In short
Introduction to “Strange Health” (The Conversation), a new video podcast that examines viral health trends and separates science from myths. It promises to tackle claims like “foot detoxing,” drinking chlorophyll to avoid “stinking,” January detox after Christmas, and supplements marketed to change appearance (e.g., “make your bum look better”). It also highlights the body’s ability to heal itself and its capacity to worsen conditions.
Key claims
the liver can regenerate completely; the show will “thrash out between the truths and the myths.”
Notable examples
expensive “wee”/“diarrhoea” detox products; chlorophyll; detoxing after holidays.
Guests
Katie Edwards (health editor, The Conversation) and Dan Bangart (lecturer in health and life sciences, University of Bristol; also a GP).
Written by AI. May contain mistakes. Listen to the episode to check what was said.
Chapters
Tap a time to open that second in VOExploring Viral Health Trends
0:39 to 1:20
Learn about the health trends they'll investigate and the science behind them.
“So each episode, we're going to be taking a health trend going viral on social media and we're going to be examining the science behind it.”
Understanding Body Mysteries
1:20 to 1:42
Discussion on the body's healing abilities and common misconceptions.
“And, you know, me being an anatomist, I was like, oh, can I have a look?”
Transcript
Automatic transcript. May contain errors.0:00These foot detoxing... Oh, oh God. Blimey. I can't believe what I've just seen. Why were her feet so mucky? People just shelling out the dosh for some expensive wee. Yep, or indeed, expensive diarrhoea. Hi, I'm Katie Edwards and I'm a health editor at The Conversation. And I'm Dan Bangart and I'm a lecturer in health and life sciences at the University of Bristol, the wonderful city of Bristol where I also work as a GP. And we work together a lot and we try to explain weird and wonderful things about the body. And now we're teaming up to host Strange Health, which is a new video podcast from The Conversation.
0:34The Conversation is a news and analysis platform and we partner journalists with academics and we try and bring the research to as many people as possible. So what we're going to cover, Dan. So each episode, we're going to be taking a health trend going viral on social media and we're going to be examining the science behind it. You know, the kind of thing. Drink chlorophyll to make sure you don't stink. Do you really need to detox in January after giving your liver and your kidneys a pounding over Christmas? Have a supplement to make your bum look better, all that kind of thing. We're also going to be looking at the intricacies and impossibilities of the body.
1:08So thinking about the body's ability to heal itself, but also to turn things around for the worse. Each week, it's going to be me and Dan, plus an expert, who are going to thrash out between the truths and the myths. And, you know, me being an anatomist, I was like, oh, can I have a look? And it was huge. I mean, the liver is amazing. It's probably the only organ that can regenerate itself completely. And we're calling it Strange Health because we're not scared of disgusting things. So we're going to get right into it, aren't we? Certainly are. If you want us to try and answer questions about the body, however weird they may be, send them in.
1:42And you can send them to strangehealthattheconversation.com. Episode one arrives on the 20th of January. So follow us on YouTube or subscribe wherever you get your podcasts.
From the publisher
Introducing Strange Health, a new podcast from The Conversation.
Time and again, the health stories that go viral are the ones that make people recoil slightly before clicking anyway. Worms. Smells. Leaks. Stones. Toxins. The things you Google at midnight and hope nobody ever finds in your search history.
Behind the gag reflex, there is usually a serious question. Is this normal? Is this dangerous? Has the internet just convinced me I am dying?
That is why The Conversation has launched Strange Health, a new podcast series hosted by Katie Edwards, a health editor at The Conversation, and Dan Baumgardt, a practising GP and lecturer in health and life sciences at the University of Bristol.
They take the health questions people are obsessing over online, especially the weird, gross or misunderstood ones, and examine them properly with the help of academic experts who are actively researching these issues. We ask where these ideas come from, what the science really says, and why misinformation spreads so easily when bodies get involved.
Episode 1 arrives on January 20. Follow Strange Health wherever you watch or listen to podcasts to never miss an episode.
The Conversation is an independent, not-for-profit news organisation. If you like the show, please consider donating to support our work. You can sign up here for a free daily newsletter from The Conversation here.
Hosts: Katie Edwards and Dan Baumgardt
Executive Producer: Gemma Ware
Editing and mixing: Sikander Khan
Artwork: Alice Mason