As we come to the end of the year, we wondered which of our health conversations had resonated most with our podcast listeners. They tuned in for conversations that challenged conventional medical wisdom, offered surprising breakthroughs, and provided practical strategies for living healthier lives. From uncovering hidden risks in everyday foods to exploring how our unconscious brain shapes our reality, these episodes sparked thousands of downloads. Have you heard them?
We analyzed our podcast download data from 2025—straight from our hosting platform’s year-to-date statistics. These ten episodes stood out as most popular. These were the health conversations that appealed most powerfully to listeners seeking evidence-based information they could actually use. Whether you caught these live on your public radio station or downloaded them later, these shows represent the best of what The People’s Pharmacy brings you each week: expert guests, cutting-edge science, and practical wisdom.
Counting down from #10 to #1, here are the most popular podcasts of 2025. If you missed any of them, now’s your chance to catch up on the health conversations everyone’s talking about.
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#10: Why Mosquitoes Bite You and How to Outsmart Them
Show 1436 https://www.peoplespharmacy.com/articles/show-1436-why-mosquitoes-bite-you-and-how-to-outsmart-them
Why are some people mosquito magnets while others rarely get bitten? Scientists studying mosquito behavior reveal the fascinating factors that make certain individuals irresistible to these disease-carrying pests. Spoiler alert: it’s not just about how “sweet” your blood is. From your blood type to your carbon dioxide output and body temperature, multiple factors influence whether mosquitoes zero in on you. For example, they can actually remember people who swat at them and avoid those individuals in the future.
Our expert guests explain effective repellents beyond DEET (including plant-based options like lemon eucalyptus oil), why mosquitoes are becoming more dangerous as climate change expands their range, and practical strategies to protect yourself from diseases like West Nile virus, dengue, and eastern equine encephalitis. If you’re planning any outdoor time or just tired of being the person who gets eaten alive at every barbecue, this episode offers science-backed solutions you can use immediately
#9: Why Modern Life Breaks Our Brains and What We Can Do About It
Sixty million Americans suffer from depression or anxiety, and it often feels like modern conditions are specifically designed to undermine our mental health. Psychiatrist Dr. Drew Ramsey joins us to explain why pharmaceutical approaches, while helpful short-term, aren’t the complete answer. He also suggests options we can use to build genuine resilience instead of just managing symptoms.
Dr. Ramsey provides nine science-backed tenets for reclaiming robust mental fitness, from nutritional psychiatry principles to the importance of unburdening yourself from past trauma (even minor childhood experiences that still trip you up today). He explains how finding purpose, practicing gratitude, and tweaking our neurochemistry through simple lifestyle changes can be more powerful than we realize. If you’re feeling overwhelmed by modern life or know someone who is, this conversation offers hope and practical strategies that go far beyond “just take a pill.” The skills we need for mental fitness exist; we just need to learn and practice them.
#8: Uncovering the Dark Secrets of Johnson & Johnson
Show 1430 https://www.peoplespharmacy.com/articles/show-1430-uncovering-the-dark-secrets-of-johnson-johnson
How did one of America’s most trusted companies sell talcum powder containing asbestos for decades while maintaining its sterling reputation? Investigative journalist Gardiner Harris, author of “No More Tears,” reveals the disturbing story behind Johnson’s Baby Powder and exposes how Johnson & Johnson’s business practices put profits ahead of safety.
This conversation goes beyond baby powder to examine Tylenol’s hidden dangers—the fact that the recommended dose and the maximum safe dose of acetaminophen are dangerously close together, creating serious overdose risks, especially when people take multiple products containing this ingredient. Harris also discusses the relationships between drug companies and the FDA, revealing how user fees and other mechanisms may compromise regulatory oversight. If you’ve ever wondered how pharmaceutical companies can get away with selling products that harm consumers, this eye-opening interview provides disturbing answers and reminds us why independent watchdogs like The People’s Pharmacy matter.
#7: Dr. Mark Hyman’s Secrets for Living Your Longest, Healthiest Life
Show 1427 https://www.peoplespharmacy.com/articles/show-1427-secrets-for-living-your-longest-healthiest-life
Functional medicine pioneer Dr. Mark Hyman explains how to close the gap between your chronological age and your biological age. Yes, it’s possible to actually reverse your biological age by several years, as he did in his early 40s. His latest book, “Young Forever,” isn’t about wishful thinking; it’s grounded in understanding the seven core biological systems that determine whether we age with vitality or decline with age.
Dr. Hyman breaks down these systems—from nutrient assimilation and the microbiome to detoxification, energy production, circulation, and cellular structure—explaining how inflammation drives most chronic diseases and how we can reduce it through food choices, physical activity, and appropriate stress. (Here’s a surprise: some stress is actually beneficial). He shares insights from the Blue Zones where people routinely live active lives past 100. If you want practical strategies to maximize your healthspan, not just your lifespan, you’ll want to listen up. Some people have even reversed conditions like type 2 diabetes and psoriatic arthritis using these principles. If you’re serious about aging well, this conversation is essential listening.
#6: Is Lp(a) the Heart Risk No One Talks About?
Show 1421 https://www.peoplespharmacy.com/articles/show-1421-is-lpa-the-heart-risk-no-one-talks-about
You know your cholesterol number, but have you ever heard of lipoprotein(a) or Lp(a)? This blood lipid may be equally dangerous when elevated, yet most doctors never test for it and patients remain completely unaware. Up to 25% of the population has elevated levels, compared to just 6% with severely elevated LDL cholesterol, yet Lp(a) flies under the radar.
Dr. Sam Tsimikas, one of the country’s leading experts on this overlooked risk factor, explains why Lp(a) matters so much: elevated levels increase risk for blood clots, inflammation, heart attacks, strokes, peripheral artery disease, and even calcification of heart valves. The frustrating part? Cardiologists’ favorite drugs, statins, actually raise Lp(a) levels. Consequently, many heart patients are essentially driving with one foot on the gas and one on the brake. New medications are in development that can drop Lp(a) by 80%, but they’re not yet FDA-approved. In the meantime, Dr. Tsimikas shares what you can do if you discover your levels are high, including discussions about aspirin, niacin, and controlling other risk factors you can influence. This conversation could literally save your life
#5: The Hidden Power of the Unconscious Brain
Show 1428 https://www.peoplespharmacy.com/articles/show-1428-the-hidden-power-of-the-unconscious-brain
Your conscious mind processes about 200 bits of information per second. Your unconscious brain? Eleven million bits per second. Neurosurgeon Dr. Allan Hamilton spent decades restoring ailing brains and has learned that the vast majority of our brain’s work happens completely outside our awareness. It’s far more powerful than most of us realize.
Dr. Hamilton shares fascinating discoveries about what happens in “unconscious” patients (they’re processing far more than doctors once thought), explains how intuition and premonitions may actually be our unconscious brain picking up signals we can’t consciously perceive, and discusses why multitasking is largely a myth—we’re just rapidly switching attention, usually ineffectively. He even ventures into controversial territory like remote viewing and the ability of some individuals to influence random number generators. Whether you’re skeptical or intrigued by these edges of neuroscience, this conversation will change how you think about consciousness, decision-making, and the untapped capabilities of your own mind. It’s a reminder that we understand far less about the brain than we think we do.
#4: How to Love Your Liver and Protect its Superpowers
Most Americans give little thought to their livers until something goes badly wrong. Yet this master organ performs hundreds of essential functions—filtering toxins, processing nutrients, storing energy for emergencies, and transforming dangerous chemicals into compounds your body can safely excrete. When it fails, everything fails. Two liver specialists explain how to protect this hardworking organ.
The advice might surprise you: drink black coffee (it fights inflammation and early-stage fibrosis), avoid excess acetaminophen (Tylenol can cause serious liver damage, especially with chronic use or when combined with alcohol), and be cautious with supposedly healthy supplements—green tea extract, turmeric pills, kratom, and ashwagandha have all caused liver injuries in people trying to improve their health. The key? Drink green tea and eat curry rather than taking concentrated extracts. You’ll also learn why ultra-processed foods and alcohol overload the liver’s detoxifying capacity, and why the fatty liver epidemic is becoming one of medicine’s most urgent concerns. Love your liver! You can’t live without it.
#3: Finding Your Exercise Prescription for Life
Show 1414 https://www.peoplespharmacy.com/articles/show-1414-finding-your-exercise-prescription-for-life
Exercise physiologists Dr. Benjamin Levine and Dr. Claudio Battaglini reveal research that should make everyone rethink their relationship with physical activity: three weeks of bed rest damages fitness more than 30 years of normal aging. That’s how critical movement is to maintaining health. Yet most people struggle to make exercise a consistent habit. These experts explain how to change that.
Dr. Battaglini’s specialty is cancer patients, and his results are remarkable. Personalized exercise prescriptions help patients feel better during treatment, recover faster, and sometimes even live longer. Dr. Levine advocates for structured intensity training like the Norwegian 4×4 protocol (four minutes vigorous exercise, then three minutes rest, repeated four times). In addition, you’ll want to embrace activities you genuinely enjoy. The message is clear: the best exercise is the one you’ll actually do, whether that’s tennis, dancing, walking, or swimming. The guests also discuss the recent thinking on appropriate activity after a heart attack (start moving immediately in the hospital, contrary to old advice). You’ll also find out how to maintain fitness while injured, and why accountability—through friends, trainers, or group classes—makes all the difference. Make physical activity part of your daily routine, just like brushing your teeth.
#2: The Cooking Oil Controversy Spotlights Cancer
Show 1420 https://www.peoplespharmacy.com/articles/the-cooking-oil-controversy-spotlights-cancer
For decades, health authorities told Americans to replace butter and animal fats with vegetable oils rich in polyunsaturated fatty acids. Lower cholesterol, they said. Protect your heart. But new research suggests we may have made a catastrophic mistake: aseed oils high in omega-6 fatty acids could be contributing to rising cancer rates.
Dr. William Aronson’s research shows that diets high in corn oil accelerate prostate cancer growth, while Dr. Timothy Yeatman’s work reveals that colorectal tumors thrive in the pro-inflammatory environments created by excessive omega-6 consumption. The modern American diet has shifted the omega-6 to omega-3 ratio from a pre-industrial 4:1 to today’s alarming 20:1, and this imbalance may be fueling inflammation throughout the body. The scientists explain why minimizing fried foods, cooking oils, bottled dressings, and processed foods matters. You’ll also find out why olive oil, with its omega-9 fatty acids and polyphenols, emerges as a clear winner. This conversation will make you rethink every oil in your kitchen and reconsider what “heart healthy” really means.
#1: Stopping Strokes: How to Reduce Your Risk of a Brain Attack
Nearly 800,000 Americans suffer a stroke each year, killing more people than you might imagine and leaving countless others with lasting disabilities. Yet many strokes could be prevented, if you understood and addressed the risk factors. Neuroanatomist Dr. Jill Bolte Taylor shares her personal experience with a hemorrhagic stroke, describing what it feels like as your brain essentially short-circuits. Neurologist Dr. Matthew Schrag explains what you need to know to protect yourself.
The most powerful preventive measure? Controlling blood pressure, which can reduce stroke risk by about 70%. But there are also other critical factors: atrial fibrillation (which causes blood to pool and clot), certain medications that either weaken blood vessels (like fluoroquinolones) or increase clotting risk (NSAIDs combined with birth control pills). When stroke symptoms appear, we need to act quickly to get rapid treatment urgently. New interventions like devices that can fish clots out of blood vessels and surgical procedures that eliminate pockets where blood pools in the heart are showing great promise. This episode could help you recognize warning signs, understand your personal risk factors and take action before it’s too late. Given how common and devastating strokes are, this information could literally be lifesaving.
Keep the Conversation Going:
These ten episodes are just a small fraction of the valuable health conversations we share every week on The People’s Pharmacy. Our radio shows and podcasts bring you interviews with leading researchers, breakthrough studies explained in plain English, and practical advice you can use immediately, all free and available whenever you want to listen.
If you enjoyed these shows, please consider leaving a rating or review on your podcast platform. Every review helps other health-conscious listeners discover our show. And if you know someone who would benefit from evidence-based health information delivered in an accessible, trustworthy way, share this list with them. Knowledge is most valuable when it’s shared.
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Here’s to your health in 2026, one podcast episode at a time.
