Logo for Wellness, Actually with Emily Oster & Perry Wilson, MD

Wellness, Actually with Emily Oster & Perry Wilson, MD

iHeartPodcasts

A staggering amount of health and wellness news and information is bombarding us everywhere we look – and who’s got time to parse it out, to verify it, and then to actually do the work of improving our health?

We do! We are Emily Oster, best-selling author and data expert, and Perry Wilson, a medical doctor. And unlike the influencers, we actually know how to read a medical paper. This podcast separates fact from fiction, causality from correlation, so that you can stay informed without being overwhelmed. Every episode, we cover the health news of the week, take listener questions, and do a deep dive into a buzzy and misunderstood wellness topic so that you can actually make the best decisions for your own health.

2026 iHeartMedia, Inc. © Any use of this intellectual property for text and data mining or computational analysis including as training material for artificial intelligence systems is strictly prohibited without express written consent from iHeartMedia

A staggering amount of health and wellness news and information is bombarding us everywhere we look – and who’s got time to parse it out, to verify it, and then to actually do the work of improving our health?

We do! We are Emily Oster, best-selling author and data expert, and Perry Wilson, a medical doctor. And unlike the influencers, we actually know how to read a medical paper. This podcast separates fact from fiction, causality from correlation, so that you can stay informed without being overwhelmed. Every episode, we cover the health news of the week, take listener questions, and do a deep dive into a buzzy and misunderstood wellness topic so that you can actually make the best decisions for your own health.

2026 iHeartMedia, Inc. © Any use of this intellectual property for text and data mining or computational analysis including as training material for artificial intelligence systems is strictly prohibited without express written consent from iHeartMedia
69hr 31min
Thumbnail for "Ozempic 101: A doctor explains the data and science behind weight-loss drugs".
July 18, 202452min 23sec50.34 MB
Thumbnail for "What's the deal with cortisol?".
July 9, 202655min 44sec53.56 MB
Thumbnail for "What's the deal with mRNA vaccines?".
July 2, 202658min 49sec56.52 MB
Thumbnail for "What's the deal with full body scans?".
June 25, 20261hr 3min60.13 MB
Thumbnail for "What's the deal with sleep?".
June 18, 202657min 47sec55.53 MB
Thumbnail for "What's the deal with hypoactive sexual desire disorder (HSDD)?".
June 11, 202653min 57sec51.85 MB
Thumbnail for "What's the deal with cupping and dry needling?".
June 4, 20261hr 2min59.42 MB
Thumbnail for "What's the deal with red meat?".
May 28, 202656min 46sec54.56 MB
Thumbnail for "What's the deal with methylene blue?".
May 21, 202657min 2sec54.8 MB
Thumbnail for "What's the deal with psychedelics?".
May 14, 202658min 40sec56.38 MB
Thumbnail for "What's the deal with colostrum?".
May 7, 202652min 31sec50.47 MB
Thumbnail for "What's the deal with testosterone?".
April 30, 202657min 23sec55.15 MB
Thumbnail for "What's the deal with hormone replacement therapy?".
April 23, 202653min 32sec51.44 MB
Thumbnail for "What's the deal with continuous glucose monitors?".
April 16, 202649min 53sec47.94 MB
Thumbnail for "What's the deal with protein?".
April 9, 202650min 41sec48.7 MB
Thumbnail for "What's the deal with creatine?".
April 2, 202653min 5sec51.01 MB
Thumbnail for "What's the deal with stem cell therapy?".
March 26, 202650min 12sec48.25 MB
Thumbnail for "What's the deal with microplastics?".
March 19, 202651min 53sec49.87 MB
Thumbnail for "What's the deal with red light therapy?".
March 12, 202650min 56sec48.95 MB
Thumbnail for "What's the deal with GLP-1s?".
March 5, 202658min 48sec56.51 MB
Thumbnail for "What's the deal with cold plunges and saunas?".
February 26, 202650min 11sec48.23 MB
Thumbnail for "What's the deal with peptides?".
February 19, 202652min 44sec50.68 MB
Thumbnail for "What's the deal with declining sperm counts?".
February 12, 202658min 43sec56.42 MB
Thumbnail for "Official Trailer: Wellness, Actually with Emily Oster & Perry Wilson, MD".
February 5, 20262min 42sec2.65 MB
Thumbnail for "Goodbye, for now".
March 6, 20254min 38sec4.5 MB
Thumbnail for "An Expert Roundtable on Trying to Conceive".
February 27, 202557min 33sec55.3 MB
Thumbnail for "How to Baby-Proof Your Relationship: Navigating a new marital landscape".
February 20, 202553min 42sec51.6 MB
Thumbnail for "All About Vaccines: Why they’re important, and how to make them more tolerable for your child".
February 13, 202546min 3sec44.25 MB
Thumbnail for "Understanding Risk, Living With Uncertainty".
February 6, 202512min 58sec12.5 MB
Thumbnail for "It’s Never Too Late for Pelvic Floor Therapy: Why it’s about more than Kegels".
January 30, 202544min 16sec42.54 MB
Thumbnail for "Tamron Hall's Late-Night Panic Google".
January 23, 202514min 37sec14.07 MB
Thumbnail for "How to Talk to Your Doctor: Navigating important conversations about your care".
January 16, 202551min 49sec49.8 MB
Thumbnail for "ParentData Presents: Raising Parents - "Should You Have Kids?"".
January 9, 202550min 41sec48.69 MB
Thumbnail for "Understanding Panic Headlines: How studies that influence your parenting choices get published".
January 2, 202546min 43sec44.89 MB
Thumbnail for "Is Gentle Parenting Best? What the evidence says".
December 26, 202416min 6sec15.49 MB
Thumbnail for "Researching the Importance of Paid Leave: A look into how studies are conducted".
December 19, 202443min 59sec42.27 MB
Thumbnail for "Bess Kalb's Late-Night Panic Google".
December 12, 202413min 4sec12.59 MB
Thumbnail for "Why Is Nutrition So Stressful? The challenge of navigating “good” food choices".
December 5, 202445min 14sec43.46 MB
Thumbnail for "ParentData Presents: The Lonely Palette's "Mary Kelly's Postpartum Document (1973-78)"".
November 28, 202446min 44sec44.91 MB
Thumbnail for "It’s Not Hysteria: How women’s health gets overlooked".
November 21, 202446min44.2 MB
Thumbnail for "It's The Placenta Episode!".
November 14, 202429min 28sec28.34 MB
Thumbnail for "Racial Disparity in C-Section Rates: Unpacking bias in the medical system".
November 7, 202439min 42sec38.15 MB
Thumbnail for "Ultra-Processed Foods: What they are and whether we should worry".
October 31, 202416min 5sec15.48 MB
Thumbnail for "The Power of Local Politics: How Vermont is revolutionizing child care".
October 24, 202443min 52sec42.15 MB
Thumbnail for "Steve Levitt's Late-Night Panic Google".
October 17, 202412min 36sec12.13 MB
Thumbnail for "All About Midwives: What they do, and how they differ from OBs".
October 10, 202444min 29sec42.75 MB
Thumbnail for "Shawn Johnson's Late-Night Panic Google".
October 3, 202414min 38sec14.1 MB
Thumbnail for "It's A Podcast Anniversary Q&A! You asked, Emily answered".
September 26, 20241hr 8min64.97 MB
Thumbnail for "Caitlin Murray's Late-Night Panic Google".
September 19, 202413min 24sec12.9 MB
Thumbnail for "Phones and the Importance of Play: Are phones really to blame for the decline in kids’ mental health?".
September 12, 202450min 18sec48.33 MB
Thumbnail for "Chelsea Sodaro's Late-Night Panic Google".
September 5, 202412min 30sec12.05 MB
Thumbnail for "(Part Two) Kids, Screens, and Schools: How worried should we be?".
August 29, 202443min 57sec42.23 MB
Thumbnail for "Ask Bubbie's Late-Night Panic Google".
August 22, 202413min 6sec12.63 MB
Thumbnail for "(Part One) Kids, Screens, and Schools: How worried should we be?".
August 15, 202439min 21sec37.83 MB
Thumbnail for "Myleik's Late-Night Panic Google".
August 8, 202412min 3sec11.61 MB
Thumbnail for "Every Kid is a Math Kid: Debunking the myths around learning math".
August 1, 202446min 14sec44.42 MB
Thumbnail for "Mandy Moore's Late-Night Panic Google".
July 25, 202410min 22sec9.99 MB
Thumbnail for "Ezra Klein’s Late-Night Panic Google".
July 11, 202410min 25sec10.05 MB
Thumbnail for "The Value of Camp: What a tech-free summer teaches kids".
July 4, 202441min 33sec39.94 MB
Thumbnail for "Jackie Oshry’s Late-Night Panic Google".
June 27, 202412min 31sec12.06 MB
Thumbnail for "Raising Boys: Another side of gender equality".
June 20, 202444min 32sec42.8 MB
Thumbnail for "Abby Phillip's Late-Night Panic Google".
June 13, 202412min 10sec11.73 MB
Thumbnail for "Why Kids Can't Read: How we missed the mark on literacy education".
June 6, 202451min 21sec49.34 MB
Thumbnail for "Ophira Eisenberg’s Late-Night Panic Google".
May 30, 202413min 4sec12.59 MB
Thumbnail for "The Kids Are Actually Alright: Is parental anxiety too high?".
May 23, 202444min 57sec43.2 MB
Thumbnail for "Claire Holt's Late-Night Panic Google".
May 16, 202410min 43sec10.34 MB
Thumbnail for "Better Sleep for Older Kids—And Their Parents: Making a plan, post-crib".
May 9, 202445min 15sec43.49 MB
Thumbnail for "How to Talk to Your Doctor About Risk: Lessons from our book, “The Unexpected”".
April 25, 202453min 36sec51.5 MB
Thumbnail for "Doulas For All: How Senator Samra Brouk is changing birth in New York".
April 11, 202440min 41sec39.1 MB
Thumbnail for "Bonus Episode: Dr. Becky and the Bad Therapy Conversation".
April 9, 202450min 46sec48.78 MB
Thumbnail for "Parenting Trends Throughout History: We’ve always done it wrong … and also right".
March 28, 202439min 17sec37.75 MB
Thumbnail for "How to Create Community: Showing up for each other in a spiritual and secular world".
March 14, 202452min 6sec50.07 MB
Thumbnail for "Birth Control After Kids: IUDs and vasectomies and tubal ligation, oh my!".
February 29, 202439min 11sec37.66 MB
Thumbnail for "Household Division of Labor: Making the invisible work fair, if not equal".
February 15, 202453min 37sec51.51 MB
Thumbnail for "Let’s Talk About Sex (After) Baby: Staying connected over the long term".
February 1, 202449min 47sec47.84 MB
Thumbnail for "Staying Active, Starting Again: Exercise in pregnancy and postpartum".
January 18, 202444min 34sec42.83 MB
Thumbnail for "Learning to Speak: Understanding the babbling black box".
January 4, 202439min 56sec38.38 MB
Thumbnail for "Bonus: Telling the Truth About Marriage with Young Kids with Majka Burhardt".
December 25, 202335min 53sec34.5 MB
Thumbnail for "Parenting Through Grief: The impossible state of needing while giving".
December 21, 202337min 16sec35.81 MB
Thumbnail for "Choosing to Induce: How a randomized trial gave birth to a new era in obstetrics".
December 14, 202350min 1sec48.06 MB
Thumbnail for "Self-Care without Candles: Redefining wellness for parents".
November 30, 202341min 4sec39.47 MB
Thumbnail for "How to Weigh the Risks of Social Media: A conversation with the Surgeon General".
November 16, 202333min 33sec32.25 MB
Thumbnail for "Let’s Talk Puberty: Supporting our kids through the cringe".
November 2, 202350min 5sec48.12 MB
Thumbnail for "Parenting Through Divorce: The ultimate "no option C"".
October 19, 202341min 11sec39.58 MB
Thumbnail for "Introducing Allergens: What we've been getting precisely wrong".
October 5, 202346min 48sec44.97 MB
Thumbnail for "High-Achieving Kids: The culture of never enough".
September 21, 202339min 54sec38.35 MB
Thumbnail for "Relaunching ParentData with Emily Oster".
September 14, 20232min 13sec2.17 MB
Thumbnail for "Expecting Better with Amy Schumer and Dr. Sara Reardon".
July 31, 202349min 47sec47.85 MB
Thumbnail for "Random Acts of Data with Dr. Anupam Jena".
July 13, 202336min 34sec35.16 MB
Thumbnail for "Representation in Children’s Books with Anna Gifty Opoku-Agyeman".
June 12, 202335min 24sec34.03 MB
Thumbnail for "Ask Emily: All Your Questions About Running With Laura Green".
May 25, 202339min 18sec37.77 MB
Thumbnail for "How to Talk to Kids About Diets, Weight, and Food with Virginia Sole-Smith".
April 24, 202329min 12sec28.07 MB
Thumbnail for "One Mother's Story of CMV in Pregnancy with Megan Nix".
April 17, 202326min 58sec25.94 MB
Thumbnail for "Race, Values-based Care, and Advocating for Yourself With Erica Chidi".
April 14, 202331min 15sec30.05 MB
Thumbnail for "Parenting Through Challenges with Dr. Kelly Fradin".
April 5, 202322min 48sec21.94 MB
Thumbnail for "Ask Emily: Your Personal Questions on Parenting".
March 22, 202322min 38sec21.78 MB
Thumbnail for "Bonus: Book Talk with Hillary Frank (The Longest Shortest Time)".
March 15, 202344min 8sec42.42 MB
Thumbnail for "Telling the Truth About Marriage with Young Kids with Majka Burhardt".
March 6, 202326min 34sec25.55 MB
Thumbnail for "Ask Emily: Your Personal Questions on Career".
January 25, 202320min 55sec20.13 MB
Thumbnail for "Puberty, Postpartum, and Adaptation with Lauren Fleshman and Molly Huddle".
January 9, 202333min 38sec32.33 MB
Thumbnail for "Ask Emily: Your Personal Questions on Marriage".
December 20, 202217min 50sec17.16 MB
Thumbnail for "Parenting in America with Jessica Grose and Yael Schonbrun".
December 8, 202229min 42sec28.56 MB
Thumbnail for "How to Get Kids to Eat Their Lunches with Marnie Hanel".
October 24, 202228min 32sec27.44 MB
Thumbnail for "Bonus: Ask a Pediatric Urologist".
September 28, 202226min 19sec25.32 MB
Thumbnail for "Bonus: The Power of Data & Its Limits".
September 21, 202245min 27sec43.68 MB
Thumbnail for "How to Talk to Kids About Sex with Miranda Featherstone".
September 12, 202229min 28sec28.33 MB
Thumbnail for "(Re)Creating School for Every Child with Michael Horn".
August 29, 202226min 13sec25.22 MB
Thumbnail for "Understanding Gun Violence with Megan Ranney".
July 11, 202225min 56sec24.94 MB
Thumbnail for "Pelvic Health with Emily Oster and the Vagina Whisperer".
April 12, 202221min 39sec20.83 MB

Ozempic 101: A doctor explains the data and science behind weight-loss drugs

Thumbnail for "Ozempic 101: A doctor explains the data and science behind weight-loss drugs".
July 18, 202452min 23sec

News about weight-loss drugs is hard to miss. A new generation of drugs — Ozempic, Wegovy, Mounjaro, Zepbound — are on television, on billboards, and in many of our homes. There is little debate about the efficacy of the drugs for weight loss (they work, at least for most people) but lots of discussion about everything else surrounding them. 

But what's been largely missing from this conversation is the answer to the practical questions that many people would like to ask their doctors. Are these drugs right for me? How do the side effects work? How fast would I lose weight? Do I really have to take them forever? What if I’m breastfeeding?

Today on ParentData, we invite back Dr. Gillian Goddard, the endocrinologist and brain behind our Hot Flash newsletter, to dive into the data behind these drugs. Dr. Goddard has been prescribing them for many years, and is both extremely knowledgeable about the science behind them, and extremely thoughtful about who is a good candidate, how to weigh the risks and benefits, and the kinds of questions you should be asking your doctor if you're interested in exploring them.

Subscribe to ParentData.org for free access to new articles every week on data-driven pregnancy and parenting.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Transcript

Thumbnail for "Ozempic 101: A doctor explains the data and science behind weight-loss drugs".
Ozempic 101: A doctor explains the data and science behind weight-loss drugs
00:00
52:23