Episodes

Dec. 29, 2021

How writing fiction can free physicians

"Physicians can find — or start — writing workshops at medical conferences, or just about anywhere else, at any time. These workshops can become part of wellness or burnout-prevention events. To interact with other writers, all you need is a...

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Dec. 28, 2021

Climate change through the lens of an emergency physician

"The worst part of the climate crisis is that our kids, my kids, may never get to witness the most beautiful parts of our world because they may, and will, cease to exist without our action and power. As I watch my own kids looking out over the ocean...

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Dec. 27, 2021

Don't pay off your student loans early

"In 2010, a landmark study from Princeton was published “proving” that money just doesn’t buy happiness. Study participants were asked to compare their emotional well-being from yesterday to today, and it appeared that making more than $75,000 a...

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Dec. 26, 2021

How to navigate residency probation

"The journey to becoming a physician is generally a linear path. Sure — there are exceptions, but for the most part, you can accurately predict what you will be doing in the future. For example, when you are in high school, the next step is college,...

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Dec. 25, 2021

Why storytelling is critical in medicine

"I love stories, either told, written, or listened to. Songs tell stories, as does art. Blogs such as the rich content open so many doors for rich conversations. Telling stories is part of who I am. My father loved to tell them, as did my grandfather,...

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Dec. 24, 2021

A shift from the medical perspective of disability to a mother’s pers…

"In the months just prior to the infantile spasms, as Josephine’s mind had begun to develop and grow, so, finally, had my love for her. My lack of affection for her up until that point had troubled me, and it was with relief that I had realized I...

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Dec. 23, 2021

Medical debt is the enemy of everyone

"Medical debt is the mortal enemy of the patient, the physician, the hospital, the community, the state, and the nation. When we think of others’ debts, we tend to think such debts are their personal responsibility. If they’re unable to pay the...

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Dec. 22, 2021

Protein calorie malnutrition is devastating for patients

"My practice consisted of patients who suffered from serious injuries and illnesses. Concerning the latter, a significant number had cancer, especially breast cancer. The issue all patient groups have in common to a certain degree is protein calorie...

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Dec. 21, 2021

How digital therapeutics can improve behavioral health

"To better meet the needs of patients, providers can improve access to treatment and offer more immediate solutions through the use of prescription digital therapeutics (PDTs). With technology, providers can now deliver programming aligned with proven...

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Dec. 20, 2021

Women physicians with infertility

"Many of us suffer in silence for myriad reasons. Being a physician with infertility presents a perfect storm of stress, anxiety, guilt, and shame – all of which we know don’t contribute to managing any medical problem. Consider what it’s like...

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Dec. 19, 2021

Listening to patients with our eyes

"Patients communicate immense amounts of information through body language. The primary understood, universal body language is choking. Anywhere in the world you go, if someone is choking, they use both hands to grab their throats. No matter what...

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Dec. 18, 2021

Innovation insight and poetry from a physician-technologist

"Medicine is not a business You fools. Healing is your blueprint, activated to complete itself. A doctor does not broker it, The best anyone can do is align you With what you should be, And stay out of the way. (Like a teenager setting off an illegal...

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Dec. 17, 2021

Trevor Bedford on Omicron and what about COVID keeps him up at night

Welcome to an expedited episode of The Podcast by KevinMD. is a computational biologist and infectious disease scientist, Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center. He was selected as a recipient of the 2021 MacArthur Fellowship and can be reached on...

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Dec. 17, 2021

Don’t let the holidays sabotage your weight loss goals

"The holiday season is rapidly approaching, and it is not uncommon for us to gain up to 10 pounds between Thanksgiving and Valentine’s Day. But what if we do not want to put on some insulation? What can we do? I specialize in medical weight loss,...

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Dec. 16, 2021

How this pediatrician handles a distorted concept of reality

"The victims of this now distorted concept of liberty are ones that we physicians encounter every day. The one that inspired this essay for me is an 11-year-old boy that I saw three weeks ago. He is a patient of mine in my pediatric practice who came...

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Dec. 15, 2021

Changes in the Public Service Loan Forgiveness waiver and its impact …

"The U.S. Department of Education recently announced some major changes to the rules and qualifications around the Public Service Loan Forgiveness (PSLF) Program. Now, for a limited period of time, borrowers may receive credit for past payments made...

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Dec. 14, 2021

Genetic testing's emotional impact

"Finding out I was gene-positive had hit me harder than I could ever have imagined. How was I to know that my decision to get tested would have such an impact on my life? All of the rehearsing I had done in the weeks leading up to my results...

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Dec. 13, 2021

If you’re a nurse or an abuse survivor, you don’t have to be brave

"I’m not brave. I’m just me. Full of light and lifted by my light. You see, when you strip away the darkness and lies that others surround you with, you’re left only with your light. The genuine you. Moving forward in life in ways that are...

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Dec. 13, 2021

Monica Gandhi, MD on why hospitalizations better measure COVID's impa…

"Some policymakers may be wary of not using case numbers as the primary metric to guide public behavior and policy. As cases become more complex, however, health departments should still monitor infection numbers, but guidance should be tied to...

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Dec. 12, 2021

A satirical letter to radiologists from a jilted orthopedic surgeon

"We orthopedic surgeons are disappointed with the growing lack of enthusiasm in your reports. When I began in practice almost 15 years ago, it wasn’t unusual to see a report of a post-reduction or post-surgical X-ray that read, 'alignment is now...

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Dec. 12, 2021

A COVID and Omicron update with Jeremy Faust, MD

"Right now, I think that people need to understand that this virus is clearly mutating to become more contagious, and that is in its evolutionary best interest. That's what viruses do. That is not the same thing as a virus having an advantage by...

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Dec. 11, 2021

"Take it or leave it" is not negotiation but coercion

"Physicians can exert their influence in a health care environment to put the patient-physician relationship at the center of the enterprise. Working with middle-market employers (between 200-2,000 employees), some companies pair bold doctors with...

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Dec. 10, 2021

Kevin Pho on life as an MD online

In this special episode of The Podcast by KevinMD, I'm on the other side of the podcast mic. It was an honor to be interviewed by  on his show, the . In this hour-long episode, , I discuss how I got started, online reputation and...

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Dec. 9, 2021

An obstetrician recommends midwifery care

"By denigrating midwifery care, pathologizing the natural process of birth, and instilling fear of complications and pain, doctors persuaded women to give birth at the hospital under their care. By touting the benefits of anesthesia, forceps delivery,...

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