
Show Notes
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 calcium. What is calcium, and what does it do in the body? How important is it for our health? How do we maintain healthy levels of calcium? They also examine how calcium interacts with vitamin D, whether we need calcium and vitamin D supplements, how calcium plays a part in bone health and how we can strengthen our bones. Joining them to discuss this is Dr Sagen Zac-Varghese, a consultant in Diabetes, Endocrinology and General Internal Medicine, specialising in diabetic kidney disease and metabolic bone disease. She is also the Undergraduate Tutor at the East and North Herts NHS Trust and an Honorary Lecturer and Senior Clinical Teaching Fellow at Imperial College London and at UCL medical school. 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 Sagen Zac-Varghese Producer: Maia Miller Lewis Executive Producer: Rami Tzabar Editor: Jo Rowntree Researcher: Mili Ostojic Tech Lead: Reuben Huxtable Video Producer: Leon Gower Digital Lead: Richard Berry Composer: Phoebe McFarlane Sound Design: Melvin Rickarby At the BBC: Assistant Commissioner: Greg Smith Commissioning Editor: Rhian Roberts A Loftus Media production for BBC Radio 4
More from What's Up Docs?
Doctors Chris and Xand van Tulleken continue their conversation about osteoarthritis with Professor Tonia Vincent, Director of the Centre for Osteoarthritis Pathogenesis and professor of musculoskeletal biology at University of Oxford. They talk more about what happens inside the joints when you have arthritis, how Tonia got into this line of study, and why this area of medicine is in the process of transformation and how this may lead to changes in other areas of medicine. If you’d like to share your thoughts on this or any other topic covered on the podcast, you can email us at [email protected]. Presenters: Drs Chris and Xand van Tulleken Guest: Professor Tonia Vincent Producer: Claire Justin Executive Producer: Rami Tzabar Researcher: Claire Justin Tech Lead: Reuben Huxtable Visual Producer: Leon Gower Digital Lead: Richard Berry Composer: Phoebe McFarlane Sound Design: Olga Reed At the BBC: Assistant Commissioner: Greg Smith Commissioning Editor: Rhian Roberts A Loftus Media production for BBC Radio 4.
Welcome to What’s Up Docs?, the podcast where identical twin doctors Chris and Xand van Tulleken cut through the confusion around every aspect of our health and wellbeing. In this episode they look into the incredibly common joint disease, osteoarthritis. Known as the wear and tear disease, around a sixth of the population suffers from a form of osteoarthritis but why do most of us get it? And what can we do to manage it? To help answer these questions they are joined by Professor Tonia Vincent, Director of the Centre for Osteoarthritis Pathogenesis and professor of musculoskeletal biology at University of Oxford. If you’d like to share your thoughts on this or any other topic covered on the podcast, you can email us at [email protected]. Presenters: Drs Chris and Xand van Tulleken Guest: Professor Tonia Vincent Producer: Claire Justin Executive Producer: Rami Tzabar Researcher: Claire Justin Tech Lead: Reuben Huxtable Visual Producer: Leon Gower Digital Lead: Richard Berry Composer: Phoebe McFarlane Sound Design: Olga Reed At the BBC: Assistant Commissioner: Greg Smith Commissioning Editor: Rhian Roberts A Loftus Media production for BBC Radio 4
In this Doctor's Notes episode of What's Up Docs?, Chris and Xand van Tulleken continue their conversation with Professor Tess McPherson, Consultant Dermatologist at Oxford University Hospitals. Together, they explore the emotional side of acne, discussing why a visible skin condition can have such a profound effect on confidence and mental health. They look at how social media, filtered images and skincare influencers have shaped expectations around "perfect skin", and whether there is a particular stigma attached to adult acne. The conversation also turns to skincare treatment. If you'd like to share your thoughts on this or any other topic covered on the podcast, you can email us at [email protected]. Presenters: Drs Chris and Xand van Tulleken Guest: Professor Tess McPherson Producer: Dr Samara Linton Researcher: Grace Revill Executive Producer: Rami Tzabar Editor: Jo Rowntree Visual Producer: Leon Gower Technical Lead: Reuben Huxtable Digital Lead: Richard Berry Composer: Phoebe McFarlane Sound Design: Melvin Rickarby At the BBC: Assistant Commissioner: Greg Smith Commissioning Editor: Rhian Roberts A 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 explore the ideas shaping our health and wellbeing. In this episode, they turn their attention to acne, a condition that affects most people at some point in their lives, yet remains surrounded by myths and misinformation. Joined by Professor Tess McPherson, Consultant Dermatologist at Oxford University Hospitals, they explore what causes acne, why it is so common during the teenage years, and why it can continue well into adulthood. The conversation also covers the treatments available, from over-the-counter products to prescription medicines, including what the evidence tells us about their benefits and risks. If you want to get in touch, you can email us at [email protected] Presenters: Drs Chris and Xand van Tulleken Guest: Professor Tess McPherson Producer: Dr Samara Linton Researcher: Grace Revill Executive Producer: Rami Tzabar Editor: Jo Rowntree Visual Producer: Leon Gower Technical Lead: Reuben Huxtable Digital Lead: Richard Berry Composer: Phoebe McFarlane Sound Design: Melvin Rickarby At the BBC: Assistant Commissioner: Greg Smith Commissioning Editor: Rhian Roberts A Loftus Media production for BBC Radio 4
Chris and Xand van Tulleken continue their conversation with Dr Cathy Stannard, clinical lead of the pain transformation programme at NHS Gloucestershire Integrated Care Board and the clinical lead for the NICE guideline on chronic pain. Together, they take a closer look at chronic pain, exploring what happens when pain persists beyond the original injury. The conversation also explores how chronic pain is treated. They discuss why medical treatments that work well for acute pain may be less effective for chronic pain and the evidence for approaches such as psychological therapies and social support. They also tackle some of the misconceptions surrounding pain. If you'd like to share your thoughts on this or any other topic covered on the podcast, you can email us at [email protected] Presenters: Drs Chris and Xand van Tulleken Guest: Dr Cathy Stannard Producer: Maia Miller-Lewis Researcher: Grace Revill Executive Producer: Rami Tzabar Editor: Jo Rowntree Visual Producer: Leon Gower Technical Lead: Reuben Huxtable Digital Lead: Richard Berry Composer: Phoebe McFarlane Sound Design: Melvin Rickarby At the BBC: Assistant Commissioner: Greg Smith Commissioning Editor: Rhian Roberts A Loftus Media production for BBC Radio 4.