Ep. 468 The Alzheimer’s Research Crisis with Charles Piller

Everyday Wellness with Cynthia Thurlow ™

Cynthia Thurlow

Alternative Health, Nutrition, Science, Life Sciences, Health & Fitness

4.8 • 1K Ratings

🗓️ 24 May 2025

⏱️ 68 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

Today, I am thrilled to connect with Charles Piller, an award-winning investigative journalist for Science magazine whose work has also appeared in The Los Angeles Times, The New York Times, The Sacramento Bee, and other major publications. Charles is the author of Doctored, and he has been honored with several national journalism awards. In our fascinating conversation, we dive into the trajectory of Alzheimer’s from its early framing as a diagnosis to its modern-day research landscape. We explore the concept of publish or perish within academic research, and we examine the dominant amyloid hypothesis, the forces shaping scientific narratives, and the role of institutions like the FDA, NIH, and research publishing in influencing research priorities. Charles shares his insights on the impact of falsified data and the broader implications for scientific integrity of the doctored images published in Nature in 2006. We also tackle the importance of lifestyle and risk factor modification in preventing neurocognitive decline. You will not want to miss this compelling conversation with Charles Piller. His book is a gripping must-read on the fraud, arrogance, and tragedy in the quest to cure Alzheimer’s. IN THIS EPISODE, YOU WILL LEARN: How Alzheimer’s impacts our society and affects the caregivers of those with Alzheimer’s Charles gives a historical overview of Alzheimer's Some typical symptoms of Alzheimer's How the amyloid cascade hypothesis led to the development of drugs that removed amyloid from the brain but failed to halt or reverse dementia How doctored images can support experimental hypotheses and influence research Charles highlights the need for more accountability within the scientific field. How pressure to publish and perverse incentives have influenced Alzheimer’s research Why ethical concerns matter when developing potentially hazardous drugs with limited benefits Charles shares the potential benefits of GLP-1s for cognitive decline. Why a multi-factorial approach to understanding and treating Alzheimer's is essential Charles highlights the importance of self-criticism and humility within the scientific community. Connect with Cynthia Thurlow Follow on Twitter, Instagram & LinkedIn Check out Cynthia’s website Submit your questions to [email protected] Connect with Charles Piller On his website

Transcript

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0:00.0	Welcome to Everyday Wellness Podcast.
0:03.7	I'm your host, nurse practitioner, Cynthia Thurlow.
0:07.4	This podcast is designed to educate, empower, and inspire you to achieve your health and wellness goals.
0:13.9	My goal and intent is to provide you with the best content and conversations from leaders in the health and wellness industry each week and impact
0:22.1	over a million lives today I had the honor of connecting with charles pillar he's an investigative
0:33.1	journalist for science magazine whose work has appeared in the LA Times, the New York Times,
0:38.7	the Sacramento Bee and other publications.
0:41.4	He has also been honored with many national journalism awards and is the author of Doctor.
0:47.0	Today we spoke at length about Alzheimer's and the impact of the initial timeline of the trajectory of Alzheimer's, both as a diagnosis
0:57.4	and coming into modern days and the amyloid hypothesis, why scientific integrity is important,
1:04.8	how the dominant paradigm of Alzheimer's developed from, and is influenced by the FDA, the NIH,
1:13.2	journals, and academics,
1:21.4	the concept of publish or perish in academic research, how the Alzheimer's dilemma has led to desperation and choices that have, in some circumstances, led to poor quality research that's been doctored,
1:29.3	how a Sentinel paper from 2006 in Natured had tremendous implications on Alzheimer's research
1:35.6	due to doctored images, the role of falsification of data and misconduct, the impact of science
1:41.8	infrastructure and how it can lead to fraud, data manipulation, and sleuthing,
1:47.1	as well as cognitive dissonance and alternative ideas for the ideology of Alzheimer's.
1:53.1	And lastly, the importance of the role of lifestyle and risk factor modification for development
2:00.1	of neurocognitive disorders.
2:02.3	This is truly an insightful and valuable conversation.
2:06.1	Charles's book is one that I thoroughly enjoyed.
2:08.8	I know many of you will as well.
	...

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