Fact and Fiction of Health and Wellness with Dr. Nick Tiller

About This Episode

What are the top myths in the health and fitness industry? Neil deGrasse Tyson and co-hosts Chuck Nice and Gary O’Reilly explore pseudoscience, “quick fix” fads like Ozempic, and how to navigate wellness with exercise scientist, Dr. Nick Tiller.

Are all fitness trends bogus? Do some have some benefits that just get exaggerated? We parse through plausible claims versus implausible ones. Is there any harm to the placebo effect? We talk about pseudoscience, whatstheharm.net, and whether we are equipped to handle modern marketing tactics. We discuss the interplay between intuition and intellect: how do we determine if a claim is real or fake?

We dive into common health and wellness industry myths. Can there be simple solutions to complex problems? We explore our human need for efficiency and whether that is the same as laziness. What type of exercise is best? Do any dietary supplements work? Learn how the FDA treats dietary supplements and why you should be wary of quick fixes.

We talk about the health impacts of fad dieting and how to handle fitness and lifestyle trends in the media. Does someone having a large audience equal expertise? We discuss the impact professional athletes have on the health and wellness industry and claims made in chiropractic. All that, plus, how can we skeptically approach fitness and maintain our health?

Thanks to our Patrons David Butler, Aliaksandra Basalayeva, Savage162, Nicholas Pompelia, Fred Lombardo, and Kris Brown for supporting us this week.

NOTE: StarTalk+ Patrons can watch or listen to this entire episode commercial-free.