52. Who Gets a Heart Disease Test?
Medical tests can save lives. So how do doctors decide who gets tested, and when?
Sep 09, 2022•32 min•Ep. 52
Freakonomics, M.D.
Each week, physician, economist, and author of "Random Acts of Medicine" Dr. Bapu Jena will dig into a fascinating study at the intersection of economics and healthcare. He takes on questions like: Why do kids with summer birthdays get the flu more often? Can surviving a hurricane help you live longer? What do heart surgery and grocery-store pricing have in common?
Episodes
Why Fridays May Be Dangerous for Your Health (Ep. 9 Replay)
When researchers analyzed which day of the week most F.D.A. drug-safety alerts are released — and what it means for public health — they were stunned. So, what can we do about the “Friday Effect?”
Sep 02, 2022•20 min
51. What Can We Do About the Hardest Patients?
A small number of patients with multiple, chronic conditions use a lot of resources. Dr. Jeffrey Brenner found a way to identify and treat them. Could it reduce health care spending too?
Aug 26, 2022•29 min•Ep. 51
50. What Happens When a Hospital Closes?
When a hospital closes in a rural area, it’s a big deal. But are all patients affected equally? We look at new research on the unexpected outcomes of traveling farther for care.
Aug 19, 2022•28 min•Ep. 50
49. Why Don’t We Have a Cure for Alzheimer’s?
Promising drugs keep failing in trials. Allegations of fraud have cast a shadow over the field. An expert explains why Alzheimer’s treatments have been so hard to find — and why one clue may lie in the Andes Mountains.
Aug 12, 2022•31 min•Ep. 49
48. The Hidden Consequences of School Shootings
Beyond the immediate casualties, school shootings have costs — for survivors, and for the rest of us.
Aug 05, 2022•27 min•Ep. 48
47. Should We Trust Hospital Rankings?
Hospitals compete for prime spots on the U.S. News rankings — but could those lists be doing more harm than good?
Jul 29, 2022•32 min•Ep. 47
How Does Retirement Affect Your Brain? (Ep. 17 Replay)
Our cognitive health can change as we get older. So, does leaving the workforce make problems like memory loss and difficulty focusing worse? We investigate the research, and Bapu asks: is it time for his dad to retire?
Jul 22, 2022•25 min
46. Could Long Covid Help Treat Other Chronic Illnesses?
Chronic fatigue syndrome looks remarkably similar to Long Covid, but has been ignored by the medical community. Could patients finally get some answers to their debilitating illness?
Jul 15, 2022•32 min•Ep. 46
45. Why Is July a Bad Month to Visit the Hospital?
Learning requires practice — and if you visit a teaching hospital in July, there’s a good chance your doctor hasn’t had much of it. So, will your care suffer? The dean of a medical school, an economist, and a hospital administrator help Bapu Jena find out.
Jul 08, 2022•29 min•Ep. 45
44. Office Hours with Bapu
Can you diagnose cancer too early? Do in-flight medical emergencies vary by location? We asked you to send Bapu your questions, and this week he tries to answer them. We’d love to get to the bottom of even more topics. Send your voice memos to bapu@freakonomics.com
Jul 01, 2022•35 min•Ep. 44
43. The Comedian-Ophthalmologist Will See You Now
Dr. Will Flanary, a.k.a Dr. Glaucomflecken, has always been a comedy fan. During the pandemic, he found an audience. But should doctors be funny with their patients? Bapu Jena asks when laughter is — and isn’t — the best medicine.
Jun 24, 2022•36 min•Ep. 43
42. Your Doctor Has to Go Home. Now What?
When a doctor’s shift ends, or a physician retires, are patients left in the lurch? Bapu Jena looks at the challenge of managing medical transitions.
Jun 17, 2022•29 min•Ep. 42
41. Is Rainy Day Joint Pain All in Your Head?
You’ve heard that the weather can make your joints hurt. Maybe you’ve even felt it yourself. But, is it true? Bapu Jena looks at why we think we know certain things in medicine, even when the data don’t agree.
Jun 10, 2022•31 min•Ep. 41
40. How Will We Handle the Heat?
The world is warmer than ever, and getting hotter. Bapu Jena looks at how heat affects our bodies and our behavior — and how we might adapt to rising temperatures.
Jun 03, 2022•26 min•Ep. 40
A Shave, a Haircut, and a Blood Pressure Test (Ep. 6 Update)
For Black men, the barbershop is a neighborhood hub. It could also be a place for them to get medical care. Plus: What happens to patients when affirmative action ends?
May 27, 2022•30 min
38. Pfizer’s CEO on the Big Gamble That Brought Us the COVID Vaccine
Bapu Jena talks with Albert Bourla about his unusual path to the top, developing a life-saving vaccine in record time, and the second-hardest decision he made along the way.
May 20, 2022•34 min•Ep. 38
37. Can Fear Be Good Medicine?
Fear is a popular tool in public health campaigns. But is it an effective one? Bapu Jena discusses new research on whether we can — and should — scare people into being healthier.
May 13, 2022•28 min•Ep. 37
36. Bad News — It’s Your Surgeon’s Birthday
Distractions are everywhere — including in the operating room. So, what happens if a surgeon loses focus? A tap dancer, a health researcher, and a surgeon help Bapu Jena find out.
May 06, 2022•32 min•Ep. 36
35. Are More Expensive Hospitals Better?
For lots of things, price is an indicator of quality. But what about in health care? Bapu Jena gets some clues from Steve Levitt’s wine tasting experiment, and looks at why shopping for health care is so hard.
Apr 29, 2022•28 min•Ep. 35
34. Should We Have to Pay for Our Sins?
Taxes on alcohol and tobacco promise to make people healthier and raise public funds. But can they backfire? Bapu Jena looks at the complicated economics of sin taxes.
Apr 22, 2022•26 min•Ep. 34
33. What Do a Full Moon, the Super Bowl, and Tax Day Have in Common?
Tax deadlines can stress us out. But do they also influence our conscious — and subconscious — behavior? Bapu Jena looks at why, with our health, timing is often everything.
Apr 15, 2022•27 min•Ep. 33
From Against the Rules with Michael Lewis: Six Levels Down
We’re sharing a special preview of the new season of Against the Rules from Pushkin Industries. In this clip, bestselling author Michael Lewis explores the idea that, in any big company, the person who can actually solve a problem is often buried six levels deep in the organization. You can hear more episodes of Against the Rules at podcasts.pushkin.fm/atrmd.
Apr 12, 2022•10 min
32. What is a Good Death — and Why Do So Few of Us Get One?
When it comes to end-of-life medical care, getting it right can be hard — even for doctors. Bapu Jena discusses surprising research on how we can live better - and maybe longer - before we die.
Apr 08, 2022•23 min•Ep. 32
31. Should You Trust Angelina Jolie or Your Doctor?
Celebrities influence the clothes we wear and the books we read. Do they also affect our health decisions? Bapu Jena looks at what happens when people take medical advice from movie stars.
Apr 01, 2022•27 min•Ep. 31
30. How Do We Know if Alcohol Is Bad for Us?
Getting solid answers in medicine can be hard — especially when the normal tools are off-limits. Dr. Bapu Jena discusses a research method that’s helping to solve some of science’s most challenging questions.
Mar 25, 2022•31 min•Ep. 30
29. How to Save a Stranger’s Heart
Cardiac arrest is one of the leading causes of death globally. What if it doesn’t have to be that way? Bapu Jena walks us through some solutions that can help save lives — and explores why change in medicine can be hard.
Mar 18, 2022•32 min•Ep. 29
28. Is Daylight Saving Time Hazardous to Your Health?
Changing the clocks has been linked to car accidents and heart attacks. This week, Bapu Jena sheds some light on the damage we might be doing by springing forward and falling back.
Mar 11, 2022•25 min•Ep. 28
27. What Can Bin Laden Teach Us About Medicine?
When trust in doctors or the healthcare system is lost, it’s really hard to get back. Bapu Jena explores the ripple effects of a C.I.A. operation to catch Osama bin Laden on medical distrust in Pakistan — and its parallels to distrust in the U.S.
Mar 04, 2022•29 min•Ep. 27
26. When is a ‘High-Risk’ Pregnancy a Good Thing?
Giving birth in the United States can be dangerous for both moms and their kids. Sometimes, that's because of too little medical care — and sometimes, it’s the opposite.
Feb 25, 2022•33 min•Ep. 26