Originally released in December 2024, this conversation is being re-released as part of a selection of guest interviews from the podcast archive.

For today’s episode, Dr. Hanna Stevens joins me to discuss prenatal brain development and the complex relationship between the placenta, maternal environment, genetics, and the developing brain. Dr. Stevens received her MD and PhD in Neuroscience from the University of Illinois and leads the Psychiatry and Early Neurobiological Development Lab at the University of Iowa Carver College of Medicine, where she is a Distinguished Professor of Psychiatry and holder of the Ida P. Haller Chair.

We discuss the placenta, prenatal stress, serotonin, cortisol, immune function, genetics, and autism, exploring how events before birth may influence brain development and later behavior. This conversation offers a fascinating look inside the womb and at an increasingly important question: when and how do differences in neurodevelopment begin?

Dr. Hanna Stevens https://medicine.uiowa.edu/psychiatry/profile/hanna-stevens

Iowa Healthcare https://uihc.org/childrens/providers/hanna-e-stevens

Psychiatry and Early Neurobiological Development Lab (PENDL) https://stevens.lab.uiowa.edu

Publications https://stevens.lab.uiowa.edu/publications

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0:00 Dr. Hanna Stevens

2:00 Journey into Neuroscience and Psychiatry

8:13 Prenatal Development of Autism

14:02 The significance of NF-kB in Brain Development

23:10 Serotonin; Leukocytes as a window into our Biology; Cortisol

29:02 Steroid Hormones and Stress & Development

34:12 Methylation

40:00 Cell Proliferation & Migration in Fetal Development; Antioxidants

45:56 Oxidative Stress; Mitochondria; Antioxidants

48:30 Quantum Biology/Physics

** Me shaking my head at minute 48:50 is not intended at Dr. Stevens, but at myself because I tell myself not to keep going to the electrons and light for a Cause of Autism to guests

53:19 Future Research & Dorsal Striatum; Volume; Brain Development

For today's episode, Dr. Eric Weiss, MD, explains an exciting medical approach for Autism. Dr. Weiss, who holds board certification in Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery, is a notable figure in regenerative medicine. Dr. Weiss is a Veteran of the U.S. Navy. Dr. Weiss attended Duke University Medical School for his medical degree, completed his General Surgery Residency at the University of California, San Francisco (UCSF), and did his Plastic Surgery Residency at the University of Miami. He has a special interest in using regenerative therapies to address autism.

Dr. Eric Weiss recounts his journey into innovative medical practices, moving away from conventional pharmaceutical treatments. As a father to Marston, his dedication to exploring treatments for autism stems from personal experience. Throughout his story, his enthusiasm for natural healing methods is evident. By the end of this episode, listeners should gain insight into a thoroughly researched medical intervention that's gaining traction in the autism community.

Dr. Eric Weiss, MD: https://northfloridastemcells.com

Educating Marston: https://www.educatingmarston.com

Disclaimer: This is not Medical Advice.

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0:00 Dr. Eric Weiss, MD

1:55 Dr. Weiss's Medical Journey

5:01 Intersection of Autism and Stem Cell Research

12:09 Personal Experience as a Parent with Autism

15:58 Understanding Umbilical Cord Blood Treatment

22:39 The Process of Umbilical Cord Blood Donation

25:55 The Science behind Stem Cell Healing

32:31 Future of Regenerative Medicine

34:24 Natural Healing and Lifestyle, Not Big Pharma

36:56 Mitochondrial Function & Energy Production

39:09 The Impact of Light on Health

41:07 Understanding Inflammation & Modern Disease

44:30 Stem Cell Therapy: Mechanisms & Effects

48:41 The Future of Medicine: Beyond Pharmaceuticals

54:14 Professional Transition into Stem Cell and Regenerative Therapy

58:05 Exploring Cytokines & Interleukins; Patterns of Disease; Dr. Weiss's Contact Info

My guest today is Dr. Nirosha Murugan, a Tier II Canada Research Chair in Biophysics and Assistant Professor at Wilfrid Laurier University. Dr. Murugan explores how physics shapes biological processes, including pioneering research into biophotons, the ultraweak photon emissions produced by living systems.

We discuss biophotons, mitochondria, cellular communication, regeneration, neurodevelopment, and the emerging field of quantum biology, including what these ideas might mean for autism and the future of medicine. The conversation explores what we know, what remains speculative, and what the physical foundations of life might reveal about how living systems communicate, develop, and change.

The Murugan Lab https://themuruganlab.com

Publications https://themuruganlab.com/publications/

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0:00 Dr. Nirosha Murugan

2:16 ads

9:45 Path into Quantum Biology & Biophysics role on organisms; Bioelectricity

13:13 Opsins versus Chromophores; Proteins; Photoreceptors & Light

17:37 The Body Glows & Emits Light; Photomultipliers & Measuring Biophotons

20:37 The Role of Light & Development

21:04 Seed Germination & Human Development (neurodevelopment) Analogy

23:54 Environmental Light & Impact on Health

25:34 Mother's of the original Autistic kids from Leo Kanner

26:46 Light type exposure & Autism

29:50 Mitochondria, Light, & Energy

31:28 Neurocognitive (Dementias) rates & Aging; Reactive Oxygen Species (ROS), Electrons

35:35 Microtubules & Cell Function; Reverse Engineer Oxidative Phosphorylation- ATPase, Electron Transport Chain & TCA Cycle

37:14 Cytochrome C Oxidase, Water, Energy, Four Red Light Chromophores- Heme a, a3, CuA, & CuB, vitamin D receptors

42:11 Tryptophan, Tublin, Microtubules

46:49 The Role of Water & Energy in Cells

48:59 Nature's Impact on Health; Get Outside (!), Oxygen

51:46 Midbrain (mesencephalon), Dopamine, Norepinephrine; Serotonin and Raphe

53:36 Serotonin & Development (remember the sensory map !)

55:11 Biophotons & Seasonal changes; Depression, Pale Autistics

58:02 Cancer & Biophoton Signals

59:50 Human connection, Biophotons & Quantum Coherence, Energy, & Molecular Signals

01:01:53 Psychedelics, Depression, Anxiety, Consciousness

01:05:20 Mitochondria, Memory & Information: What is Information?

01:09:54 Intersection of Light & Information

01:12:27 Future Direction in Quantum Biology and Medicine; Silos

01:13:36 Ryan's journey into Quantum Biology & Practices, Reversing Autoimmune Diseases

In this episode, we discuss Autism with Dr. Catherine Lord. Dr. Lord is a Distinguished Professor of Psychiatry and Education at UCLA and one of the foremost researchers in Autism. Dr. Lord provides tremendous insights into her roles in Autism and Autism Assessment.

Dr. Lord discusses her journey into Autism, the evolution of the Assessment including the ADOS growing from her basement & being overran by demand to the Gold Standard, the Challenges with understanding the Spectrum, updates on the Lancet Commission and Profound Autism, and Barriers in the Medical & Educational Systems.

https://www.semel.ucla.edu/autism/team/catherine-lord-phd

https://childmind.org/bio/catherine-lord-phd/

https://labs.dgsom.ucla.edu/lord/pages/our_team

Autism and Education https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/from-the-spectrum-finding-superpowers-with-autism/id1737499562?i=1000656055638

The mention of a recent article on Predicting Profound Autism and Cell Biology and me shying away from saying "Organoids" in real-time https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC11127428/

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(0:00) Intro

(3:22) Dr. Lord's journey into Autism and Recognizing a Spectrum

(11:25) The Evolution of Autism Assessment from making the ADOS in her Basement and being Overran by Demand to the Gold Standard; Revisions of Assessment Instruments

(16:36) Gaps in the Autism Assessment

(23:15) The Challenges with Understanding the Spectrum of Autism

(29:32) Updates on the Lancet Commission and Profound Autism

(35:19) Barriers with Autism and the Medical Field

(39:29) Barriers with Autism and Education- Four Strikes against the Autistic Phenotype: Sensory-Processing, Speech and Language, Social Communication/Interaction, & Subject Switching (understand B3: Fixated Interests)

(44:25) Helping Autistics Across the Life Span

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email: info.fromthespectrum@gmail.com

Before asking what is wrong with the world or the person in front of us, perhaps we should ask what might be standing between our own eyes and the light.

What if the plank and the speck are not simply about hypocrisy, but about our ability to see? This episode continues the question of human perception by asking what our histories, assumptions, wounds, projections, and certainty bring into every judgment we make. Jesus does not tell us to ignore the speck or pretend that truth is relative. He says to remove the plank first so that we can see more clearly. From the Parable of the Weeds and the Beatitudes to Plato’s Cave and autism, the discussion explores humility as the recognition that we are never standing outside the field we are trying to understand. Difference can expose assumptions that remain invisible because everyone else shares them, but no one sees everything.

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00:00 The Plank & the Speck; Can We Trust the Way We See?

02:00 The Problem Is Vision; What Are You Bringing to What You See?

02:56 Remove the Plank First; Self Examination & Clearer Sight

03:39 Poor in Spirit; Humility Makes Correction Possible

04:38 The Parable of the Weeds; Seeing the Problem Isn't Seeing the Whole Field

06:04 Jesus Turns the Question Back on You; You Are Inside the Field

06:33 Knowing Yourself; Humility & the Limits of Your Perspective

07:24 What Is Obstructing Your Vision?; Where Clear Sight Begins

07:56 The Eye Is the Lamp; Light, Two Masters & “Therefore, Do Not Worry”

09:06 Autism, Difference & Turning Around in Plato's Cave

09:49 Looking at the World Through Yourself; What Stands Between You & the Light?

10:17 Closing Thoughts

10:55 Sponsors & Resources

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The deeper challenge is not simply learning to see other people more clearly, but examining the person through whom the world is being seen.

How do you know when you’re seeing the world clearly? This episode explores the uncomfortable possibility that we never encounter reality from nowhere. We interpret it through our histories, expectations, values, assumptions, and even the things we don’t realize we believe. Beginning with Plato’s Cave, we move through Nietzsche, autism, Jung’s shadow and projection, Kierkegaard’s individual, and finally Jesus’ image of the speck and the plank. Autism becomes an especially revealing lens because difference gets examined while the norm often remains invisible, raising the question of whether someone who behaves differently misunderstands the social expectation or simply assigns it a different value. But no one escapes the problem of perception.

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00:00 How Do You Know When You're Seeing the World Clearly?

02:26 Plato's Cave; When the Shadows Feel Like Reality

04:02 Perception Is Not a Camera; Certainty Doesn't Guarantee Truth

05:30 Nietzsche; Where Did Your Values & Judgments Come From?

07:23 Autism as a Window Into Human Perception

09:00 Why Does the Crowd Matter So Much?

10:12 Difference Gets Examined; The Norm Remains Invisible

11:26 Escaping One Dogma Doesn't Mean You've Escaped the Cave

12:25 Jung's Shadow & Projection; Turning the Eye Back on Yourself

14:55 Kierkegaard & Becoming a Self; The Crowd Gives Us Somewhere Else to Look

17:50 Jesus, the Speck & the Plank; The Problem Is Also Vision

19:02 Closing Thoughts & What's Coming Next

20:09 Sponsors & Resources

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The parable gives us a final harvest. The Gospel gives us the time before the harvest. Becoming remains possible precisely because we haven't reached the harvest. Until the final harvest, the story of the human being is not yet finished.

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00:00 The Weeds & the Battle Before the Harvest; Two Kingdoms, Two Seeds

02:19 What the Kingdom of Darkness Offers; Reward Without the Destination

03:24 The Beatitudes vs. the Third Temptation; Two Visions of Human Flourishing

04:20 Attention Becomes Allegiance; What Are You Feeding?

05:13 From Seed to Culture; How What We Become Shapes Other People

07:24 What Is Actually Growing in You?; Jung, Values, Habits & Repetition

09:18 Kierkegaard & Becoming; You Are Building the Person You Will Become

10:30 The Harvest & Final Judgment; What Has Been Growing All Along?

12:15 Before the Harvest; Repentance, Forgiveness & the Possibility of Transformation

16:45 Judgment Now vs. Judgment Later; The Christian Hope of Becoming Different

18:19 What Does It Profit to Gain the World?; What You Get vs. What You Become

20:15 Two Kingdoms, Two Visions of the Good Life; Who Taught You What to Want?

21:34 The Seeds We Pass to Others; What Grows Within Us Can Outlive Us

23:21 Humility, Responsibility & What You Can Actually Cultivate

24:36 Why Does Evil Grow?; The Limits of Human Vision & Raskolnikov

25:35 The Sower vs. the Weeds; What Will What You've Received Grow Into?

27:02 Until the Final Harvest, the Human Story Is Not Finished

27:21 Closing & Podcast Information

28:04 Sponsors; MAYU Water, Daylight & More

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