In this episode of Hormone Harmony, Brittany Meeker, Thrivelab Nurse Practitioner is joined by Megan Wilcox, a sober coach and founder of Sobah Sistahs. They explore how alcohol affects sleep, mental health, and hormones, with Megan sharing her personal journey to sobriety. They debunk the myth that alcohol helps with sleep, explaining how it disrupts sleep cycles and contributes to anxiety and depression.Megan discusses the long-term health risks of alcohol, including its links to osteoporosis and cancer, and how it affects women’s health as they age. She offers advice on overcoming alcohol dependence, navigating social situations without drinking, and finding healthier alternatives like magnesium and herbal teas. This episode highlights the power of community, self-compassion, and taking small steps toward a healthier, alcohol-free life.Head to www.thrivelab.com for the full video version of this episode! Find us on Instagram @thrivelab_women to learn more about the benefits of BHRT and women's hormone health.

Send us a textWelcome back Rounds Table Listeners! Today we're introducing a new format—the first episode in our Clinical Practice Guidelines series. This week, Drs. Mike and John Fralick discuss the 2025 ACC/AHA Clinical Practice Guidelines for Acute Coronary Syndrome. Here we go!2025 ACC/AHA/ACEP/NAEMSP/SCAI Guideline for the Management of Patients With Acute Coronary Syndromes (0:00 - 18:56)Mike's interview with Dr. Jeff Carson:Episode 110 - Restrictive versus Liberal Transfusion in Myocardial Infarction with Dr. Jeff CarsonThe Good Stuff:Egg cracking tips! (18:57 - 19:47)Jerro (19:48 - 20:47)Questions? Comments? Feedback? We’d love to hear from you! @roundstable @InternAtWork @MedicinePods

Physicians assume that once their income stabilizes and their savings plans are in place, they will have peace of mind. But what if that peace never shows up? What if, despite doing everything “right,” they still feel anxious, distracted, or perpetually behind? In this episode, we explore a surprising culprit: the emotional toll of financial noise - the relentless stream of news, updates, social media posts, and peer chatter that quietly chips away at your well-being. Today, we’ll walk through real-world examples of clients with rock-solid plans who nonetheless feel like the sky is falling, often because of a tweet, a headline, or a half-baked take on PSLF. They highlight how easy it is to internalize fear and stress derived from sources of information that are inaccurate and irrelevant to your financial reality. The problem isn’t a lack of money, it’s a lack of mental margin. You’ll leave this episode with two core takeaways: a reminder that boring investing is often the smartest kind; and second, a clear strategy for reclaiming control over what information you let into your brain. Because in a world where financial anxiety can be manufactured by a bot on a Sunday, the ability to filter noise isn’t just a nice-to-have, it’s essential. Looking for help with Disability Insurance, Physician Banking, Student Loan Refinancing, Physician Mortgages, Contract Reviews, and more? Check out our "Best of the Best" sponsors page to find a list of the professionals Chad & Tyler team up with for their clients. You will want to hear this episode if you are interested in... (0:00) Financial stress that isn’t about the numbers (3:30) How news and social media hijack our financial decisions (4:45) Why “boring investing” beats trying to time the market (7:00) The disconnect between being financially fine and feeling financially fine (8:50) Rules and boundaries around news and social media consumption (13:10) A real-time example: PSLF panic caused by a website glitch (17:00) Refocusing on what you can control when the financial world feels chaotic The Hidden Stressor in Your Financial Life No One Talks About Most of us assume that we won’t have to worry about our finances once we’ve hit a certain income level or dialed in our investment strategy. But time and time again, we meet with physicians who are doing all the right things - saving, investing, managing debt, and still feel uneasy. That stress often stems from something intangible: the constant noise in the financial atmosphere. Whether it’s a headline about student loans, a friend’s market hot take, or a viral tweet about PSLF vanishing overnight, this kind of input doesn't just inform us, it can overwhelm us, hijack our sense of control, and leave us in a persistent state of financial unease. How to Filter the Noise Before It Hijacks Your Decisions It’s not the presence of information that’s the problem, it’s the volume and velocity. With social media platforms and news alerts pinging us 24/7, our brains are stuck in a loop of reacting rather than responding. We’ve seen this happen firsthand: clients with airtight plans suddenly spiral over a rogue tweet or misinterpreted update. The solution isn’t to bury your head in the sand, but to build intentional filters. That might mean muting certain keywords, uninstalling apps from your phone, or limiting your news intake to one reliable source, once per day. You don't need to know everything the moment it happens. You just need a clear enough head to make good decisions when it counts. The Power of Re-Centering on What You Can Control When the noise around you gets louder, the smartest move is to tune it out and refocus on your own financial plan. We remind our clients to concentrate on what they can control, like how much they save, how consistently they invest, their daily spending habits, and the strength of their cash reserves. These are the levers that truly drive progress in your financial life. Ruminating on policy changes, market predictions, or viral rumors won’t. That kind of anxiety doesn’t just cloud your judgment, it can chip away at your health. And we all know: health is wealth. The goal is a life where your finances support your peace of mind, not compete with it. The best of the best list is a paid sponsorship, but these are professionals/companies that Tyler and Chad collaborate with within their own practices or have been vetted to earn a spot on this list. By supporting our sponsors, it allows Chad & Tyler to dedicate more time to you and the Physician Cents community. If you ever have a question (or not a great experience, which we don’t expect!) about a sponsor, please let us know. We call it the “best of the best” for a reason, and we will maintain that standard for our listeners & viewers. Resources & People Mentioned StudentAid.gov – https://studentaid.gov Connect With Physician Cents WealthKeel LLC Olson Consulting LLC Tyler Olson on Twitter Chad Chubb, CFP®, CSLP® on Twitter Subscribe to Physician Cents Apple Podcasts Audio Production and Show Notes by - PODCAST FAST TRACK

First thing first, there are barriers for everyone living with T1D to be their best. Imagine this, with modern technology and medicine you were able to view how people across the world managed T1D but you and the community you serve every single day are fighting, struggling, traveling afar on foot and by bike to not only get the insulin youneed but to also give insulin to other warriors in need. This is life with T1D in Uganda and these warriors are more than proud to be able to aid others in just living life. This is why Ivan smiles. "It is a badge of honor to livewith Type One Diabetes."--IvanIvan at 16 started feeling thirsty and losing weight and told his school nurse about the frequent urination, she told him to go drink more water. That lasted for 4 weeks and then he was in and out of the hospital. That Birthed a lawyer that is passionate about T1D!In this conversation Ivan talks about how in rural areas some people with T1D go missing because families can't affordto care for T1D. Families can't afford to care for children with T1D and it being a great burden. Get to know Ivan @moivanivanA great challenge is for people that were diagnosed as kids, the people that make the decisions in healthcare that haveseen you grow up as a child they still see you as a child and you aren't often given the opportunity to speak as anadvocate because you are still seen as a child. With Ivan being a lawyer and advocate he is able to speak up and sharehow young people with diabetes feel and their needs.

Papilledema describes optic disc swelling (usually bilateral) arising from raised intracranial pressure. Due to its serious nature, there is a fear of underdiagnosis; hence, one major stumbling points is correct identification, which typically requires a thorough ocular examination including visual field testing. In this episode, Kait Nevel, MD speaks with Susan P. Mollan, MBChB, PhD, FRCOphth, author of the article “Papilledema” in the Continuum® April 2025 Neuro-ophthalmology issue. Dr. Nevel is a Continuum® Audio interviewer and a neurologist and neuro-oncologist at Indiana University School of Medicine in Indianapolis, Indiana. Dr. Mollan is a professor and neuro-ophthalmology consultant at University Hospitals Birmingham in Birmingham, United Kingdom. Additional Resources Read the article: Papilledema Subscribe to Continuum®: shop.lww.com/Continuum Earn CME (available only to AAN members): continpub.com/AudioCME Continuum® Aloud (verbatim audio-book style recordings of articles available only to Continuum® subscribers): continpub.com/Aloud More about the American Academy of Neurology: aan.com Social Media facebook.com/continuumcme @ContinuumAAN Host: @IUneurodocmom Guest: @DrMollan Full episode transcript available here Dr Jones: This is Dr Lyell Jones, Editor-in-Chief of Continuum. Thank you for listening to Continuum Audio. Be sure to visit the links in the episode notes for information about earning CME, subscribing to the journal, and exclusive access to interviews not featured on the podcast. Dr Nevel: Hello, this is Dr Kait Nevel. Today I'm interviewing Dr Susan Mollan about her article Papilledema Diagnosis and Management, which appears in the April 2025 Continuum issue on neuro-ophthalmology. Susie, welcome to the podcast, and please introduce yourself to our audience. Dr Mollan: Thank you so much, Kait. It's a pleasure to be here today. I'm Susie Mollan, I'm a consultant neuro-ophthalmologist, and I work at University Hospitals Birmingham- and that's in England. Dr Nevel: Wonderful. So glad to be talking to you today about your article. To start us off, can you please share with us what you think is the most important takeaway from your article for the practicing neurologist? Dr Mollan: I think really the most important thing is about examining the fundus and actually trying to visualize the optic nerves. Because as neurologists, you're really acutely trained in examining the cranial nerves, and often people shy away from looking at the eyes. And it can give people such confidence when they're able to really work out straightaway whether there's going to be a problem or there's not going to be a problem with papilledema. And I guess maybe a little bit later on we can talk about the article and tips and tricks for looking at the fundus. But I think that would be my most important thing to take away. Dr Nevel: I'm so glad that you started with that because, you know, that's something that I find with trainees in general, that they often find one of the more daunting or challenging aspects of learning, really, how to do an excellent neurological exam is examining the fundus and feeling confident in diagnosing papilledema. What kind of advice do you give to trainees learning this skill? Dr Mollan: So, it really is practice and always carrying your ophthalmoscope with you. There's lots of different devices that people can choose to buy. But really, if you have a direct ophthalmoscope, get it out in the ward, get it out in clinic. Look at those patients that you'd know have alternative diagnosis, but it gives you that practice. I also invite everybody to come to the eye clinic because we have dilated patients there all the time. We have diabetic retinopathy clinics, and it makes it really easy to start to acquire those skills because I think it's very tricky, because you're getting a highly magnified view of the optic nerve and you've got to sort out in your head what you're actually looking at. I think it's practice. and then use every opportunity to really look at the fundus, and then ask your ophthalmology colleagues whether you can go to clinic. Dr Nevel: Wonderful advice. What do you think is most challenging about the evaluation of papilledema and why? Dr Mollan: I think there are many different aspects that are challenging, and these patients come from lots of different areas. They can come from the family doctor, they can come from an optician or another specialist. A lot of them can have headache. And, as you know, headache is almost ubiquitous in the population. So, trying to pull out the sort of salient symptoms that can go across so many different conditions. There's nothing that's pathognomonic for papilledema other than looking at the optic nerves. So, I think it's difficult because the presentation can be difficult. The actual history can be challenging. There are those rare patients that don't have headache, don't have pulsatile tinnitus, but can still have papilledema. So, I think it- the most challenging thing is actually confirming papilledema. And if you're not able to confirm it, getting that person to somebody who's able to help and confirm or refute papilledema is the most important thing. Dr Nevel: Yeah, right. Because you talk in your article the importance of distinguishing between papilledema and some other diagnoses that can look like papilledema but aren't papilledema. Can you talk about that a little bit? Dr Mollan: Absolutely. I think in the article it's quite nice because we were able to spend a bit of time on a big table going through all the pseudopapilledema diagnoses. So that includes people with shortsightedness, longsightedness, people with optic nerve head drusen. And we've been very fortunate in ophthalmology that we now have 3D imaging of the optic nerve. So, it makes it quite clear to us, when it's pseudopapilledema, it's almost unfair when you're using the direct ophthalmoscope that you don't get a cross sectional image through that optic nerve. So, I'd really sort of recommend people to delve into the article and look at that table because it nicely picks out how you could pick up pseudopapilledema versus papilledema. Dr Nevel: Perfect. In your article, you also talk about what's important to think about in terms of causes of papilledema and what to evaluate for. Can you tell us, you know, when you see someone who you diagnose with papilledema, what do you kind of run through in terms of diagnostic tests and things that you want to make sure you're evaluating for or not missing? Dr Mollan: Yeah. So, I think the first thing is, is once it's confirmed, is making sure it's isolated or whether there's any additional cranial nerve palsies. So that might be particularly important in terms of double vision and a sixth nerve palsy, but also not forgetting things like corneal sensation in the rest of the cranial nerves. I then make sure that we have a blood pressure. And that sounds a bit ridiculous in this day and age because everybody should have a blood pressure coming to clinic or into the emergency room. But sometimes it's overlooked in the panic of thinking, gosh, I need to investigate this person. And if you find that somebody does have malignant hypertension, often what we do is we kind of stop the investigational pathway and go down the route of getting the medics involved to help with lowering the blood pressure to a safe level. I would then always think about my next thing in terms of taking some bloods. I like to rule out anemia because anemia can coexist in a lot of different conditions of raised endocranial pressure. And so, taking some simple blood such as a complete blood count, checking the kidney function, I think is important in that investigational pathway. But you're not really going to stop there. You're going to move on to neuroimaging. It doesn't really matter what you do, whether you do a CT or an MRI, it's just getting that imaging pretty much on the same day as you see the patient. And the key point to that imaging is to do venography. And you want to rule out a venous sinus thrombosis cause that's the one thing that is really going to cause the patient a lot of morbidity. Once your neuroimaging is secure and you're happy, there's no structural lesion or a thrombosis, it's then reviewing that imaging to make sure it's safe to proceed with lumbar puncture. And so, we would recommend the lumbar puncture in the left lateral decubitus position and allowing the patient to be as calm and relaxed as possible to be able to get that accurate opening pressure. Once we get that, we can send the CSF for contents, looking for- making sure they don't have any signs of meningitis or raised protein. And then, really, we're at that point of saying, you know, we should have a secure diagnosis, whether it would be a structural lesion, venous sinus thrombosis, or idiopathic intracranial hypertension. Dr Nevel: Wonderful. Thank you for that really nice overview and, kind of, diagnostic pathway and stepwise thought process in the evaluations that we do. There are several different treatments for papilledema that you go through in your article, ranging from surgical to medication options. When we're taking care of an individual patient, what factors do you use to help guide you in this decision-making process of what treatment is best for the patient and how urgent treatment is? Dr Mollan: I think that's a really important question because there's two things to consider here. One is, what is the underlying diagnosis? Which, hopefully, through the investigational save, you'll have been able to achieve a secure diagnosis. But going along that investigational pathway, which determines the urgency of treatment, is, what's happening with the vision? If we have somebody where we're noting that the vision is affected- and normally it's actually through a formal visual field. And that's really challenging for lots of people to get in the emergency situation because syndromes of raised endocranial pressure often don't cause problems with the visual acuity or the color vision until it's very late. And also, you won't necessarily get a relative afferent papillary defect because often it's bilateral. So I really worry if any of those signs are there in somebody that may have papilledema. And so, a lot rests on that visual field. Now, we're quite good at doing confrontational visual fields, but I would say that most neurologists should be carrying pins to be able to look at the visual fields rather than just pointing fingers and quadrants if you're not able to get a formal visual field early. It's from that I would then determine if the vision is affected, I need to step up what I'm going to do. So, I think the sort of next thing to think about is that sort of vision. So, if we have somebody who, you know, you define as have severe sight loss at the point that you're going through this investigational pathway, you need to get an ophthalmologist or a neuro-ophthalmologist on board to help discuss either the surgery teams as to whether you need to be heading towards an intervention. And there are a number of different types of intervention. And the reason why we discuss it in the article---and we'll also be discussing it in a future issue of Continuum---is there's not high-class evidence to suggest one surgery over another surgery. We may touch on this later. So, we've got our patients with severe visual loss who we need to do something immediately. We may have people where the papilledema is moderate, but the vision isn't particularly affected. They may just have an enlarged blind spot. For those patients, I think we definitely need to be thinking about medical therapy and talking to them about what the underlying cause is. And the commonest medicine to use for raised endocranial pressure in this setting is acetazolamide, a carbonic anhydrous inhibitor. And I think that should be started at the point that you believe somebody has moderate papilledema, with a lot of discussion around the side effects of the medicine that we go into the article and also the fact that a lot of our patients find acetazolamide in an escalating dose challenging. There are some patients with very mild papilledema and no visual change where I might say, hey, I don't think we need to start treatment immediately, but you need to see somebody who understands your disease to talk to you about what's going on. And generally, I would try and get somebody out of the emergency investigational pathway and into a formal clinic as soon as possible. Dr Nevel: Thank you so much for that. One thing that I was wondering that we see clinically is you get a consult for a patient, maybe, who had an isolated episode of vertigo, back to their normal self, completely resolved… but incidentally, somebody ordered an MRI. And that MRI, in the report, it says partially empty sella, slight flattening of the posterior globe, concerns for increased intracranial pressure. What should we be doing with these patients who, you know, normal neurological exam, maybe we can't detect any definite papilledema on our endoscopic exam. What do you think the appropriate pathway is for those patients? Dr Mollan: I think it's really important. The more neuroimaging that we're doing, we're sort of seeing more people with signs that are we don't believe are normal. So, you've mentioned a few, the sort of partially empty sella, empty sella, tortuosity of the optic nerves, flattening of the globes, changes in transverse sinus. And we have quite a nice, again, table in the article that talks about these signs. But they have really low sensitivity for a diagnosis of raised endocranial pressure and isolation. And so, I think it's about understanding the context of which the neuroimaging has been taken, taking a history and going back and visiting that to make sure that they don't have escalating headache. And also, as you said, rechecking the eye nerves to make sure there's no papilledema. I think if you have a good examination with the direct ophthalmoscope and you determine that there's no papilledema, I would be confident to say there's no papilledema. So, I don't think they need to necessarily cry doubt. The ophthalmology offices, we certainly are having quite a few additional referrals, particularly for this, which we kind of called IIH-RAD, where patients are coming to us for this exclusion. And I think, in the intervening time, patients can get very anxious about having a sort of MRI artifact picked up that may necessarily mean a different diagnosis. So, I guess it's a little bit about reassurance, making sure we've taken the appropriate history and performed the examination. And then knowing that actually it's really a number of different signs that you need to be able to confidently diagnose raised ICP, and also the understanding that sometimes when people have these signs, if the ICP reduces, those signs remain. You know, we're learning an awful lot more about MRI imaging and what's normal, what's within normal limits. So, I think reassurance and sensible medical approach. Dr Nevel: Absolutely. In the section in your article on idiopathic intracranial hypertension, you spend a little bit of time talking about how important it is that we sensitively approach the topic of potential weight loss for those patients who are overweight. How do you approach that discussion in your clinic? Because I think it's an important part of the holistic patient care with that condition. Dr Mollan: I think this is one of the things that we've really listened to the patients about over the last number of years where we recognize that in an emergency situation, sometimes we can be quite quick to sort of say, hey, you have idiopathic endocranial hypertension and weight loss is, you know, the best treatment for the condition. And I think in those circumstances, it can be quite distressing to the patient because they feel that there's a lot of stigma attached around weight management. So, we worked with the patient group here at IIH UK to really come up with a way of a signposting to our patients that we have to be honest that there is a link, you know, a strong evidence that weight gain and body shape change can cause someone to fall into a diagnosis of IIH. And we know that weight loss is really effective with this condition. So, I think where I've learned from the patients is trying to use language that's less stigmatizing. I definitely signpost that I'm going to talk about something sensitive. So, I say I'm going to talk about something sensitive and I'm going to say, do you know that this condition is related to body shape change? And I know that if I listen to this podcast in a couple of years, I'm sure my words will have changed. And I think that's part of the process, is learning how to speak to people in an ever-changing language. And they think that sort of signpost that you're going to talk about something sensitive and you're going to talk about body shape change. And then follow up with, are you OK with me talking about this now? Is it something you want to talk about? And the vast majority of people say, yes, let's talk about it. There'll be a few people that don't want to talk about it. And I usually come in quite quickly, say, is it OK if I mention it at the next consultation? Because we have a duty of care to sort of inform our patients, but at the same time we need to take them on that journey to get them back to health, and they need to be really enlisted in that process. Dr Nevel: Yeah, I really appreciate that. These can be really difficult conversations and uncomfortable conversations to have that are really important. And you're right, we have a duty as medical providers to have these conversations or inform our patients, but the way that we approach it can really impact the way patients perceive not only their diagnosis, but the relationship that we have with our patients. And we always want that to be a positive relationship moving forward so that we can best serve our patients. Dr Mollan: I think the other thing as well is making sure that you've got good signposts to the professionals. And that's what I say, because people then say to me, well, you know, kind of what diet should I be on? What should I be doing? And I say, well, actually, I don't have professional experience with that. I'm, I'm very fortunate in my hospital, I'm able to send patients to the endocrine weight management service. I'm also able to send patients to the dietetic service. So, it's finding, really, what suits the patient. Also what's within licensing in your healthcare system to be able to provide. But not being too prescriptive, because when you spend time with weight management professionals, they'll tell you lots of different things about diets that people have championed and actually, in randomized controlled trials, they haven't been effective. I think it's that signpost really. Dr Nevel: Yeah, absolutely. So, could you talk a little bit about what's going on in research in papilledema or in this area, and what do you think is up-and-coming? Dr Mollan: I think there's so much going on. Mainly there's two parts of it. One is image analysis, and we've had some really fantastic work out of the Singapore group Bonsai looking at a machine learning decision support tool. When people take fundal pictures from a normal fundus camera, they're able to say with good certainty, is this papilledema, is this not papilledema? But more importantly, if you talk to the investigators, something that we can't tell when we look in is they're able to, with quite a high level of certainty, say, well, this is base occupying lesion, this is a venous sinus thrombosis, and this is IIH. And you know, I've looked at thousands and thousands of people's eyes and that I can't tell why that is. So, I think the area of research that is most exciting, that will help us all, is this idea about decision support tools. Where, in your emergency pathway, you're putting a fundal camera in that helps you be able to run the image, the retina, and also to try and work out possibly what's going on. I think that's where the future will go. I think we've got many sort of regulatory steps and validation and appropriate location of a learning to go on in that area. So, that's one side of the imaging. I think the other side that I'm really excited about, particularly with some of the work that we've been doing in Birmingham, is about treatment. The surgical treatments, as I talked about earlier… really, there's no high-class evidence. There's a number of different groups that have been trying to do randomized trials, looking at stenting versus shunting. They're so difficult to recruit to in terms of trials. And so, looking at other treatments that can reduce intracranial pressure. We published a small phase two study looking at exenatide, which is a glucagon-like peptide receptor agonist, and it showed in a small group of patients living with IIH that it could reduce the intracranial pressure two and a half hours, twenty-four hours, and also out to three months. And the reason why this is exciting is we would have a really good acute therapy---if it's proven in Phase III trials---for other diseases, so, traumatic brain injury where you have problems controlling ICP. And to be able to do that medically would be a huge breakthrough, I think, for patient care. Dr Nevel: Yeah, really exciting. Looking forward to seeing what comes in the future then. Wonderful. Well, thank you so much for chatting with me today about your article. I really enjoyed learning more from you during our conversation today and from your article, which I encourage all of our listeners to please read. Lots of good information in that article. So again, today I've been interviewing Dr Susie Mollan about her article Papilledema Diagnosis and Management, which appears in the most recent issue of Continuum on neuro-ophthalmology.Please be sure to check out Continuum episodes from this and other issues. And thank you to our listeners for joining us today. Thank you, Susie. Dr Mollan: Thank you so much. Dr Monteith: This is Dr Teshamae Monteith, Associate Editor of Continuum Audio. If you've enjoyed this episode, you'll love the journal, which is full of in-depth and clinically relevant information important for neurology practitioners. Use the link in the episode notes to learn more and subscribe. AAN members, you can get CME for listening to this interview by completing the evaluation at continpub.com/audioCME. Thank you for listening to Continuum Audio.

Welcome to HealthTech Check Up! On this week's episode, your hosts Rachelle Galant and Perry Dimas are chatting with Bradley Hinson, CEO of Northlakes Analytics. He discusses how his company evolved from EMR integrations to developing a direct-to-EMR claims product, aiming to reduce errors, speed up payments, and streamline operations for healthcare providers.Here’s what else we talk about: The transformative role of AI in healthcare — from claims automation to future possibilities in patient diagnosis supportWhy healthcare's outdated infrastructure creates both massive challenges and opportunities for changeThe future of AI-assisted clinical decision-making and the ethical considerations that come with itWhether you’re interested in health tech innovation, startup growth, or the real-world impact of AI in healthcare, this conversation offers insights you won’t want to miss.—-------Keep in touch with our hosts, Rachelle Galant and Perry Dimas on Linkedin! To learn more about careviso, visit, www.careviso.comTo learn more about Northlake Analytics, please visit, www.northlakeanalytics.com

In this episode of Ditch the Lab Coat, Dr. Mark Bonta is joined by Dr. Robert C. Smith, University Distinguished Professor Emeritus of Medicine and Psychiatry at Michigan State University, to tackle one of modern healthcare’s biggest blind spots: mental health care in the medical system.Dr. Smith—renowned educator, author, and advocate—pulls back the curtain on how, despite mental health problems being the most common health condition seen in practice, most doctors are dangerously undertrained to diagnose or treat them. He explains that medicine’s longstanding “mind-body split” traces back centuries, shaping medical education, health systems, and even our billing codes to treat mental and physical health as separate entities. The result? Nearly 75% of mental health care is provided in primary care settings by clinicians who received only about 2% of their training in mental health.The conversation is both a critique and a call to action. Dr. Smith advocates for a revolution in medical education—a new “Flexner Report”—to fully integrate mental health teaching and the biopsychosocial model at every level of training. He shares lessons from history, the cultural and structural forces behind the mind-body divide, and practical examples from the clinic—like why lifestyle factors and trauma histories are so often ignored.Dr. Bonta and Dr. Smith also offer practical advice for both clinicians and patients: how to advocate for better care, what questions to ask, and the importance of seeing patients as whole people rather than a sum of body parts or checklists.If you’ve ever felt that your mental health concerns weren’t taken seriously, or if you’re a healthcare provider frustrated by a broken system, this episode offers both context and hope—a blueprint for creating a healthcare system that truly sees and treats the whole person.Episode HighlightsBiopsychosocial Model’s Limits : Treating biological, psychological, and social factors as separate fails patients; true integration is essential for holistic care.Insufficient Mental Health Training : Most doctors get minimal mental health education, despite facing these issues daily in primary care settings.Systemic Checkboxes Over People: Medical culture prioritizes checklists and protocols, often neglecting patients’ real experiences and interconnected life factors.Chronic Disease and Mental Health : Overlooking mental health and lifestyle factors worsens outcomes for chronic illnesses like heart disease and diabetes.PTSD as Teaching Tool : Post-traumatic stress highlights how physical and psychological symptoms are deeply entwined and inseparable in patient care.Need For Top-Down Reform : Only policy-level, systemic changes can mandate integration of mental health into mainstream medical education and practice.Patient Advocacy Is Crucial : Change won’t arrive without active voices from patients and the public demanding better, more integrated care.Actionable Lifestyle Advice : Regular exercise, good diet, mindfulness, and honest self-reflection can support both mental and physical resilience.Communication Beats Technology : As artificial intelligence advances, true human connection in healthcare—listening, understanding, empathy—remains irreplaceable.Episode Timestamps04:53 – Biopsychosocial Model Critique07:32 – PTSD: Linking Mental and Physical Health10:20 – “Mind-Body Split in Medicine”15:53 – Mind-Body Connection in Chronic Care17:40 – Lifestyle-Induced Health Complications21:32 – “Reforming Medicine: A Systems Approach”26:25 – Biopsychosocial Model in Healthcare29:35 – Mental Health Training Shortfall30:41 – Integrated Biopsychosocial Medical Training35:20 – Interdisciplinary Approach to Trauma Inquiry37:44 – Lifestyle Hacks for Mental and Physical Resilience43:24 – Healthcare System’s Training Limitations45:11 – Prioritize Mental Health AwarenessDISCLAMER >>>>>>    The Ditch Lab Coat podcast serves solely for general informational purposes and does not serve as a substitute for professional medical services such as medicine or nursing. It does not establish a doctor/patient relationship, and the use of information from the podcast or linked materials is at the user's own risk. The content does not aim to replace professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment, and users should promptly seek guidance from healthcare professionals for any medical conditions.   >>>>>> The expressed opinions belong solely to the hosts and guests, and they do not necessarily reflect the views or opinions of the Hospitals, Clinics, Universities, or any other organization associated with the host or guests.    

Tools to Build Your Dream : www.dreamdpc.com Here is a quick episode on one of the few things that helps me reset my brain during the day. It's not more coffee and it's not meditation. It's exercise. Learning how to utilize exercise is key to helping you maintain alignment with your own principles and being able to keep your brain fresh and active throughout the day. Key Takeaways 1. Build an exercise regimen around the time you start to fade out. 2. Start out low and go slow until you find a good balance. 3. Try and alternate resistance training with cardiorespiratory fitness days. 4. Recognize that a lot of successful entrepreneurs build some type of fitness training into their daily calendar. 4. Be kind to yourself if you miss a day. Keep on building that dream!

The Child Health Advisory Council (CHAC) members talk about setting expectations with candidates, effectively defining the culture and broadening the interview pool to get a sense for the entire department during the recruitment process.

Join doctors Aoife, Ciara, and Louise as they shine a light on the "sunshine vitamin" — why Vitamin D is essential for your bones, muscles, mood, and immune system. From how much you need at different life stages to common myths and supplement tips, this bite-sized episode packs a healthy punch.☀️🔗 Resources & Links:HSE: Vitamin D NHS: Vitamin DBritish Dietatic Association: Vitamin DFollow Lady Bites for more bite-sized women's health episodes! 🎧Special thanks to Jeremy Roske for the soundtrack, A Little Love