Best Science Medicine Podcast - BS without the BS

The Best Science (BS) Medicine Podcast is a weekly presentation where practitioners can get evidence-based drug therapy content that is practical, entertaining and promotes healthy scepticism. In essence, we are the Medication Mythbusters. We present information that is useful and relevant to physicians, pharmacists, nurses, physician assistants and other health professionals, and that can easily be incorporated into day-to-day practice. The podcast is presented by Dr. James McCormack, Professor in the Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences at the University of British Columbia and Dr Michael Allan, Associate Professor in the Department of Family Practice at the University of Alberta. For more about us and to get the show notes for each episode, visit our website at www.bsmedicine.com or www.medicationmythbusters.com

Episode 590: PREMIUM – 3 publications with possibly surprising results

In episode 590, Mike and James talk in a PREMIUM way about a new trial that looked at the question, does depression screening provide any benefit in primary care? We also go over a case-finding publication on screening for asthma/COPD. At the end we look at, does implementing guideline care improve outcomes for CKD? The […]

11-11
26:33

Episode 589: Vitamin D and Fracture Prevention: Not what it’s cracked up to be?

In episode 589, Mike and James invite Jennifer Young back to the podcast again to talk about a topic that Mike absolutely loves – Vitamin D for everyone. Tune in to hear about all the latest, and the older, evidence. Do you agree we should remove the question mark from the podcast title? Show notes […]

10-28
27:24

Episode 588: Strategies for initiating insulin in type 2 diabetes

In episode 588, Mike and James invite Émélie Braschi back to the podcast to discuss another tricky area – insulin in type 2 diabetes and how to use it. Do we need to give it once a day, twice a day or maybe no times a day? Tune in to hear about all the evidence. […]

10-15
25:59

Episode 587: Mission Slimpossible – Oral GLP-1 agonists for weight loss

In episode 587, Mike and James invite Adrienne Lindblad back to the podcast to go over all the evidence we have for the oral GLP-1 weight loss medications. You know you are going to get lots of questions about these medications so tune in to find out all the numbers around the benefit and potential […]

10-01
23:42

Episode 586: It’s time to challenge penicillin allergy labels

In episode 586, Mike and James invite Émélie Braschi back to the podcast to talk about the tricky issue of how to deal with a potential penicillin allergy. Believe it or not there are a couple of RCTs looking at this issue. These two trials compared oral challenge alone to skin testing followed (if negative) […]

09-17
29:08

Episode 584: Remind me, do medications that target brain amyloid improve my dementia?

In episode 584, Mike and James invite Tina Korownyk back to the podcast to talk about the evidence for amyloid-targeting monoclonal antibodies in mild cognitive impairment or Alzheimer’s dementia. Unfortunately, the evidence shows these medications don’t seem to have a clinically important effect and do have some harms. Have a listen as we give you […]

09-02
32:58

Episode 583: Reducing the risk associated with risk calculators – PART II

In episode 583, Mike and James continue to go over the issues associated with using CVD risk calculators. We talk about some of the limitations, how to think about the results and explain the risks and benefits to patients. Show notes PEER Simplified Cardiovascular Decision Aid Incorporation of Shared Decision-Making in International Cardiovascular Guidelines, 2012-2022 […]

08-26
37:03

Episode 582: Reducing the risk associated with risk calculators

In episode 582, Mike and James go over the issues associated with using CVD risk calculators. We talk about where the numbers come from, what they mean, what their limitations are, how to think about them and how to use them. So have a listen as it may decrease your risk but it will definitely […]

08-17
29:52

Episode 581: Antibiotics or no antibiotics for acute diverticulitis, that is the question!

In episode 581, Mike and James invite Mike Kolber back to the podcast for the umpteenth time – this time we talk about a topic we haven’t discussed before – acute diverticulitis. Historically, if a person has diverticulitis they were given antibiotics BUT do they really do anything? We look at all the evidence and […]

08-08
28:10

Episode 580: (A)dressing the Christmas Tree? Therapies for pityriasis rosea

In episode 580, Mike and James invite Jennifer Young to talk about the treatment of pityriasis rosea. Believe it or not there are 2 simple treatments that seem to work really quite well. Tune in to hear what works and how well they work. Show notes Tools for Practice (A)dressing the Christmas Tree? Therapies for […]

07-26
24:11

Episode 579: Oral Calcitonin Gene-related Peptide Antagonists: A painfully long name for the acute treatment of migraines

In episode 579, Mike and James invite Nicholas Dugré back to the podcast to talk about the evidence around the benefits and harms of a new class of medications for the acute treatment of episodic migraines. Ubrogepant is an oral calcitonin gene-related peptide antagonist. In this case, amazing as it may sound, there are triple […]

07-22
28:26

Episode 578: Making a difference in indifference? Medications for apathy in dementia

In episode 578, Mike, James and Jennifer Potter try to answer the question, in patients with dementia, how safe and effective are stimulants, antidepressants, and antipsychotics for treating apathy? We look at the evidence for methylphenidate, antipsychotics, and antidepressants so tune in to find out if any of these treatments have any sort of effect […]

06-24
24:52

Episode 577: Looking for Closure: Managing simple excisions or wounds efficiently

In episode 577, Mike and James invite Jennifer Young to join us to go over all the evidence around how best to close punch biopsies, lacerations and incisions. We go over all the evidence for sutures (absorbable/nonabsorbable), skin glue, and tape. We look at cosmesis, patient satisfaction, and infection rates so have a listen and […]

06-17
37:12

Episode 576: Acne – the evidence for antibiotics

In episode 576, James, Mike, and Jamie continue to review the evidence for acne treatments. In this podcast, we examine if antibiotics work and we find they do have an effect. Check out the podcast for all the numbers. Show notes Tools for Practice Facing the Evidence in Acne, Part II: Oral Antibiotics Tools for […]

05-31
26:03

Episode 575: Acne – the evidence for oral contraceptives and spironolactone

In episode 575, James and Mike invite Jamie Falk back to the podcast to help us sift through all the evidence for using oral contraceptives and spironolactone to treat acne. We find that they actually do work. We go over all the numbers for the benefits and harms. Have a listen. Show notes Tools for […]

05-27
25:56

Episode 574: Any berry good solutions to preventing UTIs: Cranberries?

In episode 574, James and Mike invite Jennifer Young back to the podcast to help us yet again look at the evidence for cranberries and the prevention of UTI’s. Unfortunately, there is a problem with the evidence as there is a high risk-of-bias from potential publication bias, small studies, and unblinding. However, if we look […]

05-10
30:46

Episode 573: Overcoming Resistance: Antipsychotics for difficult to treat depression

In episode 573, James and Mike invite Jamie Falk back to the podcast to help us simplify all the evidence around using antipsychotics for difficult to treat depression. They do seem to “work”, but you really need to know the numbers around what “work” means. At the end of the podcast, you will! Show notes […]

05-03
34:29

Episode 572: Preventing RSV Infections in Infants

In episode 572, James and Mike invite Samantha Moe back to the podcast to go over the evidence around the safety and effectiveness of the monoclonal antibodies used to reduce the risk of respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) infections in infants. We go over all the numbers for hospitalizations and death so you can make evidence-informed […]

04-19
25:29

Episode 570: Statistics made simple and relevant – we promise – PART III

In episode 570, James and Mike finish their trilogy on statistics. We take what we discussed in the previous podcasts and go through a couple of examples that will hopefully solidify what all the terms and numbers really mean. Show Notes 1) Sensible Medicine Doing statistics can be difficult but understanding them can be fairly […]

04-07
35:22

Episode 569: Statistics made simple and relevant – we promise – PART II

In episode 569, James and Mike continue to go over what statistics really show – we focus on what inferential statistics can and cannot do, what a p value means and more importantly what it doesn’t mean. And yes we try to keep all this stat stuff on a realistic and practical level – easier […]

03-28
30:13

Shawna

love the humor in this episode!!

04-21 Reply

Shawna

helpful episode !! thank you

01-04 Reply

Brianne Hartman

not your best episode. The part of alternative prophylactic therapies was not at all clear.

10-02 Reply

monnie🤬

I have COPD and this is my first time....Now its my last.Next time, stop laughing.

12-22 Reply

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