Health and Medicine Fact Check

Location:

Holy Trinity Episcopal Church, North Greene Street, Greensboro, NC, USA

Cost:

$ 5.00 per person

Duration:

1h 30min

About this experience

Wednesdays, 11:00 am – 12:30 pm 
October 22 – November 12

We’re bombarded every day with conflicting opinions and advice on health and medicine and it’s difficult to figure out which conclusions are supported by solid experimental evidence. In this class, we are going to examine the evidence related to some claims and counterclaims on medical issues that are getting lots of attention at present. The goal is to focus on the facts, not on opinions. Questions we’ll cover over four sessions will include: 

  • Do vaccines cause autism? Why do some people believe the answer is "yes" and others say "no?" What do we know about causes of autism? 
  • Are there legitimate safety concerns about the measles vaccine or the COVID vaccines? 
  • Is Vitamin A beneficial in treating measles? 
  • How are new vaccines tested? Was the testing of COVID vaccines done differently from other vaccines? Is it important to test every new vaccine against a placebo to be confident about its safety and effectiveness? 
  • Do we know enough to draw any conclusions about the origin of the COVID pandemic? 
  • Are artificial food colors and dyes more harmful to the health of children and adults than "natural" food colorings? 
  • Does sugar "feed" cancer? 
  • Are seed oils hazardous to our health? 
  • What's the evidence on the benefits and harms from fluoridation of water? 
  • Do memory-strengthening supplements help protect people against dementia? 

We will also discuss how to find reliable sources of health information. If there are other questions that class participants would like us to include, they can send suggestions to Janne Cannon at jgc@med.unc.edu, ideally at least two weeks before the start of the course.  

 

Refund Policy

To receive a refund, a written request must be received 3 business days before the first class. A $25 processing fee will be deducted from the refund. Cancellation requests received less than 3 business days before the first class but before the second meeting will receive a 50% refund.  ALL written requests should be emailed to emeritus@spartanstrategiesinc.org or mailed to the address below.

Spartan Strategies, Inc.
Attn: Emeritus Society
5900 Summit Avenue, #201
Browns Summit, NC  27214

Your Host

Dr. Janne Cannon (Ph.D., UNC-Chapel Hill) is a Professor Emerita of Microbiology and Immunology in the School of Medicine at UNC-Chapel Hill. Her research and teaching at UNC-CH focused on genetics and on infectious diseases. After retiring from UNC-CH, she taught a course for several years on “Plagues” for undergraduates in the Honors Program at UNCG; she also teaches courses on science and health for the Shepherd’s Center and the UNCG Emeritus Society.

Dr. Rob Cannon (Ph.D., University of Delaware) is a Professor Emeritus of Biology at UNCG. His research and teaching were focused on microbiology, immunology, and virology. He also taught for the Honors Program and was graduate director for the Master of Arts in Liberal Studies (MALS) Program. This fall will mark 51 years of teaching at UNCG for him. He’s a private pilot, and dreams of being the Chief Test Passenger for Boom Supersonic when they come to Greensboro.