Libsyn Directory

Dr. Chelsea Polis: Women's Reproductive Rights on the Move

Release Date: 04/21/2026

Dr. Alice Marwick: The Manosphere, Feminism, Misandry, Misogyny

Critically Speaking

What starts as advice on fitness, dating, or success can lead young men into a world of grievance and reshape how they see women, masculinity, and themselves. Dr. Alice Marwick unpacks how the manosphere works, why it’s growing, and the real-world harm it can cause. In this episode, Therese Markow and Dr. Alice Marwick examine the manosphere’s origins, business models, influence on young men, and links to misogyny, harassment, and extremist movements. They discuss what the manosphere is, how it appears in different environments, and the social impact of these manosphere influencers....

Dr. Jonathan Cherry: CTE - Repeated Head Injuries

Critically Speaking

CTE isn’t just an NFL story, and a diagnosed concussion isn’t the only warning sign. Dr. Jonathan Cherry explains how years of repetitive impacts may quietly change the brain, and why researchers are racing to find a way to detect it during life. In this episode, Therese Markow and Dr. Jonathan Cherry discuss his research into understanding how repetitive head injuries cause progressive brain changes and their work to learn how to detect the disease during life. They break down the difference between CTE and concussions, explain who is more likely to get CTE, and explain the links...

Dr. Cheryl Rosenfeld: Placentas - How They Affect Later Adult Health

Critically Speaking

Things you do or are exposed to early in life, including during fetal development, can actually affect your health later in adulthood. Normally, we're unaware of it, and it's difficult to make the connection. Today, Dr. Cheryl Rosenfeld dives into some of the research regarding placentas and their key implications in every life. In this episode, Therese Markow and Dr. Cheryl Rosenfeld discuss how prenatal exposures can alter placental function, fetal brain development, and later-life health, with varying effects based on fetal sex. They expose the dangers of BPA and substitutes such as BPS,...

Dr. Jennifer Nuzzo: The Next Pandemic - Are We Prepared?

Critically Speaking

The U.S. declared measles eliminated in 2000 — so why are we seeing more cases and deaths than in the last 30 years? Dr. Jennifer Nuzzo reveals the hyper-local vaccination gaps driving the resurgence, and why preparing for the next pandemic starts on your block, not in Washington. In this episode, Therese Markow and Dr. Jennifer Nuzzo discuss the recurring nature of pandemics that require prevention, preparedness, and coordinated action from global, national, and local organizations, institutions, and communities. They discuss the current preparedness systems, where they are working, and...

Daniel Aaron, M.D., J.D.: Lack of FDA Food Safety Oversight

Critically Speaking

In this episode, Therese Markow and Dr. Daniel Aaron discuss the inadequate oversight of food additives by the FDA, particularly the agency's GRAS or “Generally Recognized as Safe” process, which allows unsafe additives to reach the market without proper scrutiny. Dr. Aaron highlights industry conflicts of interest, the lack of reporting requirements, the need for stricter regulation to protect public health, and discusses what is needed for the FDA to be better able to make impactful changes. Key Takeaways: The majority of food additives in the US are not vetted by...

Dr. Paul Schulz: Hot News About Preventing Alzheimer's

Critically Speaking

Have you ever wondered what the purpose of staying up to date on your vaccines is? Well, new research is showing that not only does it help to prevent the disease the vaccine is protecting you from, but it may also reduce your risk of Alzheimer’s and other dementia related diseases. In this episode, Therese Markow and Dr. Paul Schulz discuss the exciting discovery that influenza vaccines may reduce the risk of Alzheimer’s by up to 40%. Dr. Schulz’s research suggests that high-dose vaccines (offered to those over the age of 65) are more effective, particularly in women....

Dr. Zaldy Tan: What if it's Dementia?

Critically Speaking

Worried about what your forgetfulness really means and whether it’s just aging or the start of something more serious? Listen in as memory expert Dr. Zaldy Tan breaks down the different types of dementia, how early detection really works, and what you can do now to protect your brain and plan for the future. In this episode, Therese Markow and Dr. Zaldy Tan discuss his new book, “What to Remember When You Are Forgetting,” which addresses cognitive decline and dementia. Dr. Tan discusses the main types of dementia, the importance of early diagnosis, and how dementia varies from...

Dr. Darren Linvill: Detecting Rampant Disinformation

Critically Speaking

Have you ever wondered how trolls, bots, and paid influencers are quietly manipulating what you see online and why even smart, skeptical people fall for it? Today, disinformation expert Dr. Darren Linvill pulls back the curtain on the tactics that bad actors are using to try and shape our beliefs. In this episode, Therese Markow and Dr. Darren Linvill discuss the various forms of digital deception and the strategies used by state actors to manipulate global discourse. Dr. Linvill distinguishes between misinformation, disinformation, and malinformation and gives examples of each,...

Timothy Caulfield: The Certainty Illusion

Critically Speaking

Drowning in wellness hype, viral “experts,” and five-star opinions that feel more real than facts? In this episode, law and public health scholar Timothy Caulfield exposes the certainty illusion — how “scienceploitation”, predatory journals, and weaponized opinions quietly shape what we believe about our health. Today, Therese Markow and Timothy Caulfield discuss Tim’s latest book, break down the misinformation drivers that are contributing to the delegitimization of scientific expertise, and the three illusions that are being used to distort public perception. From...

Dr. Aly Cohen: Killers in the Environment

Critically Speaking

The last few decades have seen a continuing rise in really serious and often fatal health problems. The list is long: cancer, heart disease, diabetes, infertility, autoimmune diseases, and autism, just to name a few. While vulnerability to disease often has an underlying genetic predisposition, there have to be environmental triggers to set these diseases in motion. In this episode, Therese Markow and Dr. Aly Cohen discuss just these topics and what we can look for on a daily basis, as well as the small changes that we can, individually, do to make our lives a little healthier. ...

More Episodes

In this episode, Therese Markow and Dr. Chelsea Polis discuss the evolution of reproductive rights in the U.S., highlighting the 2022 Supreme Court decision revoking the right to abortion and the historical context of contraception access. Dr. Polis also explains fertility awareness-based methods (FABMs) and their effectiveness, noting that some methods have moderate quality studies suggesting high effectiveness, while others are less reliable. She emphasizes the importance of evidence-based information, the need for stronger regulation of femtech products, and the potential privacy risks associated with reproductive health data. Dr. Polis also addresses the broader political strategy to limit reproductive rights and the importance of reproductive justice.

Key Takeaways:

Fertility tracking technologies are becoming more common (often called femtech), but it is important to note that only two apps have currently been cleared by the FDA for contraceptive purposes - Natural Cycles and Clue (the second is not currently available on the market). While others can help with tracking your cycle, they are not cleared for contraceptive use.
FABMs focus on observing real-time signs from the body - such as cervical mucus changes and basal body temperature. Over a dozen have been studied in clinical trials, but some methods have been marketed or promoted for contraceptive use without strong evidence from appropriately designed effectiveness studies.
For people who are in a partnership that is limited in terms of communication, or not supportive, or certainly abusive, or anything along those lines, FABMs would not be a method that somebody could rely on for pregnancy prevention.
Be very cautious about getting your information on contraception from social media influencers or companies selling specific products, because there is a lot of misinformation out there.

"As my colleagues at Guttmacher have documented, you can't seek to restrict one aspect of sexual and reproductive health without tightening other types of care and people’s overarching reproductive freedoms. All of these things are deeply interconnected." — Dr. Chelsea Polis

Episode References:

Guttmacher: https://www.guttmacher.org/united-states/contraception
Emergence of FemTech in the Sexual and Reproductive Health Landscape: https://www.contraceptionjournal.org/content/femtech

Connect with Dr. Chelsea Polis:

Professional Bio: https://www.guttmacher.org/about/staff/chelsea-polis

Website: https://www.chelseapolis.com/index.html

LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/chelseapolis

Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/cbpolis.bsky.social

Connect with Therese:

Website: www.criticallyspeaking.net

Bluesky: @CriticallySpeaking.bsky.social

Instagram: @criticallyspeakingpodcast

Email: [email protected]

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