The Cure for B******t Benzi Kluger

In this episode, we engage in a captivating conversation with Dr. Alberto Espay, a distinguished professor and chair of the James and Joan Gardner Center for Parkinson's Disease at the University of Cincinnati. With over 300 research studies and the author of "Brain Fables: The Hidden History of Neurodegenerative Diseases and a Blueprint to Conquer Them," Dr. Espay not only stands as an accomplished scientist but also as a thought-provoking iconoclast challenging conventional views. Together, we dive into the core question: What is science? Join us as Alberto shares his expertise on neurodegenerative illnesses and imparts valuable insights into the essence of science, offering our listeners a profound understanding of the scientific process and its transformative impact on our relentless pursuit of knowledge.

3:04 – What is clinical research?
12:21 – What advice do you have for people who are living with an illness who see these news stories to kind of separate the wheat from the chaff?
15:54 – Discussing the concepts of diseases, syndromes, and cures
21:08 – Alzheimer’s disease and the “amyloid rabbit hole”
27:13 – Discussing the approval of an ineffective Alzheimer’s drug and failing to falsify the amyloid hypothesis
33:50 – How can we or should we trust science?
40:44 – How do you handle conversations with people you see in clinic who are bringing up different ideas such as trying stem cells?
42:48 – Vaccines and trusting companies who are in charge of the research and with access to peer reviewed content
42:48 – What do you see as the cure for b******t? What would be your prescription for it? Or how can we improve the symptoms of b******t?
Dr. Alberto Espay is Professor and Endowed Chair of the James J. and Joan A. Gardner Center for Parkinson’s Disease at the University of Cincinnati. He has published over 300 peer-reviewed research articles and 10 books, including Common Movement Disorders Pitfalls, which received the Highly Commended BMA Medical Book Award in 2013, and Brain Fables, the Hidden History of Neurodegenerative Diseases and a Blueprint to Conquer Them, coauthored with Parkinson patient and advocate Benjamin Stecher, selected by the Association of American Publishers for the PROSE Award honoring the best scholarly work in Neuroscience published in 2020. He has served as Chair of the Movement Disorders Section of the American Academy of Neurology, Associate Editor of the Movement Disorders journal, and on the Executive Committee of the Parkinson Study Group. Among other honors, he has received the Cincinnati Business Courier’s Health Care Hero award, the Spanish Society of Neurology’s Cotzias award, and honorary membership in the Mexican Academy of Neurology. His 2022 TEDx presentation, “Parkinson’s and Alzheimer’s: The Solution in Sight,” was selected from more than 12,000 global entries for two 2023 Telly Awards, which honor excellence in video and television across all screens. He currently serves as President of the Pan-American Section of the International Parkinson and Movement Disorders Society and directs the first biomarker study of aging (CCBPstudy.com), designed to match people with neurodegenerative disorders to available therapies from which they are most biologically suitable to benefit, regardless of clinical diagnoses.

You can find Alberto Espay’s book, “Brain Fables: The Hidden History of Neurodegenerative Diseases and a Blueprint to Conquer Them,” on Amazon:
https://www.amazon.com/Brain-Fables-Neurodegenerative-Diseases-Blueprint-ebook/dp/B088T85GMF
TEDx talk: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a7oAoajBlHc
His recommendations for other “books on rethinking brain aging and neurodegeneration” in Shepherd:

In this episode we sit down with Yvonne Rogalski, a speech and language pathology professor, researcher, and survivor of a prolonged battle with chronic pain. Yvonne shares her journey through the healthcare system, highlighting the challenges and frustrations she faced while seeking a hysterectomy for her endometriosis. Yvonne's candid account exposes the struggles she faced and the ultimate decision to undergo a private hysterectomy. We dive into the complexities of navigating chronic pain, the discrimination faced by pain patients, and the need for a more compassionate and understanding approach within the healthcare system.


2:38 – When did you first become a “patient”?
4:58 – Can you talk to your experience with seeing various people and did you feel listened to and trusted?
5:30 – Dynamics of living with pain… What was it like to be a “pain patient”?
13:59 – Story of asking for pain medications during family trip in Athens, Georgia
20:32 – Getting off hormones and discovering Hormone Replacement Therapy
25:00 – Can you tell us about a visit that you had with the doctor where the doctor wanted to talk to your husband Ted about web design?
26:24 – Discussion of power dynamics in the healthcare system between the patient and the doctor
29:00 – Was there any follow-up on the surgeon who made the mistake?
33:00 - If we had a time machine and we could send you back to help Yvonne in 2012, how are things were different? How would you be able to be an advocate for yourself?
38:33 – Are you comfortable with being an assertive and proactive patient?
41:49 – Why did you not get treatment in Canada?
46:21 – How would you define medical bullshit?

Yvonne Rogalski, formerly an associate professor at Ithaca College in the department of Speech-Language Pathology and Audiology, contributed significantly to the academic landscape. In her role, she instructed courses encompassing cognitive communication disorders, aphasia, motor speech disorders, and neuroanatomy. Her research pursuits were diverse, focusing on discourse analysis and treatment, alongside exploring memory and cognition within typical aging and populations with acquired communication disorders.

Yvonne has left academia in 2022 and is in the process of writing a collection of creative nonfiction about her medical mishap. She also has a YouTube channel!
Still Life: Comedy, Tragedy, Clipart
https://youtube.com/@still.life.clipart?si=Xd3fmsgIzUUmMFXU

Join us for an enlightening conversation with Timothy Quill, a pioneer in the field of palliative care and a driving force behind the death with dignity movement in the United States. In this episode, we delve into the profound concept of death with dignity, Dr. Quill's personal journey into the world of palliative care, and explore ways you, as our valued listeners, can incorporate these transformative ideas into your own healthcare experiences.

2:00 - Over the course of your career, has medical bullshit gotten any better?
4:02 - What are some tricks and traps that you see people get caught in the system?
5:30 - What do you do when a patient's belief system collides with your medical guidance?
6:47 - Thoughts on miracle cures
9:10 - The power and dangers of medical technology
11:23 - What prompted you to explore palliative care?
16:40 - How have you seen the medical system either support or interfere with people having a good death? How can patients advocate for themselves?
18:46 - What exactly is hospice and when is the right time to consider it?
25:34 - Story of Timothy's patient Diane
34:16 - The ethics behind assisted death
40:33 - "Palliative options of last resort"
45:00 - Advocacy for the death with dignity movement
47:10 - What does a family member do when they find themselves in the role of a decision-maker for a loved in the hospital?
52:50 - The biopsychosocial spiritual model and  discussion of spiritualism
56:30 - What in your thoughts is a prescription for reducing b******t in the medical system?

Dr. Timothy Quill: https://www.urmc.rochester.edu/people/23067752-timothy-edward-quill

Michael S. Okun, MD is a neurologist, poet,  author and National Medical Advisor to the Parkinson Foundation. In this interview we explore his approach to patient advocacy, staying curious enough to "reach grandma's attic" and how patients can bring out the best in their doctors. 
4:30 - What's your approach to a person asking about Stem Cell treatments11:40 - Vaccines and the pandemic13:00 - How can people do their own research, or is that just a foolhardy endeavor?15:00 - "Reaching grandma's attic"17:30 - How can we do a more skillful job of maintaining empathy and hope20:50 - Historically, doctors didn't help people live longer or get better23:45 - I don't think that it's fair to judge people on their intelligence or their integrity, on one issue.28:00 - Can you be a better patient in a way that makes your doctor a better doctor?30:50 - Establishing cultural expectations36:14 - "Lessons from the Bedside"39:00 - John Graham-Pole and Patch Adams, pioneers in medicine 43:18 - How do the lessons from the bedside tie into this mad scientist of neurophysiology?46:45 - Do you have a prescription for the the cure for bullshit? Or what do you see as the key ingredient?50:45 - I did a TED talk with Kelly Foote about controlling the brainParkinson Foundation - How to Join a Study
https://www.parkinson.org/advancing-research/join-study
Parkinson Foundation - Getting Involved in Research Fact Sheet
https://www.parkinson.org/library/fact-sheets/research

0orWQzcKZj3UEdUv9p1J
An in-depth interview with Rob Horowitz, chief of Palliative Care at URMC, about the challenges of supporting people with serious illness, even terminal illnesses, who often have very different views about medicine and truth than their doctors. Along the way we’ll hear about his unplanned journey into palliative care, the importance of love in medicine, psychedelics, the role of the ego in death,  and his advice for curing b******t with a palliative care approach.

2:20 - Any fresh hot b******t on your mind?
6:00 - Have your views of medical misinformation changed?
10:08 - What do you see as the cure for b******t?
11:30 - The hope for medical miracles
14:50 - Making difficult medical decisions
19:20 - Love in medicine
26:30 - Why did you choose to become a doctor?
30:11 - What prompted you to explore palliative care?
33:26 - What is palliative care?
36:35 - Facing death and suffering together
39:00 - What are the gifts and difficulties of working in palliative care?
42:21 - Applying the palliative care approach in neurology. 
46:30 - Health care systems are made of humans that are fallible 
51:00 - The cost of palliative care
55:50 - Delirium and other unexplainable events around death and dying
1:00:00 - Psychedelics and the power of letting go of the fear of death. 
1:05:58 - How to advocate for palliative care for yourself or a loved one
1:08:00 - What advice would you have for people who want to die with dignity?

Dr. Rob Horowitz: https://www.urmc.rochester.edu/people/20741402-robert-k-horowitz

Welcome to the Cure for B******t, a podcast where we interview patients, doctors, researchers and skeptics about their practical advice for navigating the healthcare system and avoiding medical scams. These interviews will also be part of a forthcoming book that will serve as a master class for avoiding and dealing with medical b******t. 0orWQzcKZj3UEdUv9p1J