Critically Speaking

Hidden in your water, food, and even your blood, forever chemicals (PFAS) are nearly impossible to destroy - and now U.S. regulations are being rolled back. Listen in to how PFAS became unavoidable, what they're doing to our health, and whether we can ever truly get rid of them.
 
In this episode, Therese Markow and Dr. Carrie McDonough discuss perfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS), also known as forever chemicals. PFAS, which include PFOA and PFOS, are persistent organic pollutants used in various products, such as Teflon for your cooking pans and Scotchgard. While there are natural molecules that incorporate fluorine, the compounds we are most concerned about when we talk about PFAS cannot be synthesized naturally and are difficult to break down. Dr. McDonough discusses exposure risks, how we are exposed, and the efforts that have been made to regulate these chemicals. She emphasizes the need for better detection methods and remediation strategies. 
 
 Key Takeaways:
While some PFAS are excreted from the human body, many are not and linger in our blood and cells.

A lot of pollutants accumulate in the adipose fat in the human body. However, PFAS are mostly found in proteins and membranes, such as the kidney, liver, and blood. 

The first clue that PFAS were widespread in humans was back in the 1970s. However, the results were inconclusive - they just didn't have the instrumentation they needed to confirm it or the standards from the companies in order to identify the PFAS.

Biomagnification causes creatures, including humans, that are higher up the food chain to have higher concentrations of PFAS than those lower in the food chain. This includes those who are herbivores, omnivores, and carnivores. 

Companies have been putting these things out into our environment for decades; for some amount of that time, they knew that they were doing it and that they were toxic, but didn't tell anyone. There is really no way to protect anyone from these chemicals that we did not consent to being in our bodies. 

 
"If you're not living in an area with highly contaminated water, or some kind of large contamination issue, your main source of PFAS is probably your diet." —  Dr. Carrie McDonough
 
Episode References: 
Toxic Gaslighting: How 3M Executives Convinced a Scientist the Forever Chemicals She Found in Human Blood Were Safe: https://www.propublica.org/article/3m-forever-chemicals-pfas-pfos-inside-story 

PFAS leave fingerprints in your blood – researchers are figuring out how forever chemicals transform in your body to read these clues: https://theconversation.com/pfas-leave-fingerprints-in-your-blood-researchers-are-figuring-out-how-forever-chemicals-transform-in-your-body-to-read-these-clues-280396

Dark Waters: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt9071322/ 

They Poisoned the World: Life and Death in the Age of Forever Chemicals by Mariah Blake: https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/554198/they-poisoned-the-world-by-mariah-blake/ 

 

Connect with Dr. Carrie McDonough:
Professional Bio: https://www.cmu.edu/chemistry/people/faculty/mcdonough.html 
Google Scholar: https://scholar.google.com/citations?user=Xq5HrPYAAAAJ&hl=en 
Website: https://groups.chem.cmu.edu/mcdonough/ 
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/carrieamcd 
 
Connect with Therese:
Website:  www.criticallyspeaking.net
Bluesky: @CriticallySpeaking.bsky.social
Instagram: @criticallyspeakingpodcast
Email: theresemarkow@criticallyspeaking.net
 
Audio production by Turnkey Podcast Productions. You're the expert. Your podcast will prove it.

Peptides are being sold online as miracle fixes for energy, healing, and longevity—but what if the science behind them is shaky, or even dangerous? 
 
In this episode, Therese Markow and Dr. Leigh Baxt pull back the curtain on the peptide craze, revealing what we really know (and don't know) about these heavily marketed "biohacks." They discuss the complexities and risks of unapproved peptides, which are often marketed for health enhancement. Dr. Baxt explains what peptides are and speaks to those drugs that are FDA-approved, like GLP-1 agonists and insulin, but also highlights the safety concerns of unapproved peptides, such as BPC-157 and TB-500, which lack appropriate clinical trial data and are often synthesized in unregulated labs. Dr. Baxt emphasizes the importance of proper clinical trial processes and regulatory oversight to ensure drug safety and efficacy.
 
 Key Takeaways:
A peptide is just a short chain of amino acids. They can be created synthetically, they can be isolated, and they are natural. The body doesn't care whether a peptide is "natural" or synthetic; what matters is its exact molecular structure.

FDA-approved peptide drugs go through years of rigorous testing in animals and humans to prove both safety and effectiveness before reaching the market.

Calling something "scientifically proven" can be misleading when the underlying evidence is weak, preliminary, or based only on rat studies. Especially as much of the "science" cited on peptide marketing sites comes from small, limited animal, or cell studies, not large, controlled human trials. 

Just because a product is available online or from a compounding pharmacy does not mean it is FDA-approved, well-studied, or safe; consumers must look beyond hype and ask what evidence truly exists.

A naturally occurring peptide is generally not going to be suitable for use therapeutically.

 
"You can say that something is scientifically demonstrated because it showed something interesting in a rat. The key is that the people may not ask that, because a lot of times people hear 'scientific terminology' and it makes something sound really legitimate, but it doesn't mean that there's solid data." —  Dr. Leigh Baxt
 
Evaluation of Research Grade Peptides Marketed Directly to Consumers Reveals Extensive Variability in Purity and Measured Abundance: https://www.preprints.org/manuscript/202604.1748 
 
Connect with Dr. Leigh Baxt:
Professional Bio: https://www.mskcc.org/profile/leigh-baxt 
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/leigh-baxt-314b877 
 
Connect with Therese:
Website:  www.criticallyspeaking.net
Bluesky: @CriticallySpeaking.bsky.social
Instagram: @criticallyspeakingpodcast
Email: theresemarkow@criticallyspeaking.net
 
Audio production by Turnkey Podcast Productions. You're the expert. Your podcast will prove it.

Dr. Kate Mangino exposes the hidden burden of cognitive and emotional labor at home and explains how "benevolent sexism" and unequal household roles quietly push women to the breaking point.
 
In this episode, Therese Markow and Dr. Kate Mangino discuss gender inequality in household responsibilities. Kate differentiates between structural and social inequalities, noting that societal norms perpetuate these "male" and "female" roles. She also emphasizes the importance of cognitive labor, which often falls on women, and addresses the emotional impact of household tasks on whichever partner carries the burden of the larger load. Dr. Mangino also encourages intentional conversations about division of labor in relationships from the time you're dating, rather than after marriage. Finally, she advocates for challenging traditional gender roles and promoting equal partnerships to improve overall well-being. 
 
 Key Takeaways:
While there have been some improvements in the structural and social components of inequality, we are at a milestone point, not an end point. There is still a lot of work to be done.

Cognitive labor is the project management work that happens in households - it is all about planning in your head, which is oftentimes more cumbersome than the actual physical work. It's the anticipation, research, decision-making, and evaluation of every decision within the home. 

If you're trying to push back on social norms, you may need to reconsider who our role models are, and maybe pick some new ones who are closer to where you want to be or where your family wants to be.

We need to be better at preparing young people of all genders to match their dating habits a little bit more closely with the person they want to end up with. The more intentional that we can be about gender roles and what we're looking for in a partner, the better.

 
"Broadly speaking, women do more and men do less. Broadly speaking, but you can find representations of all different kinds of families, and I think what it comes down to is, regardless of gender, the person who is doing more feels burdened, feels bitter, resentful, tired, frustrated." —  Dr. Kate Mangino
 
Connect with Dr. Kate Mangino:
Website: https://www.katemangino.com/  
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/katemangino 
Book: Equal Partners: Improving Gender Equality at Home - https://read.macmillan.com/lp/equal-partners/ 
 
Connect with Therese:
Website:  www.criticallyspeaking.net
Bluesky: @CriticallySpeaking.bsky.social
Instagram: @criticallyspeakingpodcast
Email: theresemarkow@criticallyspeaking.net
   
Audio production by Turnkey Podcast Productions. You're the expert. Your podcast will prove it.

Our cities are anything but concrete jungles. Listen in as Therese Markow and Dr. Dan Werb reveal the hidden world of synanthropes - the wild animals that not only live alongside us, but thrive because of us.
In this episode, Therese Markow and Dr. Dan Werb discuss Dan's new book "Our Wild Familiars", which explores how animals (and plants) adapt to urban environments. They dive into the history and impact of synanthropes, such as raccoons, coyotes, and rats. He also highlights the adaptability of these animals and why they have expanded into cities. Dr. Werb emphasizes the importance of viewing cities as living, thriving ecosystems and the need for human ecosystem-based solutions for the good of humans and animals alike in these ecosystems. 
 
 Key Takeaways:
Humanity has a much higher risk of experiencing viral spillover events now than before, because we are increasingly intersecting with wild animals that we have never seen before in urban spaces that carry pathogens that we've never been exposed to before.

As humans, we have a relationship with synanthropes that is so deep and long-standing that it has become central to our spiritual selves as well. 

With more small animals being drawn into cities, that is going to continue to draw in more predators, such as coyotes, which have expanded their home range by about 50 kilometers per year for the last 150-200 years.

It may be impossible to eliminate any synanthrope that has found an ecosystem within a city. Even if you remove one creature from an area, the niche they had developed will still be there, ready for the next synanthrope to move in.

Solutions that make life better for humans can actually be profoundly beneficial for animals as well, or at least for the functioning of our urban ecosystems. 

 
"Cities are more biodiverse than the areas that surround them, and that's because humans, like any other organism, want to live in places that are as fertile and rich as possible." —  Dr. Dan Werb
 
Connect with Dr. Dan Werb:
Professional Bio: https://ihpme.utoronto.ca/faculty-profile/dan-werb/,  https://profiles.ucsd.edu/daniel.werb 
Website: https://danwerb.substack.com/ 
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/danwerb/ 
Books: 
PREORDER: Our Wild Familiars - https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/769255/our-wild-familiars-by-dan-werb/ 

City of Omens - https://www.amazon.com/City-Omens-Search-Missing-Borderlands-ebook/dp/B07QLN4K3T 

The Invisible Siege - https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/670859/the-invisible-siege-by-dan-werb/ 

 
Connect with Therese:
Website:  www.criticallyspeaking.net
Bluesky: @CriticallySpeaking.bsky.social
Instagram: @criticallyspeakingpodcast
Email: theresemarkow@criticallyspeaking.net
 
Audio production by Turnkey Podcast Productions. You're the expert. Your podcast will prove it.

In this episode, Therese Markow and Dr. Boris Konrad discuss the striking impact of memorization on functional changes and connectivity in the brain. Dr. Konrad is a neuroscientist as well as an international Memory Champion. He not only studies brain connectivity, but also trains other memory athletes, as well as those who simply wish to improve their memories. They discuss more specific aspects of memorization and its benefits across a range of other activities and problem-solving, independent of the particular memorization training utilized. Dr. Konrad summarizes his recent study, published in the journal Neuron, and the techniques used to train the brain to improve memory. 
 
 Key Takeaways:
Memorization and memory are not a part of the brain; they are functions of the brain. It is a capability of our brain and our neural system. 

Without exception, memory athletes use the method of loci (colloquially called the "memory palace") as a technique to memorize and remember information. 

Memory training actually decreases the brain activity needed to complete a range of tasks.

 
"Learning and thinking in your brain are not separate. We don't have a thinking brain and a learning brain; it's exactly one brain which does both." —  Dr. Boris Konrad
 
Connect with Dr. Boris Konrad:
Donders Institute: https://www.ru.nl/en/people/konrad-b 
Website: https://www.boriskonrad.com/en/ 
Memory Training: Superbrain! Memory Training with Boris Konrad - https://memory1.teachable.com/p/memory-training    
TED Talks: 
How to use memory techniques to improve education - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_qIBe0h0-Ig 
The mind and methods of a Memory Champion - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t76N00urDlU 
https://www.ted.com/talks/boris_nikolai_konrad_how_to_use_memory_techniques_to_improve_learning_and_education_jan_2018
 
Connect with Therese:
Website:  www.criticallyspeaking.net
Bluesky: @CriticallySpeaking.bsky.social
Instagram: @criticallyspeakingpodcast
Email: theresemarkow@criticallyspeaking.net
  
Audio production by Turnkey Podcast Productions. You're the expert. Your podcast will prove it.