Maintenance Phase

Part 1: The Early YearsBefore building his fitness empire, America’s most bedazzled fitness guru was a guy named Milton from New Orleans. Support us:Hear bonus episodes on PatreonWatch Aubrey’s 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 America’s Addiction to Amphetamine Thanks to Doctor Dreamchip for our lovely theme song!Support the show

How a mother, a daughter and a crackpot Swiss psychologist gave us the world's most popular Buzzfeed quiz.Support us:Hear bonus episodes on PatreonDonate on PayPalGet Maintenance Phase T-shirts, stickers and moreWatch Aubrey's documentaryBuy Aubrey's bookListen to Mike's other podcastLinks!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 yourself in a quiz?What You Don't Know about This Personality Test Can Hurt YouMBTI, If You Want Me Back, You Need to Change TooPersonality Tests Aren't All the Same The Utility of the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator Thanks to Doctor Dreamchip for our lovely theme song!Support the show

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/juliaseranoParker Molloy: https://www.readtpa.com/Katelyn Burns: https://www.patreon.com/katelynburnsEvan Urquhart: https://www.assignedmedia.org/supportErin Reed: https://www.erininthemorning.com/Or organizations that work with trans youth in the UK: Gendered Intelligence: https://genderedintelligence.co.uk/Mermaids: https://mermaidsuk.org.uk/Stonewall: https://www.stonewall.org.uk/Thanks to Doctor Dreamchip for our lovely theme song!Support the show

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!Support us:Hear bonus episodes on PatreonDonate on PayPalGet Maintenance Phase T-shirts, stickers and moreWatch Aubrey's documentaryBuy Aubrey's bookListen to Mike's other podcastLinks!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) Parent reports of adolescents and young adults perceived to show signs of a rapid onset of gender dysphoriaA critical commentary on ‘rapid-onset gender dysphoria’.Foundations Of The Contemporary Anti-LGBTQ+ Pseudoscience NetworkRapid-Onset Gender Dysphoria: Parent Reports on 1,655 Possible CasesOpinion: England's Anti-Trans Cass Review Is Politics Disguised As ScienceTavistock v BellActually Nothing: The Non-Starter Non-Story of the WPATH FilesAs anti-trans legislation proliferates in 2024, community fears erasure from public viewStates Passed a Record Number of Transgender Laws. Here’s What They Say.Thanks to Doctor Dreamchip for our lovely theme song!Support the show

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!Support us:Hear bonus episodes on PatreonDonate on PayPalGet Maintenance Phase T-shirts, stickers and moreWatch Aubrey's documentaryBuy Aubrey's bookListen to Mike's other podcastLinks!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: “rapid onset gender dysphoria”Rapid Onset of Gender Dysphoria in Adolescents and Young Adults: a Descriptive StudyThe Detransitioners: They Were Transgender, Until They Weren'tHow the idea of a “transgender contagion” went viral—and caused untold harmMental Health Outcomes in Transgender and Nonbinary Youths Receiving Gender-Affirming Care'Rapid Onset Gender Dysphoria' Is Biased Junk ScienceA careful step into a field of landminesDetransition, Desistance, and Disinformation: A Guide for Understanding Transgender Children Debates Recognizing and responding to misleading trans health researchThanks to Doctor Dreamchip for our lovely theme song!Support the show

In the 2000s, Jamie Oliver made a big splash with his work reforming kids’ meals in the UK and US. Was his work wicked slammin’, or just proper rustic?Support us:Hear bonus episodes on PatreonDonate on PayPalGet Maintenance Phase T-shirts, stickers and moreBuy Aubrey's bookListen to Mike's other podcastLinks!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 HistoryMarcus Rashford Is Fighting the Government on Free School Meals. He’s Also Fighting Jamie Oliver’s LegacyHas Jamie Bitten off More Than He Can Chew?Jamie Oliver, you haven’t tasted real povertyJamie Oliver’s campaign against childhood obesity has classist undertonesJamie’s jerk rice is a recipe for disasterThanks to Doctor Dreamchip for our lovely theme song!Support the show

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! Support us:Hear bonus episodes on PatreonDonate on PayPalGet Maintenance Phase T-shirts, stickers and moreBuy Aubrey's bookListen to Mike's other podcastLinks:How Musk Sold MAGA on HCQ Prominent Anti-Vaxxer’s Snake Oil Store Has a Propaganda OutletNine COVID-19 Myths That Just Won’t Go Away Disinformation and coronavirus     COVID-19 Conspiracy Theories Discussion on Twitter   Pain in the Nation Are patients with hypertension and diabetes mellitus at increased risk for COVID-19 infection? Conspiracy theories as barriers to controlling the spread of COVID-19 in the U.S. Vaccines vs. vitamins: COVID misinformation roils the worlds of wellness and nutrition  A Decisive Verdict on Vitamin D Supplementation  Why were Twitter Users Obsessed with Vitamin D during the first year of the pandemic?  Vitamin D, the Sunshine Supplement, Has Shadowy Money Behind It The Truth about Vitamin D and COVID-19 The Strange and Twisted Tale of Hydroxychloroquine Is Ivermectin for Covid-19 Based on Fraudulent Research?   Thanks to Doctor Dreamchip for our lovely theme song!Support the show

Ozempic is being hailed as “the end of the Obesity Epidemic.” This week, Mike and Aubrey dig through the sensational claims. But will they make it past the caveats?Links: How a Canadian scientist and a venomous lizard helped pave the way for Ozempic The Discovery and Development of Liraglutide and Semaglutide Ozempic and Wegovy maker courts prominent Black leaders to get Medicare's favor Insurers clamping down on doctors who prescribe Ozempic for weight lossOzempic prescriptions can be easy to get online. Its popularity for weight loss is hurting those who need it most    Glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor agonists in patients with type 2 diabetes: real-world evidence from a Mediterranean areaSemaglutide in Patients with Heart Failure with Preserved Ejection Fraction and ObesityReal-world weight change, adherence, and discontinuation among patients with type 2 diabetes initiating glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor agonists in the UKSafety of SemaglutideSemaglutide for the treatment of overweight and obesity: A reviewOnce-Weekly Semaglutide in Adolescents with ObesitySemaglutide 2.4 mg for the Treatment of Obesity: Key Elements of the STEP Trials 1 to 5Association of Glucagon-Like Peptide-1 Receptor Agonist Use With Risk of Gallbladder and Biliary DiseasesReal-World Adherence and Discontinuation of Glucagon-Like Peptide-1 Receptor Agonists Therapy in Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus Patients in the United StatesMedications and conditions associated with weight loss in patients prescribed semaglutide based on real-world dataThanks to Doctor Dreamchip for our lovely theme song!Support the show

How a plant-based pejorative went from an alt-right burn to a core concern of mainstream Republicans.Support us:Hear bonus episodes on PatreonDonate on PayPalGet Maintenance Phase T-shirts, stickers and moreBuy Aubrey's bookListen to Mike's other podcastLinks!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 Jones’ Protegé, Paul Joseph Watson, Is About to Steal His Crackpot CrownWhy Men Think Plant-Based Meat Will Turn Them Into WomenStangle: Impossible burgers are made of what?Plant-based meat and the knock-down, drag-out fight for the American dietWhy Republicans Can’t Stop Talking About MasculinityReal American men and the liberal war on meat“The Great Replacement:” An ExplainerThanks to Doctor Dreamchip for our lovely theme song!Support the show

Join us for a 75 minute answer to a 5 word question: Is there mercury in vaccines? Support us:Hear bonus episodes on PatreonDonate on PayPalGet Maintenance Phase T-shirts, stickers and moreBuy Aubrey's bookListen to Mike's other podcastLinks!Paul Offit’s “Autism's False Prophets”Peter Hotez’s “The Deadly Rise of Anti-Science”Seth Mnookin’s “The Panic Virus”Jonathan M. Berman’s “Anti-vaxxers: How to Challenge a Misinformed Movement” Steve Silberman’s “Neurotribes”Transcript of the Simpsonwood meetingA Kennedy’s Crusade Against Covid Vaccines Anguishes Family and FriendsImmunizations and Autism: A Review of the LiteratureCDC Studies on Thimerosal in VaccinesRFK Jr’s 2005 article on mercury and vaccinesRFK Jr.’s Inside JobVast Majority of Americans Say Benefits of Childhood Vaccines Outweigh RisksCorrecting Robert F. Kennedy Jr.When Vaccine Injury Claims Go to CourtVaccine Compensation Hearing DecisionThanks to Doctor Dreamchip for our lovely theme song!Support the show

A political candidate has some questions and we have some extremely obvious answers.Support us:Hear bonus episodes on PatreonDonate on PayPalGet Maintenance Phase T-shirts, stickers and moreBuy Aubrey's bookListen to Mike's other podcastLinks!Eric Garcia’s “We’re Not Broken”Mike and Sarah’s episode on autism and the anti-vaxx movementSeth Mnookin’s “The Panic Virus”Jonathan M. Berman’s “Anti-vaxxers: How to Challenge a Misinformed Movement” Brian Deer’s “The Doctor Who Fooled the World”Paul Offit’s “Autism's False Prophets”Steve Silberman’s “Neurotribes”Peter Hotez’s “The Deadly Rise of Anti-Science”Behind The Bastards episode on smallpox anti-vaxxers RFK Jr.’s Inside JobThe Conspiracy CandidateDavid Pitts's "Jack and Lem”RFK Jr.’s autobiographyImmunizations and Autism: A Review of the LiteratureWakefield’s article linking MMR vaccine and autism was fraudulentCorrecting Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s vaccine ‘facts’Thanks to Doctor Dreamchip for our lovely theme song!Support the show

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.Support us:Hear bonus episodes on PatreonDonate on PayPalGet Maintenance Phase T-shirts, stickers and moreBuy Aubrey's bookListen to Mike's other podcastLinks!Pilates and the “powerhouse"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 Clinical PilatesThe Fight for the Soul of Pilates Did you know Pilates was born in prison and inspired by cats? Inside The Shocking (Black) History Of Pilates Thanks to Doctor Dreamchip for our lovely theme song!Support the show

How a fitness influencer went from small-time scammer to one of the Internet’s leading villains. Support us:Hear bonus episodes on PatreonDonate on PayPalGet Maintenance Phase T-shirts, stickers and moreBuy Aubrey's bookListen to Mike's other podcastLinks!THIS IS DISTURBINGgoodbye for now… How Dallas-area influencer Brittany Dawn found herself at the mercy of social media's double-edged swordConversations with the Inspiring Brittany DawnInfluencer Asks Customers to Sign NDA Before RefundBrittany Dawn's archived apology videoInfluencer Called 'Scammer' for Not Providing Coaching‘You can’t cancel me’: embattled TikTok star reinvents herself as a warrior for JesusHere’s what to know about the lawsuit against Texas influencer Brittany DawnFollowers Of Christian Influencer Brittany Dawn Said They Are Angry That She Pivoted To Religion To Avoid ScrutinyFitness gurus and 'muscular Christianity': how Victorian Britain anticipated today's keep fit crazeThe Fitness-Driven Church | Christianity TodayChristian influencer Brittany Dawn defends her foster parent journey amid criticism of her past, monetized baby postsPolice Brutality Against Black Kansas City Man Caught on VideoBrittany Dawn Fitness LLC Thanks to Doctor Dreamchip for our lovely theme song!Support the show

We're taking a much-needed break this week so to tide you over here is one of our bonus episodes! Support us:Hear bonus episodes on PatreonDonate on PayPalGet Maintenance Phase T-shirts, stickers and moreBuy Aubrey's bookListen to Mike's other podcastThanks to Doctor Dreamchip for our lovely theme song!Support the show

The closing argument of our two-part Oprahsode starts in a Texas courtroom, wanders through some British slaughterhouses and ends with an emu.  Support us:Hear bonus episodes on PatreonDonate on PayPalGet Maintenance Phase T-shirts, stickers and moreBuy Aubrey's bookListen to Mike's other podcastLinks!"How the Cows Turned Mad" by Maxime Schwartz“Deadly Feasts” 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 “Veggie Libel Law”Having a Cow: Reactions To "Veggie Libel" Laws and the Oprah TrialsThe Unconstitutionality Of Iowa's Proposed Agricultural Food Products Act And Similar Veggie Libel LawsAppealOriginal LawsuitFood Safety Vs. Promotion Of Industry: Can The USDA Protect Americans From Bovine Spongiform Encephalopathy?Apocalypse CowHarvard Risk Assessment of Bovine Spongiform EncephalopathyMad Cow congressional hearingGAO reportThe Harvard Risk AssessmentThanks to Doctor Dreamchip for our lovely theme song!Support the show

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). Support us:Hear bonus episodes on PatreonDonate on PayPalGet Maintenance Phase T-shirts, stickers and moreBuy Aubrey's bookListen to Mike's other podcastLinks!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 “Veggie Libel Law”Having a Cow: Reactions To "Veggie Libel" Laws and the Oprah TrialsHoward Lyman talkThe Unconstitutionality Of Iowa's Proposed Agricultural Food Products Act And Similar Veggie Libel LawsHow the Cows Turned MadFood Safety Vs. Promotion Of Industry: Can The USDA Protect Americans From Bovine Spongiform Encephalopathy?Apocalypse CowGAO reportA is for Apple, Alar, and ... Alarmist?Alar Five Years LaterAuvil v. CBS 60 MinutesAlar and Apples: Newspaper Coverage of a Major Risk Issue.Thanks to Doctor Dreamchip for our lovely theme song!Support the show

This week we're digging into the weird  history of an omnipresent fitness goal. Episode comes free with a happy meal.Support us:Hear bonus episodes on PatreonDonate on PayPalGet Maintenance Phase T-shirts, stickers and moreBuy Aubrey's bookListen to Mike's other podcastLinks!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 McDonald's Go Active Happy Meal for adultsMcDonald's StepometerMcDonald's pushing salads and pedometersThe fight for healthier McDonald's Happy MealsStep-It Canadian TV ad McDonald's serves up Happy Meals for grow-upsMcDonald's removes fitness tracker from Happy MealsA Very Serious Review of McDonald’s Flesh-Burning Fitness TrackerMcDonald’s quietly ended controversial program that was making parents and teachers uncomfortableWatch your step: why the 10,000 daily goal is built on bad scienceWhen does wearing a fitness tracker do more harm than good?Why Counting Your Steps Could Make You UnhappierHow many steps are enough? Thanks to Doctor Dreamchip for our lovely theme song!Support the show

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.  Thanks to David Johnston for helping us with sources for this week’s episode!Support us:Hear bonus episodes on PatreonDonate on PayPalGet Maintenance Phase T-shirts, stickers and moreBuy Aubrey's bookListen to Mike's other podcastLinks!Fat Talk: Parenting in the Age of Diet Culture by Virginia Sole SmithSugar Rush: Science, Politics and the Demonisation of Fatness by Karen ThrosbyIs sugar really as addictive as cocaine? Scientists row over effect on body and brainSugar Is Not the EnemyDr. Benjamin F. Feingold, Controversial PediatricianIs There Such a Thing as a ‘Sugar High’?Effects of Diets High in Sucrose or Aspartame on The Behavior and Cognitive Performance of ChildrenSugar and the Hyperactive ChildSome popular diets are based on this carb-rating scale. Here’s why it could be misleading.Glycemic Index: History and Clinical ApplicationGlycemic Index and Glycemic Load Low glycaemic index or low glycaemic load diets for overweight and obesityWhat is the glycaemic indexDon't Play a Numbers Game, Experts Say, Just Eat Your VegetablesSugar addiction: the state of the scienceThanks to Doctor Dreamchip for our lovely theme song!Support the show

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!Support us:Hear bonus episodes on PatreonDonate on PayPalGet Maintenance Phase T-shirts, stickers and moreBuy Aubrey's bookListen to Mike's other podcastLinks!Health effects associated with consumption of unprocessed red meat: a Burden of Proof studyUnprocessed Red Meat and Processed Meat Consumption: Dietary Guideline Recommendations From the Nutritional Recommendations (NutriRECS) ConsortiumPresent status of the aflatoxin situation in the PhilippinesThe role of natural consequences in the changing death patternsDietary Protein and Amino Acids in Vegetarian Diets—A ReviewQuality of Plant-Based Diet and Risk of Total, Ischemic, and Hemorrhagic StrokeParachute use to prevent death and major trauma when jumping from aircraft: randomized controlled trialDo We Really Know What Makes Us Healthy?Observational evidence does not necessarily imply causationThe Problem with Observational Studies (Epidemiology)Vegetarian Diet Patterns and Chronic Disease Risk: What We Know and What We Don’tThe rise, the fall and the renaissance of vitamin EThanks to Doctor Dreamchip for our lovely theme song!Support the show

Aubrey tells Mike about the diet that took over New York City (and its bathrooms).Support us:Hear bonus episodes on PatreonDonate on PayPalGet Maintenance Phase T-shirts, stickers and moreBuy Aubrey's bookListen to Mike's other podcastLinks!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? Here’s 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 America’s Fiber Intake GapF-Factor has sent legal threats and deleted Instagram commentsF-Factor Diet Allegations: What Dietitians Want You To KnowCorrecting the RecordUnpacking the F-Factor Diet DramaInsider rundown of symptoms Tanya Zuckerbrot addresses health concernsInsider rundown of workplace issues Tanya Zuckerbrot Files Lawsuit Over F-Factor Diet Criticism on InstagramTanya Zuckerbrot sues Emily Gellis in new defamation suitIn a Lawsuit, Eight Women Claim the F-Factor Diet Made Them SickSubmit concerns to F-FactorThanks to Doctor Dreamchip for our lovely theme song!Support the show