means, whether the Dengue Fever break-out worth a freak-out, and TB in strip clubs.
Submit a question for our weekly mailbag at wellnessactually.fm.
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
What's the deal with organic food?
This week, Emily and Perry are going classy with a close look at eating organic. We all know it's more expensive, but is it worth the sticker (shock)? Do organic foods actually taste better, are they healthier …
Show notes
This week, Emily and Perry are going classy with a close look at eating organic. We all know it's more expensive, but is it worth the sticker (shock)? Do organic foods actually taste better, are they healthier, and, most importantly, are they safer? Safer for you, better for the environment? The answer, like your grocery bill, might surprise you.
Plus: what doctors really think about you, according to your chart, testosterone in the military (again), and gentlemen, don't worry about, erm, holding off before trying to impregnate someone.
Submit a question for our weekly mailbag at wellnessactually.fm.
Previous episodes referenced:
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
What's the deal with intermittent fasting?
This week, Emily and Perry discuss the highly disciplined world of intermittent fasting: all the different ways you can not eat and all of their purported health effects. Will it make you lose weight, reset …
Show notes
This week, Emily and Perry discuss the highly disciplined world of intermittent fasting: all the different ways you can not eat and all of their purported health effects. Will it make you lose weight, reset your metabolism, live longer? Only if you're a mouse, alas. And they've got problems of their own.
Plus: RFK Jr. institutes billing codes for vaccine injuries, an experimental new medicine will kill your fat cells dead, and do not - we repeat, DO NOT - get your herpes treatment from Amazon.
Submit a question for our weekly mailbag at wellnessactually.fm.
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
What's the deal with Botox?
This week, Emily and Perry explore Botox, literally the most toxic substance in the universe, so why not inject it into our faces? From its discovery to its biomechanics to its myriad uses, it might just turn …
Show notes
This week, Emily and Perry explore Botox, literally the most toxic substance in the universe, so why not inject it into our faces? From its discovery to its biomechanics to its myriad uses, it might just turn out that smooth foreheads are the least interesting part of this cunning little spore.
Plus: it's Nobel Prize week! Also, the plague is back, baby, and GLP-1s might make your fingernails fall off.
Submit a question for our weekly mailbag at wellnessactually.fm.
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Rerun, Actually - What's the deal with GLP-1s?
This week, we're rebroadcasting our episode on GLP-1s, those blockbuster weight-loss drugs that have taken the world by storm -- and not just what you already know about them. From the origins in Gila monster …
Show notes
This week, we're rebroadcasting our episode on GLP-1s, those blockbuster weight-loss drugs that have taken the world by storm -- and not just what you already know about them. From the origins in Gila monster venom to the surprisingly long history of their use, they explore their effectiveness, side effects, lingering questions about long-term usage, and the weird knock-on effects in both the brain (libido?) and our society (protein water?). These drugs are here to stay, so let's understand them from every angle.
Submit a question for our weekly mailbag at wellnessactually.fm.
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It's the First Annual Wellness, Actually Grab Bag Episode!
This week, Emily and Perry are joined by Producer Tamar to answer series of short health and wellness suggestions - by you, the listeners! - that don't merit a full deep dive but are still fun to dissect. From …
Show notes
This week, Emily and Perry are joined by Producer Tamar to answer series of short health and wellness suggestions - by you, the listeners! - that don't merit a full deep dive but are still fun to dissect. From vampire facials to vibrating plates to salt lamps to toxic salmon, we're here for you.
Plus: U.S. officials failed to detect flaws in the covid vaccine, President Trump wants to split other vaccines up, science be damned, and Montana eschews the FDA.
Past episodes referenced:
Submit a question for our weekly mailbag at wellnessactually.fm.
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
What's the deal with artificial sweeteners?
This week, Emily and Perry dive into the sweet, calorie-free world of artificial sweeteners. What poor lab hygiene brought them into existence? Do they actually make us fatter and/or cause cancer? What …
Show notes
This week, Emily and Perry dive into the sweet, calorie-free world of artificial sweeteners. What poor lab hygiene brought them into existence? Do they actually make us fatter and/or cause cancer? What regulatory shenanigans got us so scared of aspertame? And, most importantly, why is Diet Coke seriously so good?
Plus: an outbreak of Legionnaires' disease in New York, hot beverages and esophageal cancer, and a frightening new opioid has entered the chat.
Submit a question for our weekly mailbag at wellnessactually.fm.
Submit a ridiculous wellness trend for next week's grab bag episode here!
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
What's the deal with seed oils?
This week, Emily and Perry dive into the slippery world of seed oils. Canola, vegetable, safflower, yes, even avocado: why have these plant-based oils gotten such a bad rep compared to their animal-based …
Show notes
This week, Emily and Perry dive into the slippery world of seed oils. Canola, vegetable, safflower, yes, even avocado: why have these plant-based oils gotten such a bad rep compared to their animal-based counterparts? How does processing and frying play in? Is it beef tallow's world and we're just living in it? Note: this episode is best enjoyed with a big plate of fries.
Plus: a disappointing heart drug, the military is no longer testing testosterone (thanks to us??), and exciting news in the pig kidney community.
Submit a question for our weekly mailbag at wellnessactually.fm.
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
What's the deal with poop?
This week, Emily and Perry are bravely tackling one of our most beloved bodily functions, polite company be damned: poop! Is it, as Emily asks, truly the window to our souls? How much about our health and …
Show notes
This week, Emily and Perry are bravely tackling one of our most beloved bodily functions, polite company be damned: poop! Is it, as Emily asks, truly the window to our souls? How much about our health and wellness can be ascertained by studying the texture, transit time, and frequency of our poop? What's the optimal way to poop? Should we be fibermaxxing? How special are our gut biomes? It's not a gross episode if you learned something.
Plus: the deadly duo of rabies and measles, and how to get ahead of both.
Submit a question for our weekly mailbag at wellnessactually.fm.
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Rerun, Actually - What's the deal with peptides?
This week, we're rebroadcasting our episode on peptides, the purported panacea for all health ailments. Can an injection of these tiny bits of protein actually boost your metabolism, plump up your skin, heal …
Show notes
This week, we're rebroadcasting our episode on peptides, the purported panacea for all health ailments. Can an injection of these tiny bits of protein actually boost your metabolism, plump up your skin, heal your injuries, and overall prolong your life? And what could possibly go wrong when you inject a peptide stack of dubious origin anyway?
Submit a question for our weekly mailbag at wellnessactually.fm.
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
What's the deal with ticks?
This week, Emily and Perry explore the creepiest, crawliest topic yet: ticks! What's the deal with these little bloodsucking jerks? How do they infect us? What are the differences between tick-borne illnesses …
Show notes
This week, Emily and Perry explore the creepiest, crawliest topic yet: ticks! What's the deal with these little bloodsucking jerks? How do they infect us? What are the differences between tick-borne illnesses, and which ones do you really need to watch out for? Is Lyme disease a bioweapon? And how much should you worry about becoming allergic to meat? Tuck your pants into your socks and join us.
Plus: a new study advocating for more screen time is just as bad as all the others, updates on good cholesterol levels, and be sure to take extra vehicular precautions the next time Tay Tay drops an album.
Submit a question for our weekly mailbag at wellnessactually.fm.
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
What's the deal with fluoride?
This week, Emily and Perry take on fluoride, a mineral with proven benefits for your teeth and an army of skeptical influencers ready to fight their municipal water supplies, (weakened) tooth and nail. What is …
Show notes
This week, Emily and Perry take on fluoride, a mineral with proven benefits for your teeth and an army of skeptical influencers ready to fight their municipal water supplies, (weakened) tooth and nail. What is fluoride? When did we start putting it into the water? Do we still need to? Is there any truth to the skeptics' concerns? And can we all agree that the best hope for our kids' IQs is Dolly Parton?
Plus: the shady backroom dealings of flavored vapes, the specious reasoning behind vaccine "choice," and a padded bra scandal in the Tour de France Femmes (avec Zwift!).
Submit a question for our weekly mailbag at wellnessactually.fm.
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
What's the deal with gluten?
This week, Emily and Perry explore gluten, the protein responsible for everything that makes bread, bagels, pasta, and all of their other favorite foods chewy and delicious. Why has gluten gotten such a bad rap …
Show notes
This week, Emily and Perry explore gluten, the protein responsible for everything that makes bread, bagels, pasta, and all of their other favorite foods chewy and delicious. Why has gluten gotten such a bad rap lately? Is it really responsible for all the ailments it's blamed for? When is an allergy an allergy, and how do we have compassion for any number of very real sensitivities without throwing the baby out with the sourdough discard?
Plus: the inevitable protein backlash has arrived, Viagra is unfortunately not a cure for cancer, and though it's out of the news cycle, the Ebola outbreak in the DRC is still raging.
Submit a question for our weekly mailbag at wellnessactually.fm.
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
What's the deal with the sun?
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 …
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?
Submit a question for our weekly mailbag at wellnessactually.fm.
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
What's the deal with alcohol?
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 …
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.
Submit a question for our weekly mailbag at wellnessactually.fm.
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
What's the deal with pregnancy brain? (feat. Allison Williams)
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 …
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.
Submit a question for our weekly mailbag at wellnessactually.fm.
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
What's the deal with cortisol?
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 …
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.
Submit a question for our weekly mailbag at wellnessactually.fm.
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
What's the deal with mRNA vaccines?
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 …
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:
Submit a question for our weekly mailbag at wellnessactually.fm.
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
What's the deal with full body scans?
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 …
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.
Submit a question for our weekly mailbag at wellnessactually.fm.
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
What's the deal with sleep?
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 …
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.
Submit a question for our weekly mailbag at wellnessactually.fm.
ParentData episode on the placenta.
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
What's the deal with hypoactive sexual desire disorder (HSDD)?
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 …
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.
Submit a question for our weekly mailbag at wellnessactually.fm.
ParentData survey on sex after kids
ParentData episode with Emily Nagoski
Previous episodes referenced:
What's the deal with testosterone?
What's the deal with peptides?
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
What's the deal with cupping and dry needling?
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 …
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?
Submit a question for our weekly mailbag at wellnessactually.fm.
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
What's the deal with red meat?
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 …
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?
Submit a question for our weekly mailbag at wellnessactually.fm.
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
What's the deal with methylene blue?
This week, Emily and Perry bravely platform methylene blue, a synthetic dye with almost godlike properties according to the influencers, and some fascinating uses (and risks) in reality. Fatigued (?) …
Show notes
This week, Emily and Perry bravely platform methylene blue, a synthetic dye with almost godlike properties according to the influencers, and some fascinating uses (and risks) in reality. Fatigued (?) mitochondria, the electron transport chain, and blue poop? AP Bio was never this fun.
Plus: strawberries won't kill you, Ebola might, and keeping teens out of tanning beds.
Submit a question for our weekly mailbag at wellnessactually.fm.
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
What's the deal with psychedelics?
This week, Emily and Perry take a trip into the groovy world of psychedelics: what they are, what they do to our brains, and the myriad mental health problems that they seem to have a pretty interesting effect …
Show notes
This week, Emily and Perry take a trip into the groovy world of psychedelics: what they are, what they do to our brains, and the myriad mental health problems that they seem to have a pretty interesting effect on. Join us for the most uniquely incredible experience of your life, we promise.
Plus: hantavirus redux, the (now former) FDA commissioner pressured to approve flavored vapes, and a bad breast cancer study regarding perennial topic GLP-1s.
Submit a question for our weekly mailbag at wellnessactually.fm.
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
What's the deal with colostrum?
This week, Emily and Perry explore bovine colostrum, the alleged secret weapon for muscle growth and immunity, and cure for the much-maligned leaky gut. Does it actually work, who does it work for, and how do …
Show notes
This week, Emily and Perry explore bovine colostrum, the alleged secret weapon for muscle growth and immunity, and cure for the much-maligned leaky gut. Does it actually work, who does it work for, and how do you know when it's safe? What's so wrong with having a gut that leaks anyway? And should someone be thinking about the poor deprived baby cows?
Plus: Ozempic for Alcohol Use Disorder, the hantavirus outbreak on that cruise ship, and, finally, an end to the saga of perennial-no-longer Surgeon General candidate Casey Means.
Submit a question for our weekly mailbag at wellnessactually.fm.
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
What's the deal with testosterone?
This week, Emily and Perry take on testosterone, the raging yang to last week's sober estrogen yin. Do men actually experience "manopause" in ways similar to women? How much testosterone is not enough, what are …
Show notes
This week, Emily and Perry take on testosterone, the raging yang to last week's sober estrogen yin. Do men actually experience "manopause" in ways similar to women? How much testosterone is not enough, what are the risks of too much, and how do you know if you need an extra boost? And what does testosterone do for men anyway? (Note: this episode on both endogenous and exogenous male sex hormones contains the existence of sex.)
Plus: the U.S. military no longer mandating the flu jab, the fishy effects of fish oil on your brain, and promising news about pancreatic cancer treatment.
Submit a question for our weekly mailbag at wellnessactually.fm.
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
What's the deal with hormone replacement therapy?
This week, Emily, a woman, and Perry, a man, wade into the complicated world of hormone replacement therapy, the first of a two-part series on exogenous hormones and the sexes who love them. What do hormones do …
Show notes
This week, Emily, a woman, and Perry, a man, wade into the complicated world of hormone replacement therapy, the first of a two-part series on exogenous hormones and the sexes who love them. What do hormones do for women, and what happens when they recede? And why was HRT so closely -- and erroneously -- linked to breast cancer?
Plus: a new type of diabetes, a normie CDC director nominee, and the groovy (?) reclassification of psychedelics.
Submit a question for our weekly mailbag at wellnessactually.fm.
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
These are the latest 40 of 127 episodes. You’ll find older episodes in the podcast’s feed.
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