This week on Calling in Sick, I'm sitting down with Max Swiergol, osteopathic medical student, research enthusiast, and one of the most accessible voices translating cutting-edge science for the chronic illness community online. This episode is one of the most practically useful we have ever done.
We're diving into:
📊 How to actually evaluate a medical study — impact factor, the evidence pyramid, and why a study of 10 people is not the same as a study of 10,000
🚩 Selection bias and predatory journals — how content creator physicians and supplement brands cherry-pick small studies while ignoring 99% of conflicting research
💊 The FDA drug approval process — the full timeline from pre-clinical to Phase 3, why only 1 in 20,000 drugs ever makes it to approval, and what that means for chronic illness patients watching clinical trials
🧬 What treatments are actually coming — CAR-T therapy for autoimmune disease, gene editing, ASOs, and the new FDA guidance that could fast-track treatments for ultra-rare conditions
If you have ever read a study online and not known what to do with it, or seen a supplement brand quote research and felt something was off, this episode is going to give you all the tools you need.
AND! Come back on Wednesday to hear our chat about… PEPTIDES!
xx, Alex
💬 Comment: Have you ever brought a research paper to a doctor's appointment? What happened?
TIMESTAMPS:
Intro:
00:00:00 Welcome back to Calling in Sick!
00:00:11 Meet Max Swiergol
How to Read & Understand Medical Research as a Patient:
00:05:44 How to find good research
00:07:30 What medical journals carry credibility (and which don’t!)
00:09:34 Identifying selection bias online
00:13:28 The hierarchy of medical evidence (The Evidence Pyramid)
00:18:30 Conflicts of interest and the peer-review process
Personalized Medicine & Treatments & the Clinical Trial Process:
00:25:36 The transition to personalized care for treatment
00:31:02 How CAR-T cell therapy is revolutionizing autoimmune treatment
00:39:40 FDA Approval Process(Pre-clinical testing, Phase 1-3)
00:45:57 Why it takes so long to approve medications
Conclusion:
00:54:33 One Brain Cell Show (YouTube travel vlogs)
00:56:52 Where to find Max Dose online
00:58:28 Thank you for listening!
----------------------------------------------------------------
Stay connected and follow us on socials for more!
• Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/callinginsickpod/
• TikTok - https://www.tiktok.com/@callinginsickpod
• Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61558234607568
Connect with our guest, Max Swiergol!
• Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/themaxdose/
• TikTok - https://www.tiktok.com/@themaxdose
• YouTube - https://www.youtube.com/@Themaxdoseyt
• Sign up for his newsletter - https://tr.ee/TdjGmsOp4V
----------------------------------------------------------------
Powered by: Just Media House -- https://www.justmediahouse.com/
Produced by: Alexandra Wildeson — https://www.instagram.com/alexandrawildeson/
One Brain Cell YT Shows:
The everlasting fish ponds: https://www.atlasobscura.com/places/longyou-caves
Relevant Episode Links:
• New PPD Treatments - https://reunionneuro.com/2026/01/20/reunion-neuroscience-presents-full-data-from-reconnect-phase-2-clinical-trial-of-re104-for-the-treatment-of-postpartum-depression-ppd-at-acnp-annual-meeting/
• ENDO-205 - https://seed.nih.gov/portfolio/nih-portfolio-company-showcase/endocyclic-therapeutics
#MedicalResearch #ChronicIllness #CARTTherapy #GeneEditing #FDAApproval #ChronicIllnessTreatment #PatientAdvocacy #ResearchLiteracy #AutoimmuneDisease #SpoonieLife #InvisibleIllness #ClinicalTrials #PersonalizedMedicine #ChronicIllnessAwareness #MedicalBias #SupplementIndustry #ChronicPain #HealthResearch #CallingInSickPodcast #AlexWildeson
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
