Mind & Matter
Whether food, drugs or ideas, what you consume influences who you become. Learn directly from the best scientists & thinkers alive today about how your mind-body reacts to what you feed it.
The weekly M&M podcast features conversations with the most interesting scientists, thinkers, and technology entrepreneurs alive today.
Not medical advice.
At M&M, we are interested in trying to figure out how things work, not affirming our existing beliefs. We prefer consulting primary rather than secondary sources and independent rather than institutional voices. If we encounter uncomfortable truths or the evidence suggests unfashionable ideas may be valid, so be it.
As the host, my aim is to help you better understand how the body & mind work by curating & synthesizing information in a way that yields science-based insights that you can choose to use or disregard in your own life. Taking ownership of your health starts with taking ownership of your information diet.
I am motivated to connect the dots and distill general principles from what I learn, preferring to ask questions and play devil’s advocate to debating or incessantly pushing my own viewpoint.
My beliefs:
- Taking ownership of your health starts with taking ownership of your information diet.
- All knowledge is provisional and we must work hard to prevent ourselves from becoming attached to our favorite ideas & preferred conclusions.
- Wisdom comes from an iterative, trial-and-error process of learning and unlearning. Letting go of pre-conceived notions can be painful, but pain is information.
Sometimes modern discoveries teach us we must unlearn received wisdom. Other times, modern information overload & historical chauvinism cause us to forget ancient wisdom which stills applies. The framework for learning that I embody is inspired by three Ancient Greek maxims inscribed in the Temple of Apollo at Delphi:
- “Γνῶθι σεαυτόν” (Know thyself)
- “Μηδὲν ἄγαν” (Nothing in excess)
- “Ἐγγύα πάρα δ Ἄτα” (Certainty brings insanity)
Mind & Matter
Public Health & Trust in Science in the Post-COVID Era | Martin Kulldorff | 210
Short Summary: Insider’s look at the COVID-19 pandemic response from a seasoned epidemiologist, unraveling myths and lessons with straightforward science.
About the guest: Martin Kulldorff, PhD is an epidemiologist and biostatistician with decades of experience in infectious disease monitoring and vaccine safety. He was formerly a professor at Harvard Medical School.
Note: Podcast episodes are fully available to paid subscribers on the M&M Substack. Partial versions are available elsewhere. Full transcript and other information on Substack.
Episode Summary: Dr. Martin Kulldorff discusses the COVID pandemic response, reflecting on the controversial Great Barrington Declaration, which opposed lockdowns in favor of protecting the vulnerable. They explore the virus’s fatality rates, asymptomatic spread, and vaccine efficacy, contrasting textbook epidemiology with real-world decisions. He critiques institutional failures, like the CDC’s misleading claims. He shares optimism for future pandemics with better leadership and public awareness.
Key Takeaways:
- Lockdowns ignored basic public health principles, causing collateral damage like missed cancer screenings, while Sweden’s focused protection approach led to lower excess mortality.
- Early data showed COVID’s risk was 1000x higher for older people, yet lockdowns didn’t prioritize them, unlike textbook strategies.
- Asymptomatic spread made containment impossible, unlike Ebola, where isolation works due to clear symptoms.
- Natural immunity was downplayed despite 2500 years of evidence, leading to wasted vaccines on those already immune.
- CDC falsely claimed vaccines stopped transmission, eroding trust when people got sick anyway, fueling vaccine skepticism.
- mRNA vaccine boosters lack proper trials, and their long-term effects need rigorous study, not assumptions.
- Kulldorff’s new Journal of the Academy of Public Health pushes open peer review to rebuild trust in science.
Related episode:
- M&M #100: Infectious Disease, Epidemiology, Pandemics, Health Policy, COVID, Politicization
All episodes, show notes, transcripts, etc. at the M&M Substack
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