.jpg)
Causes or Cures
"For the Nerds and the Nerd Nots"
Causes or Cures is a health podcast hosted by Dr. Eeks—an independent, grassroots show driven by curiosity and a passion for breaking down complex health topics into bite-sized, easy-to-understand insights. Dr. Eeks works as a public health consultant, in the realm of epi/scicomms. She's all about making science relatable and often uses her blue-collar sense of humor to drive the message home.
On this podcast, Dr. Eeks talks with experts from around the world—doctors, researchers, public health pros, and more—to dive into the latest hot topics in health and research, all in a down-to-earth kind of way.
DISCLAIMER: Some topics are more controversial than others, so keep in mind that this is information only and not health advice. Dr. Eeks doesn't endorse any of her guests' views, and despite a strict health routine, nor does she endorse any products, supplements, oils, magic socks or potions. Causes or Cures is not a "news site." It's about having conversations, and Dr. Eeks is confident that she can have a respectful conversation with anyone, even people who think far differently than she does. (At least that's been her experience at hole-in-the-wall bars.) The point is to not take anything here as Gospel. Sometimes Dr. Eeks' dog Barnaby makes his opinion known, but the good news is that he's a smart dog. Most importantly, she hopes this podcast encourages folks to stay curious, empathic, hopeful, compassionate, honest, open-minded, and engaged. Freedom of discussion is a beautiful thing, delightfully messy, and one that many take for granted.
The views on this podcast do not reflect the views of anyone she contracts with or consults for. You can contact Dr. Eeks through her website, bloomingwellness.com.
Causes or Cures
Can Mushroom Fiber Beat the Flu? Beta-Glucan 101 with Dr. Maziar Divangahi
In this episode of Causes or Cures, Dr. Eeks chats with immunology expert Dr. Maziar “Maz” Divangahi about how a fiber found in mushrooms may help us beat the flu, and he introduces us to the concept of disease tolerance.
What We’ll Cover
- Beta-Glucan 101
- What it is: a natural fiber in the outer wall of fungi (think mushrooms).
- Why it matters: mounting evidence says it can help you fight off the flu by improving something called disease tolerance.
- Two Immune Playbooks
- Host Resistance: the classic “seek and destroy” tactic.
- Disease Tolerance: a quieter, damage-control strategy our bodies use to stay functional even when a pathogen sticks around.
- Dr. Maz will unpack how beta-glucan may tilt the balance toward disease tolerance.
- From TB Labs to Flu Research
- Insights from Dr. Maz’s tuberculosis studies that set the stage for his beta-glucan–flu work.
- Early data on how this fungal fiber might boost flu-specific disease tolerance.
- Should We Eat More Mushrooms or Supplement?
- Practical tips and caveats on dietary vs. supplemental beta-glucan.
- What the current evidence actually supports.
- Beyond Infections: Beta-Glucan in Cancer Trials
- Snapshot of ongoing studies in breast and bladder cancer.
- Why disease tolerance is a hot oncology frontier.
- Future Directions & Take-Home Points
- Where Dr. Maz’s research is headed next.
- Simple, science-backed actions listeners can try today.
Listen If You’ve Ever Wondered…
- Why some people sail through the flu while others end up in the ER.
- Whether “disease tolerance” might rewrite how we tackle pandemics.
- If tossing extra shiitakes into your stir-fry can really make a difference.
Dr. Maziar (Maz) Divangahi is a Professor of Medicine at McGill University. He is the Associate Director of the Meakins-Christie Laboratories and the Associate Director of the McGill Interna onal TB Centre. He is an internationally recognized pulmonary immunologist and the overarching focus of his research program is to inves gate the regulatory mechanisms involved in host resistance and disease tolerance against major pulmonary bacterial (Mycobacterium tuberculosis) and viral (influenza virus and SARS-CoV2) pathogens. He is currently inves ga ng how to harness the power of innate memory response (Trained Immunity) in vaccine development. Throughout his career, he has been a prolifera ve inves gator publishing in outstanding journals and received numerous awards, including a CIHR New Inves gator Award, FRQS Award, and the CIHR Founda on grant. His scholarly work has been recognized by elec on to the Royal Society of Canada. He is currently holding the Strauss Chair in Respiratory Diseases.
You can contact Dr. Eeks at bloomingwellness.com.
Follow Eeks on Instagram here.
Or Facebook here.
Or X.
On Youtube.
Or TikTok.
SUBSCRIBE to her monthly newsletter here! (Now featuring interviews with top experts on health you care about!)