Seasons & Episodes
Hormone Replacement Therapy
For decades, the pharmaceutical industry and the press praised hormone replacement therapy as a panacea for menopausal s
Concussions and the Future of Football
What happens to billions of neurons when the gelatinous brain slams into the side of the hard skull? While the media has
New Drugs on the Block
Is prescription drug “X” a wonder drug or a disastrous failure? It can be almost impossible to answer that question
Is It Time for Medical Marijuana?
By examining the story of marijuana and our changing perceptions of its safety and usefulness, you'll learn how differen
The Media and Weight Loss
The media focus on weight loss comes as no surprise. With two of every three Americans being overweight, we certainly ne
Alternative Medicine in the News
Millions of Americans every year turn to alternative-medicine approaches that have never been rigorously studied or have
The Media's Take on Mental Health
While mentally ill individuals are more likely to become victims of crime than to be violent perpetrators, their depicti
The Media and the Internet
You’d never believe people who told you they lived off air only, never eating. Yet one “Breatharian” couple receiv
We Share Our World with Toxins
While toxins are around us all the time and require a nuanced, sophisticated approach to understand, short and memorable
Are Coffee and Wine Good for Your Heart?
Learn why accurate reporting on the relationships between coffee, wine, and cardiovascular health—the number one cause
Life Expectancy and Infant Mortality
Why is life expectancy in the United States decreasing and infant mortality so high compared to other industrialized nat
Is It Really OK to Stop Flossing?
You might have seen a headline recently stating that flossing your teeth is a complete waste of time, or might have read
Does Cancer Screening Work
We’ve all seen the stories about a cancer survivor whose life was saved by early screening—heart-warming stories tha
Drug Prices in the News
In an ideal world, all medications would be available and affordable to those who need them. But the minutiae of prescri
Selling Disease
Discover how drug companies sometimes develop a drug first, and only then identify a disease the drug can address—thin
The Opioid Crisis
Opioids had been around for a century before exploding into the crisis we have today. But the cause of the current crisi
Infections in the Headlines
While the media has played an important role in educating the public about hygiene and the avoidance of disease, it has
Heath Risks in Our Environment
Does your cell phone increase your risk for cancer? Does it really matter whether or not you use your seatbelt? Using yo
Bad Science
When doctors tragically rely on fraudulent or shoddy science published in reputable medical journals, patients can suffe
Diet, Health, and the Power of Words
From “superfood” to “pink slime” to acai, the media exerts a powerful effect on our concepts of food, diet, and
Genetics and the Media
New information about the influence of our genes is released every day—but how does the press respond? With the exampl
How to Stay Young
Professor Benaroch will lead you through the exercise of finding solid, credible answers to a question on all of our min
Cures for the Common Cold
Use your “Skeptic’s Toolkit” to discover how to best address the common cold. What’s your best choice: Echinacea
The Media's Role in Improving Health
Discover the positive role the popular media played in encouraging us to put our cigarettes down, our seatbelts on, and
