The Gastroenterologist And His Daughter

S05E06 | Navigating Wellness Wankery with Kirsten Jackson & Dr. Ramy Khalil


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We're surrounded by so much health and wellness information unlike any other generation but how much of it actually holds up to scrutiny? In this episode, Sandra is joined by consultant dietitian Kirsten Jackson and internal medicine physician Dr. Ramy Khalil to call out pseudoscience, explore why misinformation is so persuasive and examine whether mainstream medicine is partly to blame for the vacuum wellness culture has rushed to fill.

This episode covers:

  • The "I can't believe this is still a thing" moments our guests are seeing right now
  • Why smart, health-conscious people are still drawn in by wellness misinformation
  • What makes certain health claims sound convincing even when the evidence isn't there
  • The psychology behind why some ideas feel intuitive or believable regardless of the science
  • Where mainstream medicine and dietetics have failed patients & the rise of ‘Functional Medicine”
  • How to tell the difference between genuinely helpful health advice and clever marketing
  • How to handle a patient or client who has gone deep down a wellness rabbit hole and believes it's working
  • The most dangerous pieces of misinformation our guests have seen cause real clinical harm

This conversation is honest, at times uncomfortable, and essential listening for anyone trying to make sense of the health information landscape whether you're a clinician, a patient, or just someone trying to make good decisions about your own wellbeing.


About Dr. Ramy Khalil

Dr. Ramy Khalil is a board-certified internal medicine physician and clinical informaticist. He practices direct primary care through his practice Clinicly in the UAE and Continuum Overnight Primary Care in the United States, where he's licensed in five states. Dr. Khalil holds dual board certifications from the American Board of Internal Medicine and the American Board of Preventive Medicine.

His work focuses on evidence-based primary care delivered outside traditional insurance models, and he writes extensively on healthcare systems, healthcare technology and medical evidence on social media.

Connect with Dr. Ramy:

  • Instagram
  • Website
  • Substack
  • The Dubai Doctors Podcast

About Kirsten Jackson

Kirsten Jackson BSc Hons PGCert is a UK consultant dietitian specialising in gut health and the author of ‘Take Control of your IBS’. Kirsten graduated from The University of Hertfordshire in 2012 before joining the UK national health service where she specialised in gastroenterology. She later went on to complete her post-graduate certificate in Advanced Dietetics at The University of Nottingham. In 2018 Kirsten moved to the UAE as the lead dietitian for Kings College Hospital in Dubai. In this role she was part of the team which developed and opened the first British healthcare facility in the Middle East. Kirsten now runs an online IBS clinic called The Food Treatment Clinic to help those who suffer with the condition. Outside of clinical work, Kirsten is an official media spokesperson for The British Dietetic Association where she has worked on TV and with media outlets such as Cosmopolitan and The Guardian. She is also an expert advisor for the charity, The IBS Network.


Connect with Kirsten:

  • Website
  • Instagram
  • Take Control of your IBS
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The Gastroenterologist And His DaughterBy Sandra Mikhail