In this episode, Therese Markow, Dr. Catherine Lebel, and Dr. Sam Nivins discuss the impact of prenatal factors on fetal brain development. Catherine explains how MRI can detect subtle brain changes due to prenatal alcohol exposure, even at low levels, and emphasizes the importance of avoiding alcohol during pregnancy. Sam discusses the effects of maternal obesity before pregnancy on brain development, noting sex-specific differences and the importance of early intervention. Both also touch on the impact of stressors, such as natural disasters, and the need for early identification and support for children with potential reading difficulties.

Key Takeaways:

• Even exposing a fetus to one alcoholic drink per week during pregnancy shows a detectable difference in brain structure compared to kids who had no alcohol exposure at all.

• The same is true of prenatal maternal obesity, even if the obesity is preconceptional.

• Reading is a skill that must be taught to children. Prereading skills lay the foundation for later reading. And prereading skills can be visualized with brain imaging. When you know what part of the brain is affected, you can better tailor interventions to target those particular consequences.

"People who have good support from a partner or other folks in their lives, not only do they tend to do better, but their kids tend to do better too." — Dr. Catherine Lebel

Connect with Dr. Lebel and Dr. Nivins

Dr. Lebel's Professional Bio & Publications: https://profiles.ucalgary.ca/catherine-lebel

Dr. Nivins' Professional Bio & Publications: https://ki.se/en/people/samson-nivins

Website: https://www.developmentalneuroimaginglab.ca/

Connect with Therese:

Website: www.criticallyspeaking.net

Bluesky: @CriticallySpeaking.bsky.social

Instagram: @criticallyspeakingpodcast

Email: [email protected]

Audio production by Turnkey Podcast Productions. You're the expert. Your podcast will prove it.

In this episode, Therese Markow and Dorothy Roberts discuss her book "The Mixed Marriage Project," which explores her father's unpublished research on mixed marriages in Chicago. Dorothy's father, a white anthropology professor, interviewed over 500 black-white couples from the 1930s to the 1960s. The book blends personal stories, historical insights, and interviews, revealing the challenges and discrimination faced by interracial couples. They also discuss Dorothy's mother's remarkable journey from Jamaica to Chicago and the impact of her parents' interracial marriage on her life. The book highlights systemic racism and the one-drop rule, emphasizing the need for societal love and equality.

Key Takeaways:

• All black movements can be linked back to the Marcus Garvey Movement, which started in Jamaica.

• Even within early mixed marriages and organizations for these couples, such as the Manassas Club, there were harmful stereotypes within these groups.

• To interracial couples, the biggest barrier was the barrier of the black belt that was created by racially restricted covenants and mob violence against black people.

"The One-Drop Rule was instituted to support white supremacy, and also it proves that race is not a natural division of human beings. Who is black, who is white, depends entirely on social rules, which might be instituted in law, or they're just part of societal norms and expectations. But they're not biological, they're not natural. They're made up." — Dorothy Roberts

Connect with Dorothy Roberts:

Professional Bio: https://www.law.upenn.edu/faculty/roberts1

Website: https://www.dorothyeroberts.com/

Book: https://www.simonandschuster.com/books/The-Mixed-Marriage-Project/Dorothy-Roberts/9781668068380

Connect with Therese:

Website: www.criticallyspeaking.net

Bluesky: @CriticallySpeaking.bsky.social

Instagram: @criticallyspeakingpodcast

Email: [email protected]

Audio production by Turnkey Podcast Productions. You're the expert. Your podcast will prove it.

In this episode, Therese Markow and Dr. Tami Rowen discuss the listener questions that arose from her last episode on Critically Speaking. From drinking soy milk as a substitute for estrogen, the complex relationship between the number of children you have and breast cancer risk, dense breast tissue, early menstruation, hormone replacement therapy, and more. Listen in for the answers to your questions!

Key Takeaways:

• Soy is not in any way a substitute for estrogen. How it affects your circulating estrogens depends on your age.

• While the number of kids you have is inconclusive regarding its relationship to breast cancer, breastfeeding has been shown in every study to be preventative against breast cancer.

• The number one killer of women is heart disease. It's not breast cancer.

"A period is a bleed in response to ovulation, and that is coming from the level of the hypothalamus, pituitary, ovary, and uterus, so you can have a problem at any of those levels." — Dr. Tami Rowen

Episode Reference:

• Welcome to the Wild West of Testosterone: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/welcome-to-the-wild-west-of-testosterone/id1708072320?i=1000743735353

Connect with Dr. Tami Rowen:

Professional Bio: https://profiles.ucsf.edu/tami.rowen

Website: https://www.ucsfhealth.org/providers/tami-rowen

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/drtamirowen/

Connect with Therese:

Website: www.criticallyspeaking.net

Bluesky: @CriticallySpeaking.bsky.social

Instagram: @criticallyspeakingpodcast

Email: [email protected]

Audio production by Turnkey Podcast Productions. You're the expert. Your podcast will prove it.

In this episode, Therese Markow and Dr. Haley Hersant discuss a study by Dr. Hersant and her colleagues that reviewed over 100 brain and memory supplements. They found 18 common ingredients grouped into three categories: those with scientific evidence of benefit, those with no compelling evidence, and those with mixed results. They discuss the results of this study and emphasize the need for more rigorous testing. While not giving medical advice, they caution against potential interactions with prescription medications and advise listeners to do their research as well as talk to their own providers.

Key Takeaways:

• The most common factor across all of these ingredients that had some benefit is that, theoretically, they are known to decrease inflammation and help activate cellular repair pathways.

• The FDA does not have the authority to approve dietary supplements before they are put on the market, so it primarily regulates them once they are already on the market. This is different from traditional pharmaceuticals.

• If you are taking supplements, do report them when completing a medical history with your doctor, as they can interact with your prescriptions, vitamins, and other supplements.

"For many people, it could be harmless to be taking these supplements. They may be wasting their money without getting much benefit. But health-wise, they may be okay. However, whenever you start mixing a lot of different supplements, or are taking supplements with prescription medications, there are certainly some risks that can come into play." — Dr. Haley Hersant

Episode References:

• Over the Counter Supplements for Memory: A Review of Available Evidence

Connect with Dr. Haley Hersant:

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/haley-hersant-79a0b12a4/

Connect with Therese:

Website: www.criticallyspeaking.net

Bluesky: @CriticallySpeaking.bsky.social

Instagram: @criticallyspeakingpodcast

Email: [email protected]

Audio production by Turnkey Podcast Productions. You're the expert. Your podcast will prove it.

In this episode, Therese Markow and Adam Morgan discuss Adam's new book, A Danger to the Minds of Young Girls, which explores the life and legacy of Margaret C. Anderson. Margaret was a pioneering figure in modern literature, the founder of "The Little Review" in Chicago, and one of the key figures in fostering the Chicago literary renaissance. They talk about the challenges she faced, despite her initial successes, why her physical appearance often overshadowed her contributions, and the impact on young girls today that Margaret also faced during her time.

Key Takeaways:

• "The Little Review" served as a platform for uncensored conversations about literature and art, including experimental works that were often undiscovered during her time.

• The Comstock Act was a group of federal laws that banned the mailing of "obscene materials" and was upheld, in part, through censorship at what is now the USPS. This resulted in many copies of "The Little Review" being burned or otherwise destroyed before they could arrive at their subscribers.

• We are seeing the same rhetoric used by conservative lawmakers today that was used in the early 20th century against Margaret Anderson, despite no evidence to support it. They argued that if young girls read "obscene literature," they would turn to a life of immorality, prostitution, or partner with people not approved of by their parents.

"She was not a saint, but there were a lot of things to admire about her courage and her sense of agency." — Adam Morgan

Connect with Adam Morgan:

Professional Bio: https://adam-stephen-morgan.com/

Twitter: https://x.com/adamm0rgan

Book: https://adam-stephen-morgan.com/a-danger-to-the-minds-of-young-girls/

Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/thefrontlist.org

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/adamm0rgan

Connect with Therese:

Website: www.criticallyspeaking.net

Bluesky: @CriticallySpeaking.bsky.social

Instagram: @criticallyspeakingpodcast

Email: [email protected]

Audio production by Turnkey Podcast Productions. You're the expert. Your podcast will prove it.

In this episode, Therese Markow and Elizabeth Burch discuss Elizabeth's new book, "The Pain Brokers: How Con Men, Call Centers, and Rogue Doctors Fuel America's Lawsuit Factory," which exposes a scheme where con artists, attorneys, and rogue doctors exploited women through mass torts involving pelvic mesh implants. Elizabeth explains how mass torts differ from class actions and explains how attorneys earn contingency fees. Throughout the episode, they discuss the ways in which the scheme was perpetuated and how vulnerable women were exploited by a data breach in India.

Key Takeaways:

• A tort is a harm, such as a punch or a car accident. A mass tort is when those harms happen on a large scale.

• Mass torts can be a goldmine for lawyers (and there is a convention held twice a year regarding mass torts in Las Vegas). This can be concerning as more states are allowing law firms to be owned, even partially, by non-lawyers.

• Many of the women involved with this mass tort were conned by people who had their specific information, including birth dates, surgery dates, and other medical information. It created a lot of confusion for many.

"You can imagine that your scam detector would probably go off if someone called you and asked you for that information. But if someone calls you and they already know your birth date and the name of your implanting doctor and the type of mesh that you have and exactly when you had the surgery and where you had the surgery, then all of a sudden it feels a lot more legitimate." — Elizabeth Burch

Connect with Elizabeth Burch:

Professional Bio: https://www.elizabethchambleeburch.com/about

Website: https://www.elizabethchambleeburch.com/

Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/eburch.bsky.social

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/elizabethcburch/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/elizabethcburch/

X: https://x.com/elizabethcburch

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ECBurch/

Pre-Order The Pain Brokers: How Con Men, Call Centers, and Rogue Doctors Fuel America's Lawsuit Factory here: https://www.simonandschuster.com/books/The-Pain-Brokers/Elizabeth-Chamblee-Burch/9781668068861

Connect with Therese:

Website: www.criticallyspeaking.net

Bluesky: @CriticallySpeaking.bsky.social

Instagram: @criticallyspeakingpodcast

Email: [email protected]

Audio production by Turnkey Podcast Productions. You're the expert. Your podcast will prove it.

In this episode, Therese Markow, Dr. Jerald Kay, and Dr. Joel Yager discuss the various forms of ambition: lack of ambition, mismatched ambition, Machiavellian ambition, and how to deal with malignant narcissists.

Key Takeaways:

• There are biological underpinnings to ambition, but much of what we know about ambition is built on repeated interactions as children.

• Not everyone who is Machiavellian is ambitious. Not everyone ambitious is Machiavellian. But when you have people who have dark triad characteristics, it can mean trouble for those around them.

• There are levels of narcissism. Only some are treatable. The last division of severe narcissism is called malignant personality disorder and is relatively untreatable.

"It's both nature and nurture. We know ambition runs in families. And we know kids that are adopted into families with ambitious parents turn out to be more ambitious than if they weren't adopted into those kinds of families." — Dr. Joel Yager

Episode References: https://journals.lww.com/jonmd/fulltext/2023/04000/ambition_and_its_psychopathologies.1.aspx

Connect with Therese:

Website: www.criticallyspeaking.net

Bluesky: @CriticallySpeaking.bsky.social

Instagram: @criticallyspeakingpodcast

Email: [email protected]

Audio production by Turnkey Podcast Productions. You're the expert. Your podcast will prove it.

In this episode, Therese Markow and Sophie Lucido Johnson discuss the evolution of family and the concept of "kin" in Sophie's book "Kin: The Future of Family." They explore the isolation and loneliness in modern society, emphasizing the importance of chosen family networks, or "pods," for emotional and physical well-being. She highlights the benefits of close, non-genetic relationships, citing research showing that strong social connections can prolong life more than health habits. Sophie also addresses the challenges of maintaining friendships post-children and the mutual support needed in kin relationships, drawing parallels to primate behavior and community responses to disasters.

Key Takeaways:

• Digital connective tools are wonderful, but they do not take the place of human connection of conversation, and relationships.

• You do not have to live with someone to create a family pod together. Living in proximity can help to share the burden and lighten the load. It is good for your mental and physical health to build relationships with those in close proximity to you.

• Relationships do not need to be transactional. However, by nature, there will be levels of give and take.

• Commitment is not just for romantic relationships.

• Planning is difficult. Be spontaneous with short time hangouts, running errands together, and a willingness to commit more deeply with your friends while being flexible.

• Cross-generational relationships have many benefits for all parties involved.

"There's nothing that the science has shown to prolong your life more than relationships with other people." — Sophie Lucido Johnson

Connect with Sophie Lucido Johnson:

Website: https://www.sophielucidojohnson.com/

Linktree: https://linktr.ee/sophielucidojohnson

Book: simonandschuster.com/books/Kin/Sophie-Lucido-Johnson/9781668060650

Instagram: instagram.com/sophielucidojohnson

Connect with Therese:

Website: www.criticallyspeaking.net

Bluesky: @CriticallySpeaking.bsky.social

Instagram: @criticallyspeakingpodcast

Email: [email protected]

Audio production by Turnkey Podcast Productions. You're the expert. Your podcast will prove it.

In this episode, Therese Markow and Dr. Tami Rowen discuss menopause, perimenopause, and hormone therapy. She explains that menopause is defined as one year without a period, while perimenopause can last up to 10 years with symptoms like mood changes and menstrual irregularities. Dr. Rowen discusses the changes in FSH levels and how to understand what the levels mean across time, and why they may not be as helpful as you think. She also explains how hormone therapy can alleviate symptoms and prevent osteoporosis, and that bioidentical hormones are preferred for their safety and efficacy. Finally, she cautions that social media can spread both accurate and misleading information about menopause and hormone therapy.

Key Takeaways:

• There is a debate over whether or not there is a cardiovascular benefit to starting hormone therapy early. While several studies suggest there may be a benefit, all the current guidelines recommend against using hormone therapy specifically for the prevention of heart disease.

• When somebody enters menopause or post-menopause, there is no significant change in their testosterone levels. However, testosterone will be lower than when someone was in their 20s.

• The majority of people giving information about menopause are not healthcare providers. Oftentimes, when they are discussing hormone therapy, some of the risks get missed, some of the benefits get overblown, and many are left believing hormone therapy will be a cure-all.

"Anytime someone makes a definitive statement, I would take it with a grain of salt and just know that there's oftentimes nuance to recommendations and guidance, and I would encourage all women to seek out a provider that is familiar with the data." — Dr. Tami Rowen

Connect with Dr. Tami Rowen:

Professional Bio: https://profiles.ucsf.edu/tami.rowen

Website: https://www.ucsfhealth.org/providers/tami-rowen

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/drtamirowen/

Connect with Therese:

Website: www.criticallyspeaking.net

Threads: @critically_speaking

Instagram: @criticallyspeakingpodcast

Email: [email protected]

Audio production by Turnkey Podcast Productions. You're the expert. Your podcast will prove it.

In this episode, Therese Markow and Dr. Robert Klitzman discuss the implications of new anti-obesity drugs, initially designed for type 2 diabetes but now used for weight loss. These drugs are expensive and may not be fully covered by insurance. They discuss how the drugs work and explain why they may be more effective for some than others. Dr. Klitzman highlights the socio-economic disparity that contributes to some of the causes of obesity. He emphasizes the need for prevention and policy changes to address the root causes of obesity, including dietary habits and access to healthy food.

Key Takeaways:

• The US spends twice as much per person on health care as any other country in the world, yet our health indices are nowhere near the top. A lot of that is because of the price of drugs.

• Obesity medications are being touted as the end of the obesity pandemic, as a cure-all. However, while they do a lot of good, there are many limitations to the drugs.

• Obesity is often more prevalent in lower socio-economic classes. With the increased use of these obesity drugs, the disparity between the haves and have-nots will continue to grow, potentially leading to additional stigmas being placed on those struggling with obesity.

"I do have concerns that the attention on drugs, if we're going to spend a lot of money on drugs for obesity, my concern is we're not going to spend as much attention on how to prevent obesity in the first place." — Dr. Robert Klitzman

Connect with Dr. Robert Klitzman:

Professional Bio: https://www.publichealth.columbia.edu/profile/robert-klitzman-md

Website: https://sps.columbia.edu/person/robert-klitzman-md

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/robert-klitzman/

Connect with Therese:

Website: www.criticallyspeaking.net

Threads: @critically_speaking

Email: [email protected]

Audio production by Turnkey Podcast Productions. You're the expert. Your podcast will prove it.