Critically Speaking

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: 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. 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: theresemarkow@criticallyspeaking.net 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: theresemarkow@criticallyspeaking.net 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: theresemarkow@criticallyspeaking.net 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: theresemarkow@criticallyspeaking.net 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: 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. 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: 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. 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: 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. Kevin Spencer discuss the innovative use of magic tricks as therapy for children with autism. Kevin found that teaching magic helped children with autism improve social skills, communication, and self-esteem. He developed the Hocus Focus program for schools and the Magic Therapy program for hospitals, both using simple magic tricks with common items. Kevin's research showed significant improvements in social skills and self-esteem using the Social Skills Improvement Scale (SSIS) and the Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale (RSES). He also successfully adapted his therapy to virtual formats during the pandemic. Key Takeaways: One of the most significant deficits of traditional social skills programs in the schools is that they try to teach social skills explicitly, through this very didactic structure, but none of that is transferred over to a real-world setting. Doug Henning's formula for magic works well with kids on the spectrum, and really, everyone: The difficult must become habit. Habit becomes beautiful. Beautiful becomes magic. Magic gives kids an avenue to practice social interactions and other social skills that become broadly applicable to other areas of life. In classroom settings, it gives kids a chance to practice both performing and being an audience. Teachers and parents often see the changes before the child does, as the kids are so engaged in the learning and sharing with their friends. There are no expectations that you know how to do magic (unlike other behaviors). It allows for failure to be part of the process, which builds frustration tolerance, persistence, critical thinking, and resilience. "All of the tricks that we teach are done with very ordinary items. It's coins and Q-tips and string and rope and paper clips and rubber bands, because we want them to recognize that the magic is connected to them. It's not connected to a prop." — Dr. Kevin Spencer Episode References: TDF: https://www.tdf.org/ Connect with Dr. Kevin Spencer: Professional Bio: https://kevinspencerlive.com/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/spencersmagic Website: https://www.spencersmagic.com/ Books: https://www.kevinspencerlive.com/books YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/spencersmagic Vimeo: https://vimeo.com/spencersmagic LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kevinwspencer/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/magicguy2012 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. Tami Rowen discuss the controversy surrounding the use of Tylenol during pregnancy and its potential link to autism. She emphasizes that the evidence is largely anecdotal and not supported by robust scientific studies. Dr. Rowen highlights a study published in Environmental Health in 2025 that found a weak association between Tylenol use and autism, but adds that a subsequent study revealed flaws in the earlier study and showed no association. Fever in pregnant women can have dangerous effects and should be relieved. She stresses that Tylenol is the safest pain reliever and fever reducer for pregnant women, who experience fevers in 20% of pregnancies. Dr. Rowen criticizes the media and some health officials for misrepresenting the risks, potentially leading to harmful decisions by pregnant women. Key Takeaways: Tylenol is the safest option that we have in terms of a fever reducer and pain reliever. Fevers actually have more association with autism than Tylenol does in the research. On the other hand, Ibuprofen and NSAIDs are unsafe in pregnancy, especially in the third trimester. "Pregnancy is quite an uncomfortable state of being. We tell pregnant women, and we tell women in general, to tough out a lot of things, but pain is not something that I think is reasonable. I think that it goes against the principle of doing no harm, to tell people they should just suffer with pain when there is actually effective and safe medication for them." — Dr. Tami Rowen Episode References: The Conversation Article: https://theconversation.com/as-an-ob-gyn-i-see-firsthand-how-misleading-statements-on-acetaminophen-leave-expectant-parents-confused-fearful-and-lacking-in-options-265947 Connect with Dr. Tami Rowen: Professional Bio: https://profiles.ucsf.edu/tami.rowen Connect with Therese: Website: www.criticallyspeaking.net Bluesky:@CriticallySpeaking.bsky.social Email: theresemarkow@criticallyspeaking.net Audio production by Turnkey Podcast Productions. You're the expert. Your podcast will prove it.