Hello Poison Friends! We are starting a series of sorts concerning the human experimentation that took place during WWII within the prison/concentrations camps of Nazi Germany and at Unit 731 in Japan. Before we jump into the details of these experiments, however, I think we need to go over the major philosophy that drove the atrocities of the Holocaust forward and allowed mankind to do such things to others.
Eugenics is now defined as a pseudoscience, but it had a big following in the late 1800s and early-mid 1900s, even among prominent scientists and politicians. There were Eugenics societies, publications, education centers, and even events like "Better Baby Contests." The term was coined by Charles Darwin's cousin, Francis Galton, who took "survival of the fittest," and "natural selection" to an extreme Charles himself did not approve of (or at least he did not encourage it). In his view, different races fit on a sort of hierarchal pyramid with white men sitting up at the top. He and other eugenicists like him, beleived this idea that humans and people groups can be perfected through genetics and trait inheritance. You can see where this is going, I am sure. Eugenics developed from such thinking further into such ideas as "racial hygiene" and defending against "race deterioration."
So, racism and the discrimination of those deemed unfit (physically or mentally disabled people, those with mental health disorders, those of a different race than caucasian, women labeled as promiscuous or hysterical or "feebleminded," etc.). Whole societies of racist white men were writing up propaganda against those they decided were "unfit." As a result, actual laws requiring the sterilization of those institutionalized were put into place, first in Indiana then another 29 states by the 1930s. This all sounds awful now, but it was becoming the popular opinion of the day, and not just in England and American. This ridiculous ideology spread from nation to nation. It was also prominent in Germany around the same time it was growing strong in America.
When Hitler rose to power, he created various kinds of prison camps for those deemed "unfit" in his and his followers' view. Jewish peoples, blacks living in the area, Romani peoples, disabled people or those unable to work, and Germans who disagreed with their ways. He and his followers sought to exterminate all of those deemed unworthy or unfit in their eyes. Knowing this, we can see how they thought experimenting on these groups of people was fine. In their minds, these were not "fit human beings" and they were doomed to die anyway. Millions of people were tortured, starved, experimented on and killed as a result of this ideology, and it was more prevalent in other nations like American than most know.
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Hello Poison Friends! It was still Spooky Season while I was researching for this episode, so we are still on this spooky stuff! This week, I want to talk about a controversial couple who claimed to be self taught demonologists and paranormal experts. Ed and Lorraine Warren are famous for investigating such hauntings as those seen in the Conjuring series, Annabelle, and the Amityville haunting. These are not the only cases they worked on, but it is their most famous.
You may have already noticed, but Adam is not with me today. He is sick with a not so fun cold, and one of my besties, Lynn Rockett has been kind enough to take his place for this episode. She knows horror movies like the ones we are mentioning so this will be fun.
Annabelle, as many of you may already know, is considered to be a cursed or possessed doll with a violent history--if you believe the Warren's stories, at least. This doll has reportedly moved on its own, written ominous notes, somehow stained itself with what looks like blood, and has even attacked a select few directly and indirectly. One of the Warren's stories claims the doll has killed at least one person while in their possession.
The Warrens also worked on the hauntings of he Perron in Rhode Island and a family in Enfield, England. The two separate incidents boasted similar happenings such as strange noises, moving furniture, and basic assault of those living in the homes. There are skeptics who believe the Warrens involvement in these cases were based on fraud, exaggeration, or straight up lies, so let's cover the details and witness accounts on all sides.
Finally, we need to cover the Amityville haunting. Before we do, however, we need to briefly go over the DeFeo murders that took place in the house where the hauntings were said to have occurred. When the Lutz family moved in little over a year after the brutal crime that took place there, they started experiencing strange sensations and sounds. This escalated to phenomena such as levitation, swarms of flies, and smells and stains showing up in random places. Even this case had its skeptics however, and there were some interesting confessions that came later.
The Warrens were well known for their paranormal investigations and their occult museum. It was not until after Ed's death, however, that some controversies worse than lies and fraud about demons and hauntings would come out, and much of the truth about them still feels hidden.
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Hello Poison Friends! We are less than a week away from Halloween and I did not want to miss a chance to talk about an old urban legend dealing with trick or treaters being poisoned via the candy they collect. Stories of varying characters and settings, but the same plot, have traveled around and have caused a lot of fear among parents and children alike. In this episode, we are covering a specific case that encouraged the "poisoned Halloween candy" myths to a new level.
In 1974, near Houston, TX, Timothy O'Bryan was 8 years old when he ate some Pixie Stix candy powder and died less than an hour later after vomiting and convulsing. He didn't even make it to the hospital. According to the boys father, this Pixie Stix, along with four others he had given to his daughter, a neighbor's two children, and a child he had known from their church, was given to him by a man in a house they had visited during trick or treating that evening. Mr. O'Bryan claimed that he waited at the door even after his children and neighbors ran to the next house and after a moment the door opened in the dark and an arm handed the candy to him. He stated he saw no face or other features. Just an arm in the dark.
This story struck fear into the hearts of those living nearby, of course, but it ended with a horrifying twist.
Along with this story, we are discussing some similar incidents and the outcomes of them as well as whether poison was the cause or not.
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Hello Poison Friends! Lets talk more vampires! This episode we need to discuss the fictional Count Dracula's namesake, Vlad III or Vlad Dracula, who is also known as Vlad the Impaler. I am going to go ahead and include a trigger warning here for some violence and gory details, but I am including timestamps here for those who want the history while skipping over these more gruesome parts:
36:00-37:07-- Violent/disturbing death mention.
49:54-51:24-- Violence, mentions + details of death via impalement.
36:00-37:03--Violence and more impalement details + Other mentions of torture and murder (concerning adults and children), including cannibalism.
46:03-46:27-- Violent nature of Vlad Dracula's death and treatment of his corpse.
Okay, so obviously Vlad III/Dracula did some pretty messed up stuff during his lifetime and reign over Wallachia. We are covering his history as well as a bit of his father, Vlad II's, to try to understand him a little better as well as why he makes for good horror character inspiration. There is a lot of political turmoil and drama involved here between nations such as Hungary, Wallachia, Transylvania, Moldavia, and of course the Ottoman Empire. We will be mentioning the many alliances and betrayals as well. In all of the drama, Vlad III created a name for himself as a ruthless soldier, using Guerrilla warfare tactics at times and brutalizing enemy soldiers and civilians. He found pleasure in impaling people alive and watching them suffer and he enjoyed burning down homes and whole villages. He was known to strike fear into invading armies by making sure they encountered thousands of impaled corpses, staked up high, on their way to him. Many of the accounts we have of his life and reign (technically "reigns", because he was removed from power a few times and then took power back), are from 15th century accounts from various sources such as monasteries, letters, eye witness accounts, war records, etc. His nickname, Vlad the Impaler, was certainly earned.
I also wanted to talk about some vampire legends we have here in the US. The two I am bringing to you are from New Orleans, LA, where the very air seems supernatural and superstition is a way of life. There we come by the story of Jacques St. Germain, who gave lavish dinner parties for fellow wealthy, aristocratic folks in the area. He never ate at these parties, though, and there were rumors of him that have since formed into legend.
Another vampire tale from the area involves the "Casket Girls," who immigrated from France in the 18th century to find husbands. Or at least that was what their claim was. This legend is based on the filles a la cassette who did indeed travel to the area around that time, but somewhere down the line, the word "cassette" became "casquette" and then mistranslated to "casket."
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Hello Poison Friends! We are still on our spooky kick for the season here and I want to discuss the history behind vampires. We have mentioned some vampire scares here before when discussing tuberculosis, because the disease did carry some superstition behind it in some parts of the world. However, the idea of undead or spiritual entities eating human flesh or drinking blood has been around for centuries. There have been many words for such a beast in various cultures and stories worldwide, so we are touching on a few notable ones that gave rise to the vampire myths and characters that we know today.
That being said, we need to mention some real figures from history that inspired such characters as Bram Stoker's Dracula, a character we all associate with early modern vampires. This episode we are talking about the Countess Elizabeth Báthory, or as you may know her, the Blood Countess. She was said to have bathed in the blood of young virgins she killed to keep herself looking youthful, but how much of this story is true? There are witness statements and trial records of her crimes of torturing and killing young girls and women that she specifically invited to her manor, from both peasant and noble families. Among these records it is written by servants/witnesses that she tortured and murdered between 36-51 girls. Another witness counted up to 80 and still another was told of a register of 650 women killed by the bloody Countess. Obviously, there will be some mentions of torture, gore (nothing too descriptive mind you), and murder. So trigger warning for at least the second half of this episode!
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Hello Poison Friends! We are bringing you all more spooky season episodes! This one features good ole Appalachia and its spooky history and folklore. This is a huge area involving the Blue Ridge Mountains, Smoky Mountains, Allegheny Mountains, etc. The North, Central, and South Appalachians for ease, here, as it runs through thirteen states technically. This mountain range is older than trees themselves, and now they are covered in them. The forests are old and there are a lot of stories about what lives among them. Traditions, customs, and folklore from the Native Americans, early European settlers, and those forced to come here via the African slave trade have collided and melded together to form a unique culture full of superstition and ritual.
Even some of the flora is super creepy, but beautiful. The ghost pipe plant (my favorite) and the Jack O'Lantern mushroom are two excellent examples of the spooky and toxic nature in the area. There are plenty of other poisonous plants we have mentioned before as well.
Most who live in the Appalachian area or nearby know about the rules for the area. Do not whistle at night. Do not venture into the forest at night. If you hear your name being called...no you don't. Lets go over these rules and the spooky reasons behind them, as well as some other fun superstitions of the Appalachian region (at least the South and Central).
We have to cover some of the many cryptids mentioned throughout the area. Some claim that the reasons behind some of the rules/superstitions there involve inhuman beings, evil spirits, and perhaps the devil himself. We are covering Mothman for one, but also the not deer as well as its similarities to some Native American cryptids that lure victims to themselves via mimicry and familiarity.
Before being driven out of their ancestral lands, the Cherokee tribes living in the area told many stories about the land, mentioning several beings that lived in the surrounding mountains and forests. They had their own fairies of sort, who they called Nunne'Hi or "little people," and some were good while others were more complicated. They spoke of the moon-eyed people, the Wampus Cat, and spirit with the wings and cry of a raven that tormented the sick and dying so they could eat their hearts, and a terrifying witch known for eating the livers of children.
The Appalachian region is huge and full of forests, abandoned mining towns, trails marked for visitors, and more forests. It is vast and easy to get lost in, if you are unfamiliar with the area, with little to no hope of anything good finding you. As such, it is easy to blame such mythical beings and superstitions for disappearances and misfortunes. Who knows, maybe there is some truth to some of these after all.
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Hey, Poison Friends! It is Spooky Season! So let's celebrate with some spookier content, shall we? No trigger warnings this episode for gore or violence or anything too scary. Should any of our episodes this season involve such content, I will say so here in the notes!
Today, I want to walk you through a history of curses and provide some examples of such. What is a curse and who came up with the idea? They have been around for as long as people have lived among each other and have provided them with an explanation of misfortune or even used to process mislaid justice. We are going way back, to Assyrian Kings, the ancient Greeks & Romans, ancient Egypt, religious works of Judaism, Islam, and Christianity, medieval Europe, colonial America, and other parts of the world such as Asian countries, Central and South America, etc. There was a lot to cover and I did my best to crunch it all in here along with some well known curses that have survived to modern times, like that of the evil eye.
Y'all know I could not just leave it there. We are discussing some examples of curses that may befall those who steal from the land itself. Pele's curse concerning the history and natural resources of Hawaii being disrespected is one such example. Another is that of the Petrified Forest in Arizona. Note: it is illegal to steal/take any piece of a national forest away. Both of these historic and beautiful places have seen the effects of these curses in the form of letters and the return of rocks and sand and wood. These letters tell stories of misery and even tragedy that those who took these artifacts experienced after the fact. The senders express hope that by apologizing and sending the pieces back, their luck may change. If you really need that souvenir in the form of a piece of the land, be warned, because it may be the curse that gets you.
We'll cover some examples of plants associated with various curses as well, so come along and learn something spooky with us.
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Hey Poison Friends! I know I promised a lot for this one episode, including West Nile, Zika, EEE, and Malaria. The truth is, malaria is just a huge topic on its own and instead of keeping you all here for hours at one time, we are discussing malaria in all of its old and new world glory, so to speak. I will be adding an extra bonus on our Patreon later this week that will be free for all for those still interested in West Nile/Zika, so come check that out there.
The parasite that causes malaria is actually older than us humans and since humans entered the scene, they have been our nemesis. Mosquitoes are known to be, historically, the deadliest animal simply because of how many people have died due to malaria that they have transmitted.
We are discussing the history of humankind vs mosquito/malaria and how various people groups of different eras attempted to deal with the disease. From the ancient Egyptians, to the Greeks, the Romans, ancient China, and those living throughout the middle ages in Europe. Previous notions were that malaria came from "bad air" and, in fact, the name comes from the Italian for "bad air." The Miasma and Humors theories were still prevalent in medicine, of course, until the true means of infection were discovered in the late 1800s.
Also, we cannot leave out its historic prevalence in Africa and its later history among the American colonies, the Native Americans (indigenous groups in North and South America), Oceania, and among and throughout the African slave trade. History has been a doozy, lets be honest, and mosquitoes (and malaria) have witnessed it all. They even had their effects on historical events like the Fall of Rome, the Revolutionary War, Civil War, WWII, etc. We are delving into the science as well, discussing who discovered its causal agent and who found how it was transmitted via mosquito.
Needless to say, the war with malaria has been awful through the centuries and in Sub-Saharan Africa, it still is. The disease is also still prevalent in Southeast Asia and in South America. So what have been the historic methods of treatment and how far have we come in this fight?
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Hey Poison Friends! We are just starting to feel the slightest edges of Fall/Autumn here. It is more like “false Fall” as we call it, because the temps here will hit the 90s again before it actually gets cooler. I mention this, in part, because I love fall and spooky season and because I am looking forward to the demise of critters like mosquitoes.
Mosquitoes are famously known as the deadliest critter on our planet, simply because of the deadly diseases they spread. We will mainly being talking about Aedes aegypti (Egyptian Mosquito) and the Aedes albopictus (Asian Tiger Mosquito) this episode because they are the common spreaders of the three diseases we are discussing today: Yellow Fever, Chikungunya, and Dengue Fever.
I want to look at the histories and track records of these diseases and how they affected humanity throughout. Yellow Fever, for instance, was a much feared illness between the 1600s-1900s, with grotesque symptoms and relatively high death rate. Chikungunya, while having a lower death rate, has caused great pain and disability. Dengue Fever is not just historic, but making a come back. It is also called “bonebreak fever” and for good reason.
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Hello Poison Friends! We have discussed quite a few heavy metals, but not all of them. While we did mention Antimony awhile back, we did not give it the attention it deserves, so this would be a great time to do so. Before getting too deep into Antimony, however, a review on purging with emetics and the history there concerning the "rebalancing of humors" as well as the more modern "ridding oneself of toxins," is in order.
One emetic that is more recent in our history is Ipecac. Technically, or medicinally, it went by the name Syrup of Ipecac. Parents, here in America at least, were told by the American Association of Pediatricians to keep a bottle in their homes at all times in case of children accidentally poisoning themselves. What we have learned since the late 1990s however is that not only is Ipecac not really effective at treating poisoning cases, but it is also toxic and can lead to its own complications including irritation of the GI tract and airways, seizures, and heart problems. There are now more efficient and safe ways to treat cases of poisoning that do not involve forced vomiting.
Throughout history, people have leaned on various toxic substances to cause themselves to vomit or that would induce diarrhea as a way of healing or keeping oneself healthy. It doesn't sound pleasant but what they used made it even less so. Antimony does cause GI distress including vomiting and diarrhea and can also lead to muscle weakness, gastric ulcers, seizures, kidney disease, cardiovascular diseases, neurological disease, respiratory distress, and blistering of the skin if topically applied. It has also been found to be carcinogenic. Acute use at high dosages, or chronic use at any dose, could lead to poisoning and death. People used Antimony medicinally (as Tartar emetic, namely) for a number of different ailments including epilepsy, syphilis, tuberculosis, and GI distress of all sorts. It was even used for alcoholism, and in some countries, it still is. In centuries past, they even had accessories to go along with their toxic medicine. So let's go through the history of these substances and you know some interesting and familiar names will pop up along the way including a Biblical character/Babylonian king, Isaac Newton, a King of France, and a founding father with a penchant for excessive bleeding and purging.
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Hey Poison Friends!! I hope we are all staying well so far this (almost) Fall season. I know, the Autumnal Equinox won't be here until next month, but I am excited for Fall and spooky season and cooler weather. The one thing I do not like this time of year is the amount of viral and bacterial infections that seem to wage war on us all. One such bacterial agent is Streptococcus pyogenes or what you may hear called Group A Strep. This is the nasty that causes impetigo and strep throat (streptococcus pharyngitis) which can then lead to scarlet fever and rheumatic fever which can also lead to numerous complications like rheumatic heart disease and long term kidney dysfunction. All of that from strep throat or impetigo?? Yes, but fortunately we do not see these other complications as often thanks to antibiotics and preventative measures such as hand hygiene, isolation when contagious, and sanitation measures. It is still prevalent enough to cause a few thousand deaths here in America every year, however, and many more in countries who do not have good access to medical care and antibiotics.
We are also discussing Invasive Group A Strep, because a strep infection can also lead to sepsis involving necrotizing fasciitis and toxic shock syndrome. Both of these complications are life threatening. We need to cover the demise of one of my all time favorite creators in this episode as well, Jim Henson. He died of TSS resulting from an untreated strep infection and, as sad as this was, his story needs to be told so that others don't. I won't spoil this episode any further, but I want to include the last message he had written to be given to his five children after his death.
“First of all, don’t feel bad that I’m gone. While I will miss spending time with each of you, I’m sure it will be an interesting time for me and I look forward to seeing all of you when you come over. To each of you I send my love. If on this side of life I’m able to watch over and help you out, know that I will. If I can’t, I’m sure I can at least be waiting for you when you come over. This all may sound silly to you guys, but what the hell, I’m gone—and who can argue with me?
Life is meant to be fun, and joyous, and fulfilling. May each of yours be that—having each of you as a child of mine has certainly been one of the good things in my life. Know that I’ve always loved each of you with an eternal, bottomless love. A love that has nothing to do with each other, for I feel my love for each of you is total and all encompassing. Please watch out for each other and love and forgive everybody. It’s a good life, enjoy it.”
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Hello Poison Friends! We are going over more wellness products and practices that have been used and promoted as cures for various illnesses, from colds to cancer and autoimmune diseases. In this final episode on the Wellness Industry’s toxic side, we need to discuss some multi level marketing (MLM) businesses/groups that not only push such products, but also pull the vulnerable into financially difficult and sometimes fraudulent schemes. Two of these groups we are discussing (Young Living and doTERRA) deal with essential oils, so we are also discussing what essential oils are and what they are not. I want to take a look at the science behind these oils and see how the claims hold up under study and the facts. We also need to take a look into the spiritual side of essential oils and the MLMs selling them, because the backstory for both of these businesses is…a lot. We are going into Gary Young and his many run-ins with the law before and during the creation of Young Living as well as his many eccentricities, strange claims, and misdeeds along the way. We are also touching on how doTERRA came about because it is connected to Young Living and both have become million dollar companies. There is a lot to discuss, even at the surface level, with this subject. We’ll go over a selection of popular oils and the claims behind them (such as being cures for COVID, cancer, autism, and ebola…among other illnesses), but there are far too many oils to cover them all. These companies have also encouraged the ingestion of essential oils, which can be dangerous as many are toxic and some may contain contaminants. The FTC and FDA has been all over both of these businesses because of their wild health claims with nothing to back them up. Another MLM we will briefly touch on is Herbal Life because there are more than essential oils MLMs when it comes to Wellness, of course. Herbal Life promotes nutrition and weight loss products that have caused a stir for possible being linked to liver toxicity as well as lead being discovered in some products. There are so many other MLMs dealing in similar products, so I am not specifically picking on these three. None of this is for bullying purposes and I am simply pulling from sources that can easily be found online on respected sites. These are just some popular companies and I could never talk about all the connected MLMs in one episode. That being said, this one is a wild ride…
Thank you to all of our listeners and supporters! Please feel free to leave a comment or send us a DM for any questions, suggestions, or just to say, "hi."
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Hello Poison Friends! We have been covering this topic of “wellness” and the industry surrounding the term. We all want to be well, and obviously, there are some great practices out there to help us out with that, but there are also a lot of scams and misinformation out there as well. This week we are covering the story of Belle Gibson, a wellness influencer who told her followers that she had brain cancer and only had six months to live, but beat the odds using natural means and by changing her diet and lifestyle. Specifically, she promoted recipes that she would later sell in her app and cookbook (supported by Apple and Penguin Books). Belle, however, never had cancer, and while she had promised that the proceeds of her app sells would go towards various charities, she lied about that as well. She influenced many of those who did actually have cancer or chronic illness to stop conventional medicine practices such as chemotherapy, radiation therapy, medications, etc. She continued her lies for years, selling her brand and giving inconsistent medical reports along the way. It all came crumbling down with a couple of investigative journalists who received a tip that Belle might not be so sick after all.
We also have to talk about Goop. Gwenyth Paltrow’s brand has always been pretty controversial for most of us, but she has made a lot of money and gained a following with it. As such, we need to discuss such products and practices promoted and provided by Goop as jade eggs, amethyst bottles, and expensive stickers or yoga mats that are supposed to help a variety of issues you may deal with. She has been in legal trouble for some of her claims, but you can still find a lot of these products on her website. Just a heads up: We may mention some products with descriptions not suitable for children to hear about while discussing Goop. Nothing descriptive, mind you, or graphic, just correct anatomical terminology.
A final topic for discussion this week is that of the concerning beverage being sold at convenience stores or markets called Feel Free. This product, created and sold by Botanic Tonics, has led to a lot of concern with parents and doctors, because of what is in it. One ingredient we will discuss is Kava root extract, which is not necessarily toxic in low amounts (though extracts may have some hepatotoxic effects). It is another ingredient that has been causing problems: Kratom. This ingredient is known to produce opioid-like effects (and has been considered an opioid by the FDA since 2018) and is both physiologically and psychologically addictive, causing a lot of destruction in the lives of consumers, especially those who have suffered addiction before. Let’s dig into the details and have some fun learning.
Thank you to all of our listeners and supporters! Please feel free to leave a comment or send us a DM for any questions, suggestions, or just to say, "hi."
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If you’re struggling, consider therapy with our sponsor. Visit
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If you have questions about the brand relating to how the therapists are credentialed, their privacy policy, or therapist compensation, here is an overview written by the YouTube creators behind the channel Cinema Therapy that goes into these topics:
https://www.reddit.com/r/cinema_therapy/comments/1dpriql/addressing_the_betterhelp_concerns_headon_deep/
Hello Poison Friends! We need to discuss the Wellness Industry. Now, obviously, not everything considered “wellness” is bad or a scam. Meditation, Yoga, a typical spa day, etc. These are great and some people love them and the benefits of them. However, there are a lot of scams, frauds, and even outright dangerous trends floating around that I want to delve into. First, let’s go back in time to find out when and how “snake oil” became synonymous with fraudulent medications and who some of the original “snake oil salesmen” were. Then we can look at some of today’s most pushed diets and health fads that are either dangerous or just ineffective. We also need to check out the claims and realities behind the idea of detoxes and cleanses that have been marketed or promoted by influencers or celebrities. Also, the infamous coffee enema. Yeah, if you did not know that is a thing. This episode will also feature stories about Steve Jobs and his obsessive and restrictive diet as well as the functional medicine practitioner behind the carnivore diet and his colleague of sorts who had a large YouTube following and went by “Liver King,” before his secrets were discovered.
Many of you have been sending me ideas for this sort of episode and because there is just so much to discuss with this topic, I am making it a 2 parter. So next week will be a breakdown on Goop and MLM’s that push “health and wellness” products as well as some easy to obtain wellness beverages proving to be addictive and dangerous. In both of these episodes, we will be sharing some stories of influencers, gurus, authors, etc who have made a lot of money and hurt a lot of people by making false claims, outright lying, and pushing supplements, diets, and lifestyles that are dangerous to both one’s health and bank account.
Thank you to all of our listeners and supporters! Please feel free to leave a comment or send us a DM for any questions, suggestions, or just to say, "hi."
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If you’re struggling, consider therapy with our sponsor. Visit
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If you have questions about the brand relating to how the therapists are credentialed, their privacy policy, or therapist compensation, here is an overview written by the YouTube creators behind the channel Cinema Therapy that goes into these topics:
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Hello Poison Friends! This is a LONG one, I know, but I really want to move on from this subject. It is definitely important and I do love bringing facts against misinformation, but it has been taking up a lot of brain space and I was spending way too much time on this research lol Literally wrote 15,000 words of notes for these two episodes. Don't tell Adam.
Anyway, we are going in deep this episode with RFK Jr's wild conspiracy theories concerning everything from vaccines to Covid to AIDS to 5G to omg, you get the point. We have a lot to discuss so strap in and get ready to laugh, facepalm, and hopefully laugh some more? I have a bunch of direct quotes from RFK Jr himself as well as from actual healthcare professionals, epidemiologists, vaccine scientists, etc., who actually know what they are talking about. We are also going through some facts, research, and the like that directly refute his ideas? Theories? You get the idea.
Thank you to all of our listeners and supporters! Please feel free to leave a comment or send us a DM for any questions, suggestions, or just to say, "hi."
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Adam-
Becca-
If you’re struggling, consider therapy with our sponsor. Visit
https://betterhelp.com/almanac for a discount on your first month of therapy.
If you have questions about the brand relating to how the therapists are credentialed, their privacy policy, or therapist compensation, here is an overview written by the YouTube creators behind the channel Cinema Therapy that goes into these topics:
https://www.reddit.com/r/cinema_therapy/comments/1dpriql/addressing_the_betterhelp_concerns_headon_deep/
Hello my dear poison friends! We are overdue for a talk on current affairs in America with RFK Jr. (Robert F. Kennedy, Jr) as the nation's Secretary of Health and Human Services. We have discussed the creation of the FDA and history of toxins in foods, beverages, and medications prior to such in our episode on the Poison Squad. Now, the FDA, CDC, NIH, and some other organizations important for the structure and future of healthcare are under the direction of a man who has repeatedly lied and spouted misinformation about vaccines, cancer, Covid, AIDS, various medications, and the like. He has promoted some dangerous conspiracy theories and has no education or experience in healthcare whatsoever. In this first part, we are looking into his background a bit and getting into some of the changes already under way under his leadership. We also need to cover some of the conspiracy theories, because he will act on what he believes and it gets pretty crazy. I wanted this to be a one episode subject, but there is just so much to talk about.
Thank you to all of our listeners and supporters! Please feel free to leave a comment or send us a DM for any questions, suggestions, or just to say, "hi."
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Hello to all of our Poison Friends! As I am out of town this week, and the internet where I am is unstable (literally can't even FaceTime for more than 2 minutes lol), I decided to post a selection from our bonus episodes that we have over on the Patreon. I was able to get a new bonus episode out for our Patreon friends as well, since I was able to record that just before leaving, and I will be back at the end of the weekend so we will be back on track for regular episodes next week!
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Hello Poison Friends! I am back to bring you more toxins that are often causes of accidental poisoning. These include opioid medications, specifically the synthetic opioid fentanyl and the differences between clinical fentanyl and street/illegal versions. I also want to discuss the effects of pain meds and benzodiazepines on the body as well as the effects of mixing drugs with dangerous interactions. I had a specific celebrity's death in mind when describing such.
Also, I wanted to discuss the old Tide Pod craze. If you remember, there was this social media challenge where young people were ingesting laundry detergent pods (specifically Tide Pods) and we need to talk about that as well as the dangers of leaving these out for children or those with cognitive issues to find and accidentally ingest.
I am also including a whole collection of toys, accessories, or knickknacks that have proven dangerous or even deadly when found and ingested by children as well. Tiny magnets, button batteries, Aqua Dots, Orbeez, and toys from the 1950s that have lead to serious harm over the years. Some of these are still out there and require caution and supervision when used.
As always, thank you to all of our listeners and supporters! Please feel free to leave a comment or send us a DM for any questions, suggestions, or just to say, "hi."
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Adam-
Becca-
If you’re struggling, consider therapy with our sponsor. Visit
https://betterhelp.com/almanac for a discount on your first month of therapy.
If you have questions about the brand relating to how the therapists are credentialed, their privacy policy, or therapist compensation, here is an overview written by the YouTube creators behind the channel Cinema Therapy that goes into these topics:
https://www.reddit.com/r/cinema_therapy/comments/1dpriql/addressing_the_betterhelp_concerns_headon_deep/
Hello Poison Friends! We've managed to get through Marburg so now it is time to discuss Ebola. There are six ebola viruses out there, three of which are most commonly seen infecting humans and we need to cover the similarities in symptoms to Marburg as well as a few differences. For one, Ebola is typically deadlier (especially Zaire Ebola Virus). We are going through the short history of the disease (compared to say, Smallpox) and the first few cases seen in humans. These cases led to outbreaks of what then was a new virus with horrifying symptoms leading to high numbers of casualties and those attempting to treat it in rural African communities had no idea how it spread or how to stop it.
Thank you to all of our listeners and supporters! Please feel free to leave a comment or send us a DM for any questions, suggestions, or just to say, "hi."
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Adam-
Becca-
If you’re struggling, consider therapy with our sponsor. Visit
https://betterhelp.com/almanac for a discount on your first month of therapy.
If you have questions about the brand relating to how the therapists are credentialed, their privacy policy, or therapist compensation, here is an overview written by the YouTube creators behind the channel Cinema Therapy that goes into these topics:
https://www.reddit.com/r/cinema_therapy/comments/1dpriql/addressing_the_betterhelp_concerns_headon_deep/
Hello Poison Friends! I have been looking forward to sharing the horrors of Marburg and Ebola viruses with you, but there is a lot of info so we are discussing Marburg first then Ebola next week. Just a trigger warning: Some of the descriptions of this virus and what it does to the body may be gruesome.
Marburg is relatively new as a virus among humans (compared to others like smallpox or rabies), but it is a monster. It is believed to have originated in Uganda in Africa, perhaps originally transmitted via fruit bats. The world came to know about it, however, during a 1967 outbreak in Germany, brought there by infected monkeys being used at a vaccine company there. It typically starts with a throbbing headache and muscle pains, then soon causes massive clotting then hemorrhaging throughout the body. Obviously the symptoms of such are horrid, and death typically occurs within a few weeks. With an average death rate at 25% (higher in some outbreaks), it has been devastating when outbreaks occur. So let's go into more details about the virus, where the virus came from, its short history thus far, and some significant cases and outbreaks.
Thank you to all of our listeners and supporters! Please feel free to leave a comment or send us a DM for any questions, suggestions, or just to say, "hi."
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Adam-
Becca-
If you’re struggling, consider therapy with our sponsor. Visit
https://betterhelp.com/almanac for a discount on your first month of therapy.
If you have questions about the brand relating to how the therapists are credentialed, their privacy policy, or therapist compensation, here is an overview written by the YouTube creators behind the channel Cinema Therapy that goes into these topics:
https://www.reddit.com/r/cinema_therapy/comments/1dpriql/addressing_the_betterhelp_concerns_headon_deep/
Hello Poison Friends! We are late with this one, due to a few tech problems, but we have persevered! Lets get mysterious for a bit...I have been thinking about the Dyatlov Pass Incident and other similar tragedies in which we have very few answers but a whole lot of theories, some more feasible than others. The Dyatlov Pass Incident involved a team of young and experienced ski-hikers who never returned from a hike in the Ural Mountains of the Soviet Union (now Russia, of course) back in 1959. Their tent was damaged and the team was found in separate places and wearing little to nothing in the freezing snow. Some were found with fatal wounds but most without such obvious injuries. So what happened?
The Khamar-Daban Incident has been likened to that of Dyatlov Pass, because of the mysteries surrounding it. This incident also occurred in Russia, near Lake Baikal, in 1993. One survivor made it down the mountain her team was hiking with their teacher and told a harrowing tale of how they did not make it. What happened to them and how much of her story is accurate?
Thank you to all of our listeners and supporters! Please feel free to leave a comment or send us a DM for any questions, suggestions, or just to say, "hi."
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