After decades of patient frustration, clinical confusion, and a name that never quite fit, polycystic ovary syndrome has officially been renamed Polyendocrine Metabolic Ovarian Syndrome (PMOS) — and the science behind that decision is long overdue.

In this episode of The Shot, Tara breaks down the landmark May 2026 Lancet global consensus that drove the rename, why the old "polycystic" framing was scientifically inaccurate and clinically harmful, and what the new name actually tells us about what's happening in the body. She also covers what hasn't changed — including the current diagnostic criteria from the 2023 International Evidence-Based Guideline — and why this shift matters far beyond terminology.

Whether you have this diagnosis, treat patients who do, or just want to understand why words in medicine matter, this one's for you.

References

1. Teede HJ et al. Polyendocrine Metabolic Ovarian Syndrome, the New Name for Polycystic Ovary Syndrome: A Multistep Global Consensus Process. Lancet. 2026. doi:10.1016/S0140-6736(26)00717-8
2. Teede HJ et al. Recommendations From the 2023 International Evidence-Based Guideline. Hum Reprod. 2023;38(9):1655–1679. doi:10.1093/humrep/dead156
3. Teede HJ et al. 2023 IEBG Recommendations. J Clin Endocrinol Metab. 2023;108(10):2447–2469. doi:10.1210/clinem/dgad463
4. Peña AS, Witchel SF. Update on Diagnosis of PCOS During Adolescence. Fertil Steril. 2025. doi:10.1016/j.fertnstert.2025.09.006

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In this episode, we explore the historical inspiration behind Enola Holmes 2, diving into the real-life dangers of white phosphorus in Victorian match factories and the devastating occupational disease known as phossy jaw. We compare it to the Radium Girls tragedy, examine the chemistry behind bone necrosis, and discuss how these industrial disasters shaped modern workplace safety and medication safety practices. Plus — we pair it with a Victorian-inspired cocktail, the White Phosphorus Fizz.

Film:

• Enola Holmes 2 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Enola_Holmes_2

Historical:

• Phossy Jaw Overview https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Phossy_jaw
• Radium Girls https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Radium_Girls
• Radium Jaw https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Radium_jaw

Peer-Reviewed:

• Marx RE. Uncovering the Cause of Phossy Jaw (2008)
• Devlin H. Historical Review of Phossy Jaw (2023)
• Vance MA. Osteonecrosis of the Jaw & Bisphosphonates (2007)
• Khan AA et al. Diagnosis and Management of Osteonecrosis of the Jaw (2014)

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🎶 Music Credits: Music by Vlad Krotov, Sound Effect by Akiva Vita For updates visit our 💻 Website

SHOW NOTES The Refill — Ep 27: The Sea Breeze

We're refilling your glass.

Episode 27 was our deep dive into cruise ship medicine alongside ABC's Dr. Odyssey — what really happens when someone gets sick at sea. We're re-releasing it because two real outbreaks just happened in the same month, on two very different ships, with two very different pathogens. And the science on one of them changed significantly since we first recorded this.

Same episode. A lot more urgency. Listen first, then come back for the sources.

Sources:

• CDC Vessel Sanitation Program. Caribbean Princess Outbreak. May 2026.
• Velavan & Schmidt-Chanasit. Int J Infectious Diseases. 2026.
• Ferrés M, et al. Lancet Infectious Diseases. 2024;24(7):775–782.
• Paulsen GC, et al. Journal of Infectious Diseases. 2024;229(1):30–38.
• Vial PA, et al. Lancet Infectious Diseases. 2023;23(9):e371–e382.
• Jeyachandran AV, et al. PLoS Pathogens. 2025;21(8):e1013401.

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🎶 Music Credits: Music by Vlad Krotov, Sound Effect by Akiva Vita For updates visit our 💻 Website

The latest on the troubled teen industry and the reform schools we've been watching — an update you need to hear.

https://www.usatoday.com/story/life/health-wellness/2026/05/11/asheville-academy-shut-down-teens-mental-health-help/89881288007/

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🎶 Music Credits: Music by Vlad Krotov, Sound Effect by Akiva Vita For updates visit our 💻 Website

In Episode 71, we're shaking up a Reforma cocktail and diving into one of the most disturbing — and underreported — corners of American institutional life: the troubled teen industry. Inspired by Netflix's psychological thriller Wayward (starring Toni Collette), the 2020 Paris Hilton documentary This Is Paris, and a wave of recent documentaries including Hell Camp: Teen Nightmare, The Program: Cons, Cults, and Kidnapping, and the Amazon Prime series Boys School, we're pulling back the curtain on so-called "therapeutic boarding schools," wilderness programs, boot camps, and reform schools that have operated — often with little oversight — for decades. We'll explore the roots of the troubled teen industry, the psychological tactics used on children, the documented patterns of physical and emotional abuse, the long-term mental health consequences for survivors, and the legal and legislative efforts finally pushing for accountability. Because when the "treatment" causes more trauma than the problem it claims to fix, that's not medicine — that's harm.

Sources & Further Reading:

• 🍹 Reforma Cocktail Recipe — Imbibe Magazine
• 📺 Wayward — Wikipedia
• 🎬 This Is Paris Documentary — Wikipedia
• 🔥 Hell Camp: Teen Nightmare — Netflix
• 📖 Reform School — Wikipedia
• 🚔 Scared Straight! — Wikipedia
• 🎬 The Program: Cons, Cults, and Kidnapping — Netflix
• 📖 The Program: Cons, Cults, and Kidnapping — Wikipedia
• 📺 Boys School — Prime Video
• ⚖️ Troubled Teen Industry Abuse Litigation Group — Justice.org
• 📄 COPS Resource Center — Reform Programs PDF

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⭐️ Rate and Review

🍸 Cocktail recipes drop on socials every weekend before the episode airs 🍹

If you love the podcast, please join our 💳 Patreon to support our continued success!

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🎶 Music Credits: Music by Vlad Krotov, Sound Effect by Akiva Vita For updates visit our 💻 Website

In this episode of Medical Media Mixer, we break down Postmortem by Patricia Cornwell, the novel that introduced forensic icon Dr. Kay Scarpetta. We explore how a rare metabolic disorder — Maple Syrup Urine Disease — becomes the key medical clue that exposes a serial killer, and how Scarpetta weaponizes forensic science and the media to bring him down. We also preview the upcoming Prime Video series Scarpetta and why this story still resonates decades later.

Maple Syrup Urine Disease — National Library of Medicine (MedlinePlus) https://medlineplus.gov/genetics/condition/maple-syrup-urine-disease/

Pathophysiology of Maple Syrup Urine Disease: Focus on the Neurotoxic Role of the Accumulated Branched-Chain Amino Acids and Branched-Chain α-Keto Acids Amaral AU, Wajner M. Neurochemistry International. 2022;157:105360 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.neuint.2022.105360

BCKDHA Gene — National Library of Medicine (MedlinePlus) https://medlineplus.gov/genetics/gene/bckdha/

BCKDHB Gene — National Library of Medicine (MedlinePlus) https://medlineplus.gov/genetics/gene/bckdhb/

Maple Syrup Urine Disease — GeneReviews® (Updated April 23, 2020) Strauss KA, Puffenberger EG, Carson VJ https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK1319/

Treatment of Maple Syrup Urine Disease: Benefits, Risks, and Challenges of Liver Transplantation Deon M, Guerreiro G, Girardi J, Ribas G, Vargas CR International Journal of Developmental Neuroscience. 2023;83(6):489–504 https://doi.org/10.1002/jdn.10283

Maple Syrup Urine Disease: Characteristics of Diagnosis and Treatment in 45 Patients in Chile Medina MF, Castro G, Falcon F, et al. American Journal of Medical Genetics Part C. 2021;187(3):373–380 https://doi.org/10.1002/ajmg.c.31933

Brain Branched-Chain Amino Acids in Maple Syrup Urine Disease: Implications for Neurological Disorders Xu J, Jakher Y, Ahrens-Nicklas RC International Journal of Molecular Sciences. 2020;21(20):E7490 https://doi.org/10.3390/ijms21207490

Interrupting the Mechanisms of Brain Injury in a Model of Maple Syrup Urine Disease Encephalopathy Zinnanti WJ, Lazovic J Journal of Inherited Metabolic Disease. 2012;35(1):71–79 https://doi.org/10.1007/s10545-011-9333-5

Scarpetta (TV Series) — IMDb https://www.imdb.com/title/tt14786934/

Kay Scarpetta — Wikipedia https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kay_Scarpetta

Postmortem Study Guide — BookRags https://www.bookrags.com/studyguide-postmortem/#gsc.tab=0

The Maple Old Fashioned https://www.liquor.com/recipes/maple-old-fashioned/

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🎶 Music Credits: Music by Vlad Krotov, Sound Effect by Akiva Vita For updates visit our 💻 Website

From Jonestown to NXIVM, from Heaven's Gate to the FLDS — cults have captivated our screens and our imaginations for decades. But what actually makes someone vulnerable to cult recruitment, and what keeps them from leaving? In Episode 69, Tara and Nicole crack open the psychology behind cult dynamics, exploring how charismatic leaders exploit conformity bias, trauma bonding, love bombing, and isolation to maintain control over their followers. Drawing from an incredible lineup of documentaries and films — including Wild Wild Country, The Vow, Keep Sweet: Pray and Obey, Jonestown, Holy Hell, The Way Down, The Synanon Fix, Dancing for the Devil, Stolen Youth, Sins of Our Mother, Escaping Twin Flames, The Deep End, Love Has Won, The Garden, and the fictional but chillingly real-feeling Sound of My Voice and Martha Marcy May Marlene — this episode breaks down the warning signs, the social science, and the path to recovery. Paired this week with a Kool-Aid Shooter (don't worry, this one's safe to drink). Cocktail recipe drops the weekend before — follow us so you don't miss it!

Sources:

• Kool-Aid Shooter Recipe – The Spruce Eats
• "Drinking the Kool-Aid" – Wikipedia
• Sound of My Voice – Wikipedia
• Martha Marcy May Marlene – Wikipedia
• Churches, Denominations, Sects, and Cults – EBSCO Research
• What Makes a Cult Leader? – People Leave Cults
• Psychological Impact of Cult Involvement – PMC/NIH
• Asch Conformity Experiments – Wikipedia
• Hawthorne Effect – Wikipedia

New episodes every Monday → Hit that subscribe button! 🔔

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🎶 Music Credits: Music by Vlad Krotov, Sound Effect by Akiva Vita For updates visit our 💻 Website