Causes or Cures
"For the Nerds and the Nerd Nots"
Causes or Cures is a health podcast hosted by Dr. Eeks—an independent, grassroots show driven by curiosity and a passion for breaking down complex health topics into bite-sized, easy-to-understand insights. Dr. Eeks (ErinKate Stair, MPH, MD) works as a senior consultant and contractor in the realm of public health, epidemiology, and health communication. She's all about making science relatable and often uses a blue-collar sense of humor to drive the message home.
On this podcast, Dr. Eeks talks with experts from around the world (doctors, researchers, public health pros, and more) to dive into the latest hot topics in health and research, all in a down-to-earth kind of way. She also includes people with compelling stories of healing and "characters" because life is too boring and short to leave out characters. ;)
DISCLAIMER: Some topics are more controversial than others, so keep in mind that this is information only and not health advice. If you are battling an individual health issue, always check in with your doctor & don't run with anything on podcast as advice. Dr. Eeks doesn't endorse any of her guests' views, and despite a strict health routine, nor does she endorse any products, supplements, oils, magic socks or potions. (If an episode is sponsored by a company she likes, she will say so in the show notes.) She does not practice medicine (only public health) so she does not give out medical advice nor should you treat anything on this podcast as medical advice.
Causes or Cures is not a "news site." It's about having conversations, and Dr. Eeks is confident that she can have a respectful conversation with anyone, even people who think far differently than she does. (At least that's been her experience at hole-in-the-walls & on the NYC sidewalks.) The point is to not take anything here as Gospel. Sometimes Dr. Eeks' dog Barnaby makes his opinion known, but the good news is that he's a smart dog. Most importantly, she hopes this podcast encourages folks to stay curious, empathic, hopeful, compassionate, honest, open-minded, and engaged. Freedom of discussion is a beautiful thing, delightfully messy, and one that many take for granted.
*The views on this podcast do not reflect the views of anyone she contracts with or consults for on various public health projects.
You can contact Dr. Eeks through her website, bloomingwellness.com.
If you are interested in sponsoring an episode, write erin@bloomingwellness.com.
SIGN UP for her Newsletter HERE: https://lp.constantcontactpages.com/sl/xnqmy06
Causes or Cures
Public Health is Weird: Are Poinsettias Really Poisonous? A Holiday Health Myth — Bonus Episode
*Disclaimer* This episode is part of the Causes or Cures Public Health Is Weird bonus series and is for educational and entertainment purposes only. If you’re worried about a child or pet eating a poinsettia, contact a medical professional or veterinarian. This podcast is not a poison control center. :)
Every December, poinsettias show up, and so does the panic.
Suddenly, a festive red plant is treated like antifreeze with leaves: dangerous to kids, deadly to pets, and one accidental nibble away from an emergency vet visit. But where did this fear actually come from, and does the evidence support it?
In this bonus episode of Causes or Cures, Dr. Eeks dives into one of the most persistent holiday health myths and asks a very public-health question: How did a weak claim turn into a century-long panic?
Using poison-control data, toxicology studies, veterinary evidence, and a little personal history (including a dog named Barnaby and the hazards of NYC sidewalks), this episode unpacks what poinsettias really do, and don’t do, to humans and animals.
In this episode, you’ll learn:
- Where the myth of the “deadly poinsettia” originated and why it stuck
- What large U.S. poison-control data shows about poinsettia exposures in children
- Why poinsettias behave very differently in real life than in our imaginations
- What toxicology studies in animals actually found (hint: no lethal effects)
- What the ASPCA Animal Poison Control Center reports when pets chew on poinsettias
- Why dose and curiosity matter more than fear
- How risk is often exaggerated when kids, pets, and holidays collide
- Whether Dr. Eeks would let her own pets near a poinsettia (spoiler: probably not, but not for the reasons you think)
- A Christmas legend behind the poinsettia...and a gentle reminder that miracles don’t pause for plant anatomy
Public health takeaway:
Not everything we fear is dangerous. Sometimes fear does the exaggerating, not the risk.
Work with me? Perhaps we are a good match.
You can contact Dr. Eeks at bloomingwellness.com.
Follow Eeks on Instagram here.
Follow Public Health is Weird
Or Facebook here.
Or X.
On Youtube.
Or TikTok.
SUBSCRIBE to her WEEKLY newsletter here!
References:
All scientific references discussed in this episode are below and available on the accompanying blog post at BloomingWellness.com.
- New York Botanical Garden Article: Dispelling a Seasonal Myth: For Humans, The Poinsettia is Not a Toxic Plant – Science Talk Archive
- Krenzelok, E. P., Jacobsen, T. D., & Aronis, J. M. (1996). Poinsettia exposures have good outcomes… just as we thought. The American Journal of Emergency Medicine, 14(7), 671–674.
- Evens, Z. N, & Stellpflug, S. J. (2012). Holiday Plants with Toxic Misconceptions. Western Journal of Emergency Medicine: Integrating Emergency Ca