Rethinking Wellness
Rethinking Wellness offers critical thinking and compassionate skepticism about wellness and diet culture, and reflections on how to find true well-being. We explore the science (or lack thereof) behind popular wellness diets, the role of influencers and social-media algorithms in spreading wellness misinformation, problematic practices in the alternative- and integrative-medicine space, how wellness culture often drives disordered eating, the truth about trending topics like gut health, how to avoid getting taken advantage of when you’re desperate for help and healing, and how to care for yourself in a deeply flawed healthcare system without falling into wellness traps. **This podcast feed shares generous previews and very occasional full-length episodes. To hear everything, become a paid subscriber at rethinkingwellness.substack.com.** rethinkingwellness.substack.com
Episodes
Eating-disorders dietitian Marci Evans joins us to discuss the current science on “food addiction” (sometimes called “ultraprocessed food addiction”)—and what’s changed since I first interviewed her about this topic for Food Psych back in 2016. We get into how food addiction is defined and measured (and what that definition leaves...
Christy answers an audience question about wellness podcaster Andrew Huberman and his promotion of intermittent fasting, cold showers, and other dubious wellness practices. This episode was originally published in March 2024.
The full version of this episode is for paid subscribers. Listen to the first question here, and sign up fo...
Christy discusses why some wellness influencers advocate avoiding sunscreen, and what the science really says about common UV-protective ingredients, vitamin D production, and more.
This episode is for paid subscribers. Listen to a free preview here, and sign up for a paid subscription to hear the full episode!
Christy reads a letter from a listener that offers a unique point of view on the intersection of GLP-1s and diet culture. We’re also debuting a new feature and a way to get involved with the podcast!
Get full show notes and references here.
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Christy's second book, The...
Endocrinologist Gregory Dodell joins us to discuss myths and facts about hormones, including the problems with doing diets and supplement protocols for “hormone balancing,” why weight-loss recommendations aren’t helpful for hormone health, how to manage thyroid conditions without falling prey to wellness fads, the truth about “adr...
Christy discusses what the science says about “hydration multipliers,” sports drinks, and other electrolyte beverages—and whether you’re really as dehydrated as you think.
This episode is for paid subscribers. Listen to a free preview here, and sign up for a paid subscription to hear the full episode!
Christy answers an audience question about whether light drinking is really as risky as some wellness influencers make it out to be, and shares some ways to explore your relationship with alcohol.
The full version of this episode is for paid subscribers. Listen to the first question here, and sign up for a paid subscription to hear...
Q&A: A critical look at diet advice for period pain and endometriosis. This episode was originally published in 2023.
Check out the transcript for links to all referenced studies.
The full version of this episode is for paid subscribers. Listen to the first question here, and sign up for a paid subscription to hear the rest!
Christy answers an audience question about how much protein you really need—and explores why a certain piece of incorrect advice is so popular among influencers and “protein girlies.”
The full version of this episode is for paid subscribers. Listen to the first question here, and sign up for a paid subscription to hear the rest!
Christy discusses the carnivore diet, why it’s concerning from a disordered-eating perspective, and what the science really says about this fad diet that doesn’t want to die.
This episode is for paid subscribers. Listen to a free preview here, and sign up for a paid subscription to hear the full episode!
Misinformation and media-literacy researcher Matthew Facciani joins us to discuss how he defines misinformation at a time when even the term itself is polarizing, why there’s so much misinformation about health and wellness in particular, how to navigate the current information landscape given the continued erosion of trust in ins...
Christy answers an audience question about the diets you don’t need to try in (peri)menopause—and ways to get your loved ones to stop talking about them.
The full version of this episode is for paid subscribers. Listen to the first question here, and sign up for a paid subscription to hear the rest!
Science and parenting journalist Melinda Wenner Moyer returns to discuss the importance of self-compassion and how to practice it, why conveying a growth mindset is much more helpful to kids than giving compliments about fixed qualities, misconceptions about resilience (and what the science really says), the difference between tra...
Christy discusses what she’s been going through with IVF and how it’s affected her body image, plus 5 things she’s trying to keep in mind as she navigates a changing body—especially as we enter the summer season, with all the diet- and wellness-culture pressures that go along with it.
Journalist Virginia Sole-Smith joins us to discuss how GLP-1 hype has changed the conversation about diet culture, the importance of body autonomy, how “bro” diet culture became public policy, how she handles haters, the “fed is best” approach to parenting, and lots more. Behind the paywall, she shares her experience of weighing h...
Christy answers an audience question about whether fasting can help with chronic fatigue related to Long Covid—and what to do if your doctor recommends fasting when you have a history of disordered eating.
The full version of this episode is for paid subscribers. Listen to the first question here, and sign up for a paid subscriptio...
Health-misinformation researcher and science communicator Timothy Caulfield returns to discuss his new book THE CERTAINTY ILLUSION, why being too certain about anything makes us vulnerable to misinformation, how intellectual humility can help protect us, why science is sometimes “full of shit” and how to be a critical consumer of ...
Christy answers an audience question about the “adrenal body type” and unpacks the weight stigma, ageism, and pseudoscience embedded in this twist on the dubious diagnosis of “adrenal fatigue.”
The full version of this episode is for paid subscribers. Listen to the first question here, and sign up for a paid subscription to hear th...
Parent coach Oona Hanson joins us to discuss how going to a physical therapist for back pain led her down a wellness-culture rabbit hole, why dietary restrictions to “fight inflammation” just ended up harming her relationship with food and her body, how she got the dubious diagnosis of “adrenal fatigue,” and more. Behind the paywa...
Christy discusses vitamin D for blood-sugar control and preventing diabetes (part of our series on commonly used supplements). If you spend a lot of time in online wellness spaces, you’ve probably heard a lot about how supplementing with vitamin D can supposedly regulate blood sugar and prevent diabetes. Even some mainstream diabe...
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