Baloney Detection with Dr. K

Episode DescriptionWe talk a lot about different products on this podcast, but this interview with the two women who created Serious Lip Balm offers a glimpse into the challenges and rewards of developing a business. This was a fun hour of stories, insights and humor. I learned a lot about product creation and how economic issues can trickle into the smallest of businesses. I hope you enjoy it as much as I did. Episode transcript available!

Episode DescriptionHave you ever been tempted to “cleanse”? There are many products on the market that suggest that they can get rid of “toxins” from your body, making you feel healthier and have more energy. But do these products really do anything that your body cannot? The same kind of analysis should be used for pet-related products, because, eventually, human products find their way to pets. Stephanie Evenson returns to talk about what the human body can do to remove materials and how supplements are marketed to both human and pet owners. Episode transcript available!

Episode DescriptionDr. Amy Kabrhel is back for a wonderful and therapeutic conversation about the use of social media, engaging with misinformation online, and how to emotionally deal with disappointment, anger, and frustration. Both of us use social media to a varying degree and our emotional responses are very different. We touch on specific types of information we see, including a little wellness, but once again, Amy brings a level of introspection and understanding that really balances me out.  View the transcript for this episode.

Episode DescriptionContinuing the mini-series of episodes about social media, algorithms fit right into this season’s long-term story about Wellness. If you are a social media user, you know that once you click on one post, dozens of other posts on that same topic will suddenly be flooding your feed, whether you want them to or not. This is results of the hidden but powerful algorithms that boost content to get more views and keep your eyes glued to whichever screen you are using. This is a great benefit to companies and content creators who are fighting for your attention and the money in your pocket. Algorithms do not need to be a mystery, and I will make sure that by the end of the episode, you will know what you are dealing with. View the transcript for this episode.

Episode DescriptionI get to share some interesting stories in this discussion about Reiki and crystals which always help frame the story. We start by talking about what energy is from a physics and chemistry aspect before describing the origin and nature of Reiki and what crystals can and cannot do. That Himalayan salt lamp may be a huge crystal and look beautiful, but it is not going to ionize the air around you. It’s important to know why and we will talk about that! View the transcript for this episode.

Episode DescriptionThis episode kicks off a special series of episodes focused on “Wellness”. Specifically, we are going to dive into the deep end with various Wellness topics, how much Wellness has pervaded social media spaces and political discourse. There is a huge amount of pseudoscience and misinformation in Wellness, and we are going to look at many different topics to hopefully give you some better information to make decisions. This first episode will deal with many important definitions and terminologies related to Wellness, to make subsequent analyses and discussions easier. View the transcript for this episode.