A reader's letter about platet-rich plasma (PRP) to treat female pattern hair loss, inspired this latest Gazette article. PRP does have some evidence behind it, although from incredibly small trials that involved mostly men. But before you go injecting concentrated blood products into your scalp, there are easier, cheapter, more evidenced based options available. Read the full article here: https://montrealgazette.com/opinion/columnists/christopher-labos-the-bal...   Image by Peggy und Marco Lachmann-Anke from Pixabay 

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  The boys travel back to 1998 to change history (and inadvertently alter the course of cutlery). Ada speaks to autistic artists to know what the media gets wrong in its portrayal of autism. Back in the studio, Jonathan and Chris discuss why it looks like rates of autism are increasing, the likely cause of autism spectrum disorder, interventions real and imaginary, and how long you have to wait to get a diagnosis (Jonathan's reaction…

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  Jonathan and Chris interview Brian Nosek, a professor of psychology and the co-founder and director of the Center for Open Science. They discuss problems and solutions in modern scientific research, such as committing scientists... to stick to a protocol.    Table of contents. 2:00 The culture of science.  4:18 Publications as currency for career advancement.  7:53 What researchers tell each other at the bar.  10:22 Cynicism.  12:48 The solution to climate change (not really). …

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The story of breast implants and cancer risk is not a new one. The issue has been debated for decades and silicone breast implants were taken off the market and then re-introduced. But Health Canada has acted to take a specific type breast implant off the market because of a concern that textured implants might cause a rare form of cancer known as breast-implant associated anaplastic large cell lymphoma (ALCL). What does the evidence say? Read it…

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  An ill-timed surprise spells heart trouble for our favourite cardiologist. But what exactly is a heart attack, and how does it relate to strokes and angina? Do you need a stress test? What are the warning signs of a heart attack? Is stress a trigger? And what do you do if your friend complains of chest pain, short of filming it for the 'gram? Also: eggs are no longer sunny side up in the…

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Intuitively the answer should be yes. Soft drinks contain sugar and substituting the sugar for a zero calorie sweeteners should theoretically make you lose weight. But the evidence is not that clear that artificial sweeteners help you lose weight. A recent BMJ meta-analysis reviewed the evidence and while the overall study was negative, there were some interesting points to be drawn from the data. Read the full story here: https://montrealgazette.com/opinion/columnists/christopher-labos-do-diet...

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  Jonathan and Chris interview Jonathan Howard, a neurologist in New York who wrote a book that will make you, the patient, understand a bit more how your doctor is thinking. Howard is interested in how the brain fires (and misfires), which led him to write this book about the biases in the thinking of doctors and patients that can lead to correct answers... but that sometimes result in errors.    This episode plunges you…

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If you have the blood of young person transfused into your veins, will that help prevent disease? No. You cannot steal another person's youth essence. Nor can young blood reverse the course of aging.  But for a few thousand dollars, some private companies will certainly let you try. Of course the FDA has some words of caution for anyone with that much money to burn.   Read the story here: https://montrealgazette.com/opinion/columnists/christopher-labos-hype-ab...

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  Chris loses his mind when he misses his after-dinner cookie, which leads the boys to talk about fasting! Ada asks students about their thoughts on the issue, which range from mentioning Terry Crews to believing monks can survive for months without eating. Back in the studio, it's time to catch up on the hundreds of definitions of fasting and to answer the questions: does fasting work? compared to what? and can people stick with…

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