The CRAM Podcast ~ Extraordinary Ideas Unleashed Mary Ito

Remember when you used to see your doctor every year for  a “physical?”  He looked at you from top to toe, did a full blood workup and maybe sent you for other tests as well. 
But a number of years ago, the annual physical was replaced with the periodic health exam.  Based on the evidence, the medical profession said an annual checkup wasn’t necessary for everyone and might even be detrimental. 
But even after all these years, not everyone is convinced incl. some doctors.  Why?  And there are still questions among patients - esp. after the pandemic - and what to expect from a periodic health exam, what tests you should be getting, and whether doctor visits should be virtual or in person.
Listen to what family physician and researcher Dr. Aisha Lofters has to say about the pros and cons of the periodic health exam and what you should know before getting one.


Info on Guest:
Dr. Aisha Lofters is a family physician and researcher at Women’s College Hospital in Toronto and Assoc. Prof in the Dept. of Family & Community Medicine, University of Toronto.  For more info on Dr. Lofters and her work:  https://www.womensacademics.ca/staff-members/aisha-lofters-md-phdaisha-lofters/
https://discover.research.utoronto.ca/43-aisha-lofters


Add’l Info: 
We’d really appreciate your support!  Please rate our podcast and subscribe and follow us on social @CRAMideas.  Thanks for listening!  


We’d really appreciate your support! Please rate our podcast and subscribe and follow us on social @CRAMideas. Thanks for listening!

It’s a hot topic lately.  Narcissism.
You’ll find it everywhere – on social media, online articles, talk shows, documentaries.
And it seems everyone knows someone who has Narcissistic Personality Disorder – or they think they have it themselves!
Even if you know someone who genuinely has NPD.. well then what?
Can you have a successful relationship with them and if not, what are the signs to leave?
This is an important discussion and we invited Dr. Martin Drapeau for some answers.  He’s a clinical psychologist and and professor of Counselling Psychology and Psychiatry at McGill University.
Info on Guest:
Dr. Martin Drapeau is a Clinical Psychologist and Professor of Counselling Psychology and Psychiatry at McGill University.  For more information on his research and work, please check out these links:
https://www.mcgill.ca/edu-ecp/martin-drapeau
https://www.drmartindrapeau.ca/  Dr. Drapeau also has some helpful videos on his website that cover different aspects of psychotherapy and mental health incl. this one on how to choose a psychotherapist:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vCQNtQA9Lg0


Add’l Info: 
We’d really appreciate your support!  Please rate our podcast and subscribe and follow us on social @CRAMideas.  Thanks for listening!  



We’d really appreciate your support! Please rate our podcast and subscribe and follow us on social @CRAMideas. Thanks for listening!

It’s a once in a lifetime event:  a mesmerizing, soul-stirring experience. At any given point on earth, the ability to see a total solar eclipse happens only once every three to four hundred years.  
And on April 8, 2024, at least 30 million people will be able to experience it.  They’ll be plunged into darkness as the moon completely blocks the sun.  Even if you’re not going to experience the eclipse, it’s a fascinating journey of discovery to hear science writer Andrew Fazekas talk about it.  
Andrew explains what we’ll see, the science and history around solar eclipses, and what makes them unique and unforgettable.  


Info on Guest:
Andrew Fazekas is a science writer, broadcaster and lecturer known as the “Night Sky Guy.” He works with National Geographic, CBC Radio and CTV News.  He’s past president of the Montreal Centre of the Royal Astronomical Society of Canada and author of National Geographic’s “Backyard Guide to the Night Sky.”  For more info on Andrew and his work, check 
out his website:   https://thenightskyguy.com/


Add’l Info: 
We’d really appreciate your support!  Please rate our podcast and subscribe and follow us on social @CRAMideas.  Thanks for listening!  


We’d really appreciate your support! Please rate our podcast and subscribe and follow us on social @CRAMideas. Thanks for listening!

We’ve all had nightmares.  Some are worse than others and can haunt us for days.
Whether it’s a nightmare, a night terror or sleep paralysis, they all happen while we sleep.
But they can feel very real.
Why do we have nightmares, and what does it mean when they recur over and over again?  
Did you know there’s a difference between nightmares and night terrors and when they occur?  Should you awaken a sleepwalker?  And what is sexsomnia?  
So many mystifying questions about what happens while we sleep!
Elizaveta Solomonova has been studying sleep and dreams for many years and sheds light on this puzzling phenomenon we all experience.  
Welcome to your dream world.


Info on Guest:
Elizaveta Solomonova is a cognitive scientist who teaches a course called The Science of Dreams at Concordia University in Montreal.  She’s also a researcher with the Neurophilosophy Lab at McGill University.  For more info:   https://sociabilityofsleep.ca/elizaveta-solomonova/
Cross-cultural sleep & dreams study: https://www.neurophilosophylab.org/s-projects-basic-2
Psychology Today:  https://www.psychologytoday.com/ca/contributors/elizaveta-solomonova-phd


Add’l Info: 
We’d really appreciate your support!  Please rate our podcast and subscribe and follow us on social @CRAMideas.  Thanks for listening!  



We’d really appreciate your support! Please rate our podcast and subscribe and follow us on social @CRAMideas. Thanks for listening!

Have you heard of “The Dark Triad?”  It sounds like a mysterious crime syndicate in a James Bond movie.   But it’s real. The Dark Triad refers to the worst personality traits a person can have.  Narcissism.  Machiavellianism.  Psychopathy.
Think of former U.S. President Donald Trump.  NY financier Bernie Madoff.   Serial killer Paul Bernardo.  
Each of them has at least one of these traits according to a researcher who studies personality disorders.     
And there’s even a fourth dark trait – sadism.  Put them all together and they form a tetrad of the most dangerous qualities a human can possess.
Renowned personality researcher Delroy Paulhus gives a compelling overview of why we have these human traits, how they’re exhibited, and even more shocking - why no one is exempt from any of these behaviours.  


Info on Guest:
Delroy Paulhus is a personality researcher and professor emeritus of the Dept. of Psychology at the University of British Columbia.   For more info:  https://psych.ubc.ca/profile/del-paulhus/
An article on the four “dark personalities”:  https://paulhuslab.psych.ubc.ca/research/dark-personalities/


Add’l Info: 
We’d really appreciate your support!  Please rate our podcast and subscribe and follow us on social @CRAMideas.  Thanks for listening!  


We’d really appreciate your support! Please rate our podcast and subscribe and follow us on social @CRAMideas. Thanks for listening!

Humans are complex beings.
And one of the most perplexing puzzles that John McPhee is trying to figure out –  is how we move.  
It’s a question that’s fascinated him for most of his life.
And during his 30+ years as a systems design engineer, he’s come up with remarkable achievements:
everything from improving electric and autonomous vehicles,  developing exoskeletons for stroke patients,  and increasing the performance of Olympic  and pro athletes. 
His lab even developed a hockey blade that allows hockey players to skate faster.
As well as a baseball pitching machine that can replicate every baseball pitch ever produced in the last ten years.  Even Garrit Cole’s. 
Canada's leading expert in systems dynamics John McPhee shares his amazing inventions and how he’s advancing the way we move. 


Info on Guest:
John McPhee is the Canada Research Chair in Biomechatronic System Dynamics and Professor in Systems Design Engineering at the U of Waterloo.   In 2021, Stanford University named him among the top 2% of scientists in the world.  
For more on his research and inventions:  https://uwaterloo.ca/systems-design-engineering/profile/mcphee
To watch a video on his work:  https://uwaterloo.ca/systems-design-engineering/contacts/john-mcphee


Add’l Info: 
We’d really appreciate your support!  Please rate our podcast and subscribe and follow us on social @CRAMideas.  Thanks for listening!  




We’d really appreciate your support! Please rate our podcast and subscribe and follow us on social @CRAMideas. Thanks for listening!