Mini: Placebo Controls for Vaccines

Special guests Jennifer Farris, Meg Solomon, and Dr. Mari Cerda join us to talk about their new book about developing a compassionate care model. They outline the critical elemtents of their discussion, and share personal stories to help illustrate their recommendations. At the end, they join us in giving their own recommendations for things that bring them joy. We could all use a little more joy. Find the Book Here:https://www.amazon.com/Reframe-Framework-Developing-Compassionate-Instructional/dp/1300540478?source=ps-sl-shoppingads-lpcontext&ref_=fplfs&psc=1&smid=ATVPDKIKX0DERRecommendations:Dr. Mari Cerda: Mindful moments outside; Shrinking (TV show; Meg Solomon: Moody by Royel Otis (https://youtu.be/twM4KF99yd0?si=Z_BsmNfDJFd_amiT) and Murderbot (https://tv.apple.com/us/show/murderbot/umc.cmc.5owrzntj9v1gpg31wshflud03)Jennifer Farris: Wellfleet Oysters with Brut ChampagneShane: Talking to Strangers by Malcom Gladwell (https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/talking-to-strangers-malcolm-gladwell/1130509634)Abraham: The Things We Tell Ourselves in the Dark (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6FdXmAPM8u4) Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/why-we-do-what-we-do--3419521/support.

Can you walk around being skeptical all day long? At what point do you need to let your guard down? We suggest that not only can you go about your day being skeptical, it is better if you do. We'll explain.Support us on Patreon: patreon.com/wwdwwdpodcastLinks: https://www.theskepticsguide.org/Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/why-we-do-what-we-do--3419521/support.

There is a unique type of brain trauma that destroys lives and cuts them short and we can't even tell that it has happened until after your death. Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy occurs when there is repeated head trauma, even if it is mild. The result can manifest as forgetfulness, impulsivity, violence, and an early death. Mercifully, it is relatively preventable. Unfortunately, few people care to prevent it. Protect Your Brain!Recommendations:Abraham: Mickey 17 (https://www.max.com/movies/mickey-17/fbe17356-9db7-4ab3-928e-32978e0cfbc7) Shane: 1908 Bakery (https://bakery1908.com/)Holidays (6/25/2025):Bourdain DayColor TV DayDay of the SeafarerGlobal Beatles DayNational Catfish DayNational Strawberry Parfait DaySchool Prayer Banned AnniversaryWorld Vitiligo DayAmateur Radio WeekBoys and Girls Club WeekFish are Friends, Not Food WeekNational Body Piercing WeekNational Insect WeekNational Lightning Safety Awareness WeekLinks and References: https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/chronic-traumatic-encephalopathy/symptoms-causes/syc-20370921https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/chronic-traumatic-encephalopathy/https://medicine.iu.edu/expertise/traumatic-brain-injury/what-is-chronic-traumatic-encephalopathyhttps://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/diseases/17686-chronic-traumatic-encephalopathy-ctehttps://www.alz.org/alzheimers-dementia/what-is-dementia/related_conditions/chronic-traumatic-encephalopathyhttps://www.headstrongconcussion.com/history-of-ctehttps://jamanetwork.com/journals/jama/article-abstract/260461https://academic.oup.com/brain/article/141/1/318/4774567https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0277953619306835#:~:text=22,of%20their%20respective%20patient%20populations.https://pubs.acs.org/doi/10.1021/acschemneuro.7b00291#:~:text=High%20Resolution%20Image,%2C%20extreme%20sports%2C%20etc.)https://steemit.com/steemiteducation/@cabbagepatch/an-american-tragedy-story-of-mike-webster-pro-hall-of-famer-and-cte https://www.massgeneralbrigham.org/en/about/newsroom/press-releases/study-finds-1-in-3-former-nfl-players-believe-they-have-cte https://www.ucs.org/resources/nfl-tried-intimidate-scientists-studying-link-between-pro-football-and-traumatic-brain Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/why-we-do-what-we-do--3419521/support.

Sometimes we have some random twitches that develop out of nowhere. What is going on with these? Why do they happen? And, what can we do about it? We explore the uncomfortable world of twitches. Fun fact, these are technically different from spasms. Become a member: Patreon.com/wwdwwdpodcastLinks and References: https://www.mountsinai.org/health-library/symptoms/muscle-twitching#:~:text=Muscle%20twitching%20is%20caused%20by,of%20a%20nervous%20system%20disorder.https://www.webmd.com/brain/ss/slideshow-twitches-spasms-causeshttps://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/324641Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/why-we-do-what-we-do--3419521/support.

Replacement theory is essentially a propaganda campaign engineered to scare gullible people into giving power to autocrats. Versions of this have been around for a long time. We review the history of replacement theory, explain how it works to trick people into voting against their interests (and the interests of everyone else), and what we can do about it. RecommendationsAbraham: Wool (https://hughhowey.com/books/wool/)Shane: Turnstile - NEVER ENOUGH (https://open.spotify.com/album/52yD51X7yDinwlg6tbCtpP?si=LoE11WYfRfygXQaUwd2Ceg)Holidays (06/18/25):Autistic Pride DayGo Fishing DayInternational Panic DayInternational Picnic DayInternational Sushi DayNational Cheesemaker’s DayNational Cherry Tart DayNational Splurge DayAnimal Rights Awareness WeekCarpenter Ant Awareness WeekLearning Disabilities WeekNational Roller Coaster WeekTake Your Dog to Work WeekWobbly WeekLinks and References: https://immigrationforum.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/12/Replacement-Theory-Explainer-1122.pdfhttps://www.pbs.org/newshour/politics/what-is-great-replacement-theory-and-how-does-it-fuel-racist-violencehttps://theconversation.com/what-is-the-great-replacement-theory-a-scholar-of-race-relations-explains-224835https://www.splcenter.org/resources/hatewatch/racist-great-replacement-conspiracy-theory-explained/https://www.ajc.org/translatehate/great-replacement https://www.adl.org/resources/backgrounder/great-replacement-explainer https://hias.org/news/deep-dive-great-replacement-theory/https://www.theguardian.com/world/2022/jun/08/a-deadly-ideology-how-the-great-replacement-theory-went-mainstreamBecome a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/why-we-do-what-we-do--3419521/support.

One of the most common strategies of current right-wing propaganda is to say something that sounds like reasonable words, but when you break it down it is misleading, misinformed, outright wrong, or even dangerous. One example of this is a recent suggestion that we start using placebo-controlled experimental arrangements for established vaccines. This is fairly simple to dismantle, so buckle in for a quick and dirty takedown of the placebo-controlled vaccine studies stupid nonsense. Support us on patreon: patreon.com/wwdwwdpodcastLinks and References: https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC4157320/https://www.statnews.com/2025/05/22/vaccines-placebo-controlled-trials-hhs-clinical-research-ethics/https://news.northwestern.edu/stories/2025/05/placebo-testing-vaccines-is-unethical-a-waste-of-time-and-money-expert-says/?fj=1Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/why-we-do-what-we-do--3419521/support.

Science is not perfect, because it is human. But it is strives for correction, unlike almost any other human institution or endeavor. Much of what science does at the basic level can feel absurd, esoteric, and pointless. Sometimes, it is. But funding basic scientific research is the reason we have made more progress in the last 150 years than the previous 3,000 years combined. Let's continue making strides forward with our values in mind: fund basic science research!RecommendationsAbraham: The Stormlight Archive: Wind and Truth (https://www.brandonsanderson.com/pages/the-stormlight-archive-series)Shane: Y: The Last Man (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Y:_The_Last_Man)Holidays (6/11/2025):Corn on the Cob DayCousteau DayDirty Book DayInternational Yarn BombingKamehameha DayNational Cotton Candy DayNational German Chocolate Cake DayNational Making Life Beautiful DayCalifornia State Parks WeekCommunity Health Improvement Week (CHI)Meet a Mate WeekNational Clay WeekNational Little League Baseball WeekNational Pet Wedding WeekShampoo WeekLinks and References: https://www.senate.gov/artandhistory/history/minute/Senator_William_Proxmire.htm https://www.aei.org/economics/in-praise-of-science-investment-especially-basic-research/https://www.goldengooseaward.org/our-gagglehttps://www.goldengooseaward.org/01awardees/nanoporeshttps://www.aau.edu/newsroom/leading-research-universities-report/new-research-suggests-returns-federal-investments-rd https://www.americanprogress.org/article/the-high-return-on-investment-for-publicly-funded-research/https://www.goldengooseaward.org/01awardees/the-maserhttps://www.goldengooseaward.org/01awardees/frog-skin-cholera Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/why-we-do-what-we-do--3419521/support.

The Scoville scale is a method for measuring the heat of capsaicin-laden food. This is the amount of sugar water needed to entirely dilute the spice. But, we say it more elegantly than that. Let the spice flow!Join our supporter's club: www.patreon.com/wwdwwdpodcastLinks and References: https://www.nist.gov/how-do-you-measure-it/how-do-you-measure-heat-pepper https://pepperscale.com/what-is-the-scoville-scale/ https://pepperpalace.com/blogs/expert-tips/everything-youve-ever-wanted-to-know-about-the-scoville-scale?srsltid=AfmBOoojcmyRiT5Yv_4RSa631H588xTp2lgzgEorf5Cxbb0eYMXuLBam Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/why-we-do-what-we-do--3419521/support.

Lots of people smear colored dyes into the skin of their face almost every day. It's so commonplace, we hardly give it a second thought. We explore the history of makeup, and the psychology of this cultural practice. There are different motives for wearing makeup. We enumerate some of them here. It's not so simple as a lot of peope might try to make it out to be. RecommendationsAbraham: Love, Death, and Robots (Season 4; https://www.netflix.com/title/80174608)Shane: Alien: Romulus (https://www.imdb.com/title/tt18412256/)Holidays (6/4/2025)Chimborazo DayImpersonate Authority DayLove Conquers All DayNational Chocolate Macaroon DayNational Egg DayNational Itch DayRepeat Day (I said “Repeat Day”)World Bicycle DayWorld Clubfoot DayBedbug Awareness WeekBlack Single Parents WeekCanadian Environment WeekEnd Mountain Top Removal WeekNational Migraine and Headache Awareness MonthNational Portuguese Heritage MonthNational Pollinators MonthNational Soul Food MonthNational Candy MonthLinks and References: https://www.cosmeticsinfo.org/history-of-cosmetics/https://www.si.edu/spotlight/health-hygiene-and-beauty/make-uphttps://lmi.edu/blog/4000-yrs-of-makeup-the-evolution-of-makeup/https://www.lebube.com/post/psychology-behind-makeuphttps://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/the-truth-about-exercise-addiction/201606/the-surprising-psychology-behind-makeuphttps://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC8956164/https://people.howstuffworks.com/about-makeup.htmhttps://www.iceman.it/en/the-mummy/ https://cosmeticsbusiness.com/the-story-of-war-paint-206037 https://www.huffpost.com/entry/no-makeup-week-chicago-wr_n_735467 Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/why-we-do-what-we-do--3419521/support.

A trending strategy to bolster the interpretation of scientific results is to "pre-register" a study. This is publicly declaring your methods and data analysis procedures prior to beginning the research. Another advantage is that this means null results are more likely to be published. However, it may also inhibit attention to unexpected discovery. We'll briefly describe what pre-registering is, the pros and the cons. Join our membership group! www.patreon.com/wwdwwdpodcastLinks and References: https://www.apa.org/pubs/journals/resources/preregistrationhttps://help.osf.io/article/145-preregistrationhttps://www.cos.io/initiatives/prereghttps://acf.gov/opre/blog/2022/08/pre-registering-studies-what-it-how-do-you-do-it-and-whyhttps://help.osf.io/article/603-benefits-of-registrationhttps://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/2833373X.2024.2376046Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/why-we-do-what-we-do--3419521/support.