Running bit
It Depends
The show's most-used two-word answer — and an honest summary of how healthcare actually works.
At the one-year mark, Jason estimated that he and Kathy had said “it depends” at least a hundred times across 52 episodes — and called that a low estimate.
The phrase is the honest answer to almost every health question that starts with “should I.” Should I stretch before I exercise? It depends. Is chiropractic safe? It depends. Do I need surgery? It depends. How much water should I drink? You know where this is going.
For the hosts, “it depends” is not a cop-out — it’s evidence-based humility. The problem with most health advice on the internet is that it pretends every body is the same body. Jason and Kathy have made a podcast-length argument that the best clinicians are the ones who resist the urge to give you a clean, universally applicable answer when the honest one is more complicated.
It also functions as a drinking game prompt. You’ve been warned.
First seen in Science with a Smirk: Our Evidence-Based Approach to Health.