There are many shades of gray between opinion, theory, and fact, which can make it near impossible for healthcare consumers to navigate their choices. The principles of evidence-based medicine were designed to address this huge unmet need. It is the crowning achievement of a 300-year scientific pursuit that has resulted in dramatic increases in human life expectancy; responsible for lowering maternal and fetal mortality as well as a more than 30% decline in annual cancer mortality over the past 25 years. Celebrated for decades, it is now under assault with distrust, cynicism, and conspiratorial accusations by a shadow network of influencers that use pseudoscience and outright lies to enrich themselves while they prey upon the ill, the desperate, and the gullible. We begin our podcast examining ivermectin.

Horror movies are all the rage, so let’s get scared and grossed out on the podcast as we discuss the horror of parasitic infections. Parasites are organisms living in or on another organism to obtain nutrients, grow, and multiply, often in a state that directly or indirectly harms the host; and they are considered infectious diseases. Man-on-the-street polls often guess bacteria and viruses as parasites, yet neither are. Viruses aren’t even considered organisms because they lack cells and can’t independently reproduce. Three kingdoms produce human parasites: animal (like the tapeworm); fungi (like tinea that causes athletes’ foot and jock itch); and protozoa (like the plasmodium transmitted through the bite of the anopheles mosquito causing malaria). Prepare for a cringe-worthy discussion on parasites.

In my 16 years of hosting a two-hour, call-in radio talk show, I’ve learned that as much as I enjoy my conversations with guests who share their unique medical backgrounds, information, and insights with the audience, I enjoy my conversations with the callers even more. Sometimes the conversations with a caller that meander without specific destination or purpose are the most compelling. One such conversation is the topic of today’s podcast.