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Do you struggle with constipation or diarrhea? How is that linked to your overall organ health?
In this episode of Causes or Cures, Dr. Eeks chats with Dr. Johannes P. Johnson-Martínez about his recent research on how variations in bowel movement frequency (BMF) can impact the gut microbiome, blood metabolites, and overall organ health. They discuss how abnormal BMF patterns are linked to toxins produced by gut microbes that enter the bloodstream and increase inflammation levels and how abnormal BMFs may be early warning signs of organ dysfunction. They highlight how diet and lifestyle choices can influence BMF variations and the larger health implications and "take-home" points of this research.

Dr. Johnson-Martinez is a researcher interested in the gut microbiome who conducted this research in the Department of Bioengineering, University of Washington.

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Are you afraid of clowns?
If you're like many who dread those painted smiles, you're not alone- especially as Halloween approaches and horror movies like It remind us just how unsettling they can be.
In this episode of Causes or Cures, Dr. Eeks chats with Sophie Scorey about her research on the origins for the fear of clowns or coulrophobia. Sophie dives into the global prevalence of this bizarre phobia and explores why so many people, from kids to adults, are terrified of clowns. Whether it’s their exaggerated features or eerie unpredictability, you'll want to tune in to this first-of-its-kind investigation into what makes clowns so nightmare-worthy.

Sophie is a psychologist and researcher working towards her PhD at the School of Psychology and Therapeutic Studies, University of South Wales.

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In this episode of Causes or Cures, Dr. Eeks chats with snake expert Bob Ashley on his fascinating new book, A Photographic History of Snakebite Treatments: Bad Medicine Snake Oils, Potions, Elixirs and Kits. From ancient remedies described in Hebrew Scriptures to modern day antivenom, he discusses the intriguing, sometimes shocking history of snake bite treatments throughout the centuries. He advises what everyone should do if they get bit by a venomous snake, and rest assured, it's not to use a snakebite kit from your local store.

Bob Ashley is a herpetologist, entrepreneur and museum director. He is founder of the Chiricahua Desert Museum in New Mexico and has a lifelong passion for reptiles and amphibians.

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*Bonus Episode for Subscribers*

In this episode of Causes or Cures, Dr. Eeks dives into the "War on Misinformation" and unravel its complexities.

Is misinformation truly an "infodemic," like a virus infecting our brains? Is the militaristic approach to misinformation missing the mark?

Here we explore how misinformation is policed online, the rise of fact-checkers, and some of the biggest misinformation scandals of our time, including the opioid epidemic and the tobacco industry's attempts to define "sound science" while squelching the truth about second-hand smoke as a carcinogen.

Could our obsession with debunking and banning misinformation be a costly, unwinnable war? If we cannot agree on a definition of "misinformation," is this a wise public health battle to pursue, especially given the historical shortage of funding and staff? What roles should fact-checkers, tech companies, and governments play in policing knowledge, particularly in America, a country that deeply values personal liberties? Dr. Eeks also shares her views from working in the field of public health and a few personal anecdotes, including her perspective on how religious information compares to misinformation and how nuns served as her fact-checkers growing up.

We also highlight the blurred lines between truth and deception in health and geopolitics. From covert anti-vaccine propaganda campaigns to the false statistics that fueled the opioid crisis, Dr. Eeks asks: Can any one entity be trusted to define what’s true? Additionally, we will review expert insights from a previous podcast guest to better understand what’s truly at stake in this ongoing battle.

Subscribe and tune in for a deep dive into how misinformation has become a defining issue of our time and what it means for the future of public health and freedom of thought. Your freedom of thought, to be exact!

*Disclaimer: This podcast consists entirely of my own thoughts and does not reflect the views of anyone or any organization I work with or consult for.

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Discovering new hope for hair loss!

In this episode of Causes or Cures, Dr. Eeks chats with Dr. Sheila MacNeil and Dr. Muhammad Yar about their accidental discovery that a simple sugar compound may stimulate hair regrowth and help end male-pattern baldness, or androgenic alopecia—a condition affecting many people. They dive into how an unexpected finding in a study on wound healing sparked their current study on hair loss, which they break down in the episode. The researchers walk us through how the study was conducted, results, how their findings compare to current prescription treatments for hair loss, and what’s next in their research.

Dr. MacNeil is an Emeritus Professor of Tissue Engineering at the University of Sheffield, UK, with over 550 peer-reviewed publications in soft tissue engineering. You can learn more about Dr. MacNeil here. Dr. Yar is an Associate Professor at the Interdisciplinary Research Center for Biomedical Materials at COMSATS University in Islamabad, Pakistan. Previously, he served as an Assistant Professor at King Fahd University in Saudi Arabia. You can learn more about his work here.

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In this episode of Causes or Cures, Dr. Eeks chats with Dr. Andrea Casanova about his new research on how psilocybin impacts learning. This study is the first to explore how psilocybin (commonly known as "magic mushrooms") influences reinforcement learning, a type of learning driven by rewards and cues. Dr. Casanova breaks down how psilocybin affects the brain, the methods he and his team used to conduct the study, their key findings, and the potential future implications. He also shares a psychiatric perspective on how psychedelics could be used to treat common mental disorders that are often resistant to current medications. Lastly, Dr. Casanova touches on the current state of psychedelic treatment and research in his home country of Switzerland.

Dr. Casanova is a Swiss medical doctor specializing in psychiatry and training in Jungian analytical psychotherapy.

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In this episode of Causes or Cures, Dr. Eeks chats with Dr. Simon Gadbois and Dr. Laura Kiiroja about how scent-detection dogs can detect stress in breath samples from individuals with traumatic histories when exposed to trauma cues. They discuss the current use of dogs in detecting diseases, explaining what exactly these dogs are smelling and how they were recruited and trained for this unique study. The conversation also covers the role of human participants, key findings, and the next steps, including the future practical implications of their work.

Dr. Gadbois leads the Canine and Reptile Behaviour and Olfaction Research Lab in the Department of Psychology and Neuroscience at Dalhousie University in Halifax, Nova Scotia. Dr. Kiiroja, who recently earned her PhD from Dalhousie University in biomedical scent-detection dogs, has also worked extensively with wolves for animal welfare purposes and contributes to official Estonian national animal websites with her writings on wolves.

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In this episode of Causes or Cures, Dr. Eeks chats with America's Happiness Doctor, Dr. Elia Gourgouris, about practical steps people can take to achieve lasting happiness. Dr. Gourgouris breaks down the definition of happiness and shares how we can leverage it in our daily lives, at work, in relationships, and even during times of crisis. He also explores its connections to positive psychology, fear, and forgiveness.

Dr. Elia Gourgouris, PhD, is a best-selling author of 7 Paths to Lasting Happiness and 7 Keys to Navigating a Crisis: A Practical Guide to Emotionally Dealing with Pandemics & Other Disasters. He is the President of The Happiness Center and a Founding Partner at The Global Institute of Thought Leadership. Known for his motto “Happiness is a choice!”, Dr. Gourgouris has become a leading authority on happiness and corporate wellness, offering coaching and keynotes around the world for the past 25 years. Through his work, he’s helped thousands find happiness and fulfillment, both personally and professionally.

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