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Causes or Cures
For the Nerds and the Nerd Nots
Curious about health? So is Dr. Eeks.
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. Science is fascinating. It does not have to sound corporate to be credible.
Dr. Eeks is a public health professional specializing in applied epidemiology and health communication. By day, she works on complex national public health issues. By choice, she spends her free time asking scientists, physicians, researchers, authors, clinicians, and other fascinating people questions she hopes everyone else is wondering too.
The goal is simple. Make good science understandable without watering it down.
Along the way, the podcast has wandered into everything from memory and longevity to self medicating animals, migraines, gene drive mosquitoes, 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.
Want to help keep Causes or Cures independent and ad free? Click the Support button at the top of the page.
Want to work together or say hello? Visit bloomingwellness.com.
Want more weird science, public health oddities, and behind the scenes thoughts? Sign up for the Eeks Weekly newsletter.
Episodes
264 episodes
Exploring the Spiritual Realm: Can We Communicate with Angels? With Alisha Das
Exploring the Spiritual RealmWhere spiritual belief meets health, culture, and skepticism Disclaimer: This episode discusses spiritual and metaphysical beliefs that are not evidence-based public health met...
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Eeks Speakeasy: Seasonal Blues, Melancholy, and the Winter Splinter
Seasonal Blues, Melancholy, and the Winter Splinter...Do you only get the Winter Blues?Lucky you.In this episode of Eeks Speakeasy, Dr. Eeks confesses to suffering from the entire seasonal collection—from ...
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Do Bananas Make Your Smoothie Less Healthy? With Professor Gunter Kuhnle
Can bananas change the nutritional value of your smoothie?Bananas are often considered one of the healthiest fruits you can eat. But what happens when they're blended with berries or other foods rich in beneficial plant compounds?...
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Can We Prevent Muscle Loss While Taking GLP-1 Weight-Loss Drugs? With Dr. Richard Pratley
Can We Prevent Muscle Loss While Taking GLP-1 Weight-Loss Drugs?GLP-1 medications like Zepbound have changed the way we treat obesity. But as more people lose significant amounts of weight, another question has emerged:What happen...
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WTF Health News: Is Your Smartphone Giving You Hemorrhoids?
Can using your smartphone on the toilet increase your risk of hemorrhoids?In this episode of WTF Health News, Dr. Eeks explores one of the strangest health headlines of the year—and yes, it's based on a
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Can Air Pollution, Weather, or Heat Trigger Migraines? With Prof Gal Ifergane
Many people living with migraines say they can "feel a storm coming" before an attack. But is there scientific evidence that environmental exposures can influence migraine risk?In this episode of Causes or Cures, Dr. Eeks talks with Pro...
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Can Music Prevent Cognitive Decline as We Age? With Professor Joanne Ryan
Can listening to music help protect your brain as you age?In this episode of Causes or Cures, Dr. Eeks talks with Professor Joanne Ryan about her research on music, dementia risk, cognitive decline, and healthy aging.Drawing on da...
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Eeks Speakeasy: The Long Whatever
What is The Long Whatever?Good question.It involves an asthma attack, a pet store, a nice guy afraid to help, a bathroom code, an emotionally fragile dog, ambulance rides, and several thoughts that pr...
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Can You Be Happy Single? What the Research Really Says, with Prof Elyakim Kislev
Can you be genuinely happy and, even thrive, as a single person? In this episode, Professor Elyakim Kislev, author of Happy Singlehood: The Rising Acceptance and Cele...
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WTF Health News: Wait...Does the Type of Olive Oil Matter for Your Brain?
Today's Causes or Cures' WTF Health News with Dr. Eeks starts with olive oil and somehow ends with the microbiome.A recent study suggests that older adults consuming more virgin olive oil may perform better on cognitive tests than those ...
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If Your Brain Changes, Are You Still You? With Dr. Masud Husain
What makes you you?Is it your memories? Your personality? Your sense of humor? Your motivation? What happens when a neurological disease changes one of those things?In this episode of Causes or Cures, Dr. Eeks ta...
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What Really Happens to Men’s Sex Lives as They Age? With Dr. Judson Brandeis
In this episode of Causes or Cures, Dr. Eeks speaks with Dr. Judson Brandeis, a board-certified urologist, sexual medicine specialist, surgeon, author, and founder of BrandeisMD, about erectile dysfunction, sexual wellness, aging, intimacy, and...
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What If Your Cough Was Being Measured 24/7? With Dr. Peter Small
Do you cough a lot? Does someone you know cough a lot? What if you could actually measure it, continuously? For people with chronic cough, those question matters. Because right ...
Can Diet Change Inflammation in Just a Few Weeks? With Dr. Amrita Vijay
In this episode of Causes or Cures, Dr. Eeks speaks with Dr. Amrita Vijay, a gut microbiome scientist who studies how diet shapes the microbiome and influences inflammation, mood...
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Can Animal Organs Save Human Lives and What Does That Ask of the Animals? With Dr. Josh Mezrich
In this episode of Causes or Cures, Dr. Eeks sits down with transplant surgeon and author Dr. Josh Mezrich to talk about xenotransplantation—the use of animal organs, primarily from pigs, to try to address the massive shortage of human donor or...
Can Diet Really Lower Colorectal Cancer Risk? With Dr. Fred Tabung
Can what you eat influence your risk of colorectal cancer?In this episode of Causes or Cures, Dr. Eeks speaks with Dr. Fred Tabung, PhD, MSPH, a researcher studying diet, metabolism, and cancer prevention, about how certain dietary patte...
Is Sugar the Most Misused Word in Health? With Dr. John Lewis
Can a plant-derived polysaccharide formula affect Alzheimer’s symptoms? A researcher explains his study, and its limits. In this episode of Causes or Cures, Dr. Eeks speaks with researcher Dr. John Lewis about his
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Can You Really Age-Proof Your Brain? With Dr. Majid Fotuhi
In this episode of Causes or Cures, Dr. Eeks speaks with neurologist and neuroscientist Dr. Majid Fotuhi about brain aging, memory, intelligence, Alzheimer’s disease, and his new book:
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Exploring the Spiritual Realm: From Gigolo to Guru, The Transformation of Master Nick Eagle
Exploring the Spiritual RealmWhere spiritual belief meets health, culture, and skepticism Disclaimer: This episode discusses spiritual and metaphysical beliefs that are not evidence-based medical treatment...
Why the American Healthcare System Feels So Transactional, with Gil Bashe
In this episode of Causes or Cures, Dr. Eeks speaks with Gil Bashe, author of
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What Happens After You Stop GLP-1 Weight Loss Medication? With Dr. Sam West
In this episode of the Causes or Cures Podcast, Dr Eeks speaks with Dr. Sam West, a researcher at the University of Oxford, about his study on what happens after people stop taking G...
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A Collection of Bizarre Deaths, Including Rasputin’s, with Forensic Pathologist Dr. Roger Byard
"So how'd that person die?"In this episode of Causes or Cures, I’m joined by forensic pathologist Dr. Roger Byard, an internationally recognized expert who ha...
The Plant-Based Drug Being Tested for Autism, with CEO Joel Stanley
In this episode, Dr. Eeks talks with Joel Stanley, entrepreneur and biotech founder, about the long and often misunderstood road from plant based therapies to FDA approved medicin...
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How Bad is Healthcare Fraud and Corruption? With Professor Graham Brooks
Healthcare corruption doesn’t just happen in broken systems or far away countries.It happens in hospitals with shiny floors.In billion dollar healthcare industries.In systems filled with rules, audits, and professionals sworn to ...
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Exploring the Spiritual Realm: Angels, Healing Claims, and Skepticism, with Dr. Christopher Macklin
Exploring the Spiritual Realm Where spiritual belief meets health, culture, and skepticism Disclaimer: This episode discusses spiritual and metaphysical beliefs that are not evidence-based medical treatmen...
