What's Up Docs?

Welcome to What’s Up Docs?, the podcast where identical twin doctors Chris and Xand van Tulleken cut through the confusion around every aspect of our health and wellbeing.

In this episode, the Docs take a look at the impact our friendships have on our physical health. Why different friendship styles are important and how we can maintain and nurture our social connections.

Joining them is Dr Tiffany Watt Smith, a writer and cultural ...

Chris and Xand van Tulleken take a deeper dive into male contraception with Professor Richard Anderson.

They explore why, despite decades of research, new male contraceptive options are still limited. From funding gaps to shifting attitudes, they unpack the social and scientific barriers that have shaped progress so far.

They also look at how people feel about the idea of male contraception, whether those attitudes are changing, and ...

Welcome to What’s Up Docs?, the podcast where doctors and identical twins Chris and Xand van Tulleken explore the ideas shaping our health and wellbeing.

In this episode, they turn their attention to male contraception. We’ve been hearing about a “male pill” for decades, so why don’t we have one yet? They break down how male fertility works, what options currently exist, and the different approaches scientists are exploring, from ho...

Chris and Xand continue their conversation about the lymphatic system with Professor Kristiana Gordon, a Consultant in Dermatology and Lymphovascular Medicine.

The docs ask about the growing field of lymphoedema research and how our understanding of the lymphatic system has developed in recent years. They also explore primary lymphoedema, a condition caused by genetic errors that can affect children and young people, and ask what ad...

Welcome to What’s Up Docs?, the podcast where identical twin doctors Chris and Xand van Tulleken cut through the confusion around every aspect of our health and wellbeing.

In this episode, Chris and Xand explore the lymphatic system, from its vital everyday functions supporting fluid balance and immunity to its more mysterious roles. They look at what happens when things go wrong, examine popular wellness claims around draining and ...

In this Doctors' Notes episode of What’s Up Docs?, Chris and Xand van Tulleken take a deeper dive into hay fever with Professor Stephen Till.

The docs and their guest explore whether hay fever is really becoming more common, and if so, why. From climate change and air pollution to changes in our environment and biodiversity, they unpack the factors that may be making symptoms worse. They also look at how hay fever varies around the ...

Welcome to What’s Up Docs?, the podcast where doctors and identical twins Chris and Xand van Tulleken explore the ideas shaping our health and wellbeing.

In this episode, they turn their attention to hay fever. What is it, why do so many of us get it, and is it getting worse? They break down what’s happening in the body, how to tell it apart from a cold, and why timing matters when it comes to treatment. They also explore what actua...

Chris and Xand continue their conversation about calcium with Dr Sagen Zac-Varghese.

The docs want to know about common issues that are seen around calcium and bone health, especially osteoporosis. They want to learn how osteoporosis relates to calcium, who is at risk and why it is more common in women. They also want to know what inspired Sagen’s passion for calcium and what we can learn from astronauts about bone health.

If you’d l...

Welcome to What’s Up Docs?, the podcast where doctors and identical twins Chris and Xand van Tulleken cut through the confusion around every aspect of our health and wellbeing.

In this episode, Chris and Xand dive into calcium. What is calcium, and what does it do in the body? How important is it for our health? How do we maintain healthy levels of calcium? They also examine how calcium interacts with vitamin D, whether we need calc...

Chris and Xand continue their conversation about snoring with Dr Sophie West, a consultant respiratory physician and lead of Newcastle regional sleep service.

They take a deeper look at what happens when snoring means we’re not breathing enough, or stop breathing altogether, a condition known as obstructive sleep apnoea/hypopnoea syndrome (OSAHS). They ask why it happens and what can be done to treat it.

If you’d like to share your t...

Welcome to What’s Up Docs?, the podcast where identical twin doctors Chris and Xand van Tulleken cut through the confusion around every aspect of our health and wellbeing.

In this episode they're looking at snoring, exploring what causes some of us to snore when we sleep. They also want to know when we should worry that our snoring might actually be the sign of a larger problem, and what we can do to sleep a little more quietly at n...

Chris and Xand continue their conversation with physiotherapist and vestibular rehabilitation specialist, Maggie Stacey. They explore why alcohol can make us unsteady, how our sense of balance develops and changes as we age, and why falls pose such a major health risk for older adults. They also hear from their guest about the balance problems she most often sees in the clinic, and the warning signs that it might be time to seek me...

Welcome to What’s Up Docs?, the podcast where doctors and identical twins Chris and Xand van Tulleken tune in to the ideas shaping our health and wellbeing.

In this episode, they turn their attention to balance. Where does it come from, why is it so important for our health, and do some people naturally have better balance than others? They also explore how much we can improve it, and what we should be doing to maintain it.

To help ...

Chris and Xand continue their conversation about the complexities of the voice with speech and language therapist, Lydia Hart. They ask why so many of us cringe at the sound of our own voice and whether it’s really possible to change it. They explore how adjusting the way we speak can shape how others respond to us, hear from Lydia about the most common issues she sees in the clinic and find out why voice work often turns out to be...

Welcome to What’s Up Docs?, the podcast where doctors and identical twins Chris and Xand van Tulleken tune in to the ideas shaping our health and wellbeing.

In this episode, they turn their attention to the voice. Where does it come from, why do we all sound so different, and how much can we really change it? They also explore what we should be doing to take care of our voices.

To help them strike the right note, they’re joined by v...

Drs Chris and Xand continue their conversation about feet with Professor Anthony Redmond, an expert in clinical biomechanics at the Leeds Institute of Rheumatic and Musculoskeletal Medicine. Together, they examine common foot problems, from bunions to verrucas, and explore why diseases affecting our blood vessels or nerves seem to often show up in the feet. They ask what this reveals about how we understand our feet and how we shou...

Welcome to What’s Up Docs?, the podcast where identical twin doctors Chris and Xand van Tulleken cut through the confusion around every aspect of our health and wellbeing.

In this episode, they turn their attention to our feet. They explore the biology and mechanics of our feet and what happens when that delicate balance goes wrong. They also look at footwear and the little changes that can go a long way in giving our feet the love ...

Chris and Xand take a closer look at cholesterol - what it is, why it worries so many people, and how diet and medicine fit into the picture. They’re joined again by Professor Nita Forouhi, Professor of Population Health and Nutrition at the University of Cambridge, to discuss why foods like seed oils become controversial, when cholesterol-lowering drugs such as statins make sense, and how her thinking on cholesterol has evolved ov...

Welcome to What’s Up Docs?, the podcast where doctors and identical twins Chris and Xand van Tulleken untangle the confusion around every aspect of our health and wellbeing.

In this episode, they take on one of nutrition’s most misunderstood topics: fat. What is it, and why does our body need it? At what point does something normal and essential become something we worry about? What do cholesterol blood tests actually measure, and h...