The Rationable Podcast

It all started with Andrew Wakefield publishing a sham study on how vaccines give children autism. Now, the movement has taken on a life of its own with celebrity endorsers, social media influencers, alternative medicine “gurus” all propagating this idea. Today, we dig into what antivaxxers believe, why it's wrong and how we can help stop the movement.

References and Further Reading:

Vaccines, Autism, And The Promotion Of Irrelevant Research: A Science-Pseudoscience Analysis

UNICEF: https://www.unicef.org/press-releases/record-number-infants-vaccinated-2017

WHO: https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/autism-spectrum-disorders; https://www.who.int/publications/10-year-review/vaccines/en/ ; https://www.who.int/vaccine_safety/initiative/detection/immunization_misconceptions/en/index1.html

Ice Cream & Homicide: https://slate.com/news-and-politics/2013/07/warm-weather-homicide-rates-when-ice-cream-sales-rise-homicides-rise-coincidence.html

Vaccines & Autism: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/24814559

Influenza Epidemics: https://7news.com.au/news/health/flu-deaths-hit-300-as-season-passes-peak-c-209939; https://www.hindustantimes.com/india-news/flu-season-in-india-how-prepared-are-you/story-scuyWrIdWgkUZ0Rs2av0aO.html

Diseases that Vaccines prevent: https://www.who.int/immunization/diseases/en/

Kulkarni SV, Narain JP, Gupta S, Dhariwal AC, Singh SK, Macintyre C R. Influenza A (H1N1) in India: Changing epidemiology and its implications. Natl Med J India [Epub ahead of print] [cited 2019 Jul 20]. Available from: http://www.nmji.in/preprintarticle.asp?id=253355

Science Based Medicine: https://sciencebasedmedicine.org/how-to-respond-to-anti-vaxxers/ and https://sciencebasedmedicine.org/antivaccine-hero-andrew-wakefield-scientific-fraud/

Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia: https://www.chop.edu/centers-programs/vaccine-education-center

Questions, suggestions or just want to get in touch? Find me on Instagram and Twitter @berationable and on Facebook @Rationable. Join the conversation on the Rationable Conversations Facebook group and email me at [email protected]. For more content like this, visit www.berationable.com.

Intro and outro music: Don't Stop performed by Nothing More, from their album, The Stories We Tell Ourselves. The sound clips have been used with their permission.

Questions, suggestions or just want to get in touch? Find me on Instagram and Twitter @berationable and on Facebook @Rationable. Join the conversation on the Rationable Conversations Facebook group and email me at [email protected]. For more content like this, visit www.berationable.com.

I’m sure you’ve heard or said that “Science doesn’t know everything”. This is usually in defence of an idea that probably isn’t scientific, like homeopathy or god. And that’s okay. Because I agree with you. Science doesn’t know everything, and probably never will. And here’s why.

** Further Reading & References**

Homeopathy: https://www.berationable.com/rationable-blog/2019/03/20/does-homeopathy-work

RCTs: https://www.berationable.com/rationable-blog/2019/6/11/what-is-evidence-part-1-randomised-controlled-trials

Questions, suggestions or just want to get in touch? Find me on Instagram and Twitter @berationable and on Facebook @Rationable. Join the conversation on the Rationable Conversations Facebook group and email me at [email protected]. For more content like this, visit www.berationable.com.

Just because you might not be a scientist, doesn't mean you can't look for and understand the evidence behind a claim. Now you can get started by investigating randomised controlled trials.

Further Reading:
If you want to buy the books, I’d appreciate it if you could use the links I’ve added below. I’ll get a small commission which supports Rationable and everything that it does.

Bad Pharma by Ben Goldacre

Trick or Treatment by Simon Singh and Edzard Ernst

How to read a paper: The basics of evidence-based medicine by Trisha Greenhalgh

Steven Novella's discussions on p-hacking:https://theness.com/neurologicablog/index.php/get-rid-of-statistical-significance/https://theness.com/neurologicablog/index.php/p-hacking-and-other-statistical-sins/

Rationable's article on Homeopathy: https://www.berationable.com/rationable-blog/2019/03/20/does-homeopathy-work

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Randomized_controlled_trial

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/James_Lind

https://emj.bmj.com/content/20/2/164

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/

The blog version of this episode: https://www.berationable.com/rationable-blog/2019/6/11/what-is-evidence-part-1-randomised-controlled-trials

Intro and outro music: Don't Stop performed by Nothing More, from their album, The Stories We Tell Ourselves. The sound clips have been used with their permission.

Questions, suggestions or just want to get in touch? Find me on Instagram and Twitter @berationable and on Facebook @Rationable. Join the conversation on the Rationable Conversations Facebook group and email me at [email protected]. For more content like this, visit www.berationable.com.

We Indians love our spices, and none more than turmeric. This essential yellow ingredient, in most Indian recipes, was discovered by Ayurveda, adopted by the West and now has come home once again in the form of alternative medicine, or even mainstream medicine, as doctors have started prescribing it. This is all because of a fascinating chemical that Turmeric contains – Curcumin. This molecule is making waves across the world and is being touted as a panacea of sorts that can heal almost anything you can think of – arthritis, diabetes, aches, pains, sore throats, baldness, obesity, heart disease and even cancer. But does curcumin work? If it does, will eating turmeric have the same effect? What are the side effects of turmeric? Is it medicine yet or still in the realm of alternative or complementary medicine?

We are getting to the bottom of this today.

Citations and Further Reading

Articles:
https://medium.com/@gidmk/the-bitter-truth-about-turmeric-8cf9256e73c5
https://sciencebasedmedicine.org/turmeric-tasty-in-curry-questionable-as-medicine/
https://theness.com/neurologicablog/index.php/curcumin-hype-vs-reality/
https://skeptoid.com/blog/2016/06/02/turmeric-what-is-it-good-for/
https://blogs.sciencemag.org/pipeline/archives/2017/01/12/curcumin-will-waste-your-time
https://examine.com/supplements/curcumin/#summary
https://respectfulinsolence.com/2017/08/14/the-death-of-jade-erick-from-intravenous-curcumin-mystery-solved/
https://sciencebasedmedicine.org/naturopathic-death-from-iv-turmeric/

Papers:
https://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2018-10/cmaj-ocs102318.php
https://pubs.acs.org/doi/abs/10.1021/acs.jmedchem.6b00975
https://academic.oup.com/rheumatology/article/42/5/652/1784589
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6073929/
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3857752/
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5664031/
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5003001/

Intro and outro music: Don't Stop performed by Nothing More, from their album, The Stories We Tell Ourselves. The sound clips have been used with their permission.

Questions, suggestions or just want to get in touch? Find me on Instagram and Twitter @berationable and on Facebook @Rationable. Join the conversation on the Rationable Conversations Facebook group and email me at [email protected]. For more content like this, visit www.berationable.com.

Recently, a network of radio telescopes spread across the Earth called Event Horizon Telescope pieced together petabytes of data to unveil the first-ever image of a black hole. This is one of the most monumental feats of human ingenuity, engineering and curiosity to date. But why is it such a big deal? How can we see a black hole in the first place? And why is that orange, blurry image so groundbreaking? Let me break it down for you.

Links:
1) Neutron Stars by Kurzgesagt: https://youtu.be/p_8yK2kmxoo
2) Pulsars and Magnetars: https://youtu.be/6EJWIJhLqNk
3) Vox on why this black hole image is a big deal: https://youtu.be/pAoEHR4aW8I
4) How to understand the image of a black hole by Veritasium: https://youtu.be/zUyH3XhpLTo
5) How to take a picture of a black hole by Katie Bouman: https://youtu.be/BIvezCVcsYs
6) https://www.vox.com/science-and-health/2019/4/11/18306110/first-image-black-hole-eht-event-horizon-singularity
7) https://www.space.com/1st-black-hole-photo-x-ray-neighborhood-views.html
8) https://www.space.com/black-hole-event-horizon-images-einstein.html
9) https://www.cosmotography.com/images/supermassive_blackholes_drive_galaxy_evolution.html

Intro and outro music: Don't Stop performed by Nothing More, from their album, The Stories We Tell Ourselves. The sound clips have been used with their permission.

Questions, suggestions or just want to get in touch? Find me on Instagram and Twitter @berationable and on Facebook @Rationable. Join the conversation on the Rationable Conversations Facebook group and email me at [email protected]. For more content like this, visit www.berationable.com.

If you’ve been living under a rock, it’s probably because you’re taking shelter from the falling space debris! But seriously, the Indian ASAT project or “Mission Shakti” as it’s been called by the government, has made a big splash across the headlines all over the world and has definitely ruffled some feathers over at NASA. But are they justified in being concerned? Should we have launched ASAT in the first place?

Further Reading
https://www.space.com/india-anti-satellite-test-significance.html
https://www.nytimes.com/2019/04/02/world/asia/nasa-india-space-debris.html
https://www.thehindu.com/sci-tech/technology/indias-asat-missile-test-created-400-pieces-of-debris-endangering-iss-nasa/article26708817.ece
http://www.thespacereview.com/article/3686/1
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anti-satellite_weapon#cite_note-49
https://voelkerrechtsblog.org/indias-anti-satellite-missile-test/
https://www.cfr.org/backgrounder/chinas-anti-satellite-test

ntro and outro music: Don't Stop performed by Nothing More, from their album, The Stories We Tell Ourselves. The sound clips have been used with their permission.

Questions, suggestions or just want to get in touch? Find me on Instagram and Twitter @berationable and on Facebook @Rationable. Join the conversation on the Rationable Conversations Facebook group and email me at [email protected]. For more content like this, visit www.berationable.com.

Homoeopathy, especially in India, is a treatment method in which a lot of people believe. In fact, India is one of the biggest markets for homoeopathic medicine, if not the largest. Plus, it’s getting support from the government through the AYUSH initiative. My parents gave me homoeopathic treatments as a child, and they swear by it. In fact, most people do. There are college degrees for it, doctors prescribe it, and infants and animals are said to benefit from it too! But does homoeopathy really work? As I found out, it kind of does, but not in the way you think.

The original article with all the references and sources: https://rationable.wordpress.com/2019/03/20/does-homeopathy-work/

Skeptoid
Homoepathy: Pure water or pure nonsense?: https://skeptoid.com/episodes/4034

Quackwatch
Homeopathy: The Ultimate Fake: https://www.quackwatch.org/01QuackeryRelatedTopics/homeo.html

Dr Shantanu Abhyankar, MD
TEDxPICT: Dispelling the myths of homeopathy: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zXKcRklWkcA

Intro and outro music: Don't Stop performed by Nothing More, from their album, The Stories We Tell Ourselves. The sound clips have been used with their permission.

Questions, suggestions or just want to get in touch? Find me on Instagram and Twitter @berationable and on Facebook @Rationable. Join the conversation on the Rationable Conversations Facebook group and email me at [email protected]. For more content like this, visit www.berationable.com.

In this first episode of The Rationable Podcast, I tell you about my journey into science and critical thinking and how it changed my life. I hope the things we talk about in future episodes helps you fight frauds, fake news and scams.

The podcasts I've mentioned can be found here:

The Skeptic's Guide to the Universe: https://www.theskepticsguide.org/podcast/sgu

Skeptoid: https://skeptoid.com/

Science Vs: https://www.gimletmedia.com/science-vs

Star Talk: https://www.startalkradio.net/

If you have any feedback, comments or suggestions, please write to [email protected]

For the articles this podcast is based on, visit www.rationable.wordpress.com

Green coffee beans and the various versions they come in had become the hot new weight loss supplement that’s in everyone’s cups and on everyone’s lips after celebrity television doctor, Dr Oz, called green coffee a “miracle pill” and then got shamed in front of the US Congress for saying so. But green coffee beans just don’t seem to go away! But does it work?

Dig Deeper:

Congress Vs Dr Oz: https://youtu.be/kgApDJwc4Ow

Science Based Medicine: https://sciencebasedmedicine.org/lessons-from-the-dubious-rise-and-inevitable-fall-of-green-coffee-beans/

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2943088/

The Doctors: https://youtu.be/5OlrwOEFQew

John Oliver on Last Week Tonight: https://youtu.be/WA0wKeokWUU

The Vinson Trial: https://www.dovepress.com/randomized-double-blind-placebo-controlled-linear-dose-crossover-study-peer-reviewed-article-DMSO

https://www.livestrong.com/article/489309-is-white-kidney-bean-extract-good-for-weight-loss/

https://examine.com/supplements/white-kidney-bean-extract/

Intro and outro music: Don't Stop performed by Nothing More, from their album, The Stories We Tell Ourselves. The sound clips have been used with their permission.

Questions, suggestions or just want to get in touch? Find me on Instagram and Twitter @berationable and on Facebook @Rationable. Join the conversation on the Rationable Conversations Facebook group and email me at [email protected]. For more content like this, visit www.berationable.com.

Recently, you may have received a message or a video on WhatsApp claiming that cancer is a hoax and is caused by a deficiency of Vitamin B17, otherwise called Amygdalin. Just load up on some B17, and you’re cured! Seems a bit too good to be true, if you think about it. But is it true? Today, we dig deeper into cancer, almonds and apricot seeds to see what they are, how they work and if it will heal you or harm you.

Dig Deeper:
Professor Stick's video: https://youtu.be/dcM0B68xan8

https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/laetrile-vitamin-b17#section1

https://www.snopes.com/fact-check/cancer-vitamin-b17-deficiency/

https://www.cancerresearchuk.org/about-cancer/cancer-in-general/treatment/complementary-alternative-therapies/individual-therapies/laetrile

https://biology.stackexchange.com/questions/55517/is-cancer-caused-by-vitamin-b17-deficiency

https://www.mcgill.ca/oss/article/health-news-supplements/vitamin-b17-not-vitamin

https://www.quackwatch.org/01QuackeryRelatedTopics/Cancer/laetrile.html

https://sciencebasedmedicine.org/faith-and-supplements-b17

Intro and outro music: Don't Stop performed by Nothing More, from their album, The Stories We Tell Ourselves. The sound clips have been used with their permission.

Questions, suggestions or just want to get in touch? Find me on Instagram and Twitter @berationable and on Facebook @Rationable. Join the conversation on the Rationable Conversations Facebook group and email me at [email protected]. For more content like this, visit www.berationable.com.