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Baloney Detection with Dr. K
Baloney Detection Episode 19 – Jeff Bellomo Interview
Season 1, Ep. 19
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Baloney Detection Episode 19 - Jeff Bellomo Interview
Jeff Bellomo is a successful lawyer in South Central Pennsylvania. He also happens to be, as I said, one of my oldest and best friends. In our senior year at Juniata, Jeff was kind of the odd man out. He was a future lawyer living with three chemists slash scientists, but he also provided so much support, which hopefully we'll get to talk about. Jeff's expertise as a lawyer is an elder law, which we can all agree is incredibly important for families with older members and families in general. Jeff has created his own podcast, the Red Wagon Estate Planning and Elder Law Show, with the intent of having another platform for educating people about the right way to get legal help, especially for elder law. On top of being an outstanding lawyer and friend and parent, it is Jeff's desire to educate a variety of people about elder law and has given me so much respect for him and inspiration for this podcast.
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5. Baloney Detection Episode 31 - Digestive Supplements for Humans and Animals with Stephanie Evenson
43:55||Season 2, Ep. 5Episode DescriptionHave you ever been tempted to “cleanse”? There are many products on the market that suggest that they can get rid of “toxins” from your body, making you feel healthier and have more energy. But do these products really do anything that your body cannot? The same kind of analysis should be used for pet-related products, because, eventually, human products find their way to pets. Stephanie Evenson returns to talk about what the human body can do to remove materials and how supplements are marketed to both human and pet owners. Episode transcript available!
4. Baloney Detection Episode 30 - Social Media and Misinformation Part IV: Doomscrolling
39:07||Season 2, Ep. 4Episode DescriptionDr. Amy Kabrhel is back for a wonderful and therapeutic conversation about the use of social media, engaging with misinformation online, and how to emotionally deal with disappointment, anger, and frustration. Both of us use social media to a varying degree and our emotional responses are very different. We touch on specific types of information we see, including a little wellness, but once again, Amy brings a level of introspection and understanding that really balances me out. View the transcript for this episode.
3. Baloney Detection Episode 29 - Social Media and Misinformation Part III: Algorithms
40:51||Season 2, Ep. 3Episode DescriptionContinuing the mini-series of episodes about social media, algorithms fit right into this season’s long-term story about Wellness. If you are a social media user, you know that once you click on one post, dozens of other posts on that same topic will suddenly be flooding your feed, whether you want them to or not. This is results of the hidden but powerful algorithms that boost content to get more views and keep your eyes glued to whichever screen you are using. This is a great benefit to companies and content creators who are fighting for your attention and the money in your pocket. Algorithms do not need to be a mystery, and I will make sure that by the end of the episode, you will know what you are dealing with. View the transcript for this episode.
2. Baloney Detection Episode 28 - Wellness: Reiki and Crystals
37:05||Season 2, Ep. 2Episode DescriptionI get to share some interesting stories in this discussion about Reiki and crystals which always help frame the story. We start by talking about what energy is from a physics and chemistry aspect before describing the origin and nature of Reiki and what crystals can and cannot do. That Himalayan salt lamp may be a huge crystal and look beautiful, but it is not going to ionize the air around you. It’s important to know why and we will talk about that! View the transcript for this episode.
1. Baloney Detection Episode 27 – Wellness: Terminologies and Definitions.
34:18||Season 2, Ep. 1Episode DescriptionThis episode kicks off a special series of episodes focused on “Wellness”. Specifically, we are going to dive into the deep end with various Wellness topics, how much Wellness has pervaded social media spaces and political discourse. There is a huge amount of pseudoscience and misinformation in Wellness, and we are going to look at many different topics to hopefully give you some better information to make decisions. This first episode will deal with many important definitions and terminologies related to Wellness, to make subsequent analyses and discussions easier. View the transcript for this episode.
26. Baloney Detection Episode 26 – My Mental Healthy Journey Part 3
38:18||Season 1, Ep. 26Episode DescriptionWe left off my journey at the end of my graduate school experience and headed into my first teaching job. That new experience along with my upcoming wedding gave me a lot of different things to think about that first year of my real career. Having a life partner to help to ground me keep me feeling supported and comforted, but anyone who has had problems with their mental health knows that having a full support system does not preclude having anxiety, panic and depression. Navigating the academic job market, owning a house and having a child all provided me with many things to deal with that still gave me anxiety and panic attacks, and it is only in recent years that I have found the tools to keep myself even keeled and flourishing. This will not be the last episode of this mini-series, but this is a very important part of the journey. Transcript for this episode.
25. Baloney Detection Episode 25 – F is for Fluoride
33:06||Season 1, Ep. 25Episode 25 Description – F is for Fluoride The addition of fluoride to drinking water is considered one of the top public health developments of the 20th century. The reduction of tooth decay in citizens where fluoride was added has significantly benefited millions. Though the federal government recommended the addition after World War II, not all municipalities chose to incorporate fluoride, and now places have already removed fluoride or are considering the action thanks to confusing information spread on the internet and a rescinding of support for the practice from the federal government. We will discuss how fluoride helps oral health, the chemistry behind it, and some of the controversies that are part of the situation.View the transcript for this episode. This week’s Pseudoshort: Ad Hominem
24. Baloney Detection Episode 24 – Vaccines Do Not Cause Autism
33:07||Season 1, Ep. 24Episode DescriptionWith a measles outbreak occurring and potentially more childhood disease outbreaks on the horizon due to vaccine skepticism, it is a great time to talk about how the current anti-vax movement developed, and how it is affecting policy decisions made by the current administration. Science denialism is at the heart of many of these decisions and it is incredibly important that we face that information with scientific data. We are now getting into more controversial topics, but it does not help the greater good if we stay silent. This week’s Pseudoshort: Confirmation Bias Community Lecture about Vaccines (March 3, 2015) View the transcription for this week's episode!
Baloney Detection Bonus Episode: First Anniversary
10:23|Enjoy this bonus episode of Baloney Detection as Dr. K reflects on one year of podcasting and topics for future episodes! View the transcript for this episode.