Causes or Cures
For the Nerds and the Nerd Nots
Causes or Cures is an independent health podcast hosted by "Dr. Eeks" (ErinKate Stair, MD, MPH). It is an offbeat, grassroots show driven by curiosity and a genuine love of making complicated health topics easier to understand.
Dr. Eeks is a public health professional specializing in applied epidemiology & health communication. By day, she works on challenging public health issues. By choice, she spends some of her free time asking scientists, physicians, researchers, authors, clinicians, and other fascinating people questions she hopes everyone else is wondering too.
Along the way, the podcast has wandered into everything from memory and longevity to self medicating animals, migraines, gene drive mosquitoes, strange public health history, the spiritual realm, and the occasional existential detour. If it has something to teach us about health or what it means to be human, it is probably fair game.
Recurring segments include Public Health is Weird, which uncovers strange but true stories from public health history, WTF Health News, where Dr. Eeks breaks down bizarre or buzzworthy health headlines, and Eeks Speakeasy, a more personal corner of the podcast where curiosity occasionally spills over into life, philosophy, and whatever else deserves a drink and a discussion.
A few housekeeping notes...
This podcast is for information, curiosity, and conversation. It is not medical advice.
Although Dr. Eeks has an MD, she does not practice medicine. She is a full time public health nerd and will never tell you what to do with your own health. If you have a medical question, your healthcare provider knows you far better than a podcast ever could.
Guests are invited because they have something interesting to contribute, not because Dr. Eeks agrees with every opinion they hold. Likewise, she does not endorse miracle supplements, mysterious oils, magic socks, potions, or anything that promises to solve all of life's problems.
If an episode is sponsored or underwritten by a company she genuinely enjoys working with, she will always tell you.
Causes or Cures is also not a news site. It is a place for thoughtful conversations. Dr. Eeks believes people can disagree respectfully, ask difficult questions, change their minds, and occasionally laugh at themselves along the way. Some of the best conversations she has ever had happened in hole in the walls, on sidewalks, and in places where nobody was trying to win an argument.
Sometimes Barnaby, her dog and unofficial executive producer, contributes his thoughts as well. Fortunately, he is a pretty smart dog.
Above all, Dr. Eeks hopes this podcast encourages people to stay curious, compassionate, honest, open minded, and engaged. Freedom of discussion is a beautiful, delightfully messy thing, and one worth protecting.
The views expressed on this podcast are Dr. Eeks' own and do not reflect the views of any organization she contracts with or consults for.
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Want to sponsor or underwrite an episode?
Causes or Cures works with a limited number of sponsors and episode underwriters in health, science, and public health. Partnerships are kept separate from editorial content and guest selection. If your organization might be a fit, reach out at: erin@bloomingwellness.com
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Causes or Cures
COVID-19: How Cytokine Storms Can Lead to Strokes, with Doctor Ricardo Jose
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There has been a lot of chatter in the news about COVID-19, increased clotting, and the possibility of strokes in old and young people in their thirties and forties. How does this happen? And what can we do about it?
In this episode, Dr. Eeks chats with Dr. Ricardo Jose who has over ninety publications in the area of respiratory (lung) infections and how they affect us systemically. He is a Respiratory Consulting Physician at the Royal Brompton and HareField NHS Hospital in London who has a special interest in how inflammation caused by lung infections relates to coagulation (clotting). He has published several papers on COVID-19, one of the most recent ones being in the Lancet: COVID-19 cytokine storm: the interplay between inflammation and coagulation.
You don't have to be a doctor or have a scientific background to listen to this. In easy-to-understand terms, he will explain what causes the cytokine storm, how that relates to coagulation and clot formation, how doctors are currently addressing it and what we have to worry about. He also covers the latest evidence, including the use of steroids for certain cases, and provides ideas on future approaches. This is a great episode for anyone who wants to learn more about COVID-19 and how it affects the body, as well as anyone concerned that he/she or his/her loved ones might become affected one day.
Please note: This isn't medical advice! This is a conversation with the hopes of shedding more light around the medical side of the pandemic in an easy-to-understand way.
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