Dissected: Cutting to the Heart of Health News

In this episode, I provide a concise introduction to odds ratios, one of the most common statistics used in medical research. I discuss what they are, how to interpret them, and how to describe them in terms of their confidence intervals.

Just because something is written in a book, that doesn't mean the information is reliable. In this episode, I provide a real-world example of a book that sought to push an agenda, and was written and endorsed by individuals completely outside the field in which the book was about.

Articles can be retracted for a number of reasons. In this episode, I explain what those reasons and and discuss the implications of publication retraction.

On this episode, the final in the three-part series centered on the basics of randomized controlled trials, I discuss the main four methods of randomization.

In this episode, I answer a listener question about where to find free journal articles.

In this episode, I describe characteristics of randomized controlled trials, including how they can be carried out, and explain what it means for RCTs to be single-blind, double-blind, and triple-blind.

In this episode, Melissa Reilly, PharmD and I discuss an article describing the use of statins in people over the age of 75. We also answer three listener questions about managing symptoms associated with statin use.

Find show notes at dissectedhealthpod.com.

Journal Article

Orkaby, A. R., Driver, J. A., Ho, Y.-L., Lu, B., Costa, L., Honerlaw, J., . . . Djousse, L. (2020). Association of Statin Use With All-Cause and Cardiovascular Mortality in US Veterans 75 Years and Older. JAMA, 324(1), 68-78. doi:10.1001/jama.2020.7848

Press Release

This episode is the first in a three-part series on randomized controlled trials (RCTs). In this episode, I describe what an RCT is and break down the basics of how they work. I discuss various ways that research participants can receive an intervention (like a medication or a placebo), In subsequent episodes, I'll describe various types of RCTs and discuss methods of randomization. I've broken this down into three parts in an effort not to overwhelm you. If you want to speed up your learning on this topic, check out the RCT page on dissectedhealthpod.com.

If you like what you hear, please subscribe and leave me a rating and a review on your favorite podcast app. Thank you!

In this episode, I sat down with Dr. Aisha Harris to discuss the effects of overindulging on on food-- namely, pizza. The episode was informed by a news article and a peer-reviewed journal article.

Dr. Aisha Harris is a board certified Family Medicine physician who works in under-resourced populations in her hometown of Flint, Michigan. She is the primary contributor to the BLK FAM DOC platform that strives to improve health literacy and access by sharing health information through diverse outlets. Find her at https://www.blkfamdoc.com/.

News Article

Melore, C. (2020). Pig out! You can eat all the pizza you want (occasionally) without damaging your health, study claims. Study Finds, 2020 (August 13). Retrieved from https://www.studyfinds.org/you-can-eat-all-the-pizza-you-want-without-damaging-health/

Journal Article

Hengist, A., Edinburgh, R. M., Davies, R. G., Walhin, J. P., Buniam, J., James, L. J., . . . Betts, J. A. (2020). Physiological responses to maximal eating in men. Br J Nutr, 124(4), 407-417. doi:10.1017/S0007114520001270

Find show notes at dissectedhealthpod.com