Maintenance Phase
Debunking the junk science behind health fads, wellness scams and nonsensical nutrition advice.
Suzanne Somers Part 1
In the 1990s, sitcom star Suzanne Somers introduced Americans to one of the bestselling pieces of exercise equipment of all time: The ThighMaster. On this episode, we explore her harrowing early years. Chat, where are we at on punching nuns?
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Suzanne Somers Fought Back Against Her Abusive Fatherâand Changed Her Li...RFK Jr.'s Buckwild Belief That HIV Doesn't Cause AIDS
The rise, fall and rise of the most nonsensical conspiracy theory we've ever heard.
Thanks to Gregg Gonsalves for helping us fact-check this episode!Â
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Hear bonus episodes on PatreonWatch Aubrey's documentaryBuy Aubrey's bookListen to Mike's other podcastGet Maintenance Phase T-shirts, stickers and moreLinks!
Denying AIDS: Conspiracy Theories and Pseudoscience in a Post-COVID WorldImpure Science: AIDS, Activism, and the Politics of KnowledgeThe Duesberg PhenomenonAIDS Denialism Beliefs among People Living with HIV/AIDSHIV Denial in the Internet EraHIV Denial in the COVID EraHow COVID c...Why Don't We Have a Surgeon General?
Weâre nearly halfway through Trump's second term and we still donât have a Surgeon General. What gives?
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Salt
In the 1980s, a low-sodium diet was seen as the gold standard for healthy behavior. In 2026, salt has been repackaged as âelectrolytesâ and is now cast as a core component of wellness. How did we get here?
Also, an important correction: One pound of butter to one pound of potatoes is Joel Robuchonâs recipe.
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The 25 Saltiest Restaurant Meals in America Facts, Issues, and Controversies in Salt Re...Tim Ferrissâs "The 4-Hour Body" (feat. Peter Shamshiri)
We're joined by Mike's If Books Could Kill co-host to revisit a biohacking diet book for the boys.
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The 4-Hour BodyDoes Glycemic Index Matter for Weight Loss? An Examination of the Evidence New! Improved! Shape Up Your Life! The 4-Hour Body: The Real App You Are Working On Is An App Called YourselfThanks to Doctor Dreamchip for our lovely theme song!
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Russell Brand Part 2
What do you do when you've flamed out as a Hollywood actor, a political commentator and a wellness guru? You make a YouTube channel.
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Russell Brand accused of rape, sexual assaults and abuseExposing Russell BrandRussell Brand And The Conspiracy GriftRussell Brand on revolutionCelebrity Capital in the Political Field: Russell Brandâs migration from stand-up comedy to NewsnightâArthurâ lawsuit against BrandBBC says it received five complaints about presenterWoman says s...Russell Brand Part 1
Tracing the left-to-right political trajectory of the unfunniest man in British comedy.
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Hear bonus episodes on PatreonWatch Aubrey's documentaryBuy Aubrey's bookListen to Mike's other podcastGet Maintenance Phase T-shirts, stickers and moreLinks!
Russell Brand accused of rape, sexual assaults and abuseExposing Russell BrandRussell Brand And The Conspiracy GriftRussell Brand on revolutionCelebrity Capital in the Political Field: Russell Brandâs migration from stand-up comedy to NewsnightâArthurâ lawsuit against BrandBBC says it received five complaints about presenterWoman says star exposed himself to her Russell Brand, SeriouslyHow the U.S. is sabo...The Diet Crimes of Metabolife
The rags-to-riches tale of how an illegal methamphetamine manufacturer became a legal methamphetamine manufacturer.
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How the Dietary Supplement Health and Education Act of 1994 Weakened the FDAMad About MetabolifeStimulant Propels Diet EmpireThe dangers of the herb ephedra - Harvard Health An Historical Review of Steps and Missteps in the Discovery of Anti-Obesity Drugs Weight Loss the Herbal Way: No All-Natural Silver BulletOver-the-Counter-Strategy - The Washington Post Anxious Pill-Maker Puts ABC...Raw Milk
Once widely banned, raw milk consumption is on the rise and states are repealing their bans. No oneâs happier about that than the far right. How did we get here?
NOTE: In the retelling of Pasteurâs early pasteurization, Aubrey misspoke! The culprit wasnât lactic yeast, it was lactic acid bacteria. Sorry for the slip up!
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Milk!: A 10,000 Year Food FracasU.S. Consumer surveyThe Effect...The Food Babe
One blogger bravely pushes back against Starbucks, Subway and basic scientific facts.
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Taking On the Food Industry, One Blog Post at a TimeHow the âFood Babeâ Went From Obama Ally to Trump CrusaderActivist or Capitalist? How the 'Food Babe' Makes MoneyLatest Food Scare: What Is The 'Yoga Mat' Chemical - And Why Is It In Your Food? Almost 500 Foods Contain The 'Yoga Mat' Compound. Shoul...Seed Oils
Why are you, as a man, afraid of sunflowers.
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The O6-O3 ratio: A critical appraisalSeed Oils: Are They Actually Toxic?No need to avoid healthy omega-6 fatsOmega-6 Fatty Acids and Risk for Cardiovascular DiseaseDo Seed Oils Make You Sick?Seed oils: Are they healthy or harmful?ToxGuide: HexaneDietary linoleic acid intake and blood inflammatory markersEffect of dietary alpha-linolenic acid on blood inflammatory markersChanges in consumption of omega-3...Herbalife
Weâre talking about our first diet MLM and ITâS A REAL DOOZY!
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Ultra-Processed Foods
Everyone agrees that processed foods are bad for you. When it comes to defining what they actually are, however, there is considerably less agreement.Â
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Hear bonus episodes on PatreonWatch Aubrey's documentaryBuy Aubrey's bookListen to Mike's other podcastGet Maintenance Phase T-shirts, stickers and moreLinks!
Nutrition and health. The issue is not food, nor nutrients, so much as processingUltra-Processed Foods: Definitions and Policy IssuesExamining the Nova Food Classification System and the Healthfulness of Ultra-Processed FoodsA new classification of foods based on the extent and p...BONUS: MAHA's First 90 Days
From our Patreon feed, we're catching up with RFK Jr. and his cadre of "Make America Healthy Again" influencers.
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Hear bonus episodes on PatreonWatch Aubrey's documentaryBuy Aubrey's bookListen to Mike's other podcastGet Maintenance Phase T-shirts, stickers and moreThanks to Doctor Dreamchip for our lovely theme song!
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The Bulletproof Diet
Meet the tech bro on a noble quest to double his lifespan, improve his productivity and irritate his waitress. Â
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Hear bonus episodes on PatreonWatch Aubrey's documentaryBuy Aubrey's bookListen to Mike's other podcastGet Maintenance Phase T-shirts, stickers and moreLinks!
Mycotoxins Myth: The Truth About Mold in Coffee Guidance for Industry: Action Levels for Poisonous or Deleterious Substances in Human Food and Animal Feed  You, Only BetterFTC letter to Dave AspreyAlternative medicine fans see RFK Jr. as a hero. The fieldâs skeptics worry. The Bulletproof Diet is everything wrong...Blue Zones
The places where humans live the longest are explained by traditional lifestyles, widespread incest or systematic fraud, there is no fourth option.
Thanks to Catherine MacDonald for helping us research and fact-check this episode!
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The global pattern of centenarians highlights deep problems in demographyLate-life mortality is underestimated because of data errorsSupercentenarian and remarkable age records exhibit patterns indicative of clerical errors and pension fraudDo People in âBl...BONUS: What's New With RFK Jr.?
Because we live in hell, here is last month's bonus episode about RFK Jr.'s presidential campaign with a new intro about what he could do at HHS.
See you next year!Â
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Richard Simmons Isn't Missing
The internet gets weird investigating the "disappearance" of America's gay best friend.
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Richard Simmons ShowRichard Simmons, the Original Queer EyeThe Grand Duke of Diet and the Clown Prince of Fitness The Sultan of Svelte The Deregulation Of Commercial TelevisionSimmons Says Slapping Mesa Man Was Meant as Playful Richard Simmonsâ Life Was a âNever-Ending Work in Progressâ  Richard Simm...Growing Up Richard Simmons
Before building his fitness empire, Americaâs most bedazzled fitness guru was a guy named Milton from New Orleans.Â
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Hear bonus episodes on PatreonWatch Aubreyâs documentary in AU & NZ, or watch it at home anywhere else!Buy Aubrey's bookListen to Mike's other podcastGet Maintenance Phase T-shirts, stickers and moreLinks!
Still Hungry...After All These Years by Richard Simmons "Hair-Do" Anatomy Asylum CommercialRichard Simmons: New Orleans's hometown heroA Speedy History of Americaâs Addiction to AmphetamineÂThanks to Doctor Dreamchip for our lovely theme song!
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The Myers-Briggs Personality Test
How a mother, a daughter and a crackpot Swiss psychologist gave us the world's most popular Buzzfeed quiz.
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The Personality Brokers by Merve EmreMyers Briggs Type PreferencesWhat Personality Tests Really DeliverThe $2 Billion Question of Who You Are at Work Cautionary Comments Regarding the MBTIThe Barnum Effect in Personality AssessmentThe Mysterious Popularity Of The Meaningless Myers-BriggsWhy the Myers-Briggs personality test is totally meaningless Can you truly know yo...BONUS: Breaking Down The Latest Anti-Trans Victory Lap
We went a little easy on the Cass Report in our last main feed episode, so we're back to [Mortal Kombat voice] FINISH HIM!!!
This was supposed to be a Patreon bonus episode but we'd rather you support the lovely trans people who helped us with the research and fact-checking of this episode!
Julia Serano: https://www.patreon.com/juliaserano
Parker Molloy: https://www.readtpa.com/
Katelyn Burns: https://www.patreon.com/katelynburns
Evan Urquhart: https://www.assignedmedia.org/support
Erin Reed: https://www.erininthemorning.com/
Or organizations that...
"Rapid-Onset Gender Dysphoria" Part 2: Panic! At The Endocrinologist.
Thanks to Jules Gill-Peterson (jgillpeterson.com) and Julia Serano (patreon.com/juliaserano) for help researching this episode and Evan Urquhart, Parker Molloy and Katelyn Burns for fact-checking!
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Origins of "Social Contagion" and "Rapid Onset Gender Dysphoria"The "Rapid Onset Gender Dysphoria" Controversy at AACAP's Annual MeetingMethodological Critique Of The Cass ReviewMethodological Critique of Littman (2018)Â Parent reports of adolescents and young adults perceived to show signs of a..."Rapid-Onset Gender Dysphoria" Part 1: The Cooties Theory of Transgender Identity
Thanks to Jules Gill-Peterson (jgillpeterson.com) and Julia Serano (patreon.com/juliaserano) for help researching this episode and Evan Urquhart and Parker Molloy for fact-checking!
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Origins of "Social Contagion" and "Rapid Onset Gender Dysphoria"What does the scholarly research say about the effect of gender transition on transgender well-being?Mental Health Outcomes in Transgender and Nonbinary Youths Receiving Gender-Affirming CareFresh trans myths of 2017: ârapid onset gender dy...Jamie Oliver
In the 2000s, Jamie Oliver made a big splash with his work reforming kidsâ meals in the UK and US. Was his work wicked slamminâ, or just proper rustic?
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BBC Profile - Jamie OliverJamie Oliver Puts America's Diet on a DietAll The Times Jamie Oliver Made Everyone AngryUnpacking School Lunch: Understanding the Hidden Politics of School FoodA brief history of school meals in the UKTurkey Twizzlers: A Complete Hist...COVID Conspiracies
What was missing from America's pandemic response? According to the internet, a sunshine vitamin, a malaria treatment and a whole lot of horse paste.
Thanks to Health Nerd (Substack) for helping us fact-check this episode! And thanks to Abby Mahler (Twitter, Tiktok) for help with the research on hydroxychloroquine!
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How Musk Sold MAGA on HCQÂ Prominent Anti-Vaxxerâs Snake Oil Store Has a Propaganda OutletNine COVID-19 Myth...Ozempic
Ozempic is being hailed as âthe end of the Obesity Epidemic.â This week, Mike and Aubrey dig through the sensational claims. But will they make it past the caveats?
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"Soy Boys"
How a plant-based pejorative went from an alt-right burn to a core concern of mainstream Republicans.
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Joe Explains the Term "Soy Boy" to Donnell RawlingsAlex Jones Gay Bomb RantSoyboys and Sensitivity: Mocking Meat Avoidance from Punch to TwitterHow the alt-right uses milk to promote white supremacyMen's Health 2009 pieceNeither soy nor isoflavone intake affects male reproductive hormonesA Brief History of Conservatives Using Tofu-Eating as an InsultThe Soy Conspiracy Alex J...RFK Jr. and The Mainstreaming Of The Anti-Vaxx Movement
Join us for a 75 minute answer to a 5 word question: Is there mercury in vaccines?
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Paul Offitâs âAutism's False ProphetsâPeter Hotezâs âThe Deadly Rise of Anti-ScienceâSeth Mnookinâs âThe Panic VirusâJonathan M. Bermanâs âAnti-vaxxers: How to Challenge a Misinformed Movementâ Steve Silbermanâs âNeurotribesâTranscript of the Simpsonwood meetingA Kennedyâs Crusade Against Covid Vaccines Anguishes Family and FriendsImmunizations and Autism: A Review of the LiteratureCDC Studi...RFK Jr. and The Rise of the Anti-Vaxx Movement
A political candidate has some questions and we have some extremely obvious answers.
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Eric Garciaâs âWeâre Not BrokenâMike and Sarahâs episode on autism and the anti-vaxx movementSeth Mnookinâs âThe Panic VirusâJonathan M. Bermanâs âAnti-vaxxers: How to Challenge a Misinformed Movementâ Brian Deerâs âThe Doctor Who Fooled the WorldâPaul Offitâs âAutism's False ProphetsâSteve Silbermanâs âNeurotribesâPeter Hotezâs âThe Deadly Rise of Anti-ScienceâBehind T...Pilates
Somehow an episode about an old-timey fitness influencer ended up being one of our most wholesome ever. We're as surprised as you are.
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Pilates and the âpowerhouse"Sick Architecture - Ibiayi Briggs - Body Culture and Contrology World War One: Internment centre 'will unlock' family talesThe Acrobatic Immigrant Who Invented Pilates in a Prisoner of War CampThe exercise phenomenon born in a prisoner-of-war campHistory of PilatesAn Introduction to Cli...Brittany Dawn
How a fitness influencer went from small-time scammer to one of the Internetâs leading villains.
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BONUS: The Conservative Diet Books of Yore
We're taking a much-needed break this week so to tide you over here is one of our bonus episodes!
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Thanks to Doctor Dreamchip for our lovely theme song!
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Oprah v. Beef Part 2: Apocalypse Cow
The closing argument of our two-part Oprahsode starts in a Texas courtroom, wanders through some British slaughterhouses and ends with an emu.Â
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"How the Cows Turned Mad" by Maxime SchwartzâDeadly Feastsâ by Richard Rhodes "Mad Cow USA"UK Parliamentary inquiryHow The West Was Won OverTexas Cattle Feeders v. Oprah Winfrey: The First Major Test of the âVeggie Libel LawâHaving a Cow: Reactions To "Veggie Libel" Laws and the Op...Oprah v. Beef Part 1: The Rise of "Veggie Libel"
On April 16, 1996, Oprah Winfrey did a show about mad cow disease. Six weeks later, a couple of Texas cattlemen had a cow (sorry).
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Original LawsuitAppealHow Oprah Got Sued for Dissing a BurgerTwo Degrees of Speech Protection Texas Cattle Feeders v. Oprah Winfrey: The First Major Test of the âVeggie Libel LawâHaving a Cow: Reactions To "Veggie Libel" Laws and the Oprah TrialsHoward Lyman talkThe Unconstitutionality Of Iowa's Propo...The 10,000 Steps Myth
This week we're digging into the weird history of an omnipresent fitness goal. Episode comes free with a happy meal.
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10,000 Steps: A Brief HistoryDo We Really Need to Take 10,000 Steps a Day for Our Health?A Japanese first-mover in the fitness wearables raceCounting Every Step You TakeWhen does wearing a fitness tracker do more harm than good?McDonald's Enlists Trainer To Help Sell Its New MealGet happy with M...The Trouble with Sugar
This week we're tackling three big ideas about sugar: It causes hyperactivity in kids, it's as addictive as cocaine and it raises blood sugar in universal, predictably spiky ways.Â
Thanks to David Johnston for helping us with sources for this weekâs episode!
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"Forks Over Knives": Is a Vegetarian Diet Better For You?
A viral documentary says a "whole foods plant-based diet" will prevent heart disease and cure cancer. But once we look into the MEAT of the matter will we find factual CREAM of the crop or will we cry FOWL? (we're so sorry)
Thanks to Katherine Flegal for helping Mike with this episode!
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Health effects associated with consumption of unprocessed red meat: a Burden of Proof studyUnprocessed Red Meat a...The Instagram Fiber Feud
Aubrey tells Mike about the diet that took over New York City (and its bathrooms).
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F-Factor drama timelineWhat Is the F-Factor Diet, and Is it Safe?Tanya Zuckerbrot Sets a Weight-Loss ExampleWhat Is the F-Factor Diet? Hereâs What You Need to KnowF-Factor Under Fire After TONS Of Women Come ForwardTanya Zuckerbrot and an Instagram Crusade Against the F-Factor DietDietary fiber and health outcomes: an umbrella reviewClosing Americaâs Fi...Doctors Have a New Plan for Fat Kids
Last month the American Academy of Pediatrics released a new set of guidelines for "childhood obesity." We have some comments.
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The 2023 American Academy of Pediatrics Guidelines The 2007 guidelines Pros and cons of bariatric surgery in adolescents Serious Issues With the American Academy of Pediatrics Guidelines For Higher-Weight Children and Adolescents Semaglutide treatment for obesity in teenagers: a plain language summary of the STEP TEENS research study Patientsâ views of long-te...Elizabeth Taylor's "Elizabeth Takes Off"
History should make you feel weird and so, apparently, should diet books.
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