Critically Speaking

We all believe in something, from Santa Claus, to the global shape of the earth, to babies needing to be taken care of for survival. While some of our beliefs are intuitive or have evidence, many are not. Sometimes the evidence that we believe to be true is faulty. In this episode, Therese Markow and Dr. James Alcock discuss how these beliefs are built, how we interpret situations to create beliefs, and why we, as a society, have so many common beliefs. As humans, we like to believe we are rational beings, but so many of our beliefs are happening automatically, without our conscious thought or from common teachings that we are all exposed to from those in authority. Therese and Dr. Alcock also discuss further complications regarding belief, such as conspiracy mentalities, imagination inflation, and memory contamination and the role that these elements of complication can play in trying to suss out what to believe in this world full of many shades of gray.

Key Takeaways:

• We cannot learn everything in one lifetime so, as a society, we come to rely on authorities and shared, inherited beliefs.

• There is no evidence that people can bury trauma. The problem with trauma is people can't forget.

• Due to mental desire to belief and idiosyncratic movements, humans often see things that are "magic" or "unexplainable" due to our own actions.

"The problem is, if we don't have the capacity and we don't have the motivation to critically examine the evidence, then we won't distinguish between evidence that really is factual and evidence which is wrong." — Dr. James Alcock

Connect with Dr. James Alcock:

Wikipedia Page: James Alcock

Book: Belief: What it Means to Believe and Why Our Convictions are so Compelling

Connect with Therese:

Website: www.criticallyspeaking.net

Twitter: @CritiSpeak

Email: [email protected]

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In this episode, Therese Markow and Dr. Loretta Mayer discuss the growing problem of urban rat populations, exacerbated by climate change and the ineffectiveness of traditional poisoning methods. Dr. Mayer discusses the non-lethal contraceptive method for rats and mice, developed from her research on reproductive physiology, and successful field tests that have shown significant reduction in rodent populations around the world. Finally, they discuss the non-profit Wisdom Good Works as well as Wisdom Good Bites and their aim to improve public health and environmental conditions by reducing rodent-borne diseases and improving rodent health.

Key Takeaways:

• Rats are the most successful reproductive mammal on earth, with the ability of a single female to generate over 15,000 prodigy over her lifetime.

• The rat contraceptive has a half-life of less than 15 minutes, meaning there is no possibility of transferring the contraceptive to a predator like a cat or a raptor.

• Rats are smart, and they learn. If you're trying to feed them poison, they will learn, and they will avoid it.

"The literature is quite deep on these rodents. They love to be tickled. They have compassion for other rodents. They are very closely connected to their conspecifics." — Dr. Loretta Mayer

Episode References:

• Another unwelcome consequence of climate change: An explosion of urban rats by Karen Kaplan - https://www.latimes.com/environment/story/2025-01-31/climate-change-could-cause-an-explosion-of-urban-rats

Connect with Dr. Loretta Mayer:

Professional Bio: https://wisdomgoodworks.org/about-us/

Website: https://wisdomgoodworks.org/ & https://wisdomgoodbites.com/

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/loretta-mayer-b4025914/

Connect with Therese:

Website: www.criticallyspeaking.net

Threads: @critically_speaking

Email: [email protected]

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In this episode, Therese Markow and Charles Piller discuss the slow progress of Alzheimer's treatments. Based on his research and findings as an investigative journalist, as well as his newest book, Doctored: Fraud, Arrogance, and Tragedy in the Quest to Cure Alzheimer's, they discuss the complexity of the disease, msiconduct in the research, and the other problems the research is facing despite the funding for it being at an all time high. Charles comments on the FDA's reliance on industry-affiliated advisors, the revolving door phenomenon, and why the new anti-amyloid drugs are not as practical as they might seem on the surface with limited effectiveness, high costs, and high liability. Finally, Charles emphasizes the need for diverse research strategies and better regulation to protect patients and families traversing this complex disease.

Key Takeaways:

• There are more than 7 million people with Alzheimer's in the US. In addition, there are 11 million family caregivers or loved ones taking care of these patients, which is an enormous issue and burden, both financial and emotional.

• The Amyloid Mafia idea is behind the concerns that the competitive pressure has reduced the extent of the types of ideas that are being fully examined in the treatments for Alzheimer's.

• While science is often self-correcting, it can take time. It is important for forensic image sleuths and journalists to expose misconduct and other scientific errors or wrongdoings to speed up that process of science, acknowledging and correcting the errors.

"In the marketplace of scientific ideas, competition is almost always valuable to test and press the progenitors of these ideas into being able to think flexibly and to try to prove out the ones that are the ones that are the most effective." — Charles Piller

Connect with Charles Piller:

Professional Bio: https://www.science.org/content/author/charles-piller

Book: Doctored: Fraud, Arrogance, and Tragedy in the Quest to Cure Alzheimer's - https://www.amazon.com/Doctored-Fraud-Arrogance-Tragedy-Alzheimers/dp/1668031248

Connect with Therese:

Website: www.criticallyspeaking.net

Threads: @critically_speaking

Email: [email protected]

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In this episode, Therese Markow and Dr. Paul Offit discuss the MMR vaccine, the history of it, and the current decay of measles herd immunity today. Many parents are refusing to vaccinate their children, referencing politicians, actors, and social activists who lack correct information regarding the vaccine. Even if an unvaccinated child recovers from measles, they may, years later, develop a fatal encephalitis from the measles virus that has hidden in their brains. Dr. Offit thus discusses not only the serious potential complications of measles during the illness but the risks of later and seemingly unrelated fatalities in the unvaccinated.

Key Takeaways:

• School vaccine mandates were born in the mid-1970s, especially in big cities, as outbreaks were often spread in schools.

• In a portion of children who recover from measles, the measles virus still remains hidden in the brain and can result in encephalitis.

• You have the right to make decisions about your own health, but you don't have the right to make your child a martyr for your cause.

• Many of those activating against vaccinations are still referencing an invalidated and retracted paper from 1998.

"Medicine's hard enough – there is so much we can't do - but this we can do! We can prevent this disease, so watching parents, knowingly, put their children in harm's way, and putting those their children come in contact with in harm's way, has been very hard to watch." — Dr. Paul Offit

Connect with Dr. Paul Offit:

Professional Bio: https://www.chop.edu/doctors/offit-paul-a

Book: Bad Advice: Or Why Celebrities, Politicians, and Activists Aren't Your Best Source of Health Information and More!

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.

In this episode, Therese Markow and Dr. Jamie Lo discuss the complex topic of marijuana and the fetal brain. Dr. Lo explains some of the findings from a study of over 3 million pregnant individuals in California, why pregnant individuals may choose to use marijuana, the links between THC exposure in the fetal brain and long-term neurodevelopmental issues, and why this conversation is becoming increasingly important for healthcare providers to have with their patients. Dr. Lo emphasizes the importance of both maternal and fetal health, the need for better public health campaigns, and increased education for healthcare providers to address the rising use of cannabis during pregnancy.

Key Takeaways:

• More people now use marijuana than alcohol. The prevalence of pregnant individuals ranges from about 2-5% up to 30% depending on socioeconomic status, region, and other factors.

• The reasons that pregnant individuals report marijuana use are typically for nausea, vomiting, sleep, insomnia, and mental health as well as management of pain and stress.

• Marijuana is not safer just because it is "plant-based". Opium, tobacco, and alcohol are all also plant-based.

• We need clearer public health messaging around cannabis. The information widely available now is often confusing or stigmatized.

"Cannabis, unlike other drugs, is not related to birth defects, but there is an increased risk for preterm birth, small for gestational age babies, increased risk for stillbirth, as well as longer-term effects that are more subtle but are very important." — Dr. Jamie Lo, MD

Connect with Dr. Jamie Lo, MD:

Professional Bio: https://www.ohsu.edu/people/jamie-lo-md-mcr

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.

In this episode, Therese Markow and Natalie Wexler discuss the poor reading skills of American students, as evidenced by NAEP test results. Natalie highlights the ineffectiveness of current reading programs and the focus on skills over content. She also talks about the discrepancies between students of different backgrounds, and how The Matthew Effect appears in reading comprehension and general knowledge. She also encourages teachers and parents to introduce their children, as early as possible, to higher concepts and vocabulary as children can and do understand more than many give them credit for. Natalie also discusses the role of writing in enhancing reading comprehension and the need for systemic changes in education to improve literacy outcomes.

Key Takeaways:

• When it comes to literacy and reading, the standards don't specify content. Therefore, the tests are not grounded in consistent content.

• Most kids need to learn their phonics in order to become fluent readers. Making this a more automated skill will free up brain power for comprehension.

• Vocabulary is more likely to stick if it is heard in context and on repeat.

• Read aloud to your kids. Kids can take in more sophisticated concepts and vocabulary through listening than reading. This goes through age 13.

• More than average amounts of social studies in elementary school are correlated with higher than average reading scores later in school.

"Kids who started with less of that academic knowledge and vocabulary, if they don't acquire it through school, they're going to fall farther and farther behind, because they're going to be limited to those simple texts. Even if there's some new vocabulary, new information in those texts, they're less likely to be able to retain it because they don't have anything for it to stick to." — Natalie Wexler

Episode References:

• The Knowledge Matters Campaign: https://knowledgematterscampaign.org/

Connect with Natalie Wexler:

Professional Bio: https://nataliewexler.com/about/

Website: https://nataliewexler.com/

Substack: https://nataliewexler.substack.com/

Books:

• Beyond the Science of Reading: https://nataliewexler.com/beyond-the-science-of-reading/

• The Knowledge Gap: https://nataliewexler.com/the-knowledge-gap/

• The Writing Revolution: https://nataliewexler.com/the-writing-revolution/twr-2-0-cover-amazon/

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.

In this episode, Therese Markow and Dr. Amy Cooter discuss the complexities and variations within militia groups in the United States, citing examples of constitutional militias, millenarian militias, and border militias noting their varying beliefs and tendencies. Dr. Cooter also highlights how the role of nostalgia and protecting the Second Amendment rights are integral in militias' self-perception. They discuss the difficulty in tracking militia activity, the racial undertones in these militia groups, as well as the legality and legal loopholes that many of these groups fall within.

Key Takeaways:

• Not all militias are the same. They do not have the same goals, structure, meetings, life experiences, or beliefs. Border militias tend to be more concerned about migration, whereas others, who live away from the Southern border of the US, are less concerned about immigration.

• The Second Amendment and nostalgia are two major things that tie militia groups together with a point of commonality.

• A lot of militia members aren't very religious themselves, but we have to pay attention to the way that the mythologized story of our founding and who we are as a nation connects to certain Christian mythology in ways that are getting pulled forward with different iterations of what we're calling White Christian Nationalism.

"Most militias really see their limits at their community or even their county boundary. They tend to have only very local members to set their own agenda, even if they do coordinate, sometimes for training or other activities, with other geographically near militias." — Dr. Amy Cooter

Episode Reference:

• ProPublica Article: The Militia and the Mole by Joshua Kaplan: https://www.propublica.org/article/ap3-oath-keepers-militia-mole

Connect with Dr. Amy Cooter:

Professional Bio: middlebury.edu/institute/people/amy-cooter

Website: https://www.amycooter.com/

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/amy-cooter-67a9a242

Book: Nostalgia, Nationalism, and the US Militia Movement: https://www.amazon.com/Nostalgia-Nationalism-US-Militia-Movement/dp/1032421975

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.

In this episode, Therese Markow and Richard Conniff discuss his book "Ending Epidemics," which explores the history of infectious diseases and vaccines. Richard highlights the evolution from ancient humoral theories, which thrived for nearly 2000 years, to modern germ theory, emphasizing the importance of cleanliness and vaccination. He recounts the development of the smallpox vaccine by Edward Jenner and the polio vaccine by Jonas Salk, noting initial resistance and the success of widespread vaccination. He also addresses the current resistance to COVID-19 vaccines, stressing the importance of balancing vaccine risks against disease risks. He also warns of the dangers of withdrawing from global health organizations like the WHO.

Key Takeaways:

• The Semmelweis Reflex is the tendency of people to stick with what they already believe and ignore clear evidence that it's wrong.

• Smallpox has been eradicated. In many areas, they were still using Jenner's vaccine, which still worked up until 1980.

• With some viruses, illnesses are dormant but can crop up later in life, such as chickenpox and shingles. Viruses hide in the nervous system

• When you are thinking about vaccines, think about the disease, and then think about what the relative risk of the vaccine is versus the risk of the disease.

"The problem is that people can develop these imaginary problems with vaccines because they do not have any conception of how awful the disease is that the vaccine is preventing." — Richard Conniff

Episode References:

• Ending Epidemics: A History of Escape from Contagion - https://mitpress.mit.edu/9780262552974/ending-epidemics/

• The Species Seekers: Heroes, Fools, and the Mad Pursuit of Life on Earth - https://wwnorton.com/books/9780393341324

Connect with Richard Conniff:

Professional Bio: https://mitpress.mit.edu/author/richard-conniff-39217/

Website: https://strangebehaviors.wordpress.com/

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/richard-conniff-9689a02/

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.

In this episode, Therese Markow and Dr. MacKenzie Pellin discuss the cancer rates in dogs and cats, the types of cancer we tend to see in our four-legged friends, and the challenges of diagnosing cancer in pets. Dr. Pellin also breaks down some of the main differences of cancer in breeds of dogs and cats, and the reasons why those types of cancer are more common based on the pet's structure. Finally, Dr. Pellin emphasizes the importance of routine veterinary care and early detection for your pets.

Key Takeaways:

• Dogs and humans are diagnosed with cancer at about the same rate - about 25% over their life, with about 50% at geriatric ages. About ⅓ of all cats will be diagnosed with cancer throughout their lifetime.

• Large and giant breed dogs are more predisposed to bone cancer. Dogs with long noses are more likely to get nasal tumors. Snub-nosed dogs are more likely to have tumors in their heart space.

• In cats, certain types of viruses, like FIV of FeLV can be transmitted to other cats, which can then mutate into cancer. These seem species-specific and cannot be transmitted to other species like dogs or humans.

• Monitor your dog or cat's habits enough that you can tell when things change. You know them, you know their habits, trust your gut, and take them in if things seem unusual.

"Be aware of your animal's habits, and if things start to change, pay attention to that and take them into your clinic for a checkup." — Dr. MacKenzie Pellin

Connect with Dr. MacKenzie Pellin:

Professional Bio: https://www.vetmed.wisc.edu/people/mackenzie-pellin/

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mackenzie-pellin-962a66b6/

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.

In this episode, Therese Markow and Dr. John Hutton discuss the impact of early reading exposure on brain development in infants and young children. He explains that babies are born with 100 billion brain cells, each with around 1,000 connections and that these connections are shaped by experiences. Dr. Hutton emphasizes the importance of a nurturing home literacy environment, which includes regular reading routines and interactive reading. He also addresses the negative effects of excessive screen time on brain development, particularly in preschoolers, and advocates for reducing screen usage to allow for more real-world engagement. Additionally, he highlights programs like Reach Out and Read and Dolly Parton's Imagination Library that aim to increase access to books for children from underprivileged backgrounds.

Key Takeaways:

• It takes a long time for the human brain to develop compared to other animals. Humans are uniquely more sensitive to experiences in their environment than other organisms because of this long development process.

• The Home Literacy Environment can be divided into quantitative (such as the number of books and amount of time spent reading) and qualitative (such as questions asked, format of books, interest in reading, etc.) components.

• There is no "reading network" built-in to the brain. If kids aren't taught to read, they are not going to just magically know how to read.

• Do your best to form your own routines, and try to make reading fun, enjoyable, and nurturing.

• Kids want to emulate their parents. If we want them to use less screen time, as adults, we must also have less screen time.

"Books, more than anything, are a catalyst that brings grown-ups and kids together to exchange language, to exchange emotions, to show love and affection, and that can be a source of nurturing for all these different aspects of development that are related to that experience." — Dr. John Hutton

Episode References:

• Read Aloud 15 Minutes: https://readaloud.org/

• Reach Out and Read: https://reachoutandread.org/

• Dolly Parton's Imagination Library: https://imaginationlibrary.com/usa/

• Dr. John Hutton Introduces the SHARE STEP Method for Reading with Young Children: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GuQhnbrwutw

Connect with Dr. John Hutton:

Professional Bio: https://profiles.utsouthwestern.edu/profile/226447/john-hutton.html

Twitter: https://x.com/drjohnhutton

Books: https://www.bluemanateepress.com/our-authors#/dr-john-hutton/

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.