Last season in the Healthy Skeptic, MD, Dr. Gil Welch educated us about the downsides of breast cancer screening. We get a different take this week from Dr. Christoph Lee, a breast radiologist and researcher at the University of Washington School of Medicine. Christoph is at the forefront of new approaches to breast cancer screening. Christoph also talks about his work on the risks of radiation from medical imaging. **Be sure to subscribe to The Healthy Skeptic MD on your favorite podcast app an...
Feb 19, 2021•46 min
Humans have a complex relationship with alcohol, dating back to the stone age. In excess quantities, it can be deadly. But what about a daily glass of wine? The answer is nuanced, as you will learn in this week’s episode with primary care doctor and alcohol researcher, Dr. Ken Mukamal from Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center in Boston. **Be sure to subscribe to The Healthy Skeptic MD on your favorite podcast app and on Youtube! Link for our channel on podcast apps and Youtube: wavve.link/health...
Feb 12, 2021•42 min
In 2018, the FDA authorized the first genetic test that could be marketed directly to consumers – a home test made by 23andme for BRCA mutations to assess breast cancer risk. Since then, the number of genes linked to cancer and other health conditions has continued to increase. Yet what to do with this information has not become any less confusing. In today’s episode, cancer specialist Vinay Prasad, MD, MPH from the University of California, San Francisco explains his anxieties about genetic tes...
Feb 05, 2021•46 min
In 2019, MedPage Today launched an investigative healthcare reporting team. Find out what they have uncovered so far with Kristina Fiore, who directs their Enterprise and Investigative Reporting efforts. As a bonus, we will also hear from Shelly Rosenfeld, a lawyer who co-directs the Cancer Legal Resource Center (CLRC). Find out how this team might help you or a loved one with cancer advocate for your rights during a challenging time. **Be sure to subscribe to The Healthy Skeptic MD on your favo...
Jan 29, 2021•46 min
Tonsil surgery and ear tubes are among the most common procedures in the U.S. The risks are low, but there are downsides. In today’s episode, Pediatric ENT surgeon and author Dr. Nina Shapiro from UCLA talks us through how to know when it makes sense to proceed with one of these procedures. Dr. Shapiro also weighs in on COVID-19 vaccination in children! This is a great episode to pass along to friends, family and colleagues with young children. **Be sure to subscribe to The Healthy Skeptic MD on...
Jan 22, 2021•41 min
Many patients go to the doctor’s office each year expecting to get a full panel of tests, including a blood count, platelets, kidney and liver tests and electrolyte levels. But are these tests really necessary? Could they lead to more harm than good? In today’s episode, primary care doctor Steven Hochman makes the case that patients and doctors could do more to promote health by focusing on healthy eating, exercise and addressing active medical issues rather than performing extensive routine blo...
Jan 15, 2021•37 min
This week’s episode kicks off season 2 of the Healthy Skeptic, MD. We will focus on key medical decisions that we may all need to consider at one point or another, such as: Should you take a daily multivitamin? Is red wine healthy for the heart? Do mammograms save lives? In today’s episode, Dr. Rita Redberg, a cardiologist at the University of California, San Francisco, and Editor-in-chief at JAMA Internal Medicine, explains why a healthy lifestyle and regular exercise are much more important fo...
Jan 08, 2021•35 min
Older adults are the most vulnerable both to the directs effects of COVID-19 but also to the indirect impact on psychological and mental health. Dr. Jay Bhatt – a geriatrician and the former Chief Medical Officer for the American Hospital Association – breaks down the risks and provides advice for the holiday season. After today’s episode, we will take a break for the holidays and pick it up again for season 2 of the Healthy Skeptic, MD on Friday January 8. Season 2 will focus on key health deci...
Dec 19, 2020•32 min
We’re now 9 months into this pandemic and malls and casinos have reopened, but in many parts of the nation schools have not. Hear from Pediatrician Dr. Jessica Hochman how we might safely get kids back in their classrooms (at least when this latest surge settles down!). Also, we’ll discuss the latest of the COVID vaccine and whether there’s a better approach to managing the latest surge other than renewed “safer at home” orders. **Be sure to subscribe to The Healthy Skeptic MD on your favorite p...
Dec 11, 2020•40 min
Dr. Kedar Mate is the new President and CEO of the Institute for Healthcare Improvement (IHI), perhaps the world’s most respected healthcare quality improvement organization. Today, we discuss his vision for healthcare improvement in the coming years. We also will touch on the latest health news. **Be sure to subscribe to The Healthy Skeptic MD on your favorite podcast app and on Youtube! Link for our channel on podcast apps and Youtube: wavve.link/healthyskepticmd
Dec 04, 2020•36 min
In this episode, we review the basics of COVID-19 with Dr. Pieter Cohen, a Harvard doctor who literally wrote the COVID-19 textbook (he is the lead author of the chapter on outpatient COVID-19 management in the popular medical textbook UpToDate). In this episode, Dr. Cohen reviews the basics about COVID-19 for patients. This is a great episode to share with friends and family who want a better understanding of the signs and symptoms of COVID-19 and how it is treated. **Be sure to subscribe to Th...
Nov 27, 2020•32 min
This Thanksgiving week, we hear about what healthcare is like for those living on the streets from three frontline clinicians who care for homeless patients. Their stories should make us all feel thankful. This week’s episode also covers the latest on COVID-19, as well as new evidence suggesting that some patients with appendicitis may not need surgery. **Be sure to subscribe to The Healthy Skeptic MD on your favorite podcast app and on Youtube! Link for our channel on podcast apps and Youtube: ...
Nov 20, 2020•40 min
How safe are we in the doctor’s office or your local hospital? Not as safe as you might think, according to today’s guests, Linda Beck, the founder of Square One Elder and Health Advocacy (https://squareoneadvocacy.com/), and Michael Eisenberg, producer and director of the documentary “To Err is Human” (https://www.toerrishumanfilm.com/). Also here the Healthy Skpetic, MD take on vitamin D supplementation to protect against COVID-19 as well as the new Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine data. **Be sure to s...
Nov 13, 2020•40 min
Dr. Sachin Jain, the new President and CEO of SCAN Health Plan, talks about the need to implement “radical common sense” in healthcare, while also approaching healthcare innovation with humility and adaptability. **Be sure to subscribe to The Healthy Skeptic MD on your favorite podcast app and on Youtube! Link for our channel on podcast apps and Youtube: wavve.link/healthyskepticmd
Nov 06, 2020•32 min
Pharmacists are often referred to as the most highly trained yet underutilized healthcare professionals. Learn how patients can better take advantage of these highly trained healthcare professionals in today’s episode featuring Dr. Steven Chen, Associate Dean for the USC School of Pharmacy. **Be sure to subscribe to The Healthy Skeptic MD on your favorite podcast app and on Youtube! Link for our channel on podcast apps and Youtube: wavve.link/healthyskepticmd
Oct 30, 2020•26 min
Today I talk with Dr. Joe Ladapo about the response to COVID-19 in the USA. Have we let fear cloud our judgment? What could get us out of the shutdown safely? **Be sure to subscribe to The Healthy Skeptic MD on your favorite podcast app and on Youtube! Link for our channel on podcast apps and Youtube: wavve.link/healthyskepticmd
Oct 23, 2020•30 min
Today I'm joined by Dr. John Schumann whose medical career took a turn when he became President of Oklahoma University-Tulsa. We discuss COVID on campus and the ups and downs of the American healthcare system. **Be sure to subscribe to The Healthy Skeptic MD on your favorite podcast app and on Youtube! Link for our channel on podcast apps and Youtube: wavve.link/healthyskepticmd
Oct 09, 2020•28 min
Today we get into the big question of cancer screenings. We're joined by Gilbert Welch, MD who posits that we may overdo it with screenings to the possible detriment of patients. He argues patients should be fully informed on the pros and cons of every test and make decisions for themselves, rather than going along with a system that may or may not be screening for the right reasons. **Be sure to subscribe to The Healthy Skeptic MD on your favorite podcast app and on Youtube! Link for our c...
Oct 02, 2020•39 min
Have questions for Dr. Michael you'd like to have answered on the show? Send 'em in! HealthySkepticMD@gmail.com ----- COVID-19 has caused an exponential growth in telehealth or virtual doctor's appointments. Dr. Sirisha Mohan and Dr. Paul Hyman, both Primary Care Doctors, discuss the effect this can have on doctor/patient relationships. Does the ease of access to your doctor in a virtual appointment come with any downsides? Is there a loss in quality of care if patients aren'...
Sep 25, 2020•36 min
Today I'm joined by Dr. David Katz to discuss COVID-19 and how the shutdown itself may be causing harm. He tells us how the shutdown could have been shorter while still protecting our health. Could we loosen restrictions before approval of a vaccine? Dr. Katz thinks so. We also talk about herd immunity. What is herd immunity? How many people need to be infected to achieve it? Could we we be closer to herd immunity than we think? As always, iff you have any health or Covid questions, send me...
Sep 18, 2020•1 hr 8 min
New York Times Best Selling Author Katy Butler joins me to talk about palliative care, hospice, and difficult end-of-life decisions. I also answer listener questions about COVID treatments from last week, as well as recent news regarding college athletes with inflammation around their hearts. All that plus the weekly health news. If you have any questions you'd like me to answer, send them to: HealthySkepticMD@gmail.com Subscribe on youtube and your favorite podcast app!...
Sep 11, 2020•1 hr 15 min
COVID-19 is at the top of our collective minds, so I brought the big questions to Dr. Brad Spellberg, Infectious Disease expert and Chief Medical Officer at the largest public hospital in California. He tells me what it's been like running a hospital during this once-a-century event. We also get into testing, masks, what the USA did right, what the USA did wrong, kids & Covid, reinfection, and where we go from here. We also discuss Brad's new book, Broken, Bankrupt, and Dying: How ...
Sep 04, 2020•1 hr 1 min
Coming soon! Welcome to the Healthy Skeptic, MD podcast. I am Dr. Michael Hochman, a primary care doctor and host of Healthy Skeptic, MD. The purpose of the Healthy Skeptic MD podcast is to take a deeper dive into health issues through interviews with experts and patients. A key theme of the podcast is that although modern medicine has much to offer, it also can lead to harms if used inappropriate. If you are interested in hearing more, check out the Health Skeptic MD podcast wherever you listen...
Sep 02, 2020•44 sec
