A staggering amount of health and wellness news and information is bombarding us everywhere we look – and who’s got time to parse it out, to verify it, and then to actually do the work of improving our health?
We do! We are Emily Oster, best-selling author and data expert, and Perry Wilson, a medical doctor. And unlike the influencers, we actually know how to read a medical paper. This podcast separates fact from fiction, causality from correlation, so that you can stay informed without being overwhelmed. Every episode, we cover the health news of the week, take listener questions, and do a deep dive into a buzzy and misunderstood wellness topic so that you can actually make the best decisions for your own health.
Latest episodes
Showing 20 · updated from the feed
It's the First Annual Wellness, Actually Grab Bag Episode!
#27 trending · Health & Fitness
This week, Emily and Perry are joined by Producer Tamar to answer series of short health and wellness suggestions - by you, the listeners! - that don't merit a full deep
Sep 24 1 h 06 min
What's the deal with artificial sweeteners?
This week, Emily and Perry dive into the sweet, calorie-free world of artificial sweeteners. What poor lab hygiene brought them into existence? Do they actually make us f
Sep 17 58 min
What's the deal with seed oils?
This week, Emily and Perry dive into the slippery world of seed oils. Canola, vegetable, safflower, yes, even avocado: why have these plant-based oils gotten such a bad r
Sep 10 1 h 03 min
What's the deal with poop?
This week, Emily and Perry are bravely tackling one of our most beloved bodily functions, polite company be damned: poop! Is it, as Emily asks, truly the window to our so
Sep 3 1 h 08 min
Rerun, Actually - What's the deal with peptides?
This week, we're rebroadcasting our episode on peptides, the purported panacea for all health ailments. Can an injection of these tiny bits of protein actually boost your
Aug 27 40 min
What's the deal with ticks?
This week, Emily and Perry explore the creepiest, crawliest topic yet: ticks! What's the deal with these little bloodsucking jerks? How do they infect us? What are the di
Aug 20 1 h 09 min
What's the deal with fluoride?
This week, Emily and Perry take on fluoride, a mineral with proven benefits for your teeth and an army of skeptical influencers ready to fight their municipal water suppl
Aug 13 1 h 04 min
What's the deal with gluten?
This week, Emily and Perry explore gluten, the protein responsible for everything that makes bread, bagels, pasta, and all of their other favorite foods chewy and delicio
Aug 6 49 min
What's the deal with the sun?
This week, Emily and Perry discuss the Sun. Sure, it’s necessary for life on earth and occupies over 99% of our solar system’s mass, but seriously, what’s its deal? Speci
Jul 30 56 min
What's the deal with alcohol?
This week, Emily and Perry raise a glass to alcohol: the cause of, and solution to, all of life's problems. How does it actually affect our brains? How much should we, or
Jul 23 1 h 00 min
What's the deal with pregnancy brain? (feat. Allison Williams)
This week, Emily and Perry are joined by actress Allison Williams to discuss all things pregnancy brain. Are the fog and forgetfulness due to actual brain shrinkage? Does
Jul 16 1 h 06 min
What's the deal with cortisol?
This week, Emily and Perry take on cortisol, the much-maligned stress hormone blamed for heart attacks and stubborn belly fat. But how much heat should cortisol really be
Jul 9 55 min
What's the deal with mRNA vaccines?
This week, Emily and Perry explore RNA, a tiny molecule of extraordinary potential. What is it? How is it different from DNA? How have vaccines and an incredible array of
Jul 2 58 min
What's the deal with full body scans?
This week, Emily and Perry debate full body scans: MRIs that scan your entire body like a giant humming hammer in search of nails. Will it find something wrong with you?
Jun 25 1 h 02 min
What's the deal with sleep?
This week, Emily and Perry tackle the weirdest, most wonderful thing all living things do: sleep. If evolution has forced us to be completely vulnerable for eight hours a
Jun 18 57 min
What's the deal with hypoactive sexual desire disorder (HSDD)?
This week, Emily and Perry are coming in hot to discuss the existence of sex, specifically whether or not women have a DSM-5-designated disorder when they don't want it,
Jun 11 53 min
What's the deal with cupping and dry needling?
This week, Emily and Perry dig into dry needling and cupping, the wellness equivalent to pain equals gain (maybe?). What are the therapeutic properties, and the risks, of
Jun 4 1 h 01 min
What's the deal with red meat?
This week, Emily and Perry pull out their steak knives to cut through both the hypers, and the detractors, of red meat. Is it as bad for you as people say? Is there value
May 28 56 min
What's the deal with methylene blue?
This week, Emily and Perry bravely platform methylene blue, a synthetic dye with almost godlike properties according to the influencers, and some fascinating uses (and ri
May 21 57 min
What's the deal with psychedelics?
This week, Emily and Perry take a trip into the groovy world of psychedelics: what they are, what they do to our brains, and the myriad mental health problems that they s
May 14 58 min
Chart trend
Position in the Health & Fitness chart (US), last 90 days.
#1#98#195JunJulAugSep
#26
all-time peak
4
days in the top 50 since Feb 2026
Chart positions
Where Wellness, Actually with Emily Oster & Perry Wilson, MD ranks today in each Apple Podcasts chart (US, Sep 26, 2026).
A curated, balanced selection of Apple Podcasts reviews.
I love listening and I’ve started listening every Thursday when they come out. I appreciate the news updates and the helpful dialogue around current issues.
I’ve loved the topics so far and the information shared has been helpful in my day to day life
erigrimm · Jul 2026
I love this podcast and look forward to it every week. As a psychotherapist specializing in chronic illness, the data and researched based information that is discussed every week truly helps me in my professional and personal life. Thank you Emily and Perry for all your thoughtful work and please don’t stop!!
Rachael A.B. · Jul 2026
Love this show and have recommended it to so many people. Listening to science adjacent podcasts as a scientist can be very painful but Emily and Perry do a stellar job (though I have notes on the lsd episode). My only qualm is the latest episode featuring someone that is not a medical/science/data expert… I hope this doesn’t become a pattern.
Stacylala · Jul 2026
I am loving this podcast! Totally entertaining while giving excellent evidence based information on the latest health trends. Listen, laugh and learn!!
Slowrunner69 · Jun 2026
The topics are interesting but less than half of the show’s runtime is actually dedicated to that topic. It usually takes a full half hour before serious discussion of the subject begins. This could be improved by moving reader questions to the end instead of the beginning. And, as many other reviewers have pointed out, there are a TON of ads. Each break runs for 5+ minutes and in total they make up 20-25% (maybe more) of the episode’s time. For both reasons, I find that the show is just not practical for me to listen to.
Dono16 · May 2026
I get it that iHeart is a soulless money grab, but do they really need to start the latest episode only after 10 MINUTES OF ADS?! I mean seriously?! At this point it’s more ad than podcast! Please tone down the ads!
Great With Money · Mar 2026
We strive to present a balanced view by showing a diverse range of reviews from Apple Podcasts.
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Here you find the Apple Podcasts chart positions of Wellness, Actually with Emily Oster & Perry Wilson, MD, its latest episodes to listen to directly, and reviews from listeners. Rankings are updated daily for the United States.
