Should you do Dry January?

Chris and Xand continue their conversation about alcohol with Dr May van Schalkwyk, Research Fellow at the University of Edinburgh, who focuses on how commercial actors influence ideas, knowledge, science and policymaking.The twins want to know why some people might struggle to get through Dry January, whether we have a drinking culture in the UK and how it may have been shaped by industry. They also examine attitudes towards alcohol in other cultures, whether attitudes towards alcohol are changing, whether low- or no-alcohol alternatives are a positive move, and how we can improve our culture around alcohol.If you’d like to share your thoughts on this or any other topic covered on the podcast, you email us at [email protected] or Whatsapp on 08000 665 123.Presenters: Drs Chris and Xand van Tulleken Guest:Dr May van Schalkwyk Producer: Maia Miller-Lewis and Emily Bird Executive Producer: Rami Tzabar Editor: Jo Rowntree Researcher: Mili Ostojic Tech Lead: Reuben Huxtable Social Media: Leon Gower Digital Lead: Richard Berry Composer: Phoebe McFarlane Sound Design: Melvin RickarbyAt the BBC: Assistant Commissioner: Greg Smith Commissioning Editor: Rhian RobertsA Loftus Media production for BBC Radio 4.

Welcome to What’s Up Docs?, the podcast where doctors and identical twins Chris and Xand van Tulleken cut through the confusion around every aspect of our health and wellbeing.In this episode, Chris and Xand dive into alcohol. Is there such a thing as a safe level of alcohol or a safe form? Are there actually any benefits to alcohol? Should teetotalism be the goal? They also explore the short- and long-term effects and harms of alcohol, including indirect harms, whether we should be doing Dry January, and what the benefits of reducing your alcohol intake are.Joining them to discuss this is Dr May van Schalkwyk, Research Fellow at the University of Edinburgh, who focuses on how commercial actors influence ideas, knowledge, science and policymaking.If you want to get in touch, you can email us at [email protected] or WhatsApp us on 08000 665 123.Presenters: Drs Chris and Xand van Tulleken Guest: Dr May van Schalkwyk Researcher: Mili Ostojic Producer: Maia Miller-Lewis and Emily Bird Social Media Producer: Leon Gower Executive Producer: Rami Tzabar Editor: Jo Rowntree Tech Lead: Reuben Huxtable Digital Lead: Richard Berry Composer: Phoebe McFarlane Sound Design: Melvin RickarbyAt the BBC: Assistant Commissioner: Greg Smith Commissioning Editor: Rhian RobertsA Loftus Media production for BBC Radio 4

In this Daily Dose, Chris and Xand return to their episode on nature with Professor Baroness Kathy Willis. Kathy had some excellent advice on how to bring more nature into our homes and lives.Daily Doses of expert wisdom from previous episodes will be dropping each weekday throughout January (except Tuesdays). You'll find them in the What’s Up Docs? feed on BBC Sounds, alongside all the main episodes of the podcast.

In this Daily Dose, Chris and Xand return to their episode on embarrassment with cultural historian, Dr Tiffany Watt-Smith. Tiffany identified that, while embarrassment is painful on a personal level, it is in fact an important social emotion.Daily Doses of expert wisdom from previous episodes will be dropping each weekday throughout January (except Tuesdays). You'll find them in the What’s Up Docs? feed on BBC Sounds, alongside all the main episodes of the podcast.

In this Daily Dose, Drs Chris and Xand van Tulleken are returning to their episode on knees with rheumatology professor, Phil Conaghan from University of Leeds. Phil gave Chris some sage advice on why you shouldn't avoid exercising your knees if they give you pain from time to time. Daily Doses of expert wisdom from previous episodes will be dropping each weekday throughout January (except Tuesdays). You'll find them in the What’s Up Docs? feed on BBC Sounds, alongside all the main episodes of the podcast.

In this Daily Dose, Chris and Xand return to their episode on menstrual health with Dr Chi Eziefula, who flipped our perspective on the menstrual cycle, reframing it as a positive, evolutionary advantage that has enabled us to survive and thrive.Daily Doses of expert wisdom from previous episodes will be dropping each weekday throughout January (except Tuesdays). You'll find them in the What’s Up Docs? feed on BBC Sounds, alongside all the main episodes of the podcast.

In this new year episode, Chris and Xand continue their conversation with behaviour change expert Alasdair Cant, taking a closer look at the psychology behind our attempts to start afresh. They explore how Alasdair got into the field of behaviour change and the patterns that distinguish people who succeed with long-term change from those who struggle.If you’d like to share your thoughts on this or any other topic covered on the podcast, you email us at [email protected] or Whatsapp on 08000 665 123.Presenters: Drs Chris and Xand van Tulleken Guest: Alasdair Cant Producer: Maia Miller-Lewis Executive Producer: Rami Tzabar Editor: Jo Rowntree Researcher: Grace Revill Tech Lead: Reuben Huxtable Social Media: Leon Gower Digital Lead: Richard Berry Composer: Phoebe McFarlane Sound Design: Ruth RaineyAt the BBC: Assistant Commissioner: Greg Smith Commissioning Editor: Rhian RobertsA Loftus Media production for BBC Radio 4.

Welcome to What’s Up Docs?, the podcast where doctors and identical twins Chris and Xand van Tulleken untangle the confusion around every aspect of our health and wellbeing.In this new year episode, they’re taking on the idea of the fresh start, especially the powerful urge many of us feel at the beginning of a new year to overhaul our health. Why do we want to make big changes in January? Why do our good intentions so often fall apart? And do we actually need to ‘turn over a new leaf’, or is there a better way to think about lasting change?Chris and Xand speak to Alasdair Cant, behaviour change specialist with over 30 years’ experience. Drawing on the spirit of Motivational Interviewing, he empowers people to have open, honest conversations about change and growth. With a background in education, Alasdair works with teams and individuals to fulfil their potential in health, criminal justice, social care, education, the arts and the private sector, to get to the heart of what really drives change. With Alasdair, the docs explore why we slip back into old habits, what helps people stay on track, and how understanding the psychology of change can make new habits far more sustainable. They also ask Alasdair how his work has shaped his own life and attitudes towards making resolutions. If you want to get in touch, you can email us at [email protected] or WhatsApp us on 08000 665 123.Presenters: Drs Chris and Xand van Tulleken Guest: Alasdair Cant Producer: Maia Miller-Lewis Executive Producer: Rami Tzabar Editor: Jo Rowntree Researcher: Grace Revill Tech Lead: Reuben Huxtable Social Media: Leon Gower Digital Lead: Richard Berry Composer: Phoebe McFarlane Sound Design: Ruth RaineyAt the BBC: Assistant Commissioner: Greg Smith Commissioning Editor: Rhian RobertsA Loftus Media production for BBC Radio 4

In this Daily Dose, Chris and Xand return to their episode on difficult conversations. Chartered Psychologist Kimberley Wilson has some great advice on how best to approach a difficult conversation and what happens when we find ourselves confronted by one.Daily Doses of expert wisdom from previous episodes will be dropping each weekday throughout January (except Tuesdays). You'll find them in the What’s Up Docs? feed on BBC Sounds, alongside all the main episodes of the podcast.

January is a time when we pay considerable attention to our health and wellbeing and we all want a little reminder of some tips and tricks for how best to care for and think about our minds and bodies. In this Daily Dose, Chris and Xand need a refresher on the episode of What’s Up Docs? about False Memories. They were joined by Dr Linda Henkel, Professor of Psychological and Brain Sciences at Fairfield University who took them on a tour of what false memories are, how they form and why they are an unavoidable part of the human experience.Daily Doses of expert wisdom from previous episodes of What’s Up Docs? will be dropping each weekday throughout January (except Tuesdays).