New Year, new you, new opportunities to punish yourself for being human! This week on Health Wanted…we’re kicking off the new year by putting you on a cleanse to detox you from useless health morality. Laurel Bristow talks with health psychologist Dr. Charlotte Markey about so-called “fresh starts” and the role of body image in weight loss.

Plus: Is testosterone the most active hormone during your period? What causes the “asian glow” when drinking alcohol? How do we know what’s a mutation and what’s normal? Can a little bit of butter before bed prevent panic attacks? What’s new in the world of gonorrhea treatments? And the Sick of the Week.

For a full rundown on all the information shared in today's episode, take a look at the show notes.

Have a question for Laurel? Send it to healthwanted@wabe.org or leave a voicemail at 404-888-3630!

For more, visit healthwanted.org

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

2025 was a year of big questions: from our government, from our public health institutions, and, of course, from you, our lovely listeners.

For this final episode of the year, we’re bringing you your best questions and Laurel’s best answers from 2025, including: Are indoor waterparks just a close cousin of cruises? Are there any real world applications of the finding that axolotl mucus attacks breast cancer and MRSA? What’s the danger in leaving flowers in a hospital room? And our sick of the year: Are pesticides in tampons poisoning us?

We'll be back on the first Friday of 2026 to break down more science, in the pursuit of better health.

Have a question for Laurel? Send it to healthwanted@wabe.org or leave a voicemail at 404-888-3630.

For more, visit healthwanted.org. To support Health Wanted and other public media programming, visit wabe.org/give.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

We are smack dab in the middle of the holiday season, which usually comes with enough liquid cheer to kill a horse…or at least get some people to consider wringing themselves out in the new year. This week on Health Wanted, it’s a not-so-happy hour as we take a big old swig of the truth about the health risks of alcohol. Host Laurel Bristow also interviews with Dr. Marissa Esser, former head of the CDC’s Alcohol Program.

Plus: What happened to the man with the pig kidney? Do people with a MTHFR gene mutation need to avoid folic acid? More concerns about the recent ACIP meeting, and the Sick of the Week.

For a full rundown on all the information shared in today's episode, take a look at the show notes.

Have a question for Laurel? Send it to healthwanted@wabe.org or leave a voicemail at 404-888-3630!

For more, visit wabe.org/healthwanted

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.