Why Don't We Have a Surgeon General?

Suzanne drops her sitcom persona, picks up the ThighMaster and emerges as an early 2000's proto-Gwyneth.Support us:Hear bonus episodes on PatreonWatch Aubrey's documentaryBuy Aubrey's bookListen to Mike's other podcastGet Maintenance Phase T-shirts, stickers and moreLinks!Why We’re So Obsessed With ‘Mastering’ Our ThighsInventor of the ThighMaster Stays On the BallSelf-Help Expert Gets Back Her OwnSuzanne Somers, Cancer ExpertSomers' new target: conventional cancer treatment A Battle Over 'Juice of Youth' Suzanne Somers Questions Newtown Shooter’s DietThe Affordable Care Act Is a Socialist Ponzi SchemeWhat Suzanne Somers Said About Supporting Donald Trump Suzanne Somers Gets FlirtySuzanne Somers Is Dead at 76Video clips:ThighMaster ad ButtMaster jingle Al Roker interview Thanks to Doctor Dreamchip for our lovely theme song!Support the show

In the 1990s, sitcom star Suzanne Somers introduced Americans to one of the bestselling pieces of exercise equipment of all time: The ThighMaster. On this episode, we explore her harrowing early years. Chat, where are we at on punching nuns?Watch Your Fat Friend on YouTube, Apple TV, Prime Video and KinemaSupport us:Hear bonus episodes on PatreonWatch Aubrey's documentaryBuy Aubrey's bookListen to Mike's other podcastGet Maintenance Phase T-shirts, stickers and moreLinks!Suzanne Somers Fought Back Against Her Abusive Father—and Changed Her Life Forever Kristen Wiig reads Suzanne Somers' poetry TV GAMBLE: HIGH SALARIES VS. LOW RATINGSAfter the Fall by Suzanne Somers Keeping Secrets by Suzanne Somers Touch Me: The Poems of Suzanne SomersThanks to Doctor Dreamchip for our lovely theme song!Support the show

The rise, fall and rise of the most nonsensical conspiracy theory we've ever heard.Thanks to Gregg Gonsalves for helping us fact-check this episode! Support us:Hear bonus episodes on PatreonWatch Aubrey's documentaryBuy Aubrey's bookListen to Mike's other podcastGet Maintenance Phase T-shirts, stickers and moreLinks!Denying AIDS: Conspiracy Theories and Pseudoscience in a Post-COVID WorldImpure Science: AIDS, Activism, and the Politics of KnowledgeThe Duesberg PhenomenonAIDS Denialism Beliefs among People Living with HIV/AIDSHIV Denial in the Internet EraHIV Denial in the COVID EraHow COVID conspiracy theories led to an alarming resurgence in AIDS denialismThe Man Who Thought AIDS Was All In The MindAIDS "Dissident" Seeks RedemptionTruth and Heresy About AIDSDefending the boundaries of scienceJustice After AIDS DenialismAIDS Denialism vs. ScienceThe UnbelieverEstimating the lost benefits of ARV use in South AfricaConspiracy beliefs about HIV/AIDSAre HIV/AIDS Conspiracy Beliefs a Barrier to HIV Prevention Among African Americans?HIV causes AIDS: Koch's postulates fulfilledAIDS And The Scientific Governance Of Medicine In Post-Apartheid South AfricaThe DenialistsHas Duesberg a right of reply?Thanks to Doctor Dreamchip for our lovely theme song!Support the show

We’re nearly halfway through Trump's second term and we still don’t have a Surgeon General. What gives?Support us:Hear bonus episodes on PatreonWatch Aubrey's documentaryBuy Aubrey's bookListen to Mike's other podcastGet Maintenance Phase T-shirts, stickers and moreLinks!White House withdraws nomination of Janette NesheiwatTrump’s Surgeon General Pick Distorted Key Parts of Her Résumé Dr. Janette Nesheiwat takes role at Walter Reed treating Havana SyndromeWhen Did RFK Jr Start Listening to Calley and Casey Means? What Casey Means and MAHA Want You to FearTrump’s Surgeon General Pick Is Tearing the MAHA Movement ApartTrump surgeon general pick said mushrooms helped her find loveThe Dizzying Rise of MAHA Warrior Calley MeansCasey Means Poised to Become Nation’s Top Doctor Casey Means discloses financial ties to supplement industry Laura Loomer Targets Trump’s Pick for Surgeon GeneralThe Bad Science of Good Energy Trump's Surgeon General Pick Tried to Trademark MAHA Can Trump's latest pick for surgeon general make it through confirmation?New surgeon general pick in deleted posts criticized Trump, RFK JrTrump’s pick for SG sells supplement with ingredient banned by Pentagon Trump’s new surgeon general pick deepens MAHA-MAGA riftThanks to Doctor Dreamchip for our lovely theme song!Support the show

In the 1980s, a low-sodium diet was seen as the gold standard for healthy behavior. In 2026, salt has been repackaged as “electrolytes” and is now cast as a core component of wellness. How did we get here?Also, an important correction: One pound of butter to one pound of potatoes is Joel Robuchon’s recipe.Support us:Hear bonus episodes on PatreonWatch Aubrey's documentaryBuy Aubrey's bookListen to Mike's other podcastGet Maintenance Phase T-shirts, stickers and moreLinks!The 25 Saltiest Restaurant Meals in America Facts, Issues, and Controversies in Salt Reduction for the Prevention of Cardiovascular Disease Salt Wars The INTERSALT Study: background, methods, findings, and implicationsSodium reductionSodium Intake Reduction: An Important But Elusive Public Health GoalEffects of Diet and Sodium IntakeSalt intake, stroke, and cardiovascular disease Racial and Ethnic Differences in Sodium Sources and Sodium Reduction Behaviors Among US AdultsThe Great Salt Debate: So Bad?Salt guidelines draw heavy backlashSodium Reduction in US Households’ Packaged Food and Beverage PurchasesBlood pressure lowering efficacy of angiotensin converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitors for primary hypertensionThanks to Doctor Dreamchip for our lovely theme song!Support the show

We're joined by Mike's If Books Could Kill co-host to revisit a biohacking diet book for the boys.Support us:Hear bonus episodes on PatreonWatch Aubrey's documentaryBuy Aubrey's bookListen to Mike's other podcastGet Maintenance Phase T-shirts, stickers and moreLinks!The 4-Hour BodyDoes Glycemic Index Matter for Weight Loss? An Examination of the Evidence New! Improved! Shape Up Your Life! The 4-Hour Body: The Real App You Are Working On Is An App Called YourselfThanks to Doctor Dreamchip for our lovely theme song!Support the show

What do you do when you've flamed out as a Hollywood actor, a political commentator and a wellness guru? You make a YouTube channel.Support us:Hear bonus episodes on PatreonWatch Aubrey's documentaryBuy Aubrey's bookListen to Mike's other podcastGet Maintenance Phase T-shirts, stickers and moreLinks!Russell Brand accused of rape, sexual assaults and abuseExposing Russell BrandRussell Brand And The Conspiracy GriftRussell Brand on revolutionCelebrity Capital in the Political Field: Russell Brand’s migration from stand-up comedy to Newsnight“Arthur” lawsuit against BrandBBC says it received five complaints about presenterWoman says star exposed himself to her Russell Brand, SeriouslyHow the U.S. is sabotaging its best tools to prevent deaths in the opioid epidemicRussell Brand And The Conspiracy GriftRussell Brand’s fellow travellers should defend their claims in courtThanks to Doctor Dreamchip for our lovely theme song!Support the show

Tracing the left-to-right political trajectory of the unfunniest man in British comedy.Support us:Hear bonus episodes on PatreonWatch Aubrey's documentaryBuy Aubrey's bookListen to Mike's other podcastGet Maintenance Phase T-shirts, stickers and moreLinks!Russell Brand accused of rape, sexual assaults and abuseExposing Russell BrandRussell Brand And The Conspiracy GriftRussell Brand on revolutionCelebrity Capital in the Political Field: Russell Brand’s migration from stand-up comedy to Newsnight“Arthur” lawsuit against BrandBBC says it received five complaints about presenterWoman says star exposed himself to her Russell Brand, SeriouslyHow the U.S. is sabotaging its best tools to prevent deaths in the opioid epidemicRussell Brand And The Conspiracy GriftRussell Brand’s fellow travellers should defend their claims in courtThanks to Doctor Dreamchip for our lovely theme song!Support the show

The rags-to-riches tale of how an illegal methamphetamine manufacturer became a legal methamphetamine manufacturer.Support us:Hear bonus episodes on PatreonWatch Aubrey's documentaryBuy Aubrey's bookListen to Mike's other podcastGet Maintenance Phase T-shirts, stickers and moreLinks!How the Dietary Supplement Health and Education Act of 1994 Weakened the FDAMad About MetabolifeStimulant Propels Diet EmpireThe dangers of the herb ephedra - Harvard Health An Historical Review of Steps and Missteps in the Discovery of Anti-Obesity Drugs Weight Loss the Herbal Way: No All-Natural Silver BulletOver-the-Counter-Strategy - The Washington Post Anxious Pill-Maker Puts ABC Interview on the WebA 'Neutral' Comment, a Company's Tough ReactionMetabolife Intern., Inc. v. Wornick (S.D. Cal. 1999) Ephedra hearings in the US House of Representatives Expert Panel Finds Flaws In Diet Pill Safety StudyLetter Urging a Criminal Investigation of Metabolife - Public Citizen Perspective; Regulation of Dietary Drugs Is Long OverdueNo Limit, for Now, on a Dieting SupplementU.S. Bans Dietary Supplement Linked to Number of DeathsThanks to Doctor Dreamchip for our lovely theme song!Support the show

Once widely banned, raw milk consumption is on the rise and states are repealing their bans. No one’s happier about that than the far right. How did we get here?NOTE: In the retelling of Pasteur’s early pasteurization, Aubrey misspoke! The culprit wasn’t lactic yeast, it was lactic acid bacteria. Sorry for the slip up!Support us:Hear bonus episodes on PatreonWatch Aubrey's documentaryBuy Aubrey's bookListen to Mike's other podcastGet Maintenance Phase T-shirts, stickers and moreLinks!Milk!: A 10,000 Year Food FracasU.S. Consumer surveyThe Effects of Pasteurization on VitaminsLingering Heat over Pasteurized MilkHow pasteurization improves safetySwill-Milk and Infant MortalityAlta Dena (Court case 1, Court case 2, Alta Dena's raw milk history)A Raw Milk Magnate Has Spent Years Fighting Public Health AgenciesShould This Milk Be Legal?The Amish farmer who ignited outrage over raw milkWhy Are People Promoting Raw Milk? The Quest for Raw MilkSome Raw Truths About Raw MilkRight Wing Commentators Are Pushing MisinformationHow Raw Milk Went From Hippie to MAGA Here's why raw milk drinkers need to be concerned about bird fluInfluencers promote raw milk Thanks to Doctor Dreamchip for our lovely theme song!Support the show